This winter, I’ve refocused my skincare routine on hydration. My skin tends to be drier year-round, but especially so when it’s cold outside. I’ve found my own moisture mecca thanks to masks—leave-on, wash off, peel off, reusable—you name it, I’ve tried it. These calming, quenching treatments have done wonders for my complexion. One variation that caught my attention was a set of reusable masks surprisingly free of water. Impressed by the unique characteristics of the Nannette de Gaspé collection, I reached out to learn more. Here’s what CEO and chairman Nannette de Gaspé Beaubien had to say about the high-tech masks and the future of the facial mask category.
What is driving the growth of facial treatment masks?
Overall, the significant growth in the facial treatment mask category is being propelled by the obsession of maintaining healthy youthful skin, the trendiness of masking, and the social media phenomenon surrounding it. Baby boomers are vigorously seeking skincare solutions to prolong youthful and healthy skin. Through immediate access to brand messaging via social media, Generations X and Y, as well as millennials, are being exposed to and even bombarded with information on the importance of taking care of one's skin at a young age to help prevent or delay the aging process. Many celebrities have been posting photos of themselves wearing sheet masks, which are considered to be an easy way to deliver active ingredients into the skin, enhancing a regular skincare routine by providing the skin with an intensive boost, thus allowing daily creams and serums to perform more effectively.
What makes Nannette de Gaspe masks unique and different?
Nannette de Gaspé has literally created an entirely new category in skincare by launching its Restorative Techstile Infusers, the world's first waterless sheet mask featuring serum-like properties. These waterless, multi-use face and body infusers offer a new approach to traditional skincare targeting the face, eyes, mouth, neck, and hands (and soon, the bust and tush areas).
They incorporate a breakthrough delivery system, known as Biomimetic Micro Vectors (BMV), allowing for micro penetration of active ingredients through multiple layers of the epidermis. This helps stimulate the synthesis of collagen and elastin to visibly tighten the skin, improve skin texture and reduce the depth of wrinkles.
We refer to our masks as wearable technology meets luxury cosmetics. Traditional sheet masks are on average 85 percent water and glycerin with 5 to 7 percent active ingredients. Our unique and proprietary formulation contains 87 percent active, anti-aging ingredients, and emollients, which are “dry-printed” on a textile sourced from Japan.
Can you explain a bit more about the material itself?
What is key to the effectiveness of our masques is the BMV transport technology. Due to biomimetic lipid components, similar to the skin’s composition, the instant that BMV make contact with the skin, they merge seamlessly with the skin’s structure and begin the prolonged release of active ingredients. The actives reach deeper as the vectors are absorbed into the multi-layers of the skin. As each individual’s skin profile is unique, BMV technology creates an epidermal reservoir to store actives waiting to be absorbed. Working with the skin’s fundamental needs, actives are fed to the skin only as required. This prolongs and enhances the effectiveness of the active ingredients.
By using lipids with a very high content of actives and delivering them without water, you don't just temporarily fill the gaps between the cells but repair them. Because lipids are not volatile, the effect is permanent and it allows the vectors to reach inner layers of the skin.
What are the typical results?
Due to the high-concentration of active ingredients and our revolutionary BMV ingredient delivery system, more significant results are achieved in a shorter amount of time. After just four days of use, clinical studies demonstrated a visible reduction in wrinkles of up to 39 percent, an up to 170 percent increase in the skin’s natural hydration, and a 23 percent brighter complexion.
What do you predict for the future of facial masks?
I believe that facial masks will continue to grow in popularity and that we have not yet seen the peak in this category. Given that our brand has created an entirely new category in skincare—the waterless, textile restorative infuser, and that the consumer has embraced it, I do believe that other brands will start to launch their own versions of waterless, textile masks and that this new category will explode in the years to come. This is only the beginning and we are the first.