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I. Immunity, a major breakthrough
a) A Nobel Prize Winner
Every second of every day a complex network of cells, organs, tissues and fluids collaborate within our bodies to prevent disease and infection. This is the immune system, an area of fascination for researchers the world over and the subject of increasingly advanced research for some years now.
The 2011 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology was awarded for research in this area. The prize was divided, with one half going jointly to American Bruce Beutler and Frenchman Jules Hoffmann for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity (the first line of defence) and the other to Canadian Ralph Steinman, for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity (where the immune response adapts according to the pathogen to be combatted).
b) Your skin has its own immune system
Just like your body, your skin has its own immune system to protect against environmental threats, emotional stress and ageing, factors which not only weaken skin, but also damage its appearance.
This is not surprising as the body's largest organ is the first line of defence against bacteria and other exogenous agents. The skin acts as a physical barrier to alleviate the work of the central immune system. And just as researchers have established links between our immune system and our general health, there is also an interaction between skin's beauty and the condition of its immune system. But the cell that safeguards our skin's immunity – the Langerhans cell – represents only 2% to 5% of the epidermis.
Shiseido discovered that the skin's multi-defensive power – which protects it and maintains its balance, health and beauty – is compromised by external aggressors, emotional stress and ageing.
II. Langerhans cells, protecting immunity
Dr Langerhans discovered these cells back in 1868, and for more than two decades now, Dr Junichi Hosoi's passion and enthusiasm for these little ‘skin sentinels' have led Shiseido researchers to fundamental discoveries about the direct, complex link between Langerhans cells and the condition of the skin.
1993 – The link between emotions, Langerhans cells and skin ageing
First, a link was discovered between our emotions and our skin. In discovering the interactions between the Langerhans cells and nerve fibres, Shiseido and CBRC (the first dermatological research centre set up in 1989 by Shiseido, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital) researchers scientifically proved a phenomenon that dermatologists had been noticing for many years: that there is a very close link between skin and emotions, and that a skin problem can be caused or exacerbated by emotional stress.
This major breakthrough led to what was called the NICE (Neuro Immuno Cutaneous Endocrine) theory, which Discover magazine immediately ranked as one of the ‘Top 50 scientific discoveries' in 1993.
2013 –Langerhans cells' functions decrease with age
This latest discovery is linked to the ageing of the skin. Dr Hosoi and his team proved that Langerhans cells became less effective with age and exposure to external aggressions and stress.
Calming-enzymes on the surface of Langerhans cells can detect when stress or harmful aggressors are affecting the skin and step in to act as soothing agents, neutralising the aggressors before they damage the skin.
Recent research has shown that Langerhans cells can eliminate the warning signals the skin gives off when exposed to UV, chemical substances and other stimuli, by attenuating the over-reaction. And so their role as a multi-defensive protector is a vital element of the skin's immune reaction.
Shiseido's research therefore confirms the essential role Langerhans cells play in the skin's immune reaction and their multi-defensive protective action on the skin.
However, the number of calming-enzymes located on the surface of Langerhans cells decreases with age, thus lowering the skin's immunity with visible effects.
a) A complex that acts directly on Langerhans cells
Shiseido has developed the first complex that directly targets Langerhans cells. It restores the Langerhans cell functions that have been weakened by environmental factors, ageing and emotional stress.
Ultimune ComplexTM, a synergy of 3 key ingredients (Bulgarian rosewater, Aqua-in-Pool, and β-Glucan)
Ultimune ComplexTM improves Langerhans cells' defensive function by 64%*, stimulates collagen production, encourages hydration and strengthens skin barrier function.
To protect skin from impurities and sebum oxidation, scientists have developed a unique cocktail of botanical ingredients designed to maintain skin's surface radiance. This powerful blend comprises:
- Gingko Biloba leaf extract, a well-known anti-oxidant
- Aromatic herbs from Asia and the West - Perilla and Wild Thyme - both known for their powerful antibacterial properties
*In vitro test
III) ULTIMUNE: the power of timeless beauty
c) A skincare product with infinite properties
Now there is a perfect solution: ULTIMUNE, your skin's guardian. It does so much more than just repair visible damage. It is the first product to reactivate the skin's multi-defensive power to resist, protect, regenerate and strengthen against harmful aggressors. It is the power your skin needs to visibly slow down the ageing process for as long as possible.
ULTIMUNE activates 4 powers within your skin:
- The power to RESIST
- The power to PROTECT
- The power to REGENERATE
- The power to STRENGHTEN
With Ultimune your skin rediscovers its ultimate, timeless beauty: perfect, flawless, trouble-free skin, glowing with health and free from all visible signs of ageing.
Its beauty potential is outstanding.
With Ultimune, every woman, regardless of her age, origin or skin type, can experience the unexploited potential of her own skin.
Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, available in 50 ml.
d) A unique, universal texture
400 tests to achieve its rich, dense texture
Shiseido believes that a beauty product must satisfy the senses. Shiseido's galenic formulation specialist, Minako Ando, has worked tirelessly to achieve this texture. She has developed a product that is rich and dense but immediately absorbed by the skin. It took hundreds of different active ingredient combinations and methods to achieve these seemingly paradoxical properties. Ultimune is designed to meet any woman's needs, whatever her skin type.
a) An active fragrance
A mood-enhancing perfume
Tomonori Ueda, Shiseido's perfumer since 1998, dug deep into his aromachological expertise to give Ultimune a green floral fragrance, which lifts your spirits, whatever, your mood. Notes of rose and lotus flower combine to guarantee optimal wellbeing no matter how you are feeling.
b) A new ritual
A new skincare routine
Your Shiseido skincare routine now centres round a major new product: Ultimune
1) PREPARE your skin for its daily routine. Two steps:
- Cleanse to remove all impurities and traces of make-up
- Use a skin softener to soften the horny outer layer of skin and improve absorption.
2) ACTIVATE the skin's multi-defensive power. Use Ultimune, exclusive to Shiseido, to combat all visible damages.
3) CORRECT with the skincare range suitable for your skin type: serum, day /night cream, eye cream.
You can also add a skincare product to target any specific concerns, if necessary.
a) A futuristic design
In a feat of design prowess, Shiseido designer Taisuke Kikuchi has used all the past elements of Shiseido's iconic design to create a bottle for Ultimune that is ultra-modern and propels the brand resolutely into the future.
The red Ultimune bottle is a clear nod to the brand's first beauty product, Eudermine, a skin-enhancing lotion created in 1897. Already ground-breaking for its time, Eudermine is still sold in its red glass bottle which has evolved through the years.
Ultra-modern and sublimely ergonomic, ULTIMUNE makes its mark with its minimalist beauty and simple shape. The beautifully-balanced curves are reminiscent of natural elements and the arched bottle appears to emerge like the power of immunity emerging from deep inside the skin.
The graduated colour, the brand's own red, also represents the vitality which is reinjected, little by little, by this new-found immunity.
b) The campaign
The modern visual brings out the colour red, the brand's colour and a sign of energy. It presents the bottle as a symbol of skin's immunity. The message is that Ultimune gives skin the power to repair damage and enhance its own beauty.
RESULTS OF IN VIVO TESTS
In vivo tests
Ultimune's quite exceptional and extremely rare effectiveness and action on the defensive functions of Langerhans cells (the skin's multi-defensive power) were verified by in vivo tests.
The finished product was applied to biopsies taken from two groups (individuals in their twenties and fifties) for six weeks.
The test scientifically proved that after applying Ultimune for six weeks, the defensive functions of the Langerhans cells improved in both groups.
Clinical tests
After applying Ultimune for 4 weeks, the volunteers noticed:
1 – Skin is softer and suppler
- Immediately after application: skin is supple and silky smooth
- After a week: skin is more radiant than ever before
- After 4 weeks: skin is firmer, denser, and wrinkles are less visible
2 – Skin is stronger, flawless *
For 87% of the women, skin was stronger
For 88%, skin condition improved
For 71%, skin was more resilient
For 73%, skin repaired itself faster
For 69%, regular use slowed down the visible signs of ageing
*Tested on 200 women, used daily for 4 weeks
“Because the beauty is already in you” - a new signature
The name Shiseido comes from a sentence in the classic Chinese text Yi Jing, which translates as “Praise the virtues of the great earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth new values.”
True to its origins, the company has always used unparalleled technologies and beautiful packaging in its quest to improve all aspects of its customers' lives.
Ultimune was born of the most advanced research in skin immunity and marks a new era in the history of cosmetics. Ultimune can optimise the beauty potential in every woman, underlining a new brand value. Shiseido gives each and every woman unlimited access to the beauty that lies deep within her skin.
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