CYRIL MESSARAA
Oriflame, Ireland

For anyone familiar with the beginning of the movie Back to the Future 2, after jumping from 1985 to 2015 in the DeLorean time machine, Doc Brown removes what appears to be his own face in front of a baffled Marty. In reality, he had been to a 2015 rejuvenation clinic that had reversed all ageing signs : Doc was in fact removing a prosthetic ‘ageing’ mask, as he believed Marty would not recognise him looking so much younger than the 65 + year old man he was supposed to be. Interestingly, this scene was not primarily intended as a prediction of what the beauty industry may deliver 30 years later, but rather as a plot trick to avoid applying “ageing” make-up to the actor throughout the movie, as his character was meant to be 65+…

Back to 2022, can we say with confidence that we have technologies bringing such instant and dramatic rejuvenation today? Certainly not. However, the market has been since flooded with fancy-looking beauty devices and accessories, all holding the same promise as their topical counterpart: beautifying skin. Their selling point: to deliver benefits that can’t be achieved by conventional cosmetic products.