Smoothed by science 

 The word “bespoke” is more usually associated with Savile Row than skincare but beauty brands are increasingly turning to made-to-measure ingredients to tackle age-old problems. 

“定制”这个词，我们通常会在世界顶级手工缝制西服的圣地萨维尔街(Savile Row)看到，而不会把它与皮肤护理联系起来。但近来已经有越来越多的美容品牌关注如何用量身定制的材料解决衰老问题。 

“In beauty, the fundamental approach seems to be ... you take an off-the- shelf material and then adapt it for use as best you can,” says Langer. What, he wondered, if you could create a new material instead? 

“在美容行业，最基本的方法大概就是……你买来一个现成的产品，然后试试看它是否最适合你。”兰格说，他很想知道是否能够有一种新的产品来替代。 

The result was No Frizz, Living Proof’s first haircare product (from ￡19, spacenk.co.uk). Langer says: “We analysed what causes hair to frizz in the first place – moisture getting in and expanding hair in different ways – and worked out what you need, from a chemical, engineering and biological standpoint, to counteract it.” 

他的研究成果就是No Frizz，这是Living Proof公司推出的第一款护发产品(售价19英镑起，spacenk.co.uk)。兰格说：“首先，我们分析了导致发丝卷曲的原因——然后研究出你到底需要什么，从化学、工程学和生物学的角度来解决这些问题。” 

The answer wasn’t silicone – the ingredient used in most anti-frizz products – but polyfluoroester, a coating for contact lenses never before used in the beauty industry. In its original state it was difficult to incorporate into a haircare product so Living Proof “tweaked” the original molecule – mixed it with other ingredients to add or subtract atoms. By changing the conditions, such as temperature and pressure, in which the mixing process is carried out, it is possible to control exactly where extra atoms are added or subtracted. A tweaked molecule will behave in a slightly different way to the original – in this case, in a way more suited to hair than contact lenses. 

解决问题的办法自然不再是硅树脂——这种原料在大部分直发产品中都有采用——而是甲基丙烯酸酯(polyfluoroester)，一种从来没有在美容行业中使用过的成膜剂。在其原本的结构状态下，这种原料很难被护发产品吸收，因此Living Proof “扭曲”了它的分子结构——在其中混合进其他一些原料以加入或减去一些原子。通过改变环境，比如温度和压力，这个混合过程得以完成，一些额外原子的添加和删减也能实现。一个经过“扭曲”的分子的作用会与原本有些微不同——也因为这样，它才能更适合头发的护理。 

Avon’s recent launch of its Anew Clinical Pro Line Corrector Treatment (￡30, avonshop.co.uk) contains A-F33, a bespoke molecule designed to help boost collagen levels in skin by deactivating compounds that block its production. 

雅芳(Avon)最近推出的再生抗皱霜(Anew Clinical Pro Line Corrector Treatment，售价30英镑，avonshop.co.uk)便含有A-F33，这是一种特别研发的分子，通过刺激皮肤制造胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白，激活皮肤自我修补的能力。  

This cellular approach – new for skincare products – has also been followed by Lanc?me, which went down a similar path with Visionnaire (￡58, boots.com), its biggest launch of 2011. Julie McManus, scientific director for Lanc?me UK and Ireland, says: “We were interested in a compound called jasmonate, which is present in plants and has a role in repair and regeneration. We thought it had potential to play a similar role in skin but we needed to remodel it in such a way that it would be able to penetrate it.” 

这种从细胞角度考虑的方式——在护肤产品中也是一种创新——也启发了兰蔻(Lanc?me)，研发了原理相同的超抗痕微整精华(Visionnaire，售价58英镑，boots.com)，在2011年隆重推出。兰蔻英国及爱尔兰公司的科技总监朱莉?麦克马纳斯(Julie McManus)说：“我们对一种名为茉莉酮酸酯的化合物非常感兴趣，它主要包含在植物中，作用于修复和再生。我们认为它有可能在人类的皮肤上发挥相似的功能，但是我们需要对它进行一些改造，以便于更好地被皮肤吸收。” 

Lanc?me spent 10 years modifying the molecule and subtly changing the bonds to package it in a skin-friendly format. It finally came up with a version that it believes has the anti-ageing benefits of retinol – the gold standard when it comes to plumping skin and diminishing fine lines – without any of the negative side effects, such as dryness and irritation. 

兰蔻已经花费了10年时间用于调整分子的结构以达成更为亲肤的形式。最终得到了一个能够有效抗皱的产品，并且没有任何副作用，比如干燥和过敏。