In the words of Yves Saint Laurent himself, 'Youth is a state of mind that cannot live without science.'

One chilly morning in Camps Bay, BeautySA and a few other digital editors were introduced to glycobiology by the Yves Saint Laurent team. Glyco-what you may be thinking. We were too! Simply put, glycobiology is the study of the structure, metabolism and biological role of glycans in living beings. Still scratching your head? Let's dig a little deeper…

Glycans are found on the surface of cells and work as vital keys unlocking cells to ensure regeneration messages are transmitted in a targeted manner.

Your body is constantly sending regenerative messages to your cells. But as we age, these messages are interrupted because the quantity of glycans diminish. Which, in turn, means your cells become locked and do not receive these messages to rejuvenate anymore. That's when we start seeing wrinkles and loss of tone.

When applied to your skin, the active ingredient in YSL's Youth Liberator range, Glycanactif, unlocks these cells to stimulate the reception of youth-promoting messages.

Let's use a real-life example... Say you're listening to the radio as you're heading into a tunnel (age). Slowly you start to lose the radio signal the deeper you drive into the tunnel. This signal is increasingly interrupted by static, until you pretty much have no signal and all you're listening to is white noise (wrinkles and loss of tone). But if a transmitter (Glycanactif) were to be erected inside the tunnel, the signal would be boosted and you'd be able to hear the messages on the radio again (regenerative messages are sent to the cells again).



What they say:
Under the influence of Forever Youth Liberator textures, the skin is instantly evened out, glowing and radiant. Day after day, the skin of your face is more toned, firmer, smoother and suppler. It is visibly rejuvenated.

YSL have created a four-step ritual that includes the eight products in the Forever Youth Liberator range.

1. Purify
Cleansing foam, 150ml, R395

A delicate cream, which transforms into a dense, fine foam upon contact with water, in the manner of transforming textures.

2. Prepare
Lotion, 200ml, R425

An ultra-gentle lotion, which prepares the skin for the anti-ageing efficacy of Forever Youth Liberator skincare products.

3. Activate
Serum, 30ml, R850

This elixir has the highest concentration of Glycanactif in the range to stimulate regeneration deep within the skin and boost youth-promoting functions.

4. Treat
Nutri Creme, 50ml, R925

A rich texture developed from coating waxes and biomimetic fats from intercellular lipids with a high concentration of humectants, this nourishing cream is suitable for dry skin.

Eye Creme, 15ml, R595

A 'stretch texture' designed to re-contour eyelid volumes as soon as it is applied.

SPF 15 Creme, 50ml, R925

A cream that protects skin from daily sun exposure and is suitable for all skin types.

SPF 15 Fluid, 50ml, R925

This protective fluid is suitable for normal to combination skin. It envelops the skin with a lightly coating satin-like film.
Now while it's unrealistic to expect you use all the products, the star product in the line is the serum.

What we say:
'With the highest concentration of Glycanactif being in the serum, I just had to put it to the test. I have a frown or expression mark in between my eyebrows, which I'm not too happy about. I mean who wants wrinkles on their face? I'm not one to go for botox treatments, so my only hope for now is to try prevent it from worsening, and of course treat it. As we know these powerful glycan's can reawaken youth activating cells below the skin's surface and transform the appearance of your face. After a week of using it my skin felt plumper than usual but the line was still very visible. So I never gave up and carried on applying this serum religiously. After a month of using it, I can happily say that my line is slowly disappearing and I can see an improvement in the firmness of my skin. My skin is glowing and hydrated.
'The beautiful light gel texture is easily absorbed into ones skin. Definitely a hero in my eyes!'
Zoe

The YSL Forever Youth Liberator range is available at selected Edgars and Red Square stores.

Check out the slick concept video.