Since the beginning of time, humans have harnessed the potent healing and rejuvenating properties of botanicals to enhance and nurture the skin, incorporating various floral and herbal ingredients into our beauty rituals to cultivate radiant vitality inside out.

Despite modern innovations in skincare, nature’s bounty remains a treasured resource for beauty. Now, thanks to technological and scientific advancements, these natural ingredients have been refined and optimised to unlock their full potential, delivering unparalleled results with remarkable efficiency like never before.

One of the driving forces at the forefront of innovation in beauty is none other than Guerlain, having established a legacy of pioneering new possibilities in the industry with exceptional craftsmanship and artistry. The brand’s Orchidée Impériale line is just one of its many visionary creations, acclaimed for its unique formulation that leverages the transformative skincare properties of orchid extracts with cutting-edge biotechnological methods.

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Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale Black n-Fusion Lotion, the ultimate age-defying pre-treatment

Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale Black n-Fusion Lotion, the ultimate age-defying pre-treatment

In its relentless pursuit of uncovering new capabilities of the fascinating flower, the brand has unveiled its latest breakthrough in age-defying skincare with the Orchidée Impériale Black n-Fusion Lotion, imbued with the ever-enduring essence of the Black Orchid.

On that note, we spoke with Frédéric Bonté, Director of Scientific Communication at Guerlain, to get the lowdown on the science behind the formulation and the research process at the Orchidarium.

What made orchids such a compelling subject of study for anti-aging skincare?

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Shaped by 86 million years of evolution, orchids are one of the most evolved species in the plant kingdom. The orchid family is the most important botanical family with more than 30,000 species. In the world, 1 flower out of 10 is an orchid.

Over the years, they have been able to develop multiple strategies to adapt and survive all over the world. From arid desert in Australia to tropical jungles in South Americas, from plain to mountains (from sea level altitude to 4000m of altitude in the Himalayas). Their adaptation and longevity are linked to their production of different molecules they use, called “secondary metabolites”. This variety provides an incredible phytochemical richness, representing an inexhaustible possible supply of molecules for anti-aging research.

18 years of expertise and scientific discoveries led Guerlain to its unique orchid selection expertise linking anti-aging and orchids. In particular, the Black Orchid is a species belonging to the extremely rare cycnoches genre, which represents a mere 0.11 per cent of the 30,000 orchid species. Queen of survival, this untouchable species has developed incredibly sophisticated self-defense systems. In this way, it weathers all the assaults of time, sometimes living for up to a hundred years, as if it were immutable.

What has been the most surprising or captivating discovery about orchids at the Orchidarium so far?

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The creation of the Orchidarium, a unique orchid research platform, has enabled us to discover and select some exceptional orchids. This selection is also based on the development of analysis methods and tests on human skin cell cultures. In fact, compared to the number of species, little was known about the nature and role of the molecules produced by orchids. Thanks to the Orchidarium, we were able to understand some of the links between the molecules produced - the famous secondary metabolites I mentioned earlier - and various powerful biological activities. For us, it was extremely surprising to discover new, totally unknown molecules capable of acting on mechanisms as important as immunity, inflammation, or the synthesis of key proteins to combat or correct the signs of ageing.

With such a strong focus on harnessing nature's genius through orchids, how does Guerlain ensure its research and sourcing practices respect and preserve biodiversity for future generations?

In 2021, Guerlain, committed to the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and began a verification process for its fifty iconic natural ingredient chains, orchids in particular. Improvement plans are being developed with its partners as part of an ongoing process to achieve UEBT certification by 2026, which focuses on respect for biodiversity and the rights of workers and communities. At the same time, Guerlain has invested in thorough research on orchids in our experimental garden of Geneva. The heart of our study consists of observing the life cycles of orchids in relation to their environment.

Read more: From Provence to the world: How L'Occitane is setting the standard for sustainable beauty

Can you break down the formulation of the Orchidée Impériale Black n-Fusion Lotion, from the ingredients and their benefits to the science behind its effectiveness?

The perfect balance between the freshness of a lotion and the richness of a serum, the n-Fusion Lotion’s formula is made up of 98 per cent naturally derived ingredients

The perfect balance between the freshness of a lotion and the richness of a serum, the n-Fusion Lotion’s formula is made up of 98 per cent naturally derived ingredients

Orchidée Impériale Black n-fusion Lotion is most positioned at the forefront of skincare excellence. Boasting powerful BlackImmune™ technology with a new stimulating complex, it is the ultimate complete pre-treatment. Combining an imu-peptide with a Korean red ginseng extract, this complex reinforces and delivers vital energy to the skin monitoring system, hence boosting skin’s line of defense. This plant known for its medicinal properties and a so-called adaptogen contains extraordinarily powerful defense compounds known as ginsenosides. Thanks to a sophisticated three-step drying method repeated up to nine times, Guerlain Research has obtained an extract concentrated in three ginsenosides, capable of replenishing skin’s natural defense mechanisms with energy and increasing the efficacy of skin’s self-defense cells.

These potent active ingredients are potentialised in a cutting-edge nano-formulation process. n-Fusion Lotion unveils an unprecedented signature, combining the freshness of a lotion with the richness of a serum. Fragmented into billions of droplets on a nanometric scale¹, 100 times smaller than a skin cell, the diffusion the active ingredients are enhanced. Skin looks immediately more luminous and younger looking. After one month, skin is 46 per cent smoother, wrinkles are -21 per cent reduced and density is increased +27 per cent. The skin looks more youthful than ever, re-plumped and illuminated.

Can you explain what BlackImmune™ technology is and what makes it so comprehensive in addressing the skin’s defense systems?

Drawing upon the power of the Black Orchid, the BlackImmune™ technology provides the ultimate protection against the effects of time

Drawing upon the power of the Black Orchid, the BlackImmune™ technology provides the ultimate protection against the effects of time

The BlackImmune™ technology is reinforced by a stimulating complex that targets the skin’s surveillance system

The BlackImmune™ technology is reinforced by a stimulating complex that targets the skin’s surveillance system

The evolution of the Orchidée Impériale Black line is based on our growing knowledge of the life of orchids in their natural environment and aging mechanisms. With age, the immune system—the main defense system for our entire organism, including our skin—evolves, with a decline of the equilibrium in some functions. Overall, the skin's defense capacity weakens and becomes less effective. Guerlain strategy is to have an increasingly complete anti-aging response to protect and reinforce the mechanisms responsible for the beauty of every woman's skin.

Drawing on this orchid science, Guerlain’s researchers have harnessed all the Black Orchid’s power to fashion an age-defying technology: BlackImmune™ technology. It stimulates skin’s defense systems to inhibit the effects stress and release its full powers of regeneration. BlackImmune™ technology thus targets 95 per cent of the epidermal cells involved in skin’s self-defense mechanisms, it strengthens the adaptive defense system by protecting Langerhans cells and activates the innate defense system by regulating toll-like receptors, sentinel proteins at the heart of the skin epidermis. Through applications, skin becomes stronger and more resistant to aggressors, to fully focus on its regeneration. The signs of youth seem extended and amplified.

*See also: Lancôme takes anti-aging skincare to unprecedented heights with the all-new Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum Eye *

Beyond just defense, how does BlackImmune™ technology also support skin's natural regeneration and rejuvenation processes?

BlackImmune™ technology combines all the power of the Black Orchid with strong active ingredients to awake skin self-defense mechanisms and offer powerful anti-ageing action on skin. Together, they target natural regeneration and rejuvenation processes. Fully protected from aggressions, cells can focus on their regeneration. After application of our n-Fusion Lotion, skin appears rejuvenated, illuminated, as if it were insensitive to time.

How does the Orchidée Impériale Black range differ from the other Orchidée Impériale collections from Guerlain?

Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale Black collection, featuring the Symbioserum, n-Fusion Lotion, Cream, as well as the Eye and Lip Contour Cream

Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale Black collection, featuring the Symbioserum, n-Fusion Lotion, Cream, as well as the Eye and Lip Contour Cream

Orchidée Impériale Black is representing the most powerful and elevated line, as it targets immunity, the ultimate stage of longevity. Indeed, 80 per cent of skin ageing comes from aggression, directly affecting cells. By reinforcing skin self-defense, Orchidée Impériale Black acts on both the signs of ageing and the cause of faster ageing generated by those skin aggressions. By targeting both the cause and the consequence, they represent the most advanced territory in anti-ageing skincare.

Looking ahead, what exciting frontiers in phytochemistry or botanical research are you most eager to explore for potential skincare applications?

Some orchids, particularly those from tropical regions, are exceptionally rich in molecular diversity. That's why we work with them and continue to explore them. in our research, we combine molecular structure data with anti-age biological targets that we have discovered elsewhere. To discover new ones, we are studying the phylogeny of orchids (genetic relationships based on evolution) in relation to the secondary metabolites they produce, which could thus be of the greatest interest to us. We're also studying another field, that of the relationships between orchid microbiota and their production of molecules, an extremely complex and equally promising subject.

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How orchids hold the secret to everlasting youth, according to Guerlain’s Frédéric Bonté