Our eyes reveal much more than our words, intent and expression—they decisively interpret the way light reflects all we see; including the shapes and contours of our faces. La Prairie, the venerable Swiss luxury house known for its powerful, decadent skin-care formulations, has factored in the roles of light and shape in its newest advancement, the exquisite White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire.
Born of the brand’s architecturally-driven connection to minimalist design, White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire encapsulates a commitment to return balance and beauty to the eyes. This innovation achievement is the manifestation of an equation of light that incorporates color, reflection and shape as they each relate to skin luminosity. “The inspiration for this product,” says Greg Prodromides, chief marketing officer at La Prairie, “came from the Swiss architect Le Corbusier who said, ‘Architecture is the wise, precise and magnificent balance of forms assembled in the light.’ Our scientists sought to explore how light reveals shape and how shape reveals light in the three-dimensional landscape of the eye area.”
Image Courtesy of La Prairie
As we age, the delicate skin around our eyes may begin to crease from accumulated sun damage, years of expression and in today’s tech-driven world, constant squinting at our computer and smartphone screens. We also lose youthful volume as collagen levels decrease over time, causing the area to also appear tired and hollow. Daily skin stressors and aggressors can also lead to discoloration. “White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire works on five chromatic disturbances: grey, brown, yellow, red and violet,” says Dr. Jacqueline Hill, global director of strategic innovation at La Prairie. She notes that each of these colors correspond to factors stemming from pollution, melanin over-production, collagen degradation, inflammation and pronounced oxygen levels in the capillaries under the eyes as skin ages and thins.
White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire’s formula contains several notable ingredients that work in concert to address these multi-layers of eye-area concerns. The first is Lumidose, a proprietary ingredient recently introduced by La Prairie and touted as the strongest inhibitor of tyrosinase (a key trigger of melanin production) on the market. The brand’s Golden Caviar Extract delivers the lifting and firming benefits that have benefited loyal generations of caviar users, as well as boosting collagen formation. “Lumidose diminishes the brown pigment melanin in the skin and therefore reduces the amount of light absorbing pigments, allowing more light reflection,” says Dr. Hill. “Golden Caviar Extract can improve the density of the collagen network revealing that ‘lit from within’ glow.” Finally, La Prairie’s exclusive Cellular Complex provides the formula’s foundation. Derived from the anti-aging cellular therapies of Dr. Paul Niehans at the Clinique La Prairie in 1930s Montreux, the Complex is the most closely guarded secret of the La Prairie labs. The combined result includes a noticeable decrease in fine lines—like pesky crow’s feet and the glabella lines between the brows—and a smoother, bolstered skin texture that reflects an even, luminous tone.
Designed as a one-step, twice-daily treatment, White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire transforms the Herculean task of preventing and correcting eye concerns into a relaxing, spa-like self-care ritual. Combining form and function, the formula is housed in an architecturally inspired jar with a hygienic airless pump that dispenses a perfectly measured dosage on-call. For the first time, the brand has included a rotating, anti-bacterial ceramic pearl applicator that cools, depuffs and provides lymphatic massage as it glides over the area, deepening absorption and allowing the active ingredients to penetrate the skin.
The Marriage of Art and Skin Care
With the introduction of White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire, the brand seeks to deepen its relationship to the world of contemporary art, where it believes there has always been an intrinsic link. Artists like Niki de Saint Phalle, and the Bauhaus school of design are referenced as direct inspirations, if not original collaborators of La Prairie. In fact, the French-American sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle loaned her signature cobalt blue to the Skin Caviar collection for its original launch over 30 years ago.
La Prairie has been an official partner of Art Basel since 2017, and recently looked to Spanish artist Pablo Valbuena for the 2019 edition of its Art Basel Miami Beach collaboration in support of White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire.“We strive to select artists who share La Prairie’s values,” said Prodromides. “Contemporary Art is intrinsic to the La Prairie identity, and we see it as a prism through which to express our story. The artists with whom we collaborate bring their unique perspective and artistic vocabulary to this story.”
Pablo Valbuena / Courtesy of La Prairie
The brand commissioned a custom light installation entitled Wave with Valbuena, reminiscent of his signature Array series, which was unveiled on the sands of Miami Beach. Participants immersed themselves in a mesmerizing and meditative kinetic art piece that recalled the beauty, movement and shape of light dancing on an ocean wave. The unique installation demonstrated the way in which light can influence shape and how a graceful curve, a soaring contour, and a sharp line—the defining elements of architecture—can also define the unique features of the face.
“Wave depicts a sculptural volume unfolding over time. The ‘Shape of Light’ seized in perpetual movement,” explains Valbuena. “It uses ephemeral and intangible materials like light and environmental sounds which can be traversed by the observer, immersing them into the shapes cast by the undulating light columns. The work creates a malleable experience of scale: it shifts between object and environment depending on the observer’s position inside, outside, or at the boundary of the installation.”
Combining science, art and skincare has been a longstanding legacy for La Prairie, which has masterfully seized both light and time with the illuminating White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire ($550), available now on laprairie.com.
