Not Your Mother's Cold Cream

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SPA DIRECTOR Rianna Riego, from La Costa Resort & Spa, has seen the growing demand for cosmeceuticals firsthand. She believes they have already become a permanent part of the spa experience. The demographics are shifting, she says, and now there are more “spasavvy younger couples” in their 30s, 40s and 50s who want the latest treatments that science can offer.

“They know their products, and they want the best,” Riego says.

La Costa is happy to oblige. “We have just brought in what we think is one of the most revolutionary cosmeceuticals in the spa industry that will replace the products we have used for the last 20 years,” says Riego. “There has been a phenomenal reception, because people who use the new products see a difference right away.”

So what is this new line? Simply called True, it features idebenone (ee-DEB-enown), a powerful antioxidant that is a natural but superior variant of one of life’s most essential biochemicals, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The patented product also contains the potent depigmenting agent hydroquinone.

Riego is most excited about the gentle nature of the True products. “The True line is very simple and very basic skin care that happens to contain idebenone, which doesn’t further irritate the skin, even when used in our peel,” she says. She has never seen an adverse skin reaction with the idebenone-based products, a common problem with many of the stronger agents, “although it’s still very powerful.”

So even if you did spend too many summer days basking in the sun on San Diego’s beaches in the 1970s or 1980s and aren’t ready for plastic surgery, you can still have lovely skin with many options available. And who knows what the biotech industry has in the pipeline?

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