Enlarged pores are a common beauty concern among women young and mature, but according to Sisley's Asia Pacific Managing Director Nicolas Chesnier, no matter what your age, you can tighten dilated pores.
"Conventionally, people with dilated pores would use cosmetics to conceal them. Sisley didn't want to develop a product to hide pores and we wanted to seriously deal with this annoying problem," said Chesnier, who was recently in Bangkok to introduce Global Perfect Pore Minimizer.
A common cause for oversized pores among young people is hyperseborrhea _ an excess production of sebum that also increases the risk of acne. With ageing, the problem can be due to parakeratosis _ a condition with nucleated cells accumulating around the pores and causing their walls to become rigid, thus preventing them from closing.
"Hyperseborrhea can be a problem at any age, and as you get older, parakeratosis doubles the problem," he said. "We can use a facial scrub to get rid of dead cells, but it's much harder to eliminate nucleated cells. Like any other skin problem, we believe that it is always better to work, at the very early stage of the pore problem, and better still to prevent it from happening."
With the two causes in mind, Sisley formulated the Global Perfect Pore Minimizer with a number of botanical extracts from Java tea leaf, green lentil, white willow and rhatany that lend the active ingredients.
The French company specialises in phytocosmetology, which involves using natural plant extracts in making beauty products. The synergy of these natural extracts is required to strengthen the biological effects of each individual active ingredient.
"What's important is combining active ingredients to get results," he said. "Besides dilated pores, Global Perfect also works on other aspects, like smoothening and mattifying the skin, for a refined and even texture."
The new product compares to a serum, and if the skincare routine involves other serums, it is the last one to apply onto the skin before moisturising.
"Dilated pores can be pronounced on certain areas, the T-Zone, particularly the nose, but you can apply this concentrate all over the face to help prevent enlarged pores appearing elsewhere," Chesnier said.
