Elyse Glickman is US west coast editor of Lucire.

Skin care, from A to Z Skin Systems

Z Skin Systems (ZSS), spearheaded by Paula Simpson and Emily Frank, turns daily skin care inside-out with two new monthly nutritional protocols, reports Elyse Glickman

Top Paula Simpson. Above Emily Frank.

If there ever was a perfect place to get a snapshot of California’s skin care issues, it would be the luxe Living Room at the Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills. The hotel’s afternoon tea is a destination with universal appeal, for privileged teens, to healthy athletic types to image-conscious businessmen and women to ladies (and gentlemen) who lunch (and get cosmetic touch-ups between dates) and grand dames who wear their age with grace and pride.

Whether intentional or not, it is fitting that Paula Simpson and Emily Frank chose too make the Peninsula Beverly Hills one their first stops on their US tour to introduce press and beauty pundits to ZSS Skin Care. Each box contains a one-month supply and retails for US$160. Frank is quick to point out that the foundation of the new line is two kits, Radiant Skin-Method No. 1 and Clear Skin-Method No. 2, and whichever one you choose is based on, ‘the actual condition of your skin rather than your age or gender.’

The duo explains that ZSS’s protocols don’t replace your favourite skin care products and vitamins, but enhances them. Toronto-native and resident Simpson explains the daily vitamins boost and complement multi-vitamins, biotin hair and nail formulas and other supplements. The serum is designed to be applied in the morning under moisturizers, SPF lotions, foundation and other cosmetics to bolster their protective qualities, defending the skin from pollution and harmful sun rays.

‘It’s a holistic approach to skin care,’ says Simpson, who is the dietary formulator for the oral supplements. ‘The Radiance package is designed to stimulate collagen production and protecting the skin as it ages, nourishing it from within, with active ingredients zeaxanthin (derived from paprika peppers), alpha lipoic acid, seabuckthorn fruit oil and gotu kola seed.
‘Vitamins are taken once a day in the morning, while the serum can be used under moisturizer and your make-up.’

Clear Skin-Method No. 2, in the blue box, combines zeaxanthin with probiotics and marine lipids. Simpson explains that when your body absorbs nutrients properly with the aid of this formula, it improves the skin from the inside out.

‘Research shows that probiotics not only help digestion but also remedy conditions such as acne, inflammation and redness in skin,’ says Simpson. ‘Marine-based fish oil helps with the redness and inflammation, calming and smoothing the skin.’ •