Makeup Monday: The New Skin-Care Product That Rivals Oscar Gold

Gold, as in statuettes, jewelry and accolades of all kinds, is on the minds of most people in the entertainment industry right about now.

So it’s fitting that luxury skin-care company La Prairie — a favorite of Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘, Jerry Hall’s, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s, Chrissy Teigen’s and Andy Cohen’s — is debuting its latest high-end offering today, in the midst of awards season.

The Cellular Radiance Perfecting Fluide Pure Gold ($525) promises that skin appears bathed in a gilded glow — lit by that enchanting “golden hour” many Californians are familiar with.

Containing pure gold, the formula acts as a “perfecting” potion, rather than a simple moisturizer, to treat as well as cast a radiant light on the complexion.

See more The Best Sundance Film Festival Looks So Far

Word is that the product has already been circulating in the kits of several celebrity makeup artists, who are likely to use the emulsion on their clients for upcoming red-carpet events.

And while Teigen and Louis-Dreyfus sing the praises of La Prairie’s luxurious scent and texture, there’s also some science behind the products — particularly this Perfecting Fluide.

La Prairie’s director of innovation, Dr. Daniel Stangl, discusses how the gold in this new product works to perfect and strengthen skin — and may even add an extra golden glow to rival the reflection glinting off those awards in coming weeks.

How do the shimmery particles in the fluid work to perfect skin?

The “shimmery particles” reflect, diffuse and scatter light on the skin surface, providing an immediate golden glow and smoother-looking skin turning flaws to flawlessness. Golden photo-reflecting agents and pure gold powder envelop skin in flattering golden light instantly.

Is there new science or technology in this product that offers superior firming effects?

A unique fusion of pure gold with an antiaging peptide, which we call “golden peptide,” works deep down in the skin to stimulate collagen and restructure a dense network of collagen fibers. This network is the key structural basis for skin firmness and density. Over time, with continuous use, skin quality is improved from deep within, as texture is continuously refined and smoothed.

Read more Chanel’s London Boutique Robbed, Lindsay Lohan Played Reporter

How exactly do certain ingredients work to firm skin and is it temporary or (semi-) permanent with cumulative use?

Skin firmness is mainly provided by a well-structured and dense extracellular matrix, the main components of which are collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. The active ingredients of Cellular Radiance Perfecting Fluide Pure Gold, especially the golden peptide and our blend of extracts from golden Lotus Japonicus, strengthen the essential components of the extracellular matrix eventually resulting in firm skin. This benefit is long lasting upon regular use of the product.

How does the product achieve the specific glow of the “golden hour?”

Our golden peptide helps improve skin quality below the surface, where radiance begins, for smoother-looking skin that reflects light at its best. The unique glow of the “golden hour” results from the light transforming gold and golden pigments on the skin surface together with an inner radiance (or glow) coming from light that has been reflected deep in the skin by the network of collagen fibers acting like a mirror.

Find the Cellular Radiance Perfecting Fluide Pure Gold at laprairie.com.