NEW York, home to the Pond’s Institute and a vibrant melting pot of the classic and the cutting edge, was the perfect backdrop for Pond’s Journey of discovery, or should I say rediscovery.

Together with leading dermatologist Socouer Oblepias, and a handful of Manila’s top editors, I was invited by Unilever Philippines Skin marketing manager Mutya Laxa to experience New York the Pond’s way, and to hear about some of the most thrilling news to impact the beauty industry.

Billeted in the famed Four Seasons designed by I.M. Pei, I spent two days channeling Carrie Bradshaw in my high heels, and setting out to discover the different facets of the city while searching for that elusive fountain of youth—a quest most women are most concerned about.

I would soon find out that through groundbreaking research and technology at the Pond’s Institute, newly developed formulations result in end-to-end solutions for all types of skin.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning.

DAY 1

Our first day started with brunch at the Carlyle Hotel, a true New York Landmark that’s replete with a rich heritage and old world charm. Amid plush yet well-refined 1930’s interiors with Tiffany chairs, crystal chandeliers and period accent pieces, Laxa presented us with a heritage booklet that tracked the 150-year history of Pond’s.

The Pond’s brand was born in the US when Theron T. Pond developed the “Pond’s Extract,” which was advertised as “The Ladies’ Friend,” a cure-all for various family ailments. This was soon followed by a period that marked the birth of Pond’s as an official beauty icon. Famous actresses, socialites, heiresses, and even royalty such as Lady Louis Mountbatten, Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt and Queen Marie of Romania endorsed the brand.

From that time to the days of the classic Pond’s Cold Cream, Pond’s has provided beauty solutions for women around the globe. The brand has also expanded to different beauty platforms (namely, oil control, acne care, skin lightening, anti-aging) to fulfill it’s promise of delivering beauty transformations that can make a difference in women’s skin at every stage of their lives

Soon after breakfast, we were off to the Pond’s Institute dressed in our Pond’s look of romance in pink or white. Here, we learned exciting news about Pond’s latest products and most superior formulations. We were also able to interact with scientists who work tirelessly to innovate and come up with the best face care products in anti-aging, skin lightening and oil control.

Pond’s Global Vice-President for Skin Research and Development Michael Cheney discussed the Pond’s reinvention, which was planned as early as five years ago. “We spend a lot on consumer understanding which drives technology,” he said. Pond’s, apparently, employs over 700 people around the globe and spends as much as 120 million euros on research and development.

“This is not just an evolution, it’s a revolution,” says Pond’s Global Brand Director Pilar Calderon. Pond’s aims to address not just the functional aspects but also the emotional facets of the brand—specifically, the universal craving for love and romance, explained Calderon.

Each beauty platform can address the needs of women in different phases of their lives. Oil control and acne solution are for women on the cusp of romance awakening, skin lightening is for those who want to find true love while anti-aging is all about romance revival. The goal, says Calderon, is to give beauty that brings romance into women’s lives.”

For this so called revolution, Pond’s has also come up with packaging and images in counters and displays that reflect how the brand wants to communicate with their market. More relevant, however, is the brand’s improved formulations—better textures and colors and improved technology—that are specifically developed for Asian skin.

Breakthrough technology

To prove this point, scientists from the research and development team discussed the different platforms to explain in detail why their products are superior and efficacious. For anti-aging, for example, the importance of Retinol as the best proven anti-aging technology was reiterated. A form of Vitamin A, Retinol stimulates skin collagen and elastin production. For the new Pond’s Age Miracle, which contains CLA4 technology (a combination of CLA, AHA, Retinol and Retinol boosters), the Pond’s Institute developed breakthrough Retinol boosters that further increase the efficaciousness of retinol.

In a study done by an independent research firm, the new Pond’s Age Miracle cream even bested some prestige beauty brands in various attributes like fighting the signs of aging, product satisfaction and quality perception.

After further in-depth discussions on the other Pond’s products, a tour of the Institute plus demonstrations of the high-tech, not to mention high-end, research devices followed. A 3D imaging room housed “Ziggy,” a Cyberware Rapid 3D Digitizer that scans and analyzes all angles of the face.

Then, there was the Spectrophotometer, which measures how much light reflects on skin or what skin color one actually has. This machine is used for studies in skin lightening. Most interesting, however, was a diagnostic device that analyzes skin and recommends exactly what products one needs. The machine will soon be available in selected Pond’s counters locally and a print out of said results will be provided for each consumer.

Behind the doors of the Pond’s institute, we discovered that Pond’s has remained a leading innovator in the face care arena, as the brand continues to address the physical, and hopefully emotional needs of women.

DAY 2

We we’re in for major treats during the second day of our Pond’s NYC sojourn. The day started with a hearty breakfast at Pastis, a French Bistro located at the trendy Meat Packing District. Afterwards, we were brought back to the Four Seasons for a relaxing spa experience using Pond’s Age Miracle products. It was a much-needed break, as jet lag started setting in.

Refreshed, revitalized and ready for our next NYC experience, we all met in the hotel lobby with instructions to look our romantic best and to prepare our romantic glam attire stylized the Pond’s way. A surprise awaited us and we were all eager to find out what it was.

We were whisked off to Bath House Studios, NY where we found out about the exciting photo shoot that put all of us front and center and feeling like pampered models and celebrities. Makeup artist Lottie Stannard whose works have been published in magazines like Elle and Blink made us look flawless and romantically glam while hairstylist Arturo, who works with stars like Julia Roberts and Shakira, ironed, curled and styled our tresses.

After our much-welcome make better session, we were all ready for our close ups. Russian fashion and beauty photographer Julia Pogodina, who has done projects for DON’T, ELLE (Russia & Ukraine), Fun Sport, IMAGE, Jalouse (Russia), LA’G, Menu of Pleasures, MF Magazine, Revista Elemento, and many more, put us all at ease and coaxed out the cover girl in each one of us. The results: vibrantly young and fresh photographs that embodied the look of romance, the look of Pond’s.

After the enjoyable experience of our very own NYC photo shoot, we freshened up and set out for dinner in Sapa, a modern French- Vietnamese eatery. To cap off our trip, we were presented with a memento of this incomparable trip—our very own portraits taken that same afternoon.

With the privilege of learning the latest in face care technology to the practical experience of using Pond’s products with the newest formulations, to having our very own photo shoot and dining at the best places in NYC, this Pond’s journey of rediscovery was definitely one memorable trip.