Last year, UK based cosmetic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandridis launched 111 Skin, a luxury anti-ageing skin care line that was originally inspired by the needs of his patients. Developing the brand in partnership with his wife, Eva Alexandridis, 111 Skin now boasts a ten sku line-up, which includes the much publicised Celestial Black Diamond Night Cream (£599), said to contain diamond dust particles found in space.
How do diamond dust particles benefit the skin?It’s important to note that we don’t claim any anti-ageing benefits from the diamond particles themselves – they are used only as part of the delivery system, which is a new technology that our scientists came across. At 111 Skin, we believe in effective delivery systems that enable ingredients to really penetrate. Our Black Diamond line uses diamond dust particles believed to have formed in space, which have been found to work as an effective delivery system to make our ingredients work better in skin rejuvenation. The technology has a history of use in cancer research, delivering medication to the bloodstream through tiny particles.
Were you concerned about crossing the line into pharmaceuticals?No, as we haven’t created a pharmaceutical product or used medical ingredients. The technology is completely approved for skin care. Our philosophy behind the brand is that our products need to be results driven yet safe. Yannis’ clients visit the clinic to get results, so similarly, our skin care has to reflect this commitment. Despite this, we’re also committed to staying very ‘clean’ as far as nasty ingredients are concerned. Our products don’t contain any silicones, parabens, sulphates or harmful substances – only ingredients that have efficacy.
To what extent was 111 Skin inspired by Yannis’ medical practice?The idea behind our original serum product was to create a product for Yannis’ clients that would assist with their healing. Yannis created it in collaboration with space scientists, who at the time were looking into creating products that could protect astronauts against radiation in space. Yannis asked them to work on a product that could work on the skin post surgery or post treatment. Once our customers tried it, they wanted to continue using it as they were so impressed.