“You can’t trust a dermatologist who says
you have to come in for Botox every three
months,” Tom Ford declares on an early summer
morning in Los Angeles, referring to his staunchly held
belief that it’s required only every eight. “I need to be
able to move my face!” insists the designer, who has been
interested in skin care since, as a teenager, he watched
the legendary talk-show host Merv Griffin discuss
his collagen injections on air. Ford has other strong
feelings about the state of beauty. Bewilderment at these
“pumped-up butt implants”; curiosity about how one
can be aroused by breasts that are essentially “two bags
of saline”; and a blunt meditation on hyper-manicured
eyebrows: “Personally, I find it a little frightening,” the
57-year-old says, sipping a half-decaf, half-caf iced coffee
out of a matte black travel mug with a matching straw—
one of four he’ll consume that day.
A work-obsessed vegan who doesn’t drink or smoke,
Ford is fueled largely by caffeine. “You need caffeine as
a stimulant—it wakes you up,” he explains, detailing the
hero ingredient around which he has developed his first
skin-care line, Tom Ford Research. “It’s a stimulant for
your face in the same way that it is for your body.” The
fashion luminary turned Oscar-nominated filmmaker
turned beauty mogul is something of a poster boy for
constant stimulation, a multitasker nonpareil who
recently added chairman of the CFDA to his illustrious
list of titles. Debuting a range of complexion products,
however, was not a process he rushed. “I’m not
impressed by the creams and serums
level product with the delivery
system of a luxury one?”
Years ago, a dermatologist
“It’s an amazing old trick,” he confirms. So he asked a
team of scientists at Estée Lauder, which produces his
popular makeup brand, to figure out exactly how the
magic happened. For three years, they investigated, testing
75 caffeine-focused skin-care formulations and eventually
publishing research with the American Academy of
Dermatology in 2018 that explores how caffeine increases
energy on a cellular and molecular level, which can have
an effect on skin brightness and hydration.
Using the same discernment with which he pinpoints
wrinkles (he has very few), Ford’s edited two-piece
skin-care line—a fast-absorbing Serum and rich Crème
Concentrate, out this month—was formulated with
potent and highly scrutinized ingredients: Pure caffeine is
combined with a rare strain of Peruvian white porcelain
cacao that contains polyphenols, the compound that
defends the skin against free-radical damage, and
a prized Japanese green tea. “What we’re actually doing
is accelerating cell turnover—not just on the surface but
on a deeper level,” the designer explains, throwing out
words like “glycolic acid,” an exfoliating ingredient in the
serum, and “hyaluronic acid,” a hydrating ingredient
in the cream, like a seasoned pro. “The cream also has the
highest level of retinol possible that doesn’t make your
skin turn red,” Ford reveals of the collagen- and elastin-
building powerhouse.
BEAUTY
Energy Index
Tom Ford is out to prove that all you
need for plumper, brighter skin
is a science-backed wake-up call.
BUT FIRST, CAFFEINE
VLIFE
56 AUGUST 2019 VOGUE.COM
PRODUCTS: M
ATT M
ARTIN
