The island’s Terra Nostra botanical garden dates back to 1775; from here Pombo took the thermal water, exceptionally rich in silica and other minerals that improve the skin’s barrier function. He cold-pressed Camellia japonica seeds, making oil that delivers anti-ageing and antioxidant properties. From the cows he took colostrum (after their calves were sated), having found that the milk of cows in the Azores – probably due to year-round grazing and an immune system stimulated by the Atlantic winds – is unusually rich in immunoglobulins, growth factors and proline-rich peptides, which stimulate collagen production. Then he tapped the anti-ageing and replenishing properties of the local bees’ honey (the black Azorean bees also seem to produce a better quality of venom, extracted on a glass so they don’t die).All this resulted in a wrinkle-busting Day Complex (€115 for 50ml) with peptides and antioxidant-rich lactobionic acid; a revitalising Night Complex (€120 for 50ml) with peptides and collagen-boosting stem cells; an Enriched Regenerating Serum (€109 for 15ml) and an Eye Complex (€90 for 15ml) with haloxyl, which stimulates microcirculation to this delicate area; and a cleansing, firming and illuminating Bee Venom & Clay Mask (€95 for 100ml).
Lisbon’s Four Seasons Hotel Ritz has just launched Ignae facials at its spa, and the products are gaining global attention. Renowned US-based facialist (and global brand ambassador for Biologique Recherche) Joanna Czech is impressed: “The science is what impresses me the most about Ignae. The creams are hydrating and healing and have all the steps to fight the glycation process [when sugar reaches your skin, breaking down the collagen molecules – one of the main accelerators of skin ageing]. I have used the eye serum on clients before the Met Ball: it is great for red-carpet preparation, as it is lightweight and plumps the eye area, diminishing the appearance of fine lines.”
