best beauty product breakthroughs of 2010

Glycolic acid peels fight wrinkles and leave skin glowing. But the struggle has always been to find an at-home version that’s superstrong—but not so intense that you could risk burning your face off. This peel has a neutralizer—inspired by stomach antacids—that can switch off the acid in its 30 percent glycolic peel (this is high enough that, typically, only professionals use it) within ten minutes of it hitting your skin. In other words, there’s basically no way it can irritate. (The key is a double-barreled dispenser that keeps the glycolic solution away from the neutralizer until you hit the plunger.) “The strength of the peel brings a high percentage of glycolic acid to the home market safely,” says Amy B. Lewis, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. “That means a better and faster improvement in skin texture and tone than can be achieved using at-home peels that aren’t this strong.” sephora.com. 

  

 

 Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector, $11.99

 

These product lines have technology that helps skin cells stay young. Skin cells communicate using various processes, including one called bioelectricity, in which small electrical pulses tell the cells when to repair themselves, store energy, and make internal changes necessary to stay healthy. The currents can slow down as we age, and this can make it harder for skin to recover from sun damage and environmental stress. The scientists behind these products found that copper-plated zinc helps boost the skin’s bioelectricity.   They developed a serum with the ingredient and a moisturizing ”conductor” that activates the process—and found that this combination stimulated collagen and elastin production, helped reduce inflammation, and may fight hyperpigmentation. target.com, walgreens.com.

 

  Lancôme Ôscillation PowerFoundation, $48

Some people love mineral foundation (it’s natural; it’s long-lasting) and some don’t (it’s heavy, cakey, messy). This version has a battery-powered sponge applicator that solves the problems by producing a smooth, uniform finish. You just dip the sponge into the mineral powder and press the handle’s “on” button, and the tip vibrates 7,000 times per minute—massaging the powder into skin evenly. “This oscillating applicator breaks down the fine particles in the makeup, eliminating the need to blend,” says Ni’Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist. “It also massages them into skin and fills fine lines.” nordstrom.com.