Blogs

[#1]

I have to tell you, we launched Algenist back in March of 2011 and the Concentrated Serum (A56322) has been a staple in my skin-care regimen ever since. Needless to say, I couldn’t be more excited to finally introduce it in the much coveted, much anticipated SUPER SIZE! That’s right, the big daddy has officially arrived!

The history behind this brand is quite interesting. It's actually relatively new to the world of antiaging skin care. Algenist is part of a biotechnology company based in San Francisco that's focused on developing alternative solutions for renewable energy from various forms of microalgae. During their testing and studies, they virtually stumbled upon a particular strain of algae called alguronic (al-gyur-onic) acid. As the saying goes, “The rest is history!”

Just a few weeks ago, I was out in California with Claudia Lucas (QVC's Director of Merchandising for Beauty) and Jessica McVeigh (QVC's Associate Skin-Care Buyer) to work on product development for 2013 with a few of our skin-care vendors (wait until you see what’s coming down the pike...let me just say I can’t wait for 2013 to get here!). While we were out there, we met with the Algenist team and got a behind-the-scenes tour of their labs. It’s funny because I vividly remember hating to be in the lab during science class back in high school. Somehow, when you remove the experiments, dreaded tests, and final exams, science labs aren’t all that bad. In fact, they’re actually pretty cool, especially when they’re creating the revolutionary products and cutting-edge innovations we’ve come to expect from Algenist!

Naturally, I snuck in a few pictures to share with you as it truly is an impressive place to see.

Above, they’re growing different kinds of
microalgae cells on petri dishes for testing.

Here, we’re seeing a lab scale fermentor growing microalgae.

Here’s another testing area in their lab. This is a pilot plant scale fermentor growing microalgae in a stainless steel tank.

We couldn’t pass up the chance to model these fashionable lab coats!
Left to right: Kristin Hafner, Claudia Lucas, and Jessica McVeigh.

Check out the brand that’s catching the attention of not only beauty editors, but also The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Discovery Channel! I mean, a skin-care brand with 10-day proven results…what’s not to love?!

—Kristin Hafner