Selfridges’ beauty hall, the ultimate cosmetics candy store, welcomes a new skincare counter in the form of Codage Paris.
Specialists in the art of concocting skin-nourishing formulas, Codage, or “code” in English, takes a holistic approach to beauty by assessing and targeting individual skincare needs, with a collection that harnesses naturally active ingredients.
Their focus is on a range of high-performance serums that solve singular skincare needs, so I skipped along to Selfridges to find out, for you dear readers, what they’re all about.
Upon arriving I was greeted by Julien Azencott, co-founder of the brand whose skin was befittingly (might I say enviously?) flawless. Before he talked me through each of the products Codage currently has to offer, he filled me in with the obligatory background story: heirs of a long line of French cosmetologists, Julien recounted how he and his siblings as children would play chemists in their grandfather’s pharmacy, and it is with his sister Amandine he came to create Codage Paris.
Drawing on their inherited expertise and experience of traditional French pharmaceutical practice, the Azencott siblings adopt a one-to-one approach to decipher the unique ‘code’ of each individual skin type and match it with its own bespoke, Codage regime.
Moving onto the serums, the first thing you notice are the elegantly cool glass dropper bottles, which are exactly what you’d expect to find on display in a stylish, contemporary apothecary. Despite what looks like a column of chemical elements from a periodic table on the packaging, Codage products are free of petrochemicals, parabens, allergens and are not tested on animals.
In total there are a whopping nine serums, consisting of two anti-aging eye contour serums and seven for the face each with their own unique skincare property; these are: No.1 for intense moisturising; No.2 for mattifying and repairing; No.3 for radiance and energy;No.4 for anti-spots and lightening; No.5 for anti-ageing; No.6 for supreme anti-ageing; and finally No.7 for soothing and anti-redness.
Next, Julien reviewed my skin’s condition with the help of a handy Decoder booklet to help work out it’s needs and formulate a personalised prescription for the bespoke Codage skincare regime, which I got a taste of in an express detox facial.
After a quick clean with a makeup wipe and a hot flannel press to open up pores, the No.2 serum was applied across my T-zone. The main active molecules in this mattifying formula are extracted from bamboo, wheat, beetroot and even a particular type of plankton, to detoxify the skin, regulate sebum and clear imperfections by rebuilding the skin’s connective tissue to blur redness and even out skin tone.
The rest of my very combination skin was then treated with anti-ageing serum No.5, with its active ingredients including extracts of clover, scentless chamomile and various types of algae, as well as a molecule contained in viper venom to snap incipient wrinkles goodbye!
The rest of my very combination skin was then treated with anti-ageing serum No.5, with its active ingredients including extracts of clover, scentless chamomile and various types of algae, as well as a molecule contained in viper venom to snap incipient wrinkles goodbye!
On top of the serums, the winsomely named seasonal formula Spring Break was applied to replenish winter weather-beaten skin and prepare it for the incoming – fingers crossed – scorching summer.
As Julien pointed out, skincare must change with the changing seasons.
As Julien pointed out, skincare must change with the changing seasons.
To finish it all off, some Codage day cream was massaged in to refresh and protect. My face by this point was feeling a little oily and tingly – but I was reassured that this was just the serums doing their work; And indeed they did.
The oiliness dissolved to leave soft, hydrated, healthy looking skin, with visibly minimised pores across my nose and forehead.
Although a tad dearer than your average Boots purchase, this is a range I would definitely recommend and believe it is a worthwhile beauty investment.
For the full range visit: mycodage.com – where you can try before you buy and basket some free samples; or if you’re in London pop along to the Codage counter at Selfridgesor Fenwick and get your skin decoded.
M x
