If it’s good enough for Victoria Beckham, it’s good enough for us.

Known as the ‘miracle cream’ that took the beauty world by storm, Augustinus Bader’s ‘The Cream’ is loved by the likes of Kim Kardashian West and Victoria Beckham (who’s launched a moisturising primer with the brand). Professor Augustinus Bader, the creator behind this cream that everyone raves about, launched the skincare line two years ago without prior experience in the beauty industry. 

As the director of stem cell research at the University of Leipzig, Professor Augustinus Bader has spent 30 years unlocking the body’s capacity to self-heal. In 2008, he formulated a groundbreaking hydrogel that heals even third-degree burns without surgery of skin grafts. Inspired by the successful stories of his patients, the professor developed a skincare line powered by his patented Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8), a revolutionary compound that works to activate the body’s natural-renewal process. 

Exclusively available at the beauty counters of Lane Crawford ifc Mall and Times Square, Augustinus Badar is fast becoming the city’s next beauty obsession. We asked Professor Augustinus Badar to pick his brain for tips on fighting skin aging, skincare routine and more. 

How did the brand Augustinus Bader come about? / How did you discover your passion for skincare?

I had never imagined that I might create a skincare product for consumers. I've only ever worked in a medical or academic setting. It was Charles, my partner in this enterprise, who had the vision of applying the technology to skincare consumer products to fund more trials. He thought if the technology can turn burned skin into perfect skin, then a variant can probably help with wrinkles too. However, it took me another two years to be convinced. During that time, I began prototyping a skincare product with certain patients with fragile or problematic skin. My patients came back to me with substantial improvements in the appearance and health of their skin and kept requesting more cream. It was then I realized that the cream was making a real difference in my patient's lives, giving them confidence and happiness. I agreed to adapt the technology to create a skincare product for every day as opposed to just wounds. It's sort of by accident that I came into skincare, but it's with a purpose.

Augustinus Bader currently has only three products. The Rich Cream, The Cream and The Body Cream—is it your intention to keep the range simple with minimal products?

I'm not from the beauty industry, so my approach to skincare has been more focused on skin health and personalized medicine than that of a traditional beauty developer. I believe in simplicity, but more than anything, I'm focused on creating sustainable products that deliver measurable results. The reason we launched with two products was to target the two most common skin types, normal-oily, and dry skin. The skin-protective benefits of The Cream and The Rich Cream are closely related – the choice of the formula is a matter of personal preference and skin type. After listening to our customers who wanted to achieve the same results of our face creams on their bodies, we decided to adapt the technology into a body cream.

What's the next product you're working on?

We are developing new variations, formulations, and textures of products based on our concepts of skin health, protection, and care by physiologic means. In the future, we want to fine-tune our products to make them even more responsive to individual needs from a skin protection and care point of view.

What's the most common mistake people make in their skincare routine?

I recommend refraining from using any toxic ingredients such as parabens, SLS, mineral oils, fillers, and silicones. For the development of our products, we focus on providing the specific components your skin needs to function optimally (TFC8 technology) and then pairing this with a base cream with the highest quality, skin-synergetic ingredients that are clean, non-toxic, and genuinely help the skin. When consumers become more educated on skincare, they are conscious of the products in which they use.

How do Augustinus Bader products benefit Asian skin?

The products work independently from gender, ethnicity, or age differences, but adjust to the individual's skin needs. Naturally, personalizing the creams to each user allows them to achieve the best possible result for all skin types. All of our skincare formulas act as a full toolbox, providing the skin cells with everything they need to fix the things that go wrong, whether that's age-related or as a result of things like pollution. Whereas some moisturizers have short-term benefits, this one works to train skin in the long term. After three to four weeks of using this - and only this - after cleansing, you'll see a big difference in skin health and appearance.

What's your best tips for fighting skin aging?

Epigenetics tells us that how we age is 30 percent dependent on our genes, but 70 percent is what you do with them. People are aware that they have to eat good food and do exercise to keep healthy, but people have not realized the same idea applies to taking care of your skin. Therefore, why not see skin, like the body, as an organ where you can do something positive or negative to it. So, just like you eat good food and exercise, why not find out the nutrient molecules that your stem cells need to fix your skin? We have therefore focused on responding to the needs of the user's own stem cell microenvironment by bringing in the right type of nutrient factors or "stem cell food" to your skin. My research over the last 30 years has revealed this approach to be the most effective physiologically.

What's your greatest skincare secret?

I had never used any skincare before I created my own! 

Photos: Courtesy of Augustinus Bader