May's biggest beauty discovery

I am in the privileged position of always having a little army of taste advisors around me. People who tell you where to be, what to wear, and what to apply. Then I test everything they say and pass it on to you. At least, if I think it's worth passing on.

A few months ago, a friend who is just a few years older and looks particularly well-preserved tipped me off about her miracle product. I wanted to say: no kids (she doesn't have any) and interrupted nights of at least eight hours, but the answer was simply in a bottle. The oil from Combray was botox in a bottle, as she herself said.

Since then, I have become addicted to the soft oil. Because it is really perfect for the delicate areas (read: the eyes, that twisted upper lip, your neck that suddenly becomes so OLD, and my forehead), it absorbs quickly (usually with oil you have that shiny face, but not with this one) and because it has a nice brown texture, which gives me the idea that my skin just gets a soft hint darker when I apply the oil.

What I am also very charmed by is the fact that the oil from Combray consists of only two ingredients. No chemical fuss with overly perfumed products that your skin often reacts poorly to. Pure nature.

I always have small miniatures of Combray in my hand luggage, because if your skin needs something on the plane, it's a drop of this divine product.

The good news is that Combray has expanded its range. There are now three oils in total. You have the Regenerating Facial Oil based on grape seed oil, the Rejuvenating Facial Oil based on avocado oil, and the Nourishing Facial Oil based on argan oil.

All three have the patented antioxidant Oxofulleram (you can forget that right away, but know that it works like crazy) and each has its own unique oil. Choose what your skin needs and what works for you.

Still, let's talk about that Oxofulleram; it is indeed a very special ingredient and, mind you, a Dutch discovery. Oxofulleram is a very powerful antioxidant that exclusively occurs in Combray. Oxofulleram is an invention of Prof. Dr. Kees Hummelen, a chemist at the University of Groningen. Oxofulleram is based on the invention of fullerenes.

Fullerenes were first discovered in 1985, a discovery that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996. Years of research led to the invention of Oxofulleram, an improved fullerene. Oxofulleram not only has the antioxidative properties of the original fullerenes but is also suitable for application on the skin. Oxofulleram is a unique molecule and a very powerful antioxidant. It is developed to mimic the skin's protective mechanism. It acts as a ‘radical sponge’ and thus protects the skin against oxidative stress, which arises as a result of excessive exposure to the sun, exposure to light from smartphones and computers, air pollution, and inflammation. Moreover, it is much stronger than vitamin E. And it does its job where it is needed, namely directly in the skin cell.

So it's not just something you smear on your face (and neck). It works. And just think of that winter that is just around the corner, with all those dry spaces due to the roaring heating. My bottles are already ready in any case.