Dove's new campaign focusing on science

Getting very excited, today I read that Dove is moving on from its "Campaign for Real Beauty" to a new campaign that will focus on the science used to create its products. The campaign will centre around Dove's new body lotion and hand cream, "Dove Visible Effects". Apparently the brand "will be promoted using the image of a flower and raindrops, intended to represent the product's three moisturising ingredients".

According to Unilever UK, the company that owns the Dove brand:

"Dove Visible Effects uses a unique patented formula with a Multi-layer Complex that combines three powerful moisturising ingredients to nourish all three layers of skin rather than just the surface layer.

This breakthrough technology means that Dove is able to provide essential care to the skin surface, the core and deep down, where beautiful skin begins" [source]

Well, my bullshit sensor is detecting something a bit whiffy already. But first a comment on Dove's real beauty campaign. Yes it seemed like a mini-revolution - getting curvy ladies to advertise beauty products, surely not! The feminist in me was mildly appeased. However it later emerged that the Dove ads were retouched, according to this interview with Pascal Dangin, professional retoucher of fashion photographs. So I guess real beauty was still too ugly for Dove.

Anyway, I was curious about the three layers of skin. I looked it up, as most people of my generation do, on Wikipedia. The three layers of skin are the epidermis (outermost), dermis and hypodermis. I'm sceptical over whether a body lotion could really nourish all these three layers, particulaly the hypodermis which is mainly a storage space for fat. If a cream could get that close to my bloodstream I'd be worried.

What are these three magic moisturising ingredients represented by a flower and raindrops? And what the heck is a multi-layer complex? Nowhere could I find an explanation, although I took a look at the ingredients. Obviously aqua is water and therefore probably what the raindrops represent (quick, gimme a science degree!). The product also contains glycerin and dihydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, which goes by the friendlier name of glycerol quat and is a moisturising agent last seen in Vaseline.

Perhaps they're saving the big news for their £2 million marketing campaign, which is due to start in May 2010. I'm looking forward to it. I'm all for cosmetic companies talking in plain language about the science behind their products without using made-up words and science diagrams for idiots. I remain optimistic for now despite reservations.