Unlike her peers, Jeanne Habashi, creator of Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire, (a brand of premium cosmetics made in Egypt), is searching for inspiration in the past: “I always dreamed of reviving the beauty secrets of ancient Egypt,” she says. In her research, she found papyrus documents with detailed formulas. “But people wouldn’t put some of those things, such as ox gall, on their face now. So I imagined what ingredients an Egyptian queen would still use today and decided to combine them with the latest technology to create a premium local cosmetics brand,” says Jeanne Habashi.
The use of plants in Egypt goes back to remote antiquity. Ancient Egyptians were known for the rich variety of plants grown in their gardens which must have been truly spectacular. Renowned for their knowledge of botany, ancient Egyptians used the different parts of a plant — flowers, seeds, fruit, leaves, roots and bark — to make cosmetics and perfumes. They were so skilled that physicians from all over the ancient world came to Egypt to study medicine.
With the help of her husband Frederic Habashi, a doctor in chemistry, Jeanne set up in 2004 the Oriance laboratory and two years later, she launched “Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire” the first luxury brand of cosmetics made with ingredients used in Pharaonic times. The line includes about 50 different products including facial and body creams, gels, masks, scrubs and massage oils. At a recent presentation of the brand in Cairo, Jeanne Habashi explained why she does not offer a range of products for oily skin: “Women do not realize how lucky they are to have an oily skin — the best and the most natural anti-ageing product. Women with an oily skin have their first wrinkles years after women with a dry or sensitive skin.”
An oily skin often reacts to certain cosmetics and soaps by producing even more sebum, causing clogged pores and infections. Jeanne recommends cleansing the face morning and evening with a mild toner to remove excess oil and dirt, and using a light moisturizing cream.
“Because we want to address the needs of our customer in a professional way, helping them maintain a beautiful skin, we prefer not to offer a line for oily skin, but a treatment protocol that will help them get better results,” says Habashi.
Addressing the SPF (sun protection factor) controversy, Jeanne acknowledged that their products such as the de-ageing day cream does not have any SPF but contains instead zinc oxide, a mineral filter which, with other natural ingredients, forms a sort of protective screen against polluting agents and the sun.
“SPF sunscreens are filters made with chemicals which can produce anti-radicals, leading to another risk of skin cancer far more important than the risk you have when you are not using a product with SPF everyday. For long sun exposures, it is safer to choose a cream with a mineral filter which does not react with the sun.
“Cosmetic companies and marketing experts are surfing the fashion wave creating phobia and demand. We just need to be aware and realistic. We need the sun for our health but like everything, we must not abuse.”
We are immersed in a culture obsessed with youth and beauty. A growing number of women are convinced that a sign of beauty is a wrinkleless face; hence the abundance of anti-wrinkle creams in the market these days. However, with such a choice of creams and serums, women often ignore what product is right for their skin.
Skin ages because the connective tissues in the skin become weaker and does not allow skin to bounce back as quickly. Another result of aging is that the body produces less collagen and elastin — the key components of a healthy, youthful skin. When choosing a cream, we must know the difference between an anti-aging and an anti-wrinkle cream. An anti-wrinkle cream is not necessarily supposed to have anti-aging properties but a good anti-wrinkle cream should improve the skin’s texture and firmness making it younger and more vibrant looking.
An anti-aging cream will increase skin hydration, improve the skin’s elasticity, activate the microcirculation and boost the chemical exchanges between cells. “Caviar,” explains Jeanne Habashi “is an extraordinary anti-aging ingredient. I believe, it is the best anti-aging ingredient. Caviar is the richest active agent in nutritive elements. Thanks to its content rich in proteins (25%), retinol, vitamin D and trace elements, caviar counterbalances the loss of collagen and elastin whilst boosting the skin’s metabolism by nourishing it. We also use ‘tepescohuite’ an exotic plant known for its repairing and regenerative properties; the lotus has soothing properties as for the jojoba oil, it has a molecular structure close to that of the sebum. The Caviarissime de-aging cream targets the specific needs of mature skins. It is highly concentrated in caviar extract, and also in liquorice extracts, macadamia oil, linen oil, jojoba oil, pure lanolin, tepescohuite bark extracts and bees wax.”
Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire’s best-sellers are the professional products for spa treatments offered in five stars hotels. This locally made line of luxury creams, masks, scrubs wraps and massage oils fills a gap in Egypt because the hotels had to import previously these specialized items for their spas. Folies sur le Nil, a range of body treatments available for retail has recently been launched. The list of products based with plants, fruits, spices and seeds include Red Sea salts selected for their high concentration in minerals and delicately perfumed with the tea-rose flower, body creams scented with orange blossom, rose and vanilla to name but a few and an extravagant chocolate body wrap.
However, Olydra, the first broad spectrum cream, is probably the product Jeanne Habashi is most proud of. This cream was custom made for her son who suffered from a severe eczema when he was only two months old. At that time, Jeanne and her husband Frederic ( who was working as a chemist for a famous Swiss lab) were living in Switzerland. Many treatments were used but to no avail since acute crisis of eczema were always returning: “So my husband developed a cream for our son; this cream is made with jojoba, olive oil and without any preservatives and fragrance … It was a miracle! The period between the acute crises extended significantly and reduced in intensity. Now he is 6 and still has a very dry atopic skin, but we are able to prevent eczema from appearing.”
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