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"2011 Beauty Breakthroughs\\nMascara that lasts for weeks on end. Toothpaste that whitens instantly. A cream that makes brown spots disappear. This isn&amp;#39;t a list of things that sound too good to be true&amp;#8212;it&amp;#39;s just a few of this year&amp;#39;s most exciting beauty innovations.\\nClick on the product links in each slide to read our full review&amp;#8212;and save your favorites!\\n__Elure Advanced Skin Lightening system__\\n\\n([Elure Advanced Skin Lightening Lotion,](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/elure-advanced-lightening-lotion) [Elure Advanced Lightening Night Cream](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/elure-advanced-lightening-night-cream))\\n\\nAn ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure, but when it comes to hyperpigmentation, we haven't had much choice in the matter: Most lighteners (including hydroquinone, the dermatologists' gold standard) are only able to address dark spots by blocking the production of melanin deep within the skin. If no new discoloration rises to the surface, the splotch eventually fades. But it's an imprecise science: Sun or irritation (sometimes caused by the very ingredient treating the spot) can trigger more melanin, working against the process. For years, scientists have been looking for an ingredient that can dissolve hyperpigmentation right on the skin's surface\u2014and the creators of Elure have done exactly that.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ A mushroom-derived enzyme originally formulated in the 1980s to whiten paper was an unlikely source for a skin treatment. But in the last few years researchers realized the substance (called Melanozyme) could also destroy melanin accumulating on the surface of our skin. Applied in two steps (one chamber contains the enzyme, the other an activator that kick-starts the process), Elure's day and night creams immediately begin breaking melanin down into small, colorless molecules that are whisked away with normal exfoliation. Several clinical trials revealed a visible improvement in subjects' dark spots within seven days, as well as significant improvements in overall lightening, evenness, and smoothness in 67 percent of the subjects after one month. And as an added bonus for people whose complexions are too sensitive for hydroquinone, this formula isn't irritating. \\\"The enzyme is a glycol protein, which are present in skin naturally,\\\" says Alain Khaiat, a scientist who worked on the formula for the company, Syneron Medical. The enzyme is only active for one hour: \\\"Once it stops working, the formula then breaks down into harmless amino acids.\\\"\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"We finally have a way of dissolving melanin on the skin, which means we can achieve lightening much faster, without irritation,\\\" says Leslie Baumann, a dermatologist in Miami Beach who served on Elure's advisory board. \\\"Instead of having to wait the usual 12 to 16 weeks for results, my patients are seeing their hyperpigmentation fade within four weeks.\\\" (Baumann also notes that the formula works on light, medium, and dark skin alike, \\\"and is also suitable for women who want to generally improve their skin tone.\\\") While the active ingredient doesn't make your skin photosensitive the way hydroquinone does, it's still important to be vigilant about sunscreen to prevent more splotches from forming; some dermatolgists, including Baumann, also recommend that patients pair it with a hydroquinone product to inhibit new melanin production.\\n__CryBaby Semi-Permanent Mascara__\\n\\n\\n\\nHere's an innovation for anyone who's ever applied mascara before a workout or a trip to the beach knowing full well that it'll end up in rings around her eyes: Chemists at CryBaby have taken flexible-polymer chemistry similar to that used for bonding hair extensions and developed a semipermanent mascara that curls, lengthens and thickens lashes just like a regular formula\u2014but doesn't smudge for weeks.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ A technician custom-blends the mascara based on the look you request, mixing irregular-shaped, synthetic fibers with a liquid adhesive base\u2014the more fibers she adds, the more dramatic the effect will be. She then primes the client's own lashes with a clear gel (curling them on request) before brushing on the sticky concoction just like a regular mascara\u2014employing a finer wand to reach tiny lashes, and a larger barel to define longer ones. The mascara is set with a mist of purified water, you wait a few minutes for the whole thing to dry, and the half-hour appointment ends. The formula begins to break down on its own after two to three weeks, but it's recommended that you have it removed at the salon (a process that takes 10 to 20 minutes, maybe longer if the original application was particularly heavy).\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"I've never come across anything quite like this,\\\" says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist. \\\"The polymers create a strong, flexible coating that really doesn't budge. It's a great alternative for women who don't like fussy extensions but do want to enhance their lashes.\\\"\\n[La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/la-roche-posay-effaclar-duo)\\n\\n\\n\\nThis is the skin-care equivalent of Prince Charles finally marrying his true love, Camilla Parker Bowles. The two stalwarts of the acne-fighting world are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, but for years, bureaucratic regulations have kept them apart. (In short, the FDA is concerned that they would be too irritating in combination\u2014and no one has the tests to prove otherwise.) La Roche-Posay scientists reformulated and improved the pair, proving these ingredients really can be a match made in heaven.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The formula clears skin in two ways: Micronized benzoyl peroxide, with much smaller particles than the traditional formulation, penetrates the pores more deeply to destroy acne-causing bacteria and regulate oil. Lipo-hydroxy acid (LHA) has been shown to exfoliate six times more effectively, but far more gently, than regular salicylic acid. In a company-sponsored study, subjects' inflammatory acne was reduced by 60 percent after ten days, while whiteheads and blackheads decreased by 63 percent.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This is an outstanding product,\\\" says Doris Day, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center. \\\"It combines smaller molecules of benzoyl peroxide with LHA, a very gentle exfoliating ingredient. This helps clear acne faster without causing irritation or overdrying, which is so often a problem with acne treatments that use other ingredients, like glycolic acid.\\\"\\n__LaViv__\\n\\n\\n\\nInjectable fillers add volume back to the creases and furrows that are all but inevitable with age. But the effects only last up to six months, and for a small but still significant percentage of users, fillers can also produce allergic reactions and unsightly lumps at the injection site. LaViv, however, works in a completely new way. It's the first injectable that takes your own fibroblasts\u2014the building blocks of collagen, elastin, and growth factors\u2014and reproduces them in a lab for use in filling wrinkles. The payoff: Skin stays plump and smooth for up to a year, without adverse side effects.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The process sounds like something out of Gattaca: It requires that your dermatologist remove a tiny piece of skin from behind your ear, which is then sent to a lab in Exton, Pennsylvania. There, technicians multiply the skin sample into 500 million collagen-producing fibroblasts, then pack them into small vials and freeze them at -292 degrees Fahrenheit. Whenever you want an injection, a vial can be overnighted to your doctor's office. Each treatment consists of three sessions, three to six weeks apart. Since the injection is only a small amount of watery fluid with fibroblasts\u2014rather than a thicker substance designed to fill right away\u2014the results aren't immediate. However, in two double-blind clinical trials, dermatologists observed visible results by the third treatment and a significant improvement in moderate-to-deep nasal-labial wrinkles six months later.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"The results are truly impressive\u2014I've spoken to patients a year later who are still very happy,\\\" says Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist in Coral Gables, Florida, and New York City, who served as the lead investigator for the clinical trials. He predicts that LaViv will have many other therapeutic uses, including improving acne and burn scars. \\\"It's also very safe\u2014injecting your own fibroblasts into your skin is simply a way of increasing normal cell activity,\\\" says Brandt, who adds that once you've banked your cells, you won't run out. When the supply runs low, the lab can grow more.\\n[Neutrogena Wet Skin Tech Sunscreen line](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/neutrogena-wet-skin-sunblock)\\n\\n\\n\\nRemember those T-shirts in the '80s that proclaimed \\\"Life's a Beach\\\"? Until recently, the same could be said of reapplying sunscreen right after climbing out of the pool or ocean\u2014smear a palmful onto wet skin, and all you got was a mess. Now there's no need to towel off: Neutrogena's new formula works on even the wettest skin, making it an especially good choice for hot days when you prefer to stay damp.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The concept is as brilliant as it is simple: Neutrogena scientists suspended their Helioplex technology in a water-repelling formula that cuts through any surface wetness, allowing the broad-spectrum protective ingredients to form a film which adheres to the skin underneath. Company-sponsored tests show the sunscreen is just as effective on wet skin as it does on dry, and does not streak or turn white.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"A lot of people get sun damage because they don't reapply their sunscreen after swimming, so anything that encourages reapplication is a good development,\\\" says Graf. \\\"And Neutrogena's testing showed that while competitive brands ran when applied to damp skin, their formula adhered to the skin and provided full protection. That's a real breakthrough.\\\"\\n[Luster Now Instant Whitening Toothpaste](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/luster-now-whitening-toothpaste)\\n\\n\\n\\nSure, there are plenty of effective tooth-whitening products out there, but they all require an even more precious resource than time: patience. Toothpaste can take weeks to buff away surface stains, and even the fastest-acting bleaching kits and strips take time and require a vigilance that would challenge a Buddhist monk (Don't eat! Don't drink! Don't talk!) Chemists at Luster are offering instant gratification for anyone with less-than-pearly whites: a toothpaste filled with microscopic, blue-tinted spheres that immediately brighten teeth for hours.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The action of brushing turns the minty toothpaste into a foam containing a mix of tiny, blue-tinted particles and adhesive polymers called Bluverite, which sinks into the pores of the teeth and forms a temporary bond with the surface. Now for the part your grade-school art teacher will appreciate: the Bluverite cancels out any yellowness on the teeth, creating the illusion of whiteness. Teeth and gums can look slightly blue after rinsing, but this disappears within a few minutes. The whitening effect lasts for about five hours.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"I love this kind of outside-the-box thinking,\\\" says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer. \\\"This is actually an old technique, dating back to the 1950s, when laundry detergents would add 'bluing' to a wash to make it whiter. Blue-white is perceived as cleaner and brighter than yellow-white, and depositing a temporary tint on the teeth really does make them appear whiter and therefore brighter.\\\"\\n[DermaDoctor Photodynamic Therapy Sunlight-Activated Laser Lotion](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/dermadoctor-laser-lotion)\\n\\n\\n\\nDermatologists have been using different wavelengths of light in IPL and LED treatments to battle wrinkles and improve skin tone for a decade. Since the zaps are generally painless and entirely safe, it's no surprise that at-home devices quickly followed. But here's something we never saw coming: DermaDoctor has now developed a topical cream that is able to transform harmful UV rays into beneficial red light that helps smooth lines without the use of a machine.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ No matter how powerful your sunscreen, some UV rays inevitably make it through to the skin. The space-age active ingredient in this lotion harnesses the power of this residual light for good rather than evil. As light hits the cream, the rays are drawn toward absorbent noni-fruit polyphenols (a kind of tannin present in many fruits) in the center of each molecule. Along the way, they pass through a phosphate-crystal shell on the outside that acts like a tiny prism, transforming the rays into the exact wavelength of red light known to boost collagen in the skin. In clinical trials, subjects exposed to two hours of sunlight per day over a 60-day period showed 75 percent fewer wrinkles and an 82 percent increase in skin elasticity.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This cream emits the same red light used in LED treatments, so it really is simulating in-office light therapy,\\\" says Graf. \\\"And while it obviously won't generate the same intensity, this reaction in the skin can result in comparable anti-aging results over a couple of months.\\\"\\n[Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/origins-plantscription-serum)\\n\\n\\n\\nA simple plant extract competing with the most widely prescribed wrinkle fighter known to man? Doesn't seem fair. But when a biologist stumbled across a tree bark in Ghana that seemed to mimic the action of prescription retinoids, Origins decided to compare them\u2014you know, just to see how their little guy measured up. The results: Plantscription was shown to have 88 percent of the visible-wrinkle-reducing power of a retinoid, without any of the photosensitivity, dryness, redness, or itching.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The serum's key ingredient, African Anogeissus, does two things. It protects existing collagen and elastin by inhibiting enzymes, called MMPIs, known to degrade them. And it generates more fibrillin, a springlike filament that gives skin bounce. \\\"We've talked about collagen and elastin for decades, but no one mentions fibrillin because retinoids were really the only ingredient that effectively stimulated this key component of skin\u2014until we discovered this plant,\\\" says Lizz Starr, executive director of product development for Origins. In a company study, the serum reduced lines by 51 percent after four weeks and by 57 percent after three months. Doctors also noted a 64 percent improvement in visible skin lifting and a 41 percent improvement in firmness after three months.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"I prescribe retinoids because they work, but for those people whose skin can't tolerate them, this really is a breakthrough,\\\" says Graf. \\\"The serum will reduce their lines and wrinkles and improve skin density, without the discomfort.\\\"\\n[PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/palovia-skin-renewing-laser)\\n\\n\\n\\nWhenever we are in danger of taking our jobs at *Allure* too seriously, we remind ourselves that beauty isn't rocket science. Except, of course, when it is: The PaloVia home laser is the result of years of work by a former Russian rocket scientist (seriously!). His team toiled to find a way to shrink the huge fractional laser machine in the doctor's office that eradicates wrinkles down to something that can fit on your vanity, all at the comparatively low price of $499\\\\. You do have to use it every day for a month (versus a few times a year in the doctor's office for up to $500 a pop), but the savings is impressive\u2014and so are the results.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ Like its in-office counterpart, PaloVia delivers short pulses of microfine laser light that create tiny wounds below the skin's surface. These wounds, in turn, stimulate collagen production. \\\"The difference is that a doctor will do a few powerful treatments covering a large surface area, whereas PaloVia is used every night on the skin around the eye area only,\\\" says Richard Bankowski, field clinical director at Palomar Medical Technologies, which makes the PaloVia. All you have to do is place the device directly over the wrinkle you want to treat and press the button, moving down the wrinkle and repeating up to four times, depending on its length. Each zap lasts about three seconds and feels like the mild rubber-band snap common to lasers. Built-in safety features ensure you won't burn yourself, and any redness around the eye area should dissipate by the next morning. After one month of daily treatments, 92 percent of subjects' wrinkles were significantly reduced in clinical studies. To maintain these results, Bankowski recommends reblasting the area twice a week. And because the laser is so gentle, the PaloVia is even safe for women with dark skin, who can't get doctor's office fractional laser treatments due to a risk of hypopigmentation.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This is a major step forward\u2014it opens the door for many more applications of laser technology at home and sets a new standard for safe designs that really work,\\\" says David H. McDaniel, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. \\\"If you use the device as directed, you should see improvement around the eye area that is similar to the office treatment.\\\" And while it is only approved for the eye area now, he believes similar designs for stretch marks and scars, along with other ones for upper lip lines, could follow in the future.\\n[Keratin Earth](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/2011/keratin-earth-hair-treatment)\\n\\n\\n\\nDevotees of salon hair-straightening treatments endure noxious chemicals, tedious appointments, and sky-high price tags for a reason: They transform even the frizziest hair into straight, silken locks for up to six months. Unfortunately, they also decimate hair in the process, making it prone to breakage and dullness. Keratin Earth is closing the gap between laborious salon visits and less-impressive home straighteners: In less than 30 minutes, the $99 at-home kit delivers fuzz-free sleekness that lasts anywhere from 30 days to three months (depending on how curly your hair was to start)\u2014all while protecting hair from damage. And there's a small but welcome bonus: Unlike with salon treatments, Keratin Earth users don't have to wait 48 hours before they can shower.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The amount of bend in your hair is determined at the microscopic level: The more disulfide bonds you have in the cortex of each strand, the curlier it is. The innovative straightening formula in Keratin Earth breaks down those bonds with a complex that contains urea and sulfite, changing the hair's texture from the inside, while conditioning agents knit proteins to the outside of each strand to repair any damage. The final smoothing step: running a flatiron over the hair to set its sleek new configuration and activate wheat proteins that form a protective barrier around the hair while you style it. (This also helps add shine.) Company clinical data shows that the formula is suitable for all hair types, including color-treated and very coarse strands.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This is not only comparable to some salon treatments\u2014it's better,\\\" says Wilson. \\\"Many salons use chemicals that get hair very straight, but can also cause damage to the cuticle. The ingredients in Keratin Earth protect against heat damage and help restore the cuticle. Not only is your hair straight, but it should also feel much softer and look healthier, too.\\\" She notes that the results vary with the degree of natural curl in the hair: straightening effects will last longer on women with wavy hair versus very curly locks.\\n__Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 line __([Balancing Softener, ](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/shiseido-benefiance-wrinkle-resist24-balancing-softener)[Day Emulsion, ](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/shiseido-benefiance-wrinkle-resist24-day-emulsion) [Night Emulsion, ](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/shiseido-benefiance-wrinkle-resist24-night-emulsion) [Day Cream, ](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/shiseido-benefiance-wrinkle-resist24-day-cream)[Night Cream](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/shiseido-benefiance-wrinkle-resist24-night-cream))\\n\\n\\n\\nAs if we don't have enough to worry about, it turns out that there's a way the sun ages skin that most people have never even heard of. Not only do UV rays attack healthy cells and create free radicals, they also stimulate a nasty little enzyme called heparanase that plays a significant role in wrinkle formation. Shiseido scientists sifted through more than 20,000 ingredients until they found three that help block the enzyme, and put them in their Benefiance WrinkleResist24 anti-aging creams and lotions.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ When sunlight hits the skin and triggers the production of heparanase, the enzyme causes the dermis to secrete a substance called elastase, which breaks down the skin's elastin network. Three ingredients, found in all of the products in the WrinkleResist24 line (except the cleanser) work to halt this process: Mukurossi extract, from the peel of a tropical fruit, neutralizes 50 percent of the enzyme's activity, while a freshwater algae and something called gambir-plant extract help inhibit elastase. And, since prevention isn't everything, the formula also includes a tried-and-true amino acid that increases production of new collagen while boosting firmness and elasticity.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This is the first skin-care line I've seen that addresses heparanase, which, if left unchecked, accelerates aging,\\\" says Graf. \\\"The formula has wrinkle-smoothing ingredients, but combining them with this preventative measure means you're slowing tissue breakdown at the same time, so there won't be as many wrinkles to worry about down the line.\\\"\\n[Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/makeup/2011/sally-hansen-salon-effects-nail-polish-strips)\\n\\n\\n\\nFast-drying topcoats and gale-force fans might cut the drying time of a manicure from 50 minutes to 15, but they usually compromise the results in the process. Enter Sally Hansen's polish strips (shown here in __Wild Child__), which deliver perfectly glossy nails with zero drying time whatsoever. Each strip contains superfine layers of actual enamel that look and feel like liquid polish and last up to ten days. And thanks to advances in adhesive technology and modifications to the enamel to enhance thickness and shine, they offer a huge improvement over earlier nail stickers that never really took off with the lazy manicure crowd.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ The strip is made of several fine particle layers\u2014a high-grade medical adhesive so it won't budge, followed by thin, flexible layers of enamel, and a shiny topcoat. To apply, just postion one on your nail and press down. You then buff along the edge of the nail with the included tool, and any excess breaks away easily. Once they're in place, that's it: Dig in your purse, go do some gardening\u2014you're all set. And because the strips are made from real polish, they come off with regular remover.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This is the first time I've seen a sticker that creates the appearance of manicured nails from the salon,\\\" says Hammer. \\\"They really do look and behave like nails that have been painted with normal nail polish\u2014but should last even longer because of the flexible polymers in the formula.\\\"\\n[Avon Anew Solar Advance line](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/avon-anew-solar-advanced-sunscreen)\\n\\n\\n\\nAt this point pretty much everyone knows sunlight and skin are mortal enemies. But the fact is, the epidermis itself isn't exactly helping matters: When a healthy skin cell is assaulted by UV rays, the body's own immune response generates free radicals that do even more damage. Avon scientists developed a complex that boosts the body's own antioxidant defense system within each cell, to neutralize these nasties and repair any recently sustained damage.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ Sunscreens combined with topical antioxidants do a great job of absorbing UV rays and scavenging free radicals that attack from the outside. But scientists have long known that a little UV always gets through, causing harmful changes that generate free radicals and also leaving cells more likely to mutate into precancerous ones. The key ingredients in Solar Advance\u2014a rice protein, an algae extract, and a soy fragment\u2014activate the production of three of the body's own natural antioxidant enzymes. One of them weakens the free radicals, and the other two then turn them into water. Clinical testing shows that this same complex also boosts repair enzymes inside the cell, fixing 50 percent more DNA damage than when the cell is left alone.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"This product should increase the production of the body's antioxidants, offering another layer of protection,\\\" says Graf. \\\"And while there are already formulas out there with DNA-repair enzymes, you can't always be sure they work. Avon's studies show their complex really does enhance the cells' natural repair mechanism.\\\"\\n__RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive__\\n\\n([RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Night Cream,](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/roc-retinol-correxion-sensitive-night-cream) [RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Eye Cream](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2011/roc-retinol-sensitive-eye-cream))\\n\\nPity the sensitive. The number-one ingredient on a long list of things they need to avoid is retinol\u2014which just happens to be dermatologists' number-one ingredient for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. RoC scientists have been studying retinol for 20 years, and finally found a way to formulate it without the irritating side effects. To prove it, they tested the night cream and eye cream on women who had a previous sensitivity to the ingredient. A whopping 96 percent had no redness or irritation but enjoyed all the usual skin-smoothing benefits.\\n\\n__HOW IT WORKS:__ RoC scientists realized that irritation occurs when retinol floods the skin quickly, but didn't want to compromise effectiveness by merely watering it down. Instead, they linked retinol molecules with emollients that not only smooth, hydrate, and protect the skin barrier, but\u2014most importantly\u2014slow the absorption of retinol. \\\"We were pleased to see that slowly releasing the retinol didn't change the anti-aging benefits,\\\" says Menas Kizoulis, principal scientist for research and development at RoC. In a company-sponsored trial, 95 percent of women showed significant improvement in fine lines or wrinkles after two months, with greater smoothness after only two weeks.\\n\\n__WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS:__ \\\"It appears that this formulation will finally allow people with sensitive skin to use retinol,\\\" says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch. \\\"The emollients are designed as soothers; coupled with the slow release of retinol into the skin, tolerance will very likely improve. And their data is impressive\u2014this could be a great option for those who are too sensitive for prescription retinoids.\\\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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