Last January, while staying at Camp Zero, one of my favourite places to ski-ride and skin-ski in the Italian Alps, I came across a brand called Gemology in the hotel spa. Upon chatting with the consultant to find out why a cosmetics company would decide to call itself Gemology, I was immediately fascinated by the brand’s story. Stones are often believed to be imbued with healing powers, but Gemology wasn’t interested in their spiritual side. Its approach is entirely scientific, based on the chemical composition of each stone and how the trace elements present can help nourish and embellish the skin.
I asked Gemology’s CEO and founder, Chrystelle Lannoy, a French businesswoman who started her career at Clarins Group, to explain the thinking behind Gemology in more detail. She told me that a stone is made up of trace elements, such as iron, selenium, copper and zinc, and also microminerals, including sulfur, sodium and magnesium. To function well, the body needs a constant supply of both, which we get from the food that we eat, the water we drink and the nutritional supplements we might add to our diet. Unfortunately for our complexions, the body serves the vital organs first before focusing on the epidermis. If we are not getting the optimum amount of minerals in our diets, our skin is the first to be deprived.