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Biotech, Biomarkers, and Beauty: Who’s Leading the Longevity Charge?

Written by Covalo Team | Jul 24, 2025

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What if your moisturizer did more than hydrate? What if it played a long game with the skin’s cellular clock? As the lines between skincare and science blur, a new generation of cosmetics brands is emerging with a bold promise: to actively support skin longevity at the cellular level.

From biotech breakthroughs to adaptogenic formulas and DNA-whispering peptides, these brands are rewriting the anti-aging narrative. Forget fear-based messaging and overblown claims. The modern longevity movement is rooted in research, wrapped in luxury, and is surprisingly fun! 

In this round-up, we spotlight the forward-thinking brands that are helping consumers future-proof their skin – one serum, cream, and/or capsule at a time.

How Longevity Took Center Stage in Beauty 

It started quietly, in laboratories, not lipstick aisles. As longevity research gained traction in medical and wellness circles, the beauty industry took note. The shift we now see from “anti-aging” to “pro-longevity” reflects a deeper understanding of aging as a biological process, not just a cosmetic concern. Consumers are moving from wanting to erase time, to working with it. And to achieve that, they want to leverage cutting-edge science to optimize how they age. 


The Early Adopters

Before longevity became a buzzword on bathroom shelves, a few brands saw the future coming:

 

  • OneSkin: Born out of longevity science, OneSkin’s team includes PhD-level longevity researchers who originally aimed to create therapies for age-related disease. Their flagship OS-01 peptide targets senescent cells, the so-called “zombie cells” that accumulate with age and accelerate skin aging. Instead of just smoothing wrinkles, OneSkin claims to reduce skin’s biological age — a bold claim backed by their own in-house testing.

  • Caldera + Lab: One of the early clean-beauty brands to talk about longevity, this B Corp-certified company emphasizes wild-harvested ingredients and adaptogenic botanicals with skin resilience in mind. Their streamlined routines target oxidative stress and inflammation — two big wrongdoers in accelerated aging.

Big Players Betting on the Long Game 

 

L’Oréal Groupe: From Anti-Aging to Cellular Longevity

L’Oréal isn’t just participating in the longevity conversation — it’s actively shaping it. In 2023, the company announced a strategic partnership with longevity biotech company Verily to explore biomarkers of skin aging, marking a decisive shift toward evidence-backed, biologically driven skincare. In June 2025, L’Oréal held its inaugural Longevity event in Paris, officially launching Longevity Integrative Science™, rooted in preventing rather than correcting age-related skin issues.  

Under the guidance of Deputy CEO Barbara Lavernos, the initiative introduces the “Wheel of Longevity” featuring nine biological aging hallmarks, analyzed using L’Oréal’s proprietary Longevity AI Cloud™, which maps over 260 skin biomarkers. Their research now includes precision diagnostic tools such as Cell BioPrint, a lab-on-a-chip device unveiled at CES 2025 that quantifies skin’s biological age and ingredient responsiveness in minutes. On the product front, L’Oréal is actively translating this R&D into consumer formulations— for example, Lancôme Absolue Longevity Soft Cream uses PDRN to boost mitochondrial metabolism, while Vichy Neovadiol Longevity Revolumizing Cream targets six aging hallmarks with NAD+ boosters and senescent-cell interventions. Through partnerships with biotech leaders like Timeline and Senisca, L’Oréal is also internalizing lab-sourced actives, marking it as a clean, high-tech longevity innovator.

Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal, put it plainly:

“Longevity is the next frontier of beauty. Our mission is not only to improve appearance, but to extend the health and vitality of the skin over a longer period of time.”

This commitment is visible across the rest of its brand portfolio, where longevity science is now a recurring theme:

  • SkinCeuticals – A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced:
    A product rooted in clinical longevity principles, this formula targets glycation — a biochemical process that stiffens collagen and accelerates aging. It uses a cocktail of proxylane, blueberry extract, and flavonoids to slow this degradation and visibly thicken aging skin over time.
  • La Roche-Posay – Retinol B3 Serum: While traditionally seen as a derm-favorite for sensitive skin, La Roche-Posay now integrates retinol with B3 (niacinamide) and thermal spring water to create a tolerable longevity tool. Essential to addressing cell turnover and barrier preservation simultaneously.

 

Estée Lauder Companies: Gene Pathways, Chronobiology & Barrier Resilience

Estée Lauder Companies have invested decades into longevity science—now rooted firmly in epigenetics and circadian biology. In 2025, their longevity platform, featuring SIRTIVITY‑LP™ and Tripeptide‑32, continues to leverage discoveries in sirtuin activators that can reverse cellular aging profiles. This research shifted gene expression levels of 60-year-old skin cells to resemble 30-year-olds in vitro.

Their landmark work with Dr. Paolo Sassone‑Corsi laid the foundation for circadian-aware formulations; studies show that older skin’s metabolic rhythms can be restored, guiding the evolution of Advanced Night Repair to include chronobiome-aligned elements. They actively measure changes in sirtuin expression—SIRT1, SIRT2, SIRT3, and SIRT6—in response to environmental stressors like UV and pollution, demonstrating the ability to rebuild the skin's fibrillin-elastin network, strengthen mitochondrial resilience, and slow telomere shortening. Their Longevity Collective of academic and clinical partners, including Stanford and UCI, underpins their mission: redefining age as a modifiable biological state, not a fixed number. 

Standout examples of longevity across their brands include: 

  • Estée Lauder – Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
    A classic reinvented, now infused with Chronolux™ Power Signal Technology. It helps skin optimize its natural repair processes at night — aligning with circadian rhythms — while also promoting natural collagen production and barrier restoration. This is longevity through sleep-cycle syncing, and the company backs it with decades of skin biology research.

  • Clinique – Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum
    Features the brand’s CL1870 Peptide Complex, designed to target multiple aging pathways, especially those involving collagen loss. It addresses fine lines, deep wrinkles, and elasticity, making it an ideal formula for high-performance, skin-future thinking.

  • The Ordinary – Multi-Peptide + HA Serum (formerly “Buffet”)
    This affordable, cult-favorite peptide blend includes Matrixyl 3000, Argirelox, and Syn-Ake. These ingredients all work to support skin firmness, dynamic wrinkles, and future-proofing the dermis. It democratizes longevity skincare by giving biotech-level peptides at drugstore prices.

 

Derm-Backed Longevity Leaders

 

Dr. Barbara Sturm: Inflammation Is the Enemy, Calm Is the Cure

Dr. Barbara Sturm’s line is deeply rooted in molecular inflammation research — and she's been one of the first to push “inflammaging” into skincare vocabulary. Her line blends medical-grade ingredients with a luxury sensibility.

  • Dr. Barbara Sturm – The Super Anti-Aging Serum: A potent elixir featuring purslane, skullcap, hyaluronic acid, and peptides. Purslane, the signature ingredient, activates the skin’s antioxidant defense system and supports telomerase activity. A key longevity marker, it brings multiple benefits. It’s anti-inflammatory, anti-glycation, and visibly firming.
  • Dr. Barbara Sturm – Repair Food (Supplement) : This ingestible supports skin recovery from within using zinc, turmeric, and L-carnosine — aimed at combating oxidative stress and age-accelerating inflammation.

Her approach bridges longevity skincare + inner health, wrapped in sleek packaging and high-touch service.

Alastin Skincare: Regenerative Skincare With Clinical Muscle

If longevity skincare had a med spa sister, it would be Alastin. Beloved by dermatologists and plastic surgeons for its TriHex Technology®, which supports skin’s natural ability to clear out aged, damaged proteins and rebuild fresh collagen and elastin.

  • Alastin – Regenerating Skin Nectar: Originally developed for use after laser treatments, this powerhouse reduces downtime, boosts renewal, and enhances results. It works by “clearing the noise” — removing dysfunctional matrix elements so your skin can rebuild stronger and younger.
  • Alastin – Restorative Skin Complex: Designed for daily long-term use, this product supports skin thinning, laxity, and tone unevenness. It works deeper than most serums, strengthening the dermis while softening signs of aging.

Alastin’s longevity focus is on tissue renewal and structural skin integrity — essential for patients investing in aging well, from the inside and outside.

System Skin: Longevity-Engineered, Deep Tech-Driven Skincare

System Skin is the first skincare brand to fully translate the core framework of longevity science — systems biology — into a protocol for skin rejuvenation. The brand’s R&D mimics the mindset of biohacking — skin as a system, guided by functional optimization, layer by layer.

  • Omniverse® Technology: System Skin's proprietary deep-tech
    engineered to simultaneously optimize the entire skin
    system—working as deep as the muscle and as precisely as DNA
    repair, through an ultra-deep, integrative protocol.
  • System Skin All-In-One Solution: Developed to counteract the effects
    of stress and sleep deprivation on the skin, this hero product
    includes such multi-functional actives, as macro- and microalgae
    biotech concentrates, plant stem cells, proteoglycans,
    neuropeptides, and ingredients that restore the skin’s structural
    matrix. Think of it as a daily “reset button” for skin under pressure.

Their entire model is about full-system, integrative functional optimization of
the skin for the long term, not fragmented, temporary, or superficial fixes.

The Future of Beauty Is Built to Last

Longevity is no longer just a buzzword in beauty. It’s becoming the foundation for how brands think about skin health, product development, and long-term results. Rather than simply trying to erase signs of aging, the focus has shifted to supporting the skin’s biology over time, helping it stay stronger, healthier, and more resilient.

L’Oréal and Estée Lauder are leading the way with major investments in skin biology, AI, and ingredient innovation, showing just how serious the industry is about this new chapter. At the same time, brands like System Skin and Alastin are bringing fresh thinking and specialized tools to the table, giving consumers more meaningful ways to care for their skin at every age.

The takeaway is clear: longevity isn’t about chasing youth. It’s about building a smarter, more sustainable relationship with aging. For professionals across the beauty space, this shift opens up exciting possibilities—not just for what products can do, but for how we define beauty in the first place.

👉 Ready to create your next longevity-forward formula? Explore longevity focused ingredients on Covalo today!

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