As we age, things start to slow down. The body’s building blocks aren’t as solid as they once were, and the other moving parts that keep skin firm and resilient begin to lose momentum. Stem cells struggle to function at full capacity. Fibroblasts become less active. Mitochondria—the tiny power plants inside our cells—turn sluggish. Free radicals and harmful zombie cells (aka senescent cells) are multiplying.
This slowdown has visible consequences to collagen too. As Munich-based dermatologist Dr Patricia Ogilvie notes, “Ninety per cent of skin collagen is made up of four main types, and all four decline with age.” The result is skin that feels less dense, less supported, and slower to rebound.
At a skincare summit in Tokyo, Dior’s scientists and research partners brought up a main cause for this: Air, or the lack of it. “Cells need to breathe as much as we do,” explains Marie Videau, Research & Innovation Director of LVMH’s Beauty Division. “When respiration slows down, energy drops, and skin degeneration follows.”
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To activate oxygen transportation to the cells, the brand developed OX-C Treatment (already found it its highly popular Pro-Collagen Shot) and incorporated it into Dior Capture’s newly-renovated creams. By restoring oxygen flow to the mitochondria, OX-C helps re-energise skin processes and stimulate collagen production during the day. In testing, OX-C was shown to triple Type I collagen deep in the dermis. “With OXC treatment, we are able to act simultaneously on stem cells, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence,” shares Videau.
Dior’s research also revealed a lesser-known reality: A nocturnal ageing phenomenon where collagen is more easily broken down at night—meaning what is built during the day can just as easily be lost by morning. “While skin does regenerate at night, we now know that collagen loss also increases during this time,” reports Ogilvie. “We see roughly three times more collagen breakdown from oxidative stress at night compared to daytime. This is because enzymes responsible for collagen breakdown—particularly matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)—are significantly more active at night. This is why protecting collagen overnight is just as important as stimulating it during the day.”
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This insight led Dior to rework Capture Totale Crème Nuit with Prolatonine, an all-natural biotechnology-derived complex designed to help limit collagen degradation by acting on the enzymes responsible for breakdown. Other key ingredients in all creams include a densifying dipeptide, hyaluronic acids and revitalising lily extract. According to Dr Virginie Couturaud, Christian Dior Parfums Scientific Communication Director, tests reveal up to 99 per cent protection against collagen loss during the night, and an improvement in skin firmness of up to 70 per cent.
Together, the soft and balmy night cream and day creams (available in three textures) form Dior’s new 24-hour pro-collagen protocol—one that acknowledges that as skin slows down with age, it sometimes needs double duty help. “Most products focus either on boosting collagen or on protection—rarely both,” says Couturaud. “Here, we stimulate collagen synthesis during the day and actively protect it at night.”