THE ORCHIDARIUM®
THE SCIENCE OF ORCHIDS
Queen in the plant kingdom with its 30,000 species, the orchid is a fascinating flower playing with time. It possesses prodigous cellular longevity mechanisms, enabling it to bloom for years. Its beauty remains intact, as on the first day. Some even live to be a hundred years old. The orchid is an inexhaustible reservoir of discoveries for science.
For more than 15 years, Guerlain has been searching for the orchid's secret of longevity. This is why it created the Orchidarium®, the first research centre ever dedicated to studying the biological and cosmetic properties of an ingredient. Three centres of expertise explore the fascinating world of orchids to select powerful molecules in order to offer women cutting-edge anti-ageing skin care.
THREE CENTRES OF EXPERTISE
Coordinated by Doctor Frédéric Bonte, the Orchidarium® is made up of three centres with experts who explore, study and protect orchids.
THE EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN
Geneva, Switzerland
This exceptional 600 m2 greenhouse is home to more than 3,000 species. Under the aegis of ethnobotanist is François Gérard, the orchids are studied throughout the year. The aim is to understand how they function et to define the most favourable conditions for their development in order to identify the most performing orchids in the cellular longevity field.
THE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Geneva, Switzerland
This research unit headed by Quentin Favre Godal analyses the phytochemical properties of orchids to identify and isolate longevity molecules. This work has been the subject of 7 patents, 3 theses and more than 60 internatonal scientific publications.
THE EXPLORATORY RESERVE
Yunnan, China
The Tianzi Nature Reserve, one of the pillars of biodiversity in the world, is today managed by Minguo Li-Margraf. She studies orchids over more than 400 hectares, protects and reintroduces endangered plants by restoring their ecosystem.
GUERLAIN'S REVELATION: 3 EXCEPTIONAL ORCHIDS SELECTED AMONG 30,000 SPECIES
After 18 years of research, Guerlain has revealed the secret of orchids' longevity with the selection of 3 exceptional orchids from more than 30,000 species. A wonder of longevity, the orchid is the quintessence of the Orchidée Impériale exceptional complete care range.
THE VANDA COERULEA, THE LONG-LIFE BLUE ORCHID
'Vanda coerulea stands out among more than 30,000 orchid species for its exceptional longevity. Capable of living for over one hundred years, it is known as “the flower of ten thousand generations”. An epiphyte, it overhangs the canopy, wrapping its gigantic network of roots, which can reach more than ten metres long, around the tree trunks.
Fascinated by this flower, Guerlain has been deciphering its secrets for 16 years in the Orchidarium®, identifying more than 35 compounds of interest in it.
¹Phytochemical analysis of Vanda coerulea extract.
THE GOLD NOBILE ORCHID, A MASTER OF LIGHT
Endemic to the Himalayan region, it has inherited the ability to combine several photosynthesis mechanisms to turn the sun's light into real vital energy. The light diffused by its petals is 68% more intense compared to an ordinary white orchid¹. Guerlain has captured this phenomenal vital energy intact thanks to a cutting-edge biotechnological method², concentrating 27 of this prodigious orchid's fundamental molecules³ at the heart of the Orchidée Impériale Gold Nobile skincare line.
¹Instrumental test on a petal of Dendrobium nobile versus Phalaenopsis amabilis. ²Made in Europe. ³Identification by phytochemical analysis.
THE BLACK ORCHID: CYCNOCHES COOPERI
A rare and powerful orchid, native to Peru¹. Gifted by remarkable mechanisms of adaptation to its environment, it is capable of living by changing sex to maximise its survival. A true talisman of youth. The Black orchid is at the heart of Blackimmune™ Technology, which acts on 95% of the cells involved in the skin’s self-defence to maintain its youthfulness².
¹Grown. ²In vitro test on ingredients.
GUERLAIN'S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING ORCHIDS AND THEIR NATURAL HABITAT
To celebrate its 14-year commitment, Guerlain turned to director Luc Jacquet, famous for the film “March of the Penguins”, which won the 2006 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Through his lens, the filmmaker has successfully captured the unique nature of this adventure, the cornerstone in the Maison’s commitment to a living beauty.
DISCOVER OUR ORCHIDÉE IMPÉRIALE PRODUCTS
With more than one flower in 10 belonging to the orchid kingdom, orchids are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for research. Each orchid has its own survival mechanisms, some of which are among the most sophisticated in the plant kingdom. Some species, such as Vanda coerulea, have fascinating longevity properties, enabling them to live for several hundred years.
A pioneer in skin longevity, Guerlain recognised early on the benefits that orchids could bring to skin longevity and beauty, thanks to their extraordinary molecular wealth. With the creation of the Orchidarium®, the first research centre exclusively dedicated to this ingredient, the House has never ceased to select the most promising species, to shape the most advanced anti-ageing technologies.
Orchidée Impériale skincare products are the result of Guerlain's pioneering research into the biological mechanisms involved in skin longevity. Thanks to a meticulous selection and analysis of orchids, the house has developed highly effective extracts to act on these longevity mechanisms.
