Spa+Clinic Team 
In a week where this year’s Bachelor Blake Garvey became arguably the most unpopular bloke in Australia, the 2013 model Tim Robards (above) was winning hearts aplenty at skincare house DermaQuest’s training days in Melbourne and Sydney.
Held October 6 and 7, the days were themed ‘come dressed as your favourite DermaQuest category colour’, which is where the popular Bachelor earned his stripes, judging Best Dressed.
Tim with Best Dressed winner Donna Murphy of Goddess Beauty Salon in Wahroonga, Sydney, who decked herself out in the brand colour of DermaQuest C Infusion Collection
Tim was meant to be a surprise for guests, but word leaked out and so his attendance was announced in advance.
But the equally big draw was DermaQuest’s International Educator Veronica Harris, who flew from San Francisco to share her knowledge with the audience about cosmeceutical ingredients, new and already available.
The Bachelor 2013 with the team from Balgownie Beauty and Medispa in Wollongong, NSW
‘We had a great turnout in both Melbourne and Sydney,’ says Sean Abel, General Manager of Clinic Care, distributor in Australia of DermaQuest cosmeceutical skincare.
‘The feedback we have been getting over the past year from salon and clinic operators is that they want to be kept more up-to-speed with ingredients in the treatments and products they are prescribing clients.
‘Clients are way more savvy than ever before about what is being used on their skin and what results they should expect, so it’s essential for therapists to know their stuff.
Selfie time with The Bachelor – Milly, from Facial Aesthetics on Queensland’s Gold Coast
‘The technology in skincare is expanding so rapidly that it’s hard for anyone to keep up. Our training days are held to breach that gap.
‘They are open to all interested parties. We want to make it way less about product-pushing and more about education and the latest ingredients hitting the market. With a large dose of fun!
‘Tim certainly supplied that. The guests just loved him and he really got into the swing of it, enthusiastically posing for photos with them.’
International educator Veronica told the audiences that plant stem cell technology is the big trend in skincare for 2015, although the technology has been around for some time.
However, the sources of plant stem cells for use in skincare has expanded.
Stem cells are unprogrammed cells that can change into cells with specific functions. They have the capacity to replenish themselves through self-renewal and also the ability to divide almost limitlessly.
Sean Abel, dressed for DermaQuest’s Peptide Vitality Collection, greets the guest of honour
Cutting-edge research on plant stem cells (which are different from the controversial human stem cells studies) have demonstrated some promising health benefits to human skin, notably helping protect human stem cells by nourishing and defending them from UV radiation and its photo-ageing effects causing degradation of collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin (lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation et al).
The staple plant stem cell ingredients in DermaQuest products have been from gardenia, edelweiss (the hardy Swiss alpine flower) and lilac, says Sean. Joining the gang are the properties of oranges, grapes and apples.
DermaQuest was founded in 1999 by cosmetic scientist Sam Dhatt to create and market expertly formulated skincare products that deliver results.
They are developed, packaged and distributed from their own state-of-the-art facility in California and the products are sold to physicians and clinical professionals globally.
The company employs on-site chemists, which allows the immediate utilisation of the latest advances in skincare as they are introduced into the marketplace. Products are paraben-free and there is no animal testing.
