The Serum That Helps Skin Cells “Talk” to One Another

More talk = more skin repair. The iconic little brown bottle with the cult following just made the big leap to helping you get youthful-looking skin.

- Vanessa Chia

Every time it gets a new iteration, it just gets better. We’re talking about Estee Lauder’s cult Advanced Night Serum. Every reformulation since its 1982 launch has featured a scientific breakthrough. In fact, its legion of fans have almost come to expect it.

But it’s not the sciency stuff that draws followers old and new to the cult of ANR. It’s that every version gives even better results.

Fans will tell you that Advanced Night Repair is like an extended warranty for their skin, from reducing the appearance of lines to looking radiant and rested, to smoother, suppler skin.

It’s why the serum is so sought after: 22 bottles sold a minute; 11.7 million in sales in 2019.

This 2020 version, its fifth, is called Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex (from $130 for 30ml). And its big breakthrough is Estee Lauder’s discovery of a youth generating molecule after seven years of research.

The inspiration behind the reformulation is based on epigenetics – the impact of your environment on your genes. Only 25 per cent of how your skin ages is determined by your genes. The other 75 per cent is influenced by your environment, including UV exposure, pollution, diet and sleep. So how your skin looks and ages is within your control.