Flowers aren’t exactly having their first foray into skin care.
Entire brands, products, campaigns, and packaging have been built around the benefits of the rose.
Many routines have also seen lavender, jasmine and geranium—to name an additional very small few—make a steady rotation on the ingredient list.
The forever-standing fragrance industry has also, very clearly, made a bit of a career on it.
And then there is the iris: The tough and pretty flowering plant may be common in bouquets and gardens, but it doesn’t totally have its flag firmly planted in beauty—at least in the U.S.
Swiss Perfection hopes to change all that.
Boasting impressive “purple magic” jeweled jars, a well-curated men’s offering, active-packed body care, and more, the Montreux, Switzerland–based luxe brand has been around for 25-plus years.
A legit time, yes, but the cell-science line is also casually gearing up for a stateside launch in the new year.
The brand’s homebase is also about a block away from the iconic Clinique La Prairie spa—a place that I’ve heard only rave reviews about over the years—where the products have been used in the treatments for years.
As the team tells me, so have a lot of people who work there—a true testament to the efficacy (and, even more impressively hard to achieve, a good workplace) that the band prides itself on.
As the very kind and skilled aestheticians at the clinic tell me: They can’t officially say that Swiss Perfection is recommended for sensitive skin after aesthetic surgery, but a quick glance around will tell you that this isn’t the guests’ first facial at the all-things anti-aging clinic.
But it is mine.
As I tell the team before I arrive, I have incredibly sensitive skin, and after flying, it’s a very non-flattering shade of fiery red with a side of flaking.
“This will fix it—the products are gentle,” assures my aesthetician.
I’ve heard it all before, but I did fly across the ocean in the middle of the night to experience it for less than 48 hours, so I’m game.
Sixty minutes later—after a mix of some creams, potions and very hydrating moisturizers that rely heavily on the brand’s lovely Repair line—I am in a state of bliss, and so is my difficult skin. These products are legitimately good (and gentle to boot), while offering that oft-hard-to-achieve standard of being fancy, yet not at all frivolous.
After a blissful night of good-skin sleep, we set out to see the heart of the Swiss prairies, the gardens of Château de Vullierens, in the morning. It’s a popular place for weddings and wine-making, and this colored wonderland of iris has more than 400 varieties of—you guessed it, irises—from all around the world. It’s also where Swiss Perfection cultivates its Iris Germanica bloom, which is the exclusive signature sauce (aka, the Cellular Active IRISA) that is made from the iris root cells harvested in the gardens.
What I learn: The only color an iris cannot grow is red (yes, even black can bloom, but red is a no-go) and the Swiss Perfection proprietary ingredient is handled with extreme care in this colorful field—extracted with precision, transported with exactness, and formulated with an incredible level of meticulousness back at the lab.
Back in the states, I’m still impressed with the iris. I might not fully understand all the careful steps that go into the Swiss Perfection products, but I can appreciate them. I can also honestly say that my skin has never looked so supple—a slam-dunk review for any skin-care product.
