I’ve alluded a bit around here to my year long partnership with Pond’s, and I’m so excited because today I can finally tell you a bit more about it!
Back in December, the brand invited myself + twelve other influencers from all over the world to attend a special kickoff weekend. We started in Connecticut, where spent a day learning about the brand (including a trip to their Research & Development facility out in Trumbull), and then we spent a full day on set with YouTube where we filmed a special video (more to come on that). To me though, the real highlight was getting to learn the history of the brand and tour the R&D facility. If you’ve been reading for long, then you probably know that I’m a bit obsessed with history, science, and learning how things are made, so this part of the trip was especially fun for me. Today I’m going to share a bit more about what I learned… as well as a video from our trip. Be sure to watch the video – really gives you a feel for what the weekend was like. It was so incredible getting to meet these other women from all over the world!
We’ll start with a little history lesson. Ponds was founded 170 years ago, back in 1846, making it the oldest, longest-living skincare brand in the world. The cold cream (still a best seller today) was the first of its kind — back then (in 1907 when it was developed), it was actually the first cream that did not need to be refrigerated! Could you imagine having to keep your skincare products in the fridge?
Fast forward to 1992, (over a hundred years after the brand’s inception!) The Pond’s Institute formed… a global network of 700 scientists in six labs (Trumbull + five more). They’ve since developed over 200 patents. Over time, they’ve had some pretty major developments. The Pond’s Institute was the first to launch Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) in anti-aging products, and they were the first to discover Conjugated Linoleic Acide (CLA).
My earliest memory of using Pond’s products is after my first dance recital when I was small – five or six years old. I had worn makeup for the first time ever and at the end of the night, my mom coated my face with their Cold Cream to take off all of my makeup. I just remember the experience feeling very grown up and glamorous, and that I had a lot of questions for my mom about it. I didn’t understand how putting on “lotion” could take my makeup off. I guess you could say that moment sparked a lifelong curiosity about all things beauty.
So, I was familiar with the brand, but I had no idea about all the science… and how much technology the brand relies upon to create their products.
Visiting with scientists from The Pond’s Institute was really cool. Every single Pond’s product is tested hundreds of times (with incredibly stringent guidelines) to ensure that it is safe, and will make skin stronger from the inside. The R&D team calls this “future proofing your skin.” Right now, the Pond’s team sees external forces + urbanization as one of the biggest threats to our skin. Things like pollution, living a stressful life, partying too hard, sun, wind, dirt, and humidity all take their toll. And on top of UV rays, now we have to also worry about our digital devices and radiation caused by them. (It’s always something… you’re not safe inside or outside!)
The scientists at The Pond’s Institute are working out solutions to all of these things. Furthermore, the brand’s safety regulations are pretty incredible. I asked what they thought about natural products as I use so many, and they explained that they see themselves more as a scientific brand vs. natural. That said, they go above and beyond to ensure that they create safe formulas… meeting global regulations (the US regulations are pretty lenient but this isn’t the case in the rest of the world) and then exceeding industry standards by meeting or exceeding their own safety regulations.
(I’ll leave you with a funny photo of me, dressed up in all my scientific gear at The Pond’s Institute).
I’ll be sharing more with you in the coming weeks.. can’t wait!
Created in partnership with Ponds.
This looks like it was such an awesome experience!
Christina :: Simple and Delish
aunt betsey is a life long pond’s fan!
I thought so!!! Love that 🙂
Grace, I wonder if you can speak to CBS This Morning show today having a segment on whether, as a consumer, we should spend extra on face products. The scientists say no. And then further they offered up EWG Skindeep, which they highlighted as being the ‘watchdog’ of skin products. They rate products based on ingredients that could be considered toxic or unsafe and use scale system with 1 being best. Ponds came in at 4. It’s very confusing to me as a consumer for two reasons: #1 I don’t want to spend more unless it’s warranted, and #2 I don’t want to expose myself to more toxins. Watch the piece if you’ve time, the biggest advice/claim made? Wear sunscreen everyday.
Hi Regina! I think there are so many ways to answer your question.
Re: Spending more or less on face products.. are you saying more than we spend on body products, or more in general (i.e. avoid drugstore brands). I think it is a personal choice. I am lucky to have been exposed some very high end skincare products (which I love!) but at the end of the day I think there are drugstore options that can work just as well. My favorite drugstore skincare brands are Pond’s, Biore, and Burts Bees… and I keep learning about newer lines being introduced. I think it’s about finding a routine that works for you. Real Simple had a fantastic piece last month on drugstore beauty and they had some really great advice.
I am not familiar with EWG Skindeep but I will take a look (and pose the question to Pond’s). I know that it is not a natural brand but I also know they are incredibly focused on safety.
Re: sunscreen, I completely agree that it’s the most important thing you can do (even if you’re just sitting at your computer – the screen emits a different type of radiation that ages us!) and it’s the only truly proven bit of anti-aging advice.
Looks like fun! I remember using my Mom’s cold cream after dance recitals too. I don’t think I’ve used their products in years so excited to learn more! Also I grew up in Trumbull so even more reason to check them out 🙂
So excited to hear more about this! I’ve always been a fan of their cold cream – this reminds me I need to pick up some more.
All of that makes me want to try Pond’s, but they test on animals, which breaks my heart. It’s not always easy to find brands that don’t test on animals, but I find that the extra “work” that goes into making sure products are cruelty-free is rewarding because you know that animals aren’t suffering for the sake of our skin.
This was such a fun and interesting post to read! I’m a recent Pond’s convert although my mother and grandmother used it (and still do) for years! I always associated it with glamour also, but by the time I was old enough to use it, it was a product that didn’t get much notice. Now, I can’t believe I ever didn’t use it, it’s seriously my holy grail. Loved this post! XO -Kim
http://www.thethirtysomethinglife.com
I think the CBS morning segment was on moisturizers, basically they were making the claim that the $10 stuff is just as effective as the $100 product. So I wondered with your exposure to so many products, what your take on their report would be? They dis’d eye cream as being a waste of money. Sigh. So it is confusing. Gotta say I’ve loved ponds for years…keep up the great reporting you do as I’m still a fan regardless!
This sounds like such an incredible trip! It’s always fun getting to learn more about the behind the scenes of our favorite brands.
you are so cute in your lab coat!