This Skincare Brand Is Meant to Help Your Skin Glow Like You’re in Love

April 24, 2023

By: Victoria Moorhouse | skincare.com by L'Oréal

Has anyone ever told you that you look particularly glowy when you’ve been head-over-heels in love? According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Nicole Hayre’s studies, there’s a reason for that — the effect of the hormone oxytocin, which you may know as “the love hormone.” While it’s impossible to bottle up the feeling of love and apply it on your skin, Dr. Hayre’s skincare line, Cutocin, uses a patent-pending ingredient that reportedly mimics the glow-boosting effect of oxytocin. Read on to learn more about her career and how she created her love hormone-inspired skincare brand.

How did you decide you wanted to be a dermatologist? Have you always been interested in skin health?

I have had a passion for science and medicine since I was little, but it wasn't until I had a short series of dermatology lectures during medical school when I realized that dermatology was for me! I am a visual person and was excited to learn how to diagnose disease from visual cues.

What inspired you to create your brand, Cutocin?

I founded my practice, the Cosmetic Dermatology Center, almost 20 years ago. I am very fortunate to have patients coming to me for many years, some even for several decades. This allows me to get to know them quite well. There have been times when a long-term patient would come in and I would recognize a change in their skin. Sometimes this would be a good change with an extra glow, and sometimes it would be a bad change and their skin would suddenly look older, rougher and drained of life. During their visit, as we were chatting, I would typically learn that their love-life had changed. This change always corresponded with their skin — a good change caused a glow, and a bad change caused the skin to look aged. Thinking about this, it struck me one day that this was the effect of oxytocin – the love hormone. I was excited to look into this and did a pilot study to see if I could correlate oxytocin levels with the look and health of one’s skin. My study was a success and was not only published in a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, but was also named one of the top stories in Dermatology of 2021 by Dermatology Times. My research revealed a new element in the health and beauty of skin that had previously been ignored. I wanted to see if I could find an ingredient that could mimic the natural “oxytocin glow.” Luckily, I was able to find a botanical which mimics this effect, and this inspired me to create the Cutocin line of products.

Currently, what does the line consist of?

The line currently offers a cream, a serum and a weekly exfoliating pad. Each product in the line includes my patent-pending ingredient to mimic the effect of oxytocin in the skin. The nighttime cream is packed with everything your skin needs, including emollients, antioxidants, peptides and a retinol. The serum is for daytime use or for those who cannot use retinol products. It leaves the skin with an incredible dewy glow while nourishing it with hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, peptides and an azelaic acid complex. The pads, named Weekly Rendezvous, are formulated to be gentle yet effective and use mandelic acid, salicylic acid and azelaic acid to give you that extra glow.

What differentiates Cutocin from other skincare brands on the market?

The science behind Cutocin is truly revolutionary! The discovery of the link between human connection and the health and vitality of skin is the first new concept to come along in dermatology in several decades. Cutocin is the first and only line formulated to utilize this system in the body and harness the power of an oxytocin-like effect.

What is one type of product you think belongs in everyone’s skincare routine?

Everyone needs to include a serum or cream to protect their skin from intrinsic and environmental factors. This should include my patent-pending ingredient to reduce SASP-induced [senescence-associated secretory phenotype-induced] destruction and antioxidants to protect from free-radical damage. Of course, drinking plenty of water and using sunscreen daily are also a must.

Photo: Cutocin, Design: Juliana Campisi