Move over hyaluronic acid. A new beauty buzzword is taking the skincare world by storm and is believed to be the next big thing in anti-ageing.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (or NAD for short) is a helper molecule or coenzyme in the body and is revered for its pivotal role in cellular energy metabolism. Beyond its traditional role as a vital component in the body’s processes, it has found its way into cutting-edge skincare brands promising a revolutionary approach to achieving youthful and radiant skin.
Dr Eugene He, founder of longevity brand Invity, explains: “NAD helps powerhouse cells to generate energy for the body’s activities such as metabolism and DNA damage repair. Insufficient NAD levels would adversely affect those events resulting in ageing of cells, tissues, and organs including the skin.”
“Studies have shown that NAD can manage numerous hallmarks of ageing such as genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, disabled autophagy and cellular senescence. Refreshing NAD stocks in the cells would lead to optimal cell functioning, resulting in skin rejuvenation and proper maintenance of youthful skin.”
In the age of skincare enlightenment, NAD redefines beauty standards with science-backed innovations, providing a pathway to timeless and ageless skin in response to consumers’ holistic skincare preferences.
“In the beauty industry, the convergence of longevity science and anti-ageing techniques is giving birth to a new age of products,” says He in a recent interview. “Moving beyond superficial wrinkle reduction, these new creams and serums are infused with cutting-edge compounds that work on biochemical pathways and processes. Acronyms like NAD, NMN, AMPK and sirtuins are confusing words that will become mainstream.”
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Invincible Invity
Invity, a local cosmeceutical brand, revolves around NAD+, a key player in achieving youthful skin and longevity. NAD+ combats inflammation and age-related signs caused by environmental factors, promoting the production of collagen, elastin, and laminin for enhanced skin plumpness.
He elaborates: “Part of our R&D pipeline at Invity is finding the most efficient and effective ways to increase NAD and optimise cellular functions through topical applications of natural compounds, NAD and NAD precursors. Our products currently contain both NAD and natural compounds that have shown efficacy in replicating some benefits of increased NAD in cells, including sirtuin activation and mitochondrial efficiency.”
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Launched in 2021, Invity is a vertically integrated company comprising a community of over 14 scientists, nine pipelines and one common goal —to surpass the current life expectancy with the power of technology and science. “Invity transcends the traditional skincare brand; we are pioneering a longevity research lab. Every product is a research project developed to address the biological hallmarks of ageing specifically,” says He.
“We believe that skincare is more than just keeping your skin moisturised. There is an opportunity to leverage this daily habit to do more than just basic care. We challenge the traditional forms and functions of products and invest more than necessary to ensure our anti-ageing solutions’ efficacy, replicability, and safety.”
Committed to full transparency and unparalleled quality, the Invity laboratory applies green chemistry to its processes to ensure customers get products that work deeply and naturally with (not against) the body. “We work directly with raw materials suppliers and manage the entire product lifecycle in-house, so we have true vertical integration. This is important as it gives us visibility, control and transparency over the efficacy and safety of the products,” he assures.
According to him, Invity customers typically look for solutions that not only address basic surface-level care but also offer visible and sustainable results that show skin is becoming more youthful and healthier.
Invity’s products are also multi-taskers featuring multi-functional serums, all-in-one cleansers, and sunscreens that double as moisturisers. “The era of 7, 10 or even 12-step beauty routines is giving way to a demand for products that offer efficiency without compromising results. We are now shifting toward a more minimalistic and functional approach to skincare,” he observes.
One of his favourite products is the Youth Activating Cream Concentrate, a rich, nourishing moisturiser that repairs the skin barrier using NAD. It reduces glycation, caused by ageing, and locks in moisture effectively. Some other bestsellers include the Youth Activating Instant Filler, SuperNAD Youth Activating Facial Sheet Mask, and Youth Activating Eye Serum. Invity also offers health supplements for those seeking to improve their health inside-out.
Since its debut three years ago, Invity has grown to become an international cult beauty brand with a 300% jump in sales in the US alone. Sales are expected to multiply another three times this year.
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Chemistry geek
A passionate phytochemistry researcher and biotechnologist with a foundation in naturopathic medicine, He is an accomplished formulator who has created over 50 products for brands globally. In 2023, he was awarded CEO of the Year by Prime Awards in Australia and won the Titan Business Awards for “Entrepreneur of the Year”.
He is also the CEO of Qurio, a science-driven, lab-to-market incubator and investment group committed to nurturing some of the world’s most exciting and futuristic beauty and wellness consumer brands. As a scientific leader, he runs two Singapore labs and collaborates with Singhealth Duke-NUS as a Catalyst-AA alumnus.
In an interview, he says: “I started doing chemistry experiments when I was around eight or nine years old, and since then, I had a thing for ‘reactions’. Whether it was acting in a play, investigating my patients’ medical history or developing a product, I found gratification in observing actions and predicting reactions.”
On a personal level, he is currently filming a YouTube docuseries worldwide called Roots of Life. “In this series, I travel to familiar destinations and many remote places to interview the locals and find meaning to why some people can beat the odds to live long, healthy lives. Entertainment value aside, this experience allows me to understand the diversity of how we live and how that impacts our lifespan, which would then inspire me in research directions in the lab,” he explains.
With a relentless passion for pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration and a visionary commitment to revolutionising the beauty and wellness industry, He stands at the forefront of innovation and continues to propel the boundaries of what is possible in the lifespan of humans, showcasing the incredible potential that lies between science, technology, and human ingenuity.
In this interview with Options, he shares his motivation to create a holistic beauty brand and his goal to promote longevity.
What inspired you to start Invity?
I have been very interested in longevity science and research for the past decades, and when I am not formulating products, I am developing hypothetical solutions that may one day be the answer to our inevitable problems.
Invity’s journey began during the pandemic with a mission to extend the human lifespan and make longevity within reach for everyone. I gathered a community of scientists and built our in-house research laboratory to focus on researching metabolic pathways and epigenetics. Since the pandemic has taught us that time waits for no man, we decided to focus on consumer solutions rather than drugs to bring these discoveries to consumers faster.
Today, Invity has evolved into a full-fledged cosmeceutical brand backed by our in-house research facility, where we have active collaborations with major universities globally. A major part of our research budget is allocated to experimental projects building technology platforms and AI to diversify our coverage in this field.
How important is sustainability in your line of work?
Sustainability is a key area evolving within the beauty industry. The focus is shifting from packaging to the ingredients themselves. As awareness grows that natural ingredients are not always sustainable — take palm oil, for example, with its significant environmental impact — there is an increasing move towards biotechnologically synthesised ingredients. These lab-synthesized compounds, ranging from collagen peptides to enzymes and retinol, offer a sustainable and effective alternative to traditional ingredients. They represent a new frontier in beauty, combining ecological responsibility with scientific innovation. Invity takes a long view on sustainability by using bioidentical ingredients in our formulations. This way, the natural ingredients need not come from the land nor rely on conventional cultivation, harvest and extraction processes.
Skincare trends and innovations are ever-evolving. How does your company adapt to these changes?
I am very passionate about this industry and have contributed predictions and trend reports to the media globally. However, with the speed of social media and crowd influence, skincare trends can come and go too quickly. With trends, aligning and constantly communicating with influencers, publicists, and the media is helpful. I am also constantly looking to fast-moving social media platforms like TikTok to identify keywords and topics.
With innovation, we have a database of leading global suppliers and biotechnology start-ups of cosmetic ingredients that our product development team communicates with regularly. We also habitually share relevant scientific papers internally and have regular discussions to keep updated.
What is your company’s vision for the future of Invity?
We want to solidify Invity as a leading longevity brand that goes beyond skin care. We have an unofficial mission to be an important contributor in the race to bring the average human lifespan beyond 100 while still looking good and feeling well. I believe that what we are doing now is going in the right direction, and that involves not just running lots of experiments in the lab and collaborating with institutes and other research labs worldwide.
In the short term, we want to complete our market entry into some key markets around the world, including the UK, China and North America. As a relatively new brand, we are extremely prudent with whom we partner for market entry. Moving beyond skin care, we established our therapeutics division, which we hope to formalise next year. This would mean more research pipelines in areas crossover to age-related disease management.
What new launches can we look forward to?
We have three products launching in the first quarter of this year. The Youth Activating Overnight Mask is based on immuno-cosmetics, using clinically proven ingredients to soothe and relax the skin while minimising inflammatory response. The Youth Activating Retinoid Serum contains a unique formulation of retinoids with anti-inflammatory ingredients in a skin-compatible base to promote safe and gentle skin renewal.
We are also launching a new line that uses senolytics to eliminate harmful “zombie” cells to promote long-lasting and sustainable cellular rejuvenation of our skin and health.
Finally, could you share any expert tips on how to gain youthful skin?
It is established that optimised NAD levels do more than give you more energy. Increasing NAD levels promotes efficient cellular functions, improving skin health and delaying skin ageing. To increase NAD levels, exercise regularly, consume an antioxidant-rich diet and supplement with a NAD booster such as NMN (Nicotinamide mononucleotide.)
More importantly, have a good night’s sleep. In a world where digital screens dominate, poor sleep quality is increasingly linked to a range of health issues, including skin problems. Invity’s upcoming launch of an overnight mask is a testament to the industry’s focus on leveraging advanced science to enhance sleep quality and, by extension, skin health.
Youth Activating Cream Concentrate
Kickstart skin renewal with this day-to-night moisturiser, scientifically formulated NAD, Fucoidan, Natinol and other collagen-boosting plant actives as a skin-friendly alternative to retinols.
SuperNAD Youth Activating Facial Sheet Mask
Infused with NAD and plant actives like prickly pear, tamarind seed gum, snow algae and sunflower sprout, this mask activates the skin’s natural cellular defences and energy system, instantly replenishing, hydrating and calming your skin.
Youth Activating Microemulsion
This concentrated yet lightweight microemulsion is packed with a powerful combination of skin-loving ingredients like NAD+, antioxidant-rich botanical extracts and encapsulated calcium ions to fight signs of ageing and keep your skin healthy-looking.
Youth Activating Invisible Mineral Sunscreen
This ultra-lightweight sunscreen defends your skin from harmful UV rays and provides skincare benefits akin to a serum. It boasts a broad-spectrum SPF50 PA+++, incorporates NAD+, Sodium Hyaluronate, and an array of antioxidant-rich botanical extracts.
