The Best and most Powerful in Cosmetics: We find remarkable plants with incredible anti-aging powers for the skin. We isolate the active molecules in these plants that can render skin youthful again. We create powerful, concentrated, active extracts using biotechnology. We use the latest innovative techniques to test their effectiveness on reconstructed cells and skin. We submit all our products to clinical trials overseen by dermatologists, and to testing by a representative panel of women. We only put our products on the market once they have been validated and approved by women.

ELIXIR 7.9 October 2010 On sale at Yves Rocher beauty counters, by telephone: 1888 909-0771 and on the web: www.yves-rocher.com PRESS CONTACT: Séverine Bokobza tel.: 01 41 08 56 24 - 06 80 20 43 71 [email protected] Paper from sustainably managed forests. 11

PDI printed.

Creator of Botanical Beauty

SCIENTIFIC REPORT ELIXIR 7.9

Visibly twice as young with just one drop.

Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty research has highlighted 9 functions that are responsible for youthful skin. A living organism, the skin reacts constantly to biological and hormonal variations on the inside of the body as well as to the non-stop environmental attacks of such aggressors as UV rays, pollution, stress, and fatigue, which represent 80% of the causes of aging! That’s why Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty is here: to help skin combat the aging factors it encounters everyday, inside and out. By working on the 9 functions responsible for youthful skin.

I - THE 9 KEY MECHANISMS OF YOUTHFUL SKIN The 9 key mechanisms of youthful skin chosen by Yves Rocher Research are already present in young skin at its prime. Cellular cohesion to smooth wrinkles – Skin cell regeneration to refine skin texture Rebuilding of skin tissue for a new skin effect – Collagen and hyaluronic acid production for firm, plump skin – Skin cell oxygenation to bring back radiance to the skin - Reinforcing the dermalepidermal junction to re-firm the skin – Skin cell renewal to revitalize skin - Protection against free radicals to protect the skin from aging – Protection from environmental stressors to make skin more supple. Aging and the stress of everyday life cause these key mechanisms to stop working. They need to be set back in motion. From amongst the hundreds of active ingredients developed by Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty Research, 7 active ingredients in plants have been chosen for their anti-aging powers. 9 patents have been registered for them.

II - THE 7 PLANT ACTIVES WITH 9 ANTI-AGING PATENTS. THE MAIN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN ELIXIR 7.9: APPLE OLIGOSIDES 3 Registered Patents: Revives cellular cohesion, regenerates skin cells, and rebuilds skin tissue. Youthful Benefits: Wrinkles smoothed out, skin texture refined, new skin effect. Apple oligosides stimulate skin cells’ mechanisms of communication, adherence, and cohesion. In vitro tests in our laboratories revealed the visibly stimulated expression of cadherins DSG1, DSG3, and E-cadherin, which are adhesive, communicative, and cohesive proteins. Measurements of desmosomal cadherin labelling revealed a 77% increase in cases treated with apple oligosides.

ACACIA POLYOSIDES 1 Registered Patent: Encourages production of collagen and hyaluronic acid. Youthful Benefits: Tightened skin. In vitro tests prove that acacia polyosides cause a 44% increase in the organization of the synthesis of both collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Negative control

Acacia Polyosides

Positive control: VitC

+84% GREEN RICE INOSITOL +62%

1 Registered Patent: Reactivates oxygenation of the skin cells. Youthful Benefits: Radiant skin. In in-vitro tests, Green Rice Inositol stimulated mitochondrial activity, improving skin cell respiration by 22% and encouraging the synthesis of proteins and ATP.

+22% Mitochondrial respiration

ATP Synthesis

Protein synthesis

This stimulation of the cells’ vital elements works in the same way as respiration. We can therefore conclude that these are the direct consequence of increased skin cell respiration.

The treatment significantly stimulated the dose-dependent incorporation of the proline corresponding to collagen synthesis.

TARA GALACTOSIDES 1 Registered Patent: Reinforces the dermal-epidermal junction. Youthful Benefits: Firm skin. Tara Galactosides stimulate the expression of the dermal-epidermal junction components; they stimulate not only the production of the laminin-5 and collagen-VII genes, but also the expression of corresponding proteins by more than 45%. Consequently, they reinforce the structure of the dermal-epidermal junction and therefore firm up the skin.

Tara 0.01%

Control

ALOE VERA POLYOSIDES 1 Registered Patent: Encourages skin cell renewal. Youthful Benefits: Revitalized skin. In-vitro tests have proven an increase in the stimulation of skin cell renewal of more than 63%, leading to renewed skin tissue and revitalized skin.

APHLOIA MANGIFERIN 1 Registered Patent: Reactivates protection from free radicals. Youthful Benefits: Protected skin. Mangiferin is four times as effective at fighting free radicals than a standard solution (rutin). Researchers consider mangiferin to be unbeatable in protecting against superoxides.

BEET BETAINE

+41%

Keratocytes Fibroblasts

1 Registered Patent: Reactivates protection against environmental stressors. Youthful Benefits: Skin is more supple in the face of environmental threats. Betaine can protect and condition skin cells (both dermal and epidermal) from thermal and physical stress; skin cell viability is improved by treatment.

+26% +28% +27% +18%

Thermal Stress 45°C

+22%

Thermal Stress 4°C

UVB Stress

III- THE YOUTHFUL PROPERTIES OF ELIXIR 7.9 ELIXIR 7.9, a patented anti-aging innovation. The 7 greatest active anti-aging ingredients along with Yves Rochers’ 9 most important patents in an iconic product. A Formulaic Feat: We conducted over 210 trials for this formula in our attempt to ascertain the correct dose of each of these 7 powerful active extracts in combination with the others. Our researchers created a veritable vector formula to maximize the penetration of these active ingredients deep into the skin. A formidable advancement in how we observe and measure the appearance of youth: ELIXIR 7.9 was tested on reconstructed skin (dermal and epidermal), which allowed us to evaluate the results more closely than in normal in-vitro tests. These observations were carried out using confocal microscopy, a cutting-edge medical and dermatological research technique.

Exceptional In-Vitro Scientific Results: Elixir 7.9 has the ability to recreate the biological elements that make up younger skin. On Reconstructed Epidermis:

Without Elixir 7.9

With Elixir 7.9

Elixir 7.9 restructures the epidermal tissue by linking skin cells together. The skin cells reorganize and work better together. On Reconstructed, In-Vitro Dermis:

Without Elixir 7.9

With Elixir 7.9

ELIXIR 7.9 reorganizes the fundamental elements of the epidermis: collagen and fibroblasts.

This is a truly formative makeover: the fibroblasts pre-treated with Elixir 7.9 go from a fusiform morphology (stretched in two directions) having limited interaction with the collagen fibre matrix, to a more star-shaped morphology (cytoplasmic extensions in several directions) having much greater interaction with the matrix.

Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty is changing the way we think about youthful skin. Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty Research has isolated 9 key mechanisms of youthful skin. To reactivate them, the patented active ingredients in 7 plants have been combined to create an instant penetrating serum. 7 active extracts chosen for their anti-aging qualities and tested in in-vitro conditions. Exceptional active ingredients give exceptional scientific results. ELIXIR 7.9 YOUTH AMPLIFIER recreates the biological elements that give the appearance of youthful skin. To prove it, Botanical Beauty Research was conducted in two innovative ways: observation of reconstructed skin, and quantification under confocal microscope. Anti-aging powers, tested in-vitro and confirmed in real-life by over 200 women who experienced skin that looked twice as young!

Yves Rocher Botanical Beauty Research Botanical science that offers life, youth, and beauty to all women. At every age.

PATENTED

A N T I – AGING I N N O V AT I O N