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I’ve been feeling a little bit stressed and anxious lately. Actually, a lot. Between AI ruining Google searches, the ecological collapse, the omnipresent spectre of war and the chaos of moving apartments, you could say I’ve been a little on edge. Who hasn’t? But there’s a new category of skincare promising to if not take it all away then at least alleviate some of the burden: neurocosmetics. Neurocosmetics operates on the premise that skin health and emotional well-being are linked, using formulations that connect beauty and the brain with active ingredients that target neural pathways. “The mind is a very powerful organ that can control a lot of our physiological states,” says Dr. Jason Rivers, a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia and the medical director at Pacific Derm in Vancouver. “Our brain is an organ; our skin is an organ. Skin arises from the neuralcrest—the start of the nervous system—so it makes sense that they’re interconnected.” Unlike aromatherapy, which influences mood through scent and the brain’s limbic system, neurocosmetics relies on topical actives that interact directly with skin cells and the cutaneous nervous system, aiming to influence physical functions like inflammation, skin aging and barrier integrity. The skin-mind connection has found fresh relevance in today’s wellness movement—an industry projected to near $12.5 trillion by 2028. Tapping into this link, Neuraé, a new venture from French beauty brand Sisley, is taking aim at the negative emotions that show up on our face—think stress lines on the forehead or undereye bags caused by fatigue. Through a decade of research, it isolated four neuromediators (essentially, messengers from the brain to the skin) that affect skin health, imbuing its new line with formulas that keep us looking fresh for longer by addressing each one.
Neurocosmetics is a natural next step in the evolution of beauty, acknowledging that everything is interconnected and working in tandem to create harmony in the body.
Dermalogica’s new NeuroTouch Symmetry Serum takes a similarly scientific approach. It uses Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, an amino-acid chain that helps inhibit the neurotransmitter that causes Botox-lite muscle contraction (effectively keeping wrinkles at bay), and is scented with earthy-smelling geranium to produce an uplifting effect. On the more woo-woo side, Amare, a brand that describes itself as a “mental wellness company,” has released its Skin to Mind collection, which claims to “target visible stress signals and support bliss signals at the cutaneous level,” while Youth to the People’s Supershroom Calm Cleanser contains small quantities of adaptogenic mushrooms, effectively microdosing your skin to provide a sense of calm. “The purely-aesthetic-focused product is becoming obsolete in a marketplace that prioritizes holistic wellness,” says Philippe Daigle, the active-ingredients portfolio manager at Lucas Meyer Cosmetics by Clariant. In 2025, the manufacturer of raw ingredients launched GlowCytocin, a product that activates the skin receptors that respond to oxytocin, tricking the skin into producing the natural flush and glow associated with being in love. While most neurocosmetics companies are careful to attribute any mood-boosting effects to scent (long proven to have psychophysiological effects on humans), Lucas Meyer Cosmetics by Clariant makes bolder claims. A decade ago, it developed a skin cream dubbed “happiness in a jar” (a nod to Revlon founder Charles Revson’s “hope in a jar”) that contains Lecigel, a polymer and lecithin gelling agent that claims to trigger positive emotions upon application. [instagram-oembed url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DNgsiy9xxRo/?img_index=1″ /] A skin cream that can solve depression—or at least make you temporarily cheerful—sounds like the kind of futuristic invention a science-fiction writer might dream up. But Rivers the dermatologist is skeptical. “There have been some weak clinical studies that suggest these topical agents might be having an effect,” he says, “but until I’m shown more evidence, I wouldn’t recommend them to my patients.” He points out that a product whose main purpose is to affect mood would be classified as a drug, not a cosmetic, and therefore subject to a lengthy clinical-trial process before receiving approval from Health Canada. Neurocosmetics products may not be a magic bullet (the best medicine for stress, which is to slow down, get enough sleep, drink lots of water, exercise and eat healthy, is still the most straightforward one), but that doesn’t mean they can’t make a difference, which is why I found myself in the basement of Toronto’s Bloor Street Holt Renfrew getting a private facial from a woman in an Issey Miyake dress. After applying a cleanser, she proceeded to massage my face with an oil so smooth it felt like I was being caressed by several sticks of butter and then jammed her thumbs deep behind my shoulder blades to smooth out the ever-tightening knots. Admittedly, it felt amazing, but it wasn’t radically different from any other facial I’ve received. I left feeling pacified and content. SSRIs in a jar may be a long way away, but neurocosmetics is a natural next step in the evolution of beauty, acknowledging that everything is interconnected and working in tandem to create harmony in the body. [content_module id=”1″] This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2026 issue. Find out more here. Continue Reading
