From The Straits Times    |

You could have a box on your desk at work or perhaps on your bedside table. You could have it stashed next to your coffee machine in the kitchen, or pop a few sachets in your gym bag or handbag. It might even be a good idea to keep some in a compartment in your car along with your makeup pouch, or to pack them into your suitcase for your upcoming holiday.

Defend your skin from moisture loss – whenever, wherever

No matter where you prefer to keep it, ORBIS DEFENCERA is a convenient daily oral skincare product that can be consumed anywhere and at any time of the day, making it a fuss-free alternative when it comes to keeping skin moisturised.

As your skin gets drier as you age, it needs to be kept well-moisturised all day long so that it can better protect itself from external stressors like air pollution and UV damage.

Aside from topical skincare for replenishing moisture, consuming a sachet of the yuzu-flavoured ORBIS DEFENCERA can help maintain moisture levels in the skin.

A breakthrough 10 years in the making, ORBIS DEFENCERA was given FOSHU (Food for Specified Health Uses) status by the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan, a government health authority. This ingestible skincare formula went through six years of product research and development, and a further four years of rigorous tests to obtain the rare FOSHU certification. That means the product has been officially approved to claim its physiological effects on the human body, having been screened for effectiveness and safety.

ORBIS DEFENCERA is Japan’s first government-approved oral skincare – not a supplement, but a skincare product that is taken orally.

The role of ceramides  

ORBIS DEFENCERA is designed to prevent moisture from escaping from the skin on the entire body. It is a ceramide-based oral skincare product that uses a high-purity ceramide extract from brown rice.

Ceramide is a substance naturally found within the skin surface, and works to protect skin structure and barrier formation. Picture ceramides as mortar, holding your skin cells together to prevent moisture loss and to keep out harmful substances. 

The topmost skin layer is made up of 50 per cent ceramides. And as we age, we start losing them. It is said that the skin would have lost up about 40 per cent of ceramides by the time you’re in your 30s. When the skin loses ceramides, gaps appear between skin cells, giving moisture a way to escape, and ultimately, leaving you with drier skin.

“Ceramides on the skin’s surface are so delicate that they can simply be washed away when we wash our faces. Even with the help of topical skincare, they can easily be lost again. However, ORBIS DEFENCERA’s high-purity ceramide reaches the skin through ingestion, and forms a barrier that prevents the skin from losing moisture,” says Dr. Satoshi Hirakawa, chief researcher at the POLA ORBIS Group. He specialises in skin science, and the research and development of ageing care cosmetics.

What consuming ceramides does for the skin

The ceramides used in ORBIS DEFENCERA have been purified to eliminate allergens. This hardworking ingredient not only closes up the gaps in between skin cells in epidermal skin layers, but also reinforces the outermost stratum corneum layer, creating a barrier that helps limit moisture loss, while protecting skin against environmental stressors.

While there are ceramide-based skincare products available, Hirakawa says that skin will also synthesise more ceramides when ORBIS DEFENCERA is ingested. However, that is not the same as eating foods that contain ceramides. 

He explains: “As ceramides in food are not present in a pure form, they are difficult to be absorbed by the body, and many will go to waste and simply be excreted. (To) be absorbed properly by the body and delivered to the skin, extracting and consuming ceramides is a more efficient way.” 

Photos of a heel from a test participant before (left) and after (right) taking ORBIS DEFENCERA for 12 weeks. Results may vary among individuals, and ORBIS recommends a balanced diet with sufficient nutrients to complement DEFENCERA.

So how often should you take ORBIS DEFENCERA? According to the brand, one sachet a day offers the same effect as you would expect from applying moisturiser to the entire body for 24 hours. 

It is recommended that you continue the routine for at least three months. “The FOSHU verification is judged over a three-month continuous-use test. The data obtained has proven the relation between ORBIS DEFENCERA and changes in water loss from the skin is also over this period of time, so we recommend that users take it continuously,” Hirakawa says.

All these skincare benefits are right at your fingertips. The oral skincare is easy to store and bring around, given its powder form. This makes it great not only for time-strapped individuals but also for travel, especially when to extremely dry or cold climates. Best part, ORBIS DEFENCERA can be ingested with or without water, making it extremely convenient to have around.

Shop Smart

Exclusively for Her World readers: From now until Dec 31, 2019, flash this page at ORBIS Takashimaya S.C. to enjoy three boxes (30 sachets per box) of ORBIS DEFENCERA at a special price of $150 (UP $162). Valid while stocks last, and not applicable with other discounts and promotions.

DEFENCERA is available at ORBIS in Takashimaya S.C., on www.orbis.com.sg, Robinsons Raffles City, Metro Causeway Point (M Beauty), at Welcia-BHG stores and selected Tokyu Hands stores.