How La Prairie’s Rich Heritage Has Cemented its Position in the Skincare Industry

Clinique La Prairie began its life with existentialist questions about the soul, spirit and genes. Almost 100 years on, the Swiss brand continues on its never-ending quest to combine science, philosophy and the arts

Swiss luxury beauty brand, La Prairie, has been a mainstay in the skincare industry for many years now and its heritage and legacy precede it as a brand.

The maison has roots that run deep, stemming from its founder Paul Niehans’ unending curiosity about questions pertaining to the secrets of time.

The brand began its life in the 1920s as a laboratory of ideas and innovation. It started with Dr Niehans’ insatiable quest to discover the intersection of science, art and philosophy. It led him down the path of cellular rejuvenation, a breakthrough that has guided Clinique La Prairie’s journey over the past century.

Inspired by his goal to regenerate cells in order to restore vigour and vitality, Dr Niehans worked on injecting fresh cells into weakened organs and observing the ways in which they would be revitalised. Dr Niehans’ revolutionary work in slowing the rate of ageing was published and shared extensively and would become La Prairie’s defining stamp in the world of skincare.

By the 1930s, Dr Niehans’ Clinique La Prairie would become the rich and famous’ best-kept secret. He treated thousands of patients and slowed their ageing process with his revolutionary process of rejuvenating weakened cells with fresh ones.

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Above Dr Niehans was a firm believer that the key to the preservation of life lay in what nature could offer and so protecting our natural word was a priority for him. Photo: La Prairie

In due course, his fame began to spread, and one event proved to be life-changing: in 1954, he was urgently called to the Vatican to treat Pope Pius XII at Castel Gandolfo.

Upon the Pope’s recovery, he named Niehans a Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1955, thus catapulting the surgeon to the public eye. His clinique would draw the patronage of the world’s foremost leaders, but it was in the presence of artists, performers and musicians that Niehans felt most comfortable. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Pablo Picasso—they would all become part of Niehans’ circle and further reinforce his love for the arts.

Don’t miss: How Swiss Beauty Brand La Prairie Has Become More Involved With Art Conservation

Above Dr Niehans’ clinic treated many public figures such as Georges Braque, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Miles Davis and more. Photo: La Prairie

Birth of a Skincare Behemoth

When Dr Niehans died in 1971, he left his successors with an abundance of unique medical and rejuvenation knowledge, including a topical cream that was offered to guests checking out of Clinique La Prairie.

By 1978, Dr Niehans’ team saw the opportunity to craft a full skincare regime that encompassed unique formulations directly inspired by his work on cellular therapy.

This was when the skincare House of La Prairie was truly born.

Above Much of the House's first skincare regime that was created in 1978 included stabilised fresh cells, an ingredient that was directly inspired by Dr Niehans’ work on cellular therapy. Photo: La Prairie

One of the first creations from the House was a first-generation edition of La Prairie’s Exclusive Cellular Complex, a signature product that has since been consistently improved upon, thanks to countless years of research and development.

Using a newly developed technology, scientists at the La Prairie laboratory bioengineered a cellular extract that has since been renamed the Exclusive Cellular Complex.

The product received its first patent in 1998, and subsequently renewed it in 2018. Interestingly, to date, no single laboratory technician or chemist knows the exact composition of the Exclusive Cellular Complex as it is made in three separate laboratories to maintain its secrecy.

Above Noting Dr Niehans’ belief in the life-giving properties of nature, La Prairie’s scientists turned their attention to the nucleus of life, the egg. This laid the foundation of what would later become their Skin Caviar Collection which was launched in 1987. Photo: La Prairie

La Prairie’s Artistic Endeavours

La Prairie has always been more than just a skincare brand: thanks to its founder’s diverse passions, the brand consistently seeks to marry skincare, nature and art to elevate the universal experience for its clients.

In 1982, the team at La Prairie discovered the work of artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who would prove to be instrumental in solidifying its visual identity. In her work, Phalle used a cobalt blue colour to symbolise femininity, boldness, strength and serenity, traits that would one day form the backbone of La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Collection.

Today, in the same way that duck egg blue instantly reminds one of a certain American jewellery house, this shade of cobalt blue instantly brings to mind La Prairie. This association with Phalle also reinforced the brand’s artistic endeavours.

Above La Prairie has long held the belief that to truly be able to push boundaries, open-mindedness is a vital prerequisite. This is why it engages with the foremost thinkers in the world of science and art in order to continually propagate creativity and progress as a brand. Photo: La Prairie

This has been manifested through its presence at art fairs and cultural institutions, and its ongoing support of emerging talents. Over the years, La Prairie has firmly established its reputation as a bona fide art patron.

In 2017, La Prairie partnered with Art Basel, one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs. This was followed by a partnership with Shanghai’s West Bund Art & Design Fair the same year and Frieze Art Fairs in 2021.

As time has gone on, La Prairie has supported female, young and forward-thinking artists who have the audacity to dream, and whose aesthetic echoes La Prairie’s own visions and beliefs about culture and creativity.

It has also established long term partnerships with the Department of Glaciology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) in order to protect the natural beauty of La Prairie’s local environment in Switzerland as well as the environment beyond Switzerland’s borders as its continues to look at nature for the foundation of many of its revolutionary products.

These elements create a bridge between the House’s rich past and its pursuit of the future.

Above The new logo is a reflection of La Prairie’s soul and aims at embracing the values, story and heritage of the House. Photo: La Prairie

A New Dawn

Recently, La Prairie unveiled a brand new logo that befits its artistic values and is a representation of its innovative spirit, scientific roots, artistic disposition, and love for nature.

The new logo, which is not a simple stylistic reinvention, is based on the logo from 1970s, which used a font called Helvetica that was created in 1960 by typeface designer Max Miedinge. The logo was inspired by the House’s first visual expression from the Clinique La Prairie of the 1930s.

Helvetica though is more than just a font. Rather, it is a symbol, not just of Swiss design, but also of rebirth in the city. Helvetica was born during the post-war period when designers were attempting to create cleaner and more logical styles as they tried to move away from its tangled history. In 1983, the font was reworked to unify its structure, weights and widths and was called Helvetica Neue.

Since its creation, Helvetica, and now, Helvetica Neue, has remained relevant and timeless with strong ties to Swiss history. It remains ubiquitous and a firm favourite of designers around the world. With its consistent evolution, it is no wonder why the House decided to adopt it in its logo and to reimagine it in a contemporary way.

The new logo design and identity is sharper, more architectural, easier to read and highly reflective of the world today.

By staying within the same Helvetica family, the logo is a meaningful representation of the House’s constant quest to remain timeless and to continuously ensure that its products are at the forefront of the skincare industry—all without losing sight of its founder’s genius, and passion for science, art and nature.

Shop La Prairie products now at metro.com.sg and tangs.com.

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Topics

Clinique La Prairie La Prairie history of La Prairie Paul Niehans luxury skincare cellular therapy

Tatler Asia

How La Prairie Uses Science and Technology to Create a Timeless Legacy

Birth of a Skincare Behemoth

La Prairie’s Artistic Endeavours

A New Dawn