Melisse Shaban has joined NAD+ skin care brand Aramore as chief executive officer.
Aramore, which launched three years ago, is skin care brand powered by NAD+ and spearheaded by John F. Kennedy’s nephew Stephen Kennedy Smith, who worked with a team of scientists from Harvard and MIT to create the technology. NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is an enzyme that supports cellular function. However, like collagen, NAD+ declines with age, which in the skin may lead to sagging, dullness, fine lines and more. The brand’s lineup includes the NAD+ Cell Energizing Supplement, $55; NAD+ Renewing Eye Cream, $68; Retinol Peptide Boosting Serum, $110; NAD+ Cell Restoration Cream, $92, and NAD+ Cell Energizing Treatment, $92, which is the brand’s hero product.
“The family has been very committed to longevity [and] brain health for a long time, and that’s how this all started,“ Shaban said. “What they ended up doing was aligning with a scientist who worked in stem cell skin research, and she went through this discovery process of if we can have our cells stimulate production of NAD, then we effectively thicken the barrier. We effectively drive the cells’ energy.“
While NAD+ infusions and supplements have become popular in the wellness world, particularly among biohackers thanks to the longevity benefits, its use in topical skin care is just beginning. Like most NAD+ oral supplements, a precursor is required in skin care. Aramore employs a proprietary blend of NAD+ precursors and additional antioxidants, ceramides, peptides and more that enhance the antiaging benefits of the products.
Melisse Shaban
Courtesy
“NAD+ is a big molecule, and it doesn’t penetrate very well. It’s too big to get through all the layers of skin. These brilliant scientists figured out how to put a precursor in it so they basically were able to take NAD+ through the precursor down to the cellular level. It’s cellular so all you’re doing is feeding the cells so that they stay healthy,” Shaban said.
As Shaban joins the Aramore team, her focus is on education.
“About 25 percent of the target demographic knows about NAD…NAD drips was a bro thing,” she said. “There’s work to do in the education process, but I think that it’s going to be the next very big topical.”
Shaban predicts that NAD+ skin care will eventually be as common as a retinol.
“It’s going to be critical. It’s going to be part of your daily regimen. It’s going to be not only for skin, but I think you’re going to start doing it for other parts of your body,” she said.
Given the complexity of NAD+, she said sharing scientific evidence in a clear way via the experts behind the brand is crucial, alongside simply trying the products and seeing the results. Therefore the brand is transparent in sharing its ingredient profiles, highlighting the mechanism of each in the formulas.
With just five products, Shaban said the lineup will stay streamlined, particularly given the ingredient’s efficacy. She hinted at a body care offering in the future.
“It’s not intended to be a layered regimen,” she said. “It’s intended to deal with what it does, which is increase cellular energy so you can use it with your existing products.”
As more brands are starting to explore the use cases of NAD+, Shaban said Aramore’s science and approach will be key differentiators, particularly as the worlds of beauty and wellness continue to merge.
“The combination of treating the inner as well as treating the outer makes it a unique proposition,” she said. “The blend of longevity, health, beauty, it’s all merging together in a way that celebrates our best selves.”
As Aramore continues to grow and NAD+ skin care becomes more commonplace, Shaban said the brand’s retail approach will stay focused, with direct-to-consumer as its primary business, followed by med spas.
“Being an extension of recovery and wellness versus sitting next to traditional skin care brands is going to be interesting for us,” she said.
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