NIOD Skincare Replaces Facial Products With City Toxins

'The New York Facial' flips the script on a day at the spa

City dwellers subject their skin to pollutants that can increase pigmentation by more than 20 percent. With this in mind, luxury skincare brand NIOD and Uncommon launched the “New York Facial.” In a bit of intense irony, the work substitutes the serums and creams typically applied as a beauty regimen with NYC toxins.

Think pollen, car exhaust fumes and dozens of hazardous things that we never heard of and can’t pronounce. Needless to say, the results aren’t pleasant to look at.

“As the world evolves, so must our science,” the ad says, alongside the launch product SDEM3, which aims to prevent visible damage before it’s noticeable.

Creators across London, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, were sent kits containing a mock hazardous facial product that recipients can’t open because it’s toxic elements—and a bottle of SDEM3. 

“The industry playbook to launching a premium skincare product isn’t to rub toxins on someone’s face, but that’s exactly why we did it,” say Ellie Daghlian and Elisa Czerwenka, CDs at Uncommon. “We wanted to hold up a mirror to city living and make the invisible impossible to ignore. The New York Facial is beauty content you can’t just scroll past—because it makes you feel something you probably didn’t want to.”