Read Online Younger by Suzanne Munshower - Free Book Online Page B

good for her age —and only until she washes her face. What if she looked just as good or even better without makeup?”
    “Don’t lasers do that?”
    Barton shook his head. “Laser is still a quasi-surgical procedure. And it has drawbacks: it’s expensive, not successful at rejuvenating the neck, needs to be repeated, and causes thinning or whitening of the skin over time. What if looking thirty years younger was as simple as moisturizing?”
    “Retinol?”
    He shrugged, very Frenchly, Anna thought. “We’ve done work with it. We have a line for doctors and we’re working on one for consumers. But retinol is what you Americans would call the minor leagues. I’m talking about wiping decades off a woman’s skin, not a year or two.”
    “Thirty years?” He nodded. “Your mother’s hands?”
    “Beautiful, aren’t they? She’s been using the formula for six months now. Before that, like Madeleine Castaing, she was never seen without leather gloves, indoors or out, summer or winter.” He pulled out a photo. “She pretends she did it as a favor to me, but I know she’s pleased. Here are her hands before.”
    Elderly hands were all alike, Anna thought. Like these. Liver-spotted, with bulging knuckles, ropy veins, and crêpey skin. “Why aren’t her knuckles big like this now?”
    “The formula—we’ll call it Youngskin for now—stimulates elastin and collagen regeneration, as well as the fat-growth layer, at about a hundred-to-one ratio compared to retinol.”
    “And elastin and collagen, like fat, make skin look young and are depleted with age and sun exposure.”
    “Good.” He nodded, pleased with her knowledge. “Youngskin stimulates growth factors while removing surface cells and increasing overall cell turnover to an unprecedented degree. Maman’s knuckles were never really big, not as if she’d had arthritis; she just didn’t have any padding, so they stood out. Her hands don’t look like a teenager’s, but years have fallen away.”
    “And this is—what?—a skincare product from Coscom or a pharmaceutical from Barton?”
    “You know about cosmeceuticals , I take it? Skincare meets medicine?” When she nodded, he went on. “Youngskin is the cosmeceutical to end all cosmeceuticals. We’re using pharmaceutical-grade ingredients in a cosmetic product meeting FDA approval.”
    “It’s been FDA approved?”
    “Pending. But we’ll launch the product via BarPharm to dermatologists in the UK and US in about nine months, then about three months later, a less intensive nonprescription version with the Coscom label will hit department stores. We’ve subjected it to FDA-level tests and standards so it’s certain to make the grade. We need a pro on board for at least the next year, someone who can get to know the product inside and out, who can handle all the promotional materials, who can be passionate about it. You’d be ideal.”
    “Why me?”
    “I saw what you did for Madame X, and I was deeply impressed. Not just the launch, Anna, or the research into the billions of dollars spent on anti-aging purchases, but your psychological grasp of the whole look-good-feel-great aspect of it all. I was already convinced months ago no one could do it better than you—then Clive had to spoil it by taking the account away from you without discussing it with me first. I want you back on board.”
    “I’m very flattered, Mr. Barton—”
    “Pierre.”
    “Yes. Pierre. I’m very flattered, but why not just give me back the Coscom account? I’m not saying I’m not worth it, but why so much money, and why so much secrecy? I understand it’s revolutionary, but—”
    “It’s more than revolutionary, Anna. It’s explosive. It will change the world.” His eyes gleamed. “We’ll discuss the final details over a light dinner, all right? Then you’ll either say yes and jump on board or you’ll enjoy a couple more days in Paris before heading back to Los Angeles to concentrate on your business