Here is some food for thought -- skin needs nourishment*, too. Leveraging nearly 50 years of heritage in skin care and moisturization, Dove® expands its presence in the facial category with Essential Nutrients™, a complete face care collection of five cleansers and three moisturizers formulated with ingredients the face needs for skin so healthy it glows.

"Introducing Essential Nutrients was a natural next step for Dove," states Peter Waxman, Dove Brand Director, Unilever Home and Personal Care in North America. "Women have been asking us to introduce a facial skin care line for several years. Our proven track record of introducing innovative products -- now spanning across major beauty categories such as hair, skin, personal care, antiperspirant and deodorant -- combined with our absolute commitment to delivering products that work is the reason women love Dove."

Building Blocks of Glowing Skin

In the development of Essential Nutrients, the skin care experts at Dove focused attention on the use of essential nutrients (lipids) to help bring out the skin's natural glow. As a result, the face care collection cleanses and moisturizes skin while depositing essential nutrients naturally found in skin.

"Skin nutrients are lost on a daily basis," explains Michael C. Cheney, Director of Skin Care Product Development, Global Innovation Center, Unilever Home & Personal Care USA. " Skin can suffer from nutrient deficiency caused from constantly battling the multiple external factors that cause lipids to disappear. But it is important to remember that lipid nutrients are essential for proper function and maintenance and can help lead to glowing skin."

Weather, sun exposure and genetics combined with the daily routine of washing contribute to lipid depletion, which in turn can result in water loss and poor exfoliation. Since the body cannot immediately replace nutrients, this can leave the skin in a state of depletion. The result is skin that can be irritated, dry, tight, itchy, flaky, rough and with less elasticity. Skin may lose its glow and be left looking lackluster and rough.

Though the living epidermis layer (found below the surface of the skin) draws nutrients supplied from within the body (e.g., blood supply and diet) and the skin is continuously bathed in these nutrients, they do not always reach the skin surface quickly. Until the skin renews itself and pushes through a new layer to the surface, the skin may suffer from a lack of important lipids. Applying a daily topical source of essential nutrients helps skin maintain, in part, the natural glow that is lost to the outside environment.

"Replenishing lost nutrients on a daily basis is essential to helping build healthy skin barrier function," notes leading dermatologist Dr. Doris Day. "Lipids are a fundamentally important, and often overlooked, key ingredient. Not enough of my patients understand the role nutrients play in overall skin nourishment and appearance."

Essential Nutrients products contain a combination of various essential nutrients (lipids) that include fatty acids (stearic, oleic, linoleic), ceramides and cholesterol, known for the following properties: