Since ancient times, mankind has attempted to make cosmetics to improve the skin and to hide the visible effects of ageing. The bitter truth is that, for the most part, cosmetic creams remained simple old-fashioned moisturisers offering “Dreams of Youthful Skin” wrapped in progressively more modern and more expensive containers.
The introduction of vitamin A into the formulation of skin care products heralded a new era in the treatment of sun-damaged skin. Although some cosmetic houses were using very low doses of vitamin A in their skin care products in the 1980s, Dr Des Fernandes, a prominent Cape Town plastic surgeon, was the first person in the world to introduce vitamin A in high effective doses. This range established Environ® as a leader in skin care.
The Environ® skin care range was first formulated as a result of Dr Fernandes’ misfortune when he attempted to treat the melanoma of two young, charismatic patients, who both died before they were twenty-three years old. Such a horrifying experience leaves an indelible scar on one’s life as a doctor. For this reason, he started to study the mechanism of skin cancer and the skin – and thus Environ® was born.
