As soon as I lay down in Jasmina Vico’s serene Fitzrovia clinic, she tells me exactly what’s wrong with my skin.
“Someone is threading your eyebrows too harshly,” she says, pointing to my bumpy T-zone area as she dissects my face under her magnifying spotlight. “When you thread your natural skin’s response is to defend itself. In that defence it sends more blood flow and nutrients to feed the hair follicle roots, meaning you’re actually making the hair grow stronger. So you’re actually threading too often to keep up with this cycle,” she explains.
For the last year I’ve been traipsing around different dermatologist clinics in search for answers as to why my skin won’t stop breaking out. Hormones one person said. You need to add tretinoin into your evening routine, said another. No one has ever suggested this, but with a few subtle adjustments to my brow routine and my skin’s never looked better.
“I have an internal AI. I can sit on the tube opposite people and tell what they’re eating and what products they’re using,” she explains on her uncanny ability to diagnose skin problems. It’s an almost supernatural skill that’s become highly in demand, with Vico the go-to skin care health expert for the likes of Jodie Comer, Isamaya Ffrench, Sienna Miller, Phoebe Dynevor and more recently, the Barbie cast — including Margot Robbie.
“People found me because my work speak for itself,” she says of her high profile clientele. “Because I’ve worked with so many people in film they’ll talk on set and be like, ‘Oh my god, your skin looks amazing,” and many will know exactly where they’ve been.”
This dewy, lit-from-the-inside complexion that she’s become famous for is spearheaded by her signature VicoGlow treatment. Starting with a deep cleanse, massage, lymphatic drainage and sculpting, she then moves on to a bespoke, tailor made plan to suit a person’s needs — whether that be laser or micro needling. In Robbie’s case, this comprised LED and cold lasers. However, the high stress environment of filming all day every day also called for Vico’s magical milk thistle tea.
“It’s grown organically in Croatia and detoxifies the liver, which is directly linked to the skin,” she explains. “My method is an inside, outside approach rooted in a gut, brain, skin connection,” she explains. “Inflammation in the gut has an automatic response, and your skin is a telltale sign of what is happening in your body.”
Her other secret weapon for Barbie cast members like Hari Nef and Mette Towley? Her groundbreaking formulation, VicoSkin Screen Star serum, which officially launches today (November 8).
Designed to perform underneath makeup, with no pilling or rolling, to support the skin’s health and radiance, it marks Vico’s first foray into the skincare business. Made up of a triple-coded network of rare algae and seaweeds that provides a rich source of diverse bioactives, its main ingredient Fucus Vesiculosus (also known as Bladderwrack) was sourced from the Baltic sea during the summer and is scientifically proven to boost Type One Collagen production in the skin by 126 per cent. While Jania Rubens, a red algae rich in Taurine, accelerates skin metabolism for rapid regeneration and skin healing.
“I believe everything we need, we have it in nature — we just need to find how we’re going to make it work for us. I come from Croatia, so I have always been attached to the sea and I just think we come from the sea. To me algaes are the future.”
Having battled Brexit, a pandemic and endless movie set jobs to get it finished, the resulting product (which was made in the UK with the highest quality ingredients sourced all over the world, then blended to perfection), promises to bring a slice of movie magic to your skincare routine. Especially in a beauty landscape that has been overrun with phony TikTok "experts".
"I think people are quite overwhelmed with all these extra steps they're told to do, and I think a lot of people have destroyed their skin barrier," she continues, "with this product it's all about condensing anything your skin will need into one simple, soothing product suitable for all skin types."
Well, if it's good enough for Barbie, then it's good enough for us.
