Kiehl’s vouch for their products and that’s because their formulas work. For almost 30 years, the brand has been “adventure-testing” their most beloved formulas with some of the most active professional climbers, explorers and athletes in pretty harsh conditions and even in the most remote places on earth. Kiehl’s formulas have endured some of the most extreme environmental elements, from the heights of Mount Everest, to the unchartered peaks of Greenland, to 300 feet below sea level in Death Valley and even across the frozen sea ice of the North Pole.
To this day, Kiehl’s is continuing the tradition by partnering up with award-winning backcountry skiers Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad. During their ski expedition in The Boundary Range in British Columbia, the husband and wife duo adventure tested out formulas from the Ultra Facial Collection.
During the shoot of their documentary film Conquering the Useless, Cody and Elyse put the formulas from the Ultra Facial Collection to the test, which also included the Ultra Facial cream. Representing some of the toughest and inaccessible terrain in the world, both the skiers applied Kiehl’s hydration formula twice a day. During this time both their skin were exposed to extreme cold, wind and other factors that will basically dry up the skin. Skiing, exploring and pioneering runs twice a day in the mountains for up to 14 hours!
“This was one of the most challenging trips I have ever experienced,” said Cody Townsend. “Each day we left our campsite before dawn, traveled as much as 100 miles per day in the mountains and returned well after sunset. The conditions really took a toll on our bodies, so maintaining skin health was an important part of our safety in those extreme conditions.”
Pushing the efficacy of its formulas to the limits is critical to Kiehl’s. As leaders in skincare hydration since the 1970’s, Kiehl’s chemists have focused on hydration and protection of skin’s barrier as a necessity for healthy skin for over 40 years. This guiding principal inspired the development of Kiehl’s beloved Ultra Facial formulas. Knowing that cold temperatures and dry air increase skin dryness, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial formulas offers the ultimate in hydration and comfort to dry skin, making it the ideal formula to be tested against extreme environmental conditions.
“Since the 1980’s, we have been adventure testing many of our products. If our formulas can withstand the world’s harshest environments, we know that they are advanced and highly effective for everyday use,” stated Cheryl Vitali, Kiehl’s General Manager Worldwide. “We thought Cody and Elyse were the perfect pair to test our hydration formulas in extreme conditions. They are both leading backcountry skiers – meaning they ski beyond traditional boundaries to attempt the impossible in their sport and constantly defy the imagination with some of the most hair-raising runs the world has ever seen. While they are unquestionably serious athletes, both also possess courage, passion and fearlessness – a true spirit of adventure that we at Kiehl’s identify with and admire.”
