A team of scientists at Harvard and M.I.T. announced in yesterday’s Nature Materials the development of a ‘second skin’ product. An invisible, two-step skin cream that can be placed under the eyes, immediately smoothing and tightening the skin. The ‘second skin’ is stretchy, pliable and even contains light-reflecting particles, currently popular in many skin care and makeup products.

Lead researcher, Robert Langer, confirmed the findings to NBC News. “It works in two parts,” Langer told NBC News. “You put on a primer layer, just kind of rub it in. Then you put on a second layer and rub that one in. There’s cross-linking and it tightens it up.” Cross-linking is a well-understood process. Separate strands of material become stronger when they link up. “Vulcanization, used to make tires, is a cross-linking process,” Langer said. “Rubber alone would not be that strong.” In this case, the catalyst is platinum-based and it turns the gel into a thin, stretchy sheet. There are hundreds of skin products that do this now, but this one sticks better and doesn’t pucker the skin, the team reports. Light-scattering particles are added to the second layer, and they reflect light off the skin, making it look clearer and smoother.

Testing on ‘second skin’ continues, but the product has been licensed to two companies – one being Jennifer Aniston’s hair-care company Living Proof.  Expect Living Proof to roll out a version of ‘second skin’ as soon as approval is granted by the FDA.