Martha Stewart’s Skin Care Line Is Here: Meet ELM Biosciences

At 84 years old, Martha Stewart isn’t slowing down. With a career spanning several decades, she has become one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time, and her influence in beauty specifically has become even more noteworthy as of late. Often getting asked how she maintains her glow, Stewart credits a combination of healthy living, a diligent skin-care routine and the professional expertise of her dermatologist, Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, whom she began seeing as a client seven years ago. The two became fast friends, and now, they’re adding business partners to the list, cofounding a new skin-care brand called ELM Biosciences. Last month, Stewart and Dr. Bhanusali shared the inside scoop on the highly anticipated collection via Zoom, which we can now share with you as ELM officially launches today.

Why Martha Stewart Created a Skin-Care Brand

“We had talked and talked and talked about skin care,” says Stewart, recalling how she and Dr. Bhanusali conceptualized the brand. “I care a lot about skin—it’s our largest organ; it covers our bodies; we have to take care of it. Ever since I was a young woman, I really paid attention to the maintenance, the cleansing and the nurturing of my skin. And talking to him, he cared so much about that. And at his practice, he was working on scar treatments for victims of burns and other disasters and repairing them back to almost normalcy, and I was entranced with his work. A dedicated doctor working in research is one of the most valuable human beings, and for me to be able to partner with someone like that is amazing.”

“People may believe this to be a celebrity brand, but truly, this is a scientific brand,” Dr. Bhanusali adds. “We’re led by science, and our heroes are scientists. We’re in this beautiful scientific and technological revolution where we have the opportunity to create and engineer new ingredients, which is the kind of the basis of what we’re doing here. The goal isn’t to chase what everybody else is doing; it’s to hopefully define the future of skin care.”

The ELM Biosciences A3O Elemental Serum

Stewart and Dr. Bhanusali started working on the brand five years ago, and the hero serum—A3O Elemental—was the foundation. A first-of-its-kind antioxidant serum, it harnesses the power of ELM Bioscience’s patent-pending A3O Complex, which comprises acetyl zingerone, bakuchiol and a ferulic acid ester. “A3O really looks at the different components of antioxidant/anti-inflammatory/anti-aging complex,” says Dr. Bhanusali. “If you look at a traditional antioxidant like vitamin C, it’s pro-inflammatory; it’s irritating for a lot of people. If a lot of our patients are reacting to it, is it really the best thing for us to use? Also, vitamin C is not very stable, so within a few minutes of opening the bottle, it doesn’t work. So when were building this complex, we wanted to make sure all these things were covered. There’s a reason why you can see a little bit of the product in the bottom of the serum bottle. You don’t really see that with most antioxidants. That’s kind of our way of saying, yes, this is something that’s stabilized—we thought about this stuff. It’s also anti-inflammatory, not pro-inflammatory.”

Other key ingredients in the serum include hyaluronic acid, squalane, vitamin E and blue tansy. “There are so many different actives in here,” says Dr. Bhanusali, noting that it’s how the ingredients are combined that makes up their secret sauce. “How we mix and match these ingredients—that’s the formula. If you give Martha and I the same ingredients, she can make an incredible chocolate soufflé and I can make something that’s not edible. I don’t have that talent. When it comes to formulas, there’s an overemphasis on words, and not how ingredients are used. However, if an ingredient is low on the INCI list, that’s OK. It’s like putting salt in a recipe. A lot of this is very intentional. The percentages all matter and every single detail counts.”

“A3O started as a darker, golden color—a little bit grainy—and it always did something good to my skin, but the scent might have been a little too intense or the texture wasn’t quite right,” says Stewart. “We kept going and going, and with each iteration, I found it better and better. It’s a beautiful serum in a beautiful glass pump. It’s smooth, cooling to the skin, and it works. My skin has always been good, but I’ve noticed an improvement. The person who noticed it most is Daisy [Schwartzberg Toye], my makeup artist. She’s worked with me pretty much every day for the last 15 years, and she has noticed an improvement in the texture, the tightness—everything about my skin.”

BUY THE SERUM – $135

BUY THE SUPPLEMENT – $50

The Inner Dose Daily Skin Supplement

There’s a clear synergy between the A3O Serum and the complementary product in the line—Inner Dose Daily Skin Supplement—which was intentional for many reasons. “I think the average consumer now just wants something that works, and they want efficacious ingredients,” says Dr. Bhanusali, noting that the combination of the two is more effective at delivering visible results than using just the serum alone. “We have to look at the body holistically. I’ve shared my skepticism for a lot of supplements, but in the dermatology community, there are certain things we do like. The idea is to find ways to marry these two worlds. Putting something on top of your skin is important, but putting something inside your body is just as important.”

The proprietary capsules—take two per day with food, preferably in the morning—contain “a strategic blend of antioxidants, adaptogens and micronutrients” to help minimize internal aggressors of aging like inflammation, oxidative stress and hormonal imbalance. “We included polypodium leucotomos, which is a photo-protective antioxidant that helps delay photo damage when exposed to UV. We also have astaxanthin, an incredible antioxidant with a different effect, and vitamin D3,” says Dr. Bhanusali. “We have 350-plus dermatologists on our Advisory Board, and it’s been fun to talk through all of it and bring it to a place where the dermatology community is proud of this supplement.”

“If you take this supplement every single day, it makes a difference,” adds Stewart. “I’m not saying to throw away all your other supplements, but this, in addition to the serum, makes a difference.” The Supplement is priced at $50 for a one-month supply and refills can be ordered via subscription at a discount.

Who are these products best for?

“This serum isn’t necessarily just for aging women,” says Stewart. “It can be used by pretty much anybody. I have a daughter who is turning 60, and she’s using it. I’m using it, and I have several younger friends who are also testing it and enjoying the results extremely well. It really improves the ability for the skin to age gracefully.”

“I have tried everything imaginable on my skin, up until the time I started working with Dr. B,” Stewart continues. “All the shelves in my bathroom housed pretty much all the different kinds of wonderful skin-care products out there. There are eye creams, face creams, night creams and morning creams, and oils—all sorts of things. I really wanted to simplify my daily routine. I think we found the beginning of a very excellent simplification of daytime skin care. This is it. And when you combine the serum with the supplement, it really works.”