JANSSEN COSMETICS has dealt intensively with the process of skin aging. We know that the secret of youthful skin lies in our genes. Each time cell division takes place, the entire genetic material is duplicated. Unfortunately, this process is incomplete. The telomeres (protective caps at the ends) are not duplicated in their entirety. Each cell division process leaves them a little shorter. Finally, they reach a critical length as of which viability is no longer possible: the cell dies. Not even the repair enzyme telomerase is able to fully eliminate this duplication error. Added to this is the obstacle posed by free radicals. The cells are subject to oxidative stress and the telomerase's repair work is hindered. This results in the fact that the telomeres become even shorter and the cells die quicker. In 2009, the Nobel Prize was awarded for these discoveries regarding the function and significance of the telomeres. The conclusion is an easy one to draw: protecting the repair enzymes responsible for an intact gene structure prolongs the skin's youthfulness.