Not Just a PRETTY FACE

Dior's first spa on American soil, at its New York City flagship store, drips with elegance. But its charms are more than skin deep.

- BY DANIELLE STEIN CHIZZIK ILLUSTRATION BY JENNY KROIK

There is, among skincare aficionados, a kind of prejudice that is rarely discussed. Though these same consumers might covet the clothing and accessories produced by the world's top fashion houses, that attitude often does not extend to the houses' beauty lines—particularly their skincare offerings. A designer label might confer a certain status on, say, a leather good, but when it comes to a peptide cream, under-the-radar lines with notable MD endorsements or serendipitous scientific origin stories (a cream developed with a peptide that was found to help burn victims heal; a toner infused with a plant that regenerates itself ad infinitum) are the ones that command reverence.