From the Vineyard to Your Skin

Vineyard + Pharmaceutical = Vineceutical

Vitis V Face TonIQ can be described as a Vineceutical — an unadulterated preparation from nature, explained through science to support skin biology.

Because science begins with observation.

Long before chromatography, lipidomics, or skin barrier research, nature was observed.
Effects were witnessed. Results were recorded.
What could not yet be explained was called an “elixir.”

A Royal “Elixir”

One of the earliest recorded references to grapeseed oil appears during the reign of Ferdinand IV of Castile in 14th-century Spain. Historical accounts describe an Arab physician recommending grapeseed oil for skin disorders. Its curative effects were considered so remarkable that the process and recipe were kept secret, reserved for royalty, and referred to as “Royal Oil” or “Oil of the Throne.”

Medieval medicine relied on empirical observation. When mechanisms were unknown, outcomes were attributed to magic.

Today, we understand more.
We now know the science behind what medieval physicians could only observe.

From Elixir to TonIQ

The difference between Ferdinand IV’s royal oil and Vitis V Face TonIQ is not the source.

It is knowledge.

We no longer attribute efficacy to magic.

We understand fatty acid composition.
We understand skin barrier architecture.
We understand lipid biochemistry.

From Vitis vinifera (Latin for grapevine), we created Vitis V Face TonIQ.

A tonic is defined as a preparation that invigorates, restores, refreshes, or stimulates.

TonIQ is deliberate.
The IQ is intentional. It signals intelligence.

Nature’s intelligence.
Ingredient intelligence.
Lipid intelligence.
Skin barrier intelligence.
Biological intelligence.

Intelligence applied to skin physiology.

Not formulated.
Not fragranced.
Not engineered for marketing claims.
Blended around barrier science and skin function.

From Elixir to Evidence

Vitis vinifera oil is naturally rich in linoleic acid, the predominant essential fatty acid in the epidermis. Linoleic acid cannot be synthesised by the human body and must be supplied externally; it is therefore an essential nutrient.

Linoleic acid is particularly essential for skin function. Within the stratum corneum, it is incorporated into omega-hydroxy ceramides, forming acylceramides critical for the corneocyte lipid envelope. These lipids organise into lamellar bilayers that regulate:

Barrier integrity
Transepidermal water loss (TEWL)
Environmental resilience
Desquamation and epidermal turnover
Barrier recovery

Put simply: without linoleic acid, the skin barrier cannot form or function optimally.

Deficiency is linked with barrier impairment, increased TEWL, dryness, scaling, redness, and the development of skin disorders including acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis.

Younger skin typically contains a higher proportion of linoleic acid within its lipid profile.
Ageing skin demonstrates a measurable decline in linoleic acid proportion.

Modern lipid science allows us to quantify what medieval physicians could only observe.

The Lipid Architecture of Skin

The outermost layer of skin is not inert. It is a dynamic lipid matrix composed approximately of:

50% Ceramides
25% Cholesterol
10–20% Free fatty acids

This ratio is not accidental.

It is highly ordered, self-regulating, and biologically intelligent.

In skincare, barrier integrity must take precedence over cosmetic interference and manipulation if skin health is the goal.

Skin function, starting at the skin barrier determines skin appearance.

Modern skincare formulations often prioritise and pursue penetration, deliberately disrupting the highly organised, interconnected, and responsive lipid matrix of the skin barrier. Yet optimal skin function begins at the surface, within this organised lipid structure. Supporting the native lipid architecture is more physiologically aligned than attempting to override it.

The skin is an intelligent, self-renewing, and self-regulating system.

It can be supported and optimised, or destabilised through repeated exposure to ingredients that initiate inflammation, oxidative stress, and chronic barrier disruption. These processes are associated with accelerated cellular ageing and visible changes such as:

• dehydration

• hyperpigmentation

• loss of elasticity

• development of lines and wrinkles.

Why Vitis vinifera seed?

Very few plant oils are lipid-aligned to human skin. Most are not.

Vitis vinifera oil contains approximately 66–75% linoleic acid, one of the highest naturally occurring plant sources.

In contrast, plant oils and butters dominant in oleic acid can disrupt the barrier lipid bilayer. Oleic acid is used as a penetration enhancer and permeation agent in topical drug delivery due to its ability to alter lipid packing. Repeated exposure has been shown to promote and exacerbate atopic dermatitis by weakening the skin barrier.

Wax esters such as jojoba do not replicate the free fatty acid profile required for epidermal ceramide synthesis. Saturated fats such as coconut or tallow act primarily as occlusives, creating a physical barrier on the skin, and contain minimal linoleic acid (0–3%). While occlusion can reduce water loss temporarily, it does not provide essential fatty acid supplementation.

Vitis vinifera oil is particularly well suited to support barrier physiology across skin types. Its fatty acid profile delivers essential linoleic acid aligned with epidermal lipid requirements.

Beyond fatty acids, unrefined Vitis vinifera oil contains:

Tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E isoforms)
Beta-carotene
Phytosterols
Squalene
Polyphenols
Proanthocyanidins (in the extract fraction)

Modern analytical techniques allow identification and quantification of these essential nutrients and phyto-compounds found in Vitis vinifera seeds and their role in oxidative resilience, barrier support, and skin function.

This is not marketing language.
It is biochemistry.

Integrity of Process — Cold Pressing

Our extraction mirrors traditional mechanical pressing and preserves intrinsic phytonutrients in their unaltered natural chemical structure.

No heat degradation.
No solvents (many commercially available oils are hexane-extracted).
No refining, degumming, deodorising, bleaching, or filtration.

Where 14th-century pressing relied on human or animal power, we use solar-powered electricity. Where clarity occurred through gravity, we still rely on time, patience, and natural settling rather than industrial processing.

Vitis V Face TonIQ remains chemically unaltered from seed to bottle.
It can be legally described as naturally occurring, meaning there has been no chemical modification of the intrinsic Vitis vinifera seed phytonutrients.

The phytochemical matrix remains intact.
Synergy is not engineered. It is preserved.

Longevity Applied to Skincare

Longevity in skincare means supporting biological function over time.

Skin health is not achieved through aggressive intervention.
It is supported through:

Maintaining barrier integrity
Lipid alignment
Topical supplementation of essential linoleic acid
Oxidative resilience
Reduced inflammatory burden

Stress has been shown to impair barrier recovery and increase TEWL. The skin, nervous system, gut, and brain are biologically interconnected.

Supporting the skin barrier with the nutrients it needs is not cosmetic indulgence.
It is biological stewardship.

Two Traditional Actives, Modern Understanding

Vitis V Face TonIQ is a blend of:

Raw, unfermented Vitis vinifera seed oil
White grapeseed extract

Both are produced from carefully selected Australian-grown, non-fermented Vitis vinifera seeds, without heat or solvents.

Small-batch crafted to preserve potency and freshness.
Cold-pressed.
Gravity-settled.

The entire phytochemical matrix remains intact.
Because quality is determined by process.

Synergy is not created.
It is preserved from nature.
Our six-month shelf life is your guarantee of freshness and purity.

It does not have to be complex to be brilliant when you work with nature. 

Luxury, Redefined

True luxury is not excess.

It is:

Time.
Integrity.
Transparency.
Biochemical respect.

Nature is brilliant.
Science begins with observing nature and then explaining it.

What was once called an elixir is now understood through lipid science.

Vitis V Face TonIQ.
A Vineceutical.
Where phytonutrients from the vineyard meet physiology.

The Regenerative Power of Nature

Throughout history, the regenerative power of nature has been witnessed.

Time in nature calms the nervous system, reduces stress, and restores balance. Plants are fundamental to the planet and human survival.

Vitis V Face TonIQ exists at the intersection of skin science and the regenerative intelligence of nature.

From Vineyard to Skin.

Grown. Pressed. Uncompromised.

Vitis V Face TonIQ is a biochemically precise phytocomplex.
Designed to support what the skin already knows how to do.
Protecting and supporting biological skin function over time.

Barrier integrity prevents chronic inflammation.
Reduced inflammation slows accelerated ageing.
Long-term function is preserved.

That is longevity applied to skincare.
Vitis V Face TonIQ.

Organic and natural ingredients

http://uest.ntua.gr/iwwatv/proceedings/pdf/Sotiropoulou_et_al.pdf