Collagenium C3 and the Matrix of Beauty: Inside the Science of Cicéron
*CICÉRON
*CICÉRON
For Jeanne Tieu-Benichou, Cicéron represents the culmination of a long journey through science and culture. As a Doctor of Pharmacy, she spent over a decade studying hyaluronic acid in the medical field, where she arrived at a decisive insight: our skin's vitality depends as much on its surrounding architecture (the extracellular matrix) as on the cells themselves. This understanding now guides every Cicéron formula.
The brand is also deeply personal. Jeanne and co-founder Véronique first met as teenagers in a demanding academic environment, an experience that forged a bond through resilience and shared values. Years later, they channeled that history into Cicéron, creating skincare that unites scientific rigor with sensorial refinement.
Every detail reflects this philosophy. The sérum-crème mist fuses years of research with an elegant daily gesture. The Collagenium C3 complex supports the skin's ability to renew itself at multiple levels. The result is skincare conceived as both treatment and ritual, rooted in French expertise and guided by what Jeanne calls "just beauty."
In our conversation, she reflects on the science behind Cicéron, the cultural shifts shaping women's routines, and her vision for the future of well-aging.
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Your career spans more than a decade of pharmaceutical innovation. Can you take us back to the moment you realized the science of cellular aging could revolutionize skincare, and how that revelation sparked Cicéron?
I spent years working on hyaluronic acid in the medical device field. As a Doctor of Pharmacy, I believe deeply in science and clinical data. Through this work, I read hundreds of clinical papers and discovered a truth that changed everything for me: the youth of our tissues depends not only on cells themselves, but on their environment, the extracellular matrix. A strong matrix gives the cell the freedom to move, communicate, replicate, and produce key molecules like collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. That’s why Cicéron’s actives target both the cell and the matrix. You can’t care for one without the other.
As both a Doctor of Pharmacy and an executive in digital health, how have these two worlds—clinical science and tech innovation, shaped the DNA of Cicéron?
My time in health tech taught me two crucial lessons. First: listen deeply to women. Understand what truly feels painful about beauty routines. Second: innovation matters more than pleasing everyone. You must dare to create sharp, uncompromising products, and break the mold. That’s what I want Cicéron to embody smart, sensorial routines for women who demand more.
Cicéron is also the story of a powerful partnership with your longtime friend Véronique. How did your shared history and mutual values shape the emotional and strategic foundation of the brand?
Véronique and I met in an elite high school, an environment that was both fiercely competitive and deeply demanding. Together we overcame the challenges of that world, often at the cost of joy in those formative years. With Cicéron, we’ve made a vow: to create products of the highest quality and efficacy, without ever sacrificing pleasure. No compromises between science and sensoriality. Ever.
Cicéron is built around the idea that modern women have just four minutes for their beauty ritual. What deeper cultural or psychological shift does this time-conscious philosophy reflect?
It reflects the paradox of our time. Women today strive to succeed in every dimension - careers, children, friendships, passions and yet social media glorifies overwhelming, multi-step routines. I want Cicéron to cut through that noise and give women what they deserve: powerful, elegant, and efficient skincare. No more sacrifice. No more guilt.
Your brand draws inspiration from Cicero’s quote: “Nothing beautiful is separate from what is just.” In an industry often driven by perfection, how do you define just beauty today?
To me, beauty is the harmony of intelligence, joy, radiance, and generosity. The skin reflects that inner life. A beautiful woman is one who dares to be both powerful and vulnerable, commanding in public moments, tender in intimate ones with her children, her friends, her partner. Beauty is never about perfection. It’s about authenticity.
Why was mist the right format to embody your vision, and what were the biggest challenges in achieving that texture?
I wanted to create something that delivers real results, yet fits seamlessly into an elegant woman’s routine. The gesture was central : because how a woman moves, how she touches her skin, is part of her elegance. The mist embodies that paradox: delicate and airy, yet deeply potent. The challenge? Fusing a tonic, a high-dose anti-aging serum, and the comfort of a cream into one fine mist - without greasiness or stickiness. It took two years of R&D, countless iterations, and a collaboration with a master perfumer in Grasse to design a fragrance as layered as the formula itself: vibrant sweet orange and grapefruit give way to the comforting nostalgia of orange blossom and freshly cut grass, anchored by sandalwood and white cedar. A sensory journey that mirrors Cicéron’s duality: softness and strength.
The Collagenium C3 complex represents a new paradigm in well-aging science. Could you walk us through its dual-action mechanism and why targeting both the cell and its environment is so groundbreaking?
Collagenium C3 restores the cell’s autonomy to produce its own collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, all the molecules essential for renewal and communication. It combines three powerful actives: a highly stabilized vitamin C, low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, and pro-collagen 18. Collagen 18 is little-known outside scientific circles, but it’s critical for skin firmness and microcirculation. It’s the only collagen present both at the dermo-epidermal junction and where the dermis meets the hypodermis, where fat cells give the skin its plumpness. This dual action is not a trend, it’s the future.
Your products are both sensorial and high-performing. How did you balance pharmaceutical-grade efficacy with the sensorial expectations of luxury beauty?
By refusing to compromise. We selected actives that are Ecocert-certified and backed by clinical studies. We worked hand-in-hand with a Grasse nose to create a fragrance that feels intimate yet powerful. We tested hundreds of pumps and vials to perfect every detail. Cicéron isn’t just skincare, it’s an experience designed to deliver results and delight.
With research in Brittany, production in the Landes, and fragrance from Grasse, Cicéron is deeply rooted in French artisanal excellence. How does this commitment to locality shape your brand’s identity and sustainability vision?
This is deeply personal for me. My parents came to France from Vietnam and Malaysia. They built a life filled with culture and friendships thanks to this country’s democratic and humanist values. I was lucky enough to study in the best schools, not only because of their sacrifices but because of France itself. Supporting local production and jobs, even in the most remote corners, feels like an act of gratitude.
Looking five years ahead, how do you see the concept of well-aging evolving, and what role will Cicéron play in shaping that future?
I see anti-aging embraced earlier, without stigma as a way to delay invasive interventions. I hope Cicéron will surprise people with its uncompromising fusion of science and sensorial pleasure. I envision Cicéron in beautiful spaces where art de vivre reigns, where massage, tea rituals, music, and design meet. I see Cicéron in elegant bathrooms and in the chic handbags of discerning, sensual women. I also dream of developing a men’s line, our gestures and scientific rigor resonate with them too. And I see Cicéron in every major capital: Paris, London, Berlin, Milan, Madrid, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco. That’s the future I’m building.
