Skin City

Silk Therapeutics

Medford
LOCAL BRAINS
Biomedical engineers Greg Altman, Rebecca Horan, and David Kaplan

Silk Therapeutics products are made from the fiber protein of the silkworm Bombyx mori, which is imported from Japan, and only a handful of other ingredients.

Ocean Elements

Portland, Maine
LOCAL BRAIN
Dermatologist J. Michael Taylor

While conducting melanoma screenings in Maine, Taylor noticed that ­seaweed harvesters had smoother skin than ­lobstermen. His ­seaweed-derived line, Ocean ­Elements, provides hydrating sun protection.

Skintifique

Boston
LOCAL BRAINS
Harvard/MIT stem cell scientist Jeffrey Karp

Karp and his team have created skin-care products designed to treat a plethora of conditions, including nickel allergies, which afflict 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. population.

LifeGuard

Boston
LOCAL BRAIN
Dermatologist Leslie Lucchina

In addition to serums and moisturizers, the line will include clothing with sunscreen built right in (read: SPF 50 shift dresses, caftans, and tunics).

Photographs by Mariel Tenney