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The Milanese clinical skincare house brought its founders, its formulas and a very soft headband to the Baur au Lac. I went in as a dog groomer and came out glowing.
In my working life, my clients are dogs. They arrive a little scruffy, get washed, brushed out and finished, and leave looking like money. On Wednesday, 30 September, at the Baur au Lac in Zurich, the roles were reversed: this time I was the one in the chair.
Who is MIAMO?
MIAMO was founded in Milan in 2012 by Dr Elena Aceto di Capriglia and her daughter Dr Camilla D’Antonio. A mother and daughter building a business together, two generations of pharmacists with one shared idea of what skin needs.
The brand calls itself a Healthy Skin System, and the name is honest. This is clinical skincare first: targeted actives, tested formulas and protocols built around specific concerns, from ageing and pigmentation to blemishes and sensitivity. The signature technology is Epigenage, a patented complex inspired by epigenetics, the study of how our genes behave in response to age and environment. In plain words: your DNA is the hand you were dealt, but how you play it still matters.
Why Switzerland, why now
MIAMO has been a pharmacy favourite in Italy for years and arrived in Switzerland this summer, available in selected BENU pharmacies and online. It is a smart fit. The Swiss like their skincare the way they like their watches: precise, proven and quietly beautiful. The masterclass was the brand’s proper hello to Zurich, with the founders themselves walking guests through the philosophy and the treatment protocols.
Long before I groomed my first dog, I trained as a doctor in Ukraine, specialising in dermatology, so the science was the part I had been looking forward to most. The founders made it a pleasure to listen to.
The treatment, from the other side of the table
First came a soft white towel headband, then a cleanse, and a bubbling oxygen masque that fizzed quietly while I tried to look composed for the camera. I did not succeed. Then serum, then eye care, then the Global Eye Defense, a sunscreen concealer in a glossy blue tube that does two jobs at once, which is the kind of efficiency I respect.
The result was skin that looked rested, even and lit from within, in the space of a long lunch hour.
A dog groomer’s notes
Old habits die hard, from both of my careers, so I took notes.
- Introduce actives slowly. MIAMO recommends its Tri-Retinoid serum every other night for the first week, then building up as your skin allows. I give exactly the same advice for a new shampoo on a sensitive dog. Skin, any skin, likes to be asked first.
- Exfoliate, but gently. Dead undercoat holds a coat back, and dead cells do the same to us. The glycolic and salicylic exfoliators are the human version of a good de-shedding session, minus the hair on your jumper. Sensitive skin needs less of both.
- Sun protection is for everyone. Owners of hairless breeds already know this. Now there is no excuse around the eyes either.
What to try first
- Tri-Retinoid Surge Resurfacing Serum. Three retinoids (retinol, retinal and hydroxypinacolone retinoate) working at different depths. An evening ritual, followed by SPF in the morning.
- Longevity Cell-Care creams. Light Velvet, Soft Satin and Deep Balm, in textures from light to rich. Choose by skin type, the way you would choose a conditioner for a dog’s coat.
- Global Eye Defense. Sunscreen and concealer in one stroke, for the morning after the serum.
MIAMO arrives in Switzerland with real science, beautiful jars and zero pretension. Ten out of ten. I would happily swap sides of the table again.
MIAMO is available in selected BENU pharmacies in Switzerland and at miamo.com.
