"The Periodic Fable"

22 October 2025

60s

Weird science.

Ever feel like the science of beauty ads is spotty at best? Then Deciem, owner of brands like The Ordinary and NIOD, would like a word. Directed by the in-form Olivia De Camps (check out her recent promo for Amber Mark), 'The Periodic Fable' picks out terms that sound legitimate, but often turn out to be hot air—how many cosmetics firms would love to sell Hot Air™, do you reckon?

Here, the cast are sold terms like "poreless", "fat-freezing", "wrinkle-erasing", and "eternal youth". It may not be a Halloween ad, per se, but De Camps and her crew nail the queasy sights and sounds of skin treatments that make people look like they've been tortured, not pampered. Both elements threaten to burrow under your skin and threaten to lay eggs.

Before any more layers are peeled off or someone risks frostbite in the face, the titular table is revealed (but only at a distance—the full-sized one lives on the Deciem website). It’s up to viewers to investigate further, but it’s hard not to be intrigued due the level of taut craft on show.

UK

Cosmetics