Wellface Wins the iS Clinical Global Innovation Programme Award

Awards in aesthetics are easy to hand out and harder to earn. So when iS Clinical, one of the world's most respected professional skincare brands, recognised Wellface with its Global Innovation Programme Award, it meant something. Not a certificate for showing up, but acknowledgement from a company whose science sets the standard for professional skincare that a young British clinic was doing something genuinely worth noticing.

What makes the moment sweeter is the timing. Wellface opened its doors in Cobham in May, took on iS Clinical the following month, and within a matter of months had grown fast enough to be picked out on a global stage. That is a lot of ground to cover in a short window. It reflects a team that pushed hard, treated every patient as if they were the only one on the books, and refused to cut corners on either results or care.

This post is a chance to explain what the award actually recognises, why the partnership with iS Clinical matters for the people who come to see us, and how medical-grade skincare fits into the wider work we do across our clinics.

What the Global Innovation Programme Award recognises

The Global Innovation Programme is iS Clinical's way of identifying clinics that use its products and protocols in a considered, results-driven way. It is not simply about how much stock a clinic buys. It rewards how well a clinic understands the science, tailors it to real skin, trains its team, and folds professional skincare into a broader treatment plan rather than treating it as an afterthought at the till.

For a clinic to be flagged for something described as "innovation" says a few things at once. It says the team is thinking creatively about how treatments and homecare work together. It says patients are seeing measurable change, because iS Clinical pays close attention to outcomes. And it says the clinic has built the kind of relationship with the brand that goes beyond a supplier and a shop.

Dr Yasmin Tayeb founded Wellface with the idea that skincare and in-clinic treatments should never sit in separate silos. An injectable result looks better on healthy, well-prepared skin. A laser or resurfacing course works harder when the skin barrier is supported before and after. Recognition from iS Clinical is, in many ways, a nod to that joined-up thinking. It is one of the reasons the whole team felt the award belonged to everyone, not just the founder.

Who iS Clinical are and why the partnership matters

iS Clinical is a Los Angeles based professional skincare brand with a global following among dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medical aesthetics clinics. Its guiding line, "your skin, our science, pure chemistry", captures the approach fairly well. The formulations lean heavily on antioxidants, botanical extracts and clinically studied actives, and the brand is known for pairing potent ingredients with elegant textures that people actually enjoy using.

The reason a partnership like this matters comes down to trust. Not every product that calls itself "clinical" earns the label. Medical-grade skincare is held to a different standard from what you find on a high-street shelf, and it is dispensed through trained professionals for good reason. When Wellface recommends an iS Clinical product, it is because the ingredient list, the concentration and the evidence behind it stand up to scrutiny, and because it fits the specific skin in front of us.

There is also the matter of consistency. A brand with strong quality control means that the serum a patient buys in Esher behaves exactly as it should, batch after batch. That predictability is quietly important when you are building a skincare routine that someone will follow for months or years.

What "medical-grade skincare" actually means

The phrase gets used loosely, so it is worth being clear. Medical-grade or professional skincare generally contains higher concentrations of active ingredients than mass-market products, uses better delivery systems so those actives reach the layers of skin where they work, and is backed by clinical testing. It is usually recommended and supplied through a clinic rather than sold freely, so that the right products end up with the right skin.

That distinction protects people. A strong vitamin C serum or a retinoid used incorrectly can irritate rather than help. Used well, and introduced in the right order, the same ingredients can transform tone, texture and firmness over time. The value of buying skincare through a doctor-led clinic is that someone assesses your skin first, then builds a routine you can realistically stick to.

The kind of ingredients that do the heavy lifting

Most effective routines are built on a handful of well-studied workhorses rather than a cupboard full of jars. Vitamin C brightens and defends against daily environmental damage. Retinoids encourage cell turnover and support collagen. Hyaluronic acid and other humectants hold water in the skin so it looks plump and comfortable. Antioxidant blends mop up the free radicals generated by sun and pollution. And a broad-spectrum SPF, worn every single day, protects everything the other products are trying to achieve.

iS Clinical has built its reputation on combining several of these in single, well-tolerated formulas, which is part of why clinics rate it. A serum that pairs antioxidants with brightening and barrier support can simplify a routine while still doing a great deal of work.

How skincare and in-clinic treatments work together

Skincare on its own can achieve a lot, particularly with pigmentation, dullness, fine lines and general skin health. But its real power at a clinic like Wellface is the way it supports and extends the results of the treatments we offer.

Think of it this way. Devices such as Morpheus8, the Secret Pro platform, BBL Hero and MOXI work by creating controlled stimulation in the skin so it repairs and remodels itself. Injectable treatments like Profhilo, polynucleotides and skin boosters improve hydration and quality from within. All of these respond better when the skin is healthy going in and properly cared for coming out. A well-chosen routine calms inflammation, supports the barrier, and keeps collagen-friendly ingredients working between appointments.

Preparing the skin before a treatment

For many resurfacing and energy-based treatments, we may ask patients to prime the skin for a few weeks beforehand. That might mean settling it with antioxidants and gentle actives, or in some cases preparing pigment-prone skin so it is less likely to react. Well-prepped skin tends to heal faster and give a cleaner, more even result.

Protecting the investment afterwards

Aftercare is where good skincare quietly proves its worth. In the days following a laser or microneedling session, the priority is gentle cleansing, generous hydration, barrier repair and diligent sun protection. Get that right and the downtime is shorter and the result holds for longer. This is exactly the sort of practical, everyday science that the iS Clinical partnership helps us deliver, because the products are built to be both effective and kind to recovering skin.

What the award means for patients at Wellface

Recognition is lovely for a team, but patients quite reasonably want to know what it means for them. In practice, a few things.

It means the people advising you on skincare have been trained to a high standard by one of the industry's leading brands, and that they keep learning. It means the products on our shelves have been chosen deliberately, not because a rep dropped them off. And it means the clinic is thinking about your skin as a whole, from the treatment room to the routine you follow at home, rather than selling one-off fixes.

It also reflects a culture. Growing this quickly without losing the personal touch takes a team that genuinely cares, and the award is as much about how patients are looked after as it is about clinical results. That concierge feel, where you are known by name and your plan is built around you, is something we work hard to protect as the clinics grow.

Common questions about medical-grade skincare and the award

Is medical-grade skincare really worth it over what I already use?

For many people, yes, though the honest answer depends on your skin and your goals. The higher concentrations and better delivery systems mean actives reach where they need to be, and the results tend to be more noticeable over a few months. The key is guidance. A short skin consultation will tell you whether your current routine is fine or whether a couple of targeted swaps would make a real difference.

Do I have to be having treatments to buy skincare from Wellface?

Not at all. Plenty of people come to us purely for skin advice and a well-built home routine. That said, most find that skincare and in-clinic treatments complement each other, so if you are already having something like Profhilo or a laser course, it makes sense to get the homecare right too.

How long before I see results from a new routine?

Skin renews itself over roughly a month, so most people notice brighter, smoother, more comfortable skin within four to six weeks, with firmer texture and improvements in pigmentation taking a little longer. Consistency matters far more than intensity. A simple routine followed every day beats an elaborate one you abandon after a fortnight.

Can I use iS Clinical products alongside prescription skincare?

Often, but it should be checked. Some actives work beautifully together while others are best spaced out or reserved for certain nights. This is precisely the kind of thing a practitioner sorts out during a consultation, so you are never left guessing about the order or frequency.

Is the award a one-off, or an ongoing partnership?

It reflects an ongoing relationship. The team is looking forward to meeting the iS Clinical team in the US and to deepening the collaboration, which means patients can expect access to the brand's latest thinking and protocols as they develop.

Come and see what the fuss is about

Winning the Global Innovation Programme Award has been a proud moment, but the more useful takeaway is what sits behind it: a doctor-led team that treats skincare as a serious part of every result, backed by a brand that shares that standard. If you have been wondering whether your routine is doing enough, or how to make the most of a treatment you are already considering, that is exactly the conversation we love to have.

Our doctors see patients across Cobham, Esher and Wimbledon, and a consultation is the simplest way to get a routine and a plan built around your skin rather than someone else's. Get in touch to book, and let us show you the thinking that earned the recognition.