A former scientist working in research and development at Estée Lauder is now taking on the cosmetics giant with the launch of his own range of anti-aging products.

Jules Zecchino, former President of Innovation and Applied Research at Estée Lauder, is launching Erasa XEP30 next week – a face cream that he claims can eliminate wrinkles by more than 70 percent in 14 days.

Zecchino developed Erasa through his New York based personal care company Skyler Brand Ventures.

The patented product took just over a year to produce costing US$1.2m with an additional US$3m raised for launch costs. Skyler Brand Ventures has received VC funding from BioMimetic Laboratories.

Zecchino claims that because Skyler Brand Ventures is a smaller and more nimble organisation, it can bring products to market quicker than larger companies like Estée Lauder, which often take three to four year to develop a new products.

Unlike many Estee Lauder products which are sold in stores, Erasa will be sold exclusively online at http://www.erasaskincare.com. The strategy is a response to the rise of e-commerce and the growing influence of bloggers, fuelling immediate online purchases.

Zecchino claims to have been responsible for developing top-selling Estée Lauder product as Idealist, Resilience Lift and Fruition Triple ReActivating Complex.

Erasa will be targeted at the higher end of the market with a price tag of US$160, competing with products such as La Praire’s Anti-aging Rapid Response Booster, which retails at US$290.