His friends call him Dr. Grapes, others often refer to him as Mr. Merlot. With his signature skin care line, Wayne Beckley, creator of Merlot Skin Care, is quickly gaining a new title as the “Father of Grape Seed Technology.”

Beckley’s fascination with the grape seed began ten years ago when he became intrigued by a CBS 60 Minute segment entitled “The French Paradox,” which chronicled French people who consumed a diet heavy in saturated fats yet suffered virtually no heart disease. The report attributed the findings to the drinking of red wine.

Thereafter, Beckley chronicled over 70 American research studies that indicated that drinking a couple glasses of red wine a day could be beneficial in warding off certain cancers and lowering cholesterol in the body. The reason: the antioxidants found in red grapes.

This set off a spark – Beckley reasoned that if wine comes from grapes, and grapes come from seeds, there must be some power that lies within the grape seeds themselves.

As his findings would reveal, grape seeds are in fact immensely powerful. Research studies have shown that grape seed antioxidants are 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E and almost 25 times more powerful than Vitamin C.

In 1999, Beckley sought to create a line of skin care products, each uniquely formulated to harness the power of natural red grape seeds. Trademarking the name “Merlot,” after the red grape from which the seeds come, Beckley released his first three products: a moisturizer, eye cream, and cleanser. The response was tremendous.

Beckley’s night cream features some of the most technologically advanced ingredients ever introduced to skin care products. In addition to the grape seed polyphenols used in every Merlot product, Merlot’s Moonlight Radiance Night Cream features two hi-tech peptides. One, Argirline, an acetyl hexapeptide, has been shown to be a possible replacement for Botox. Argireline mimics Botox by relaxing the neurotransmitters that control certain facial muscles, reducing frown lines on the forehead and nasal areas with no harmful side effects or painful injections.

The other key ingredient, Matrixyl-3000, a palmitoyl pentapeptide has been shown to increase skin thickness, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Studies have shown that skin thickness improves 45% in two months and during this same period skin thickness increases 6.5%

Debuting in 5 retail stores in 1999, the Merlot line has quickly become a favorite. As one customer recently stated, "Once you use it, you can't use anything else.” Today the Merlot line boasts 16 products. The latest offering is a hydrating peel-off mask that works to rid impurities while leaving skin feeling refreshed.

Beckley is absolutely convinced that the only way to keep skin from aging is to protect it with the strongest antioxidants available, in order to fight off free radicals – molecules caused by smoke, smog, pollution, certain medications, stress, and UV rays. And just where might you find these antioxidants? Take it from Mr. Merlot himself – the power is in the grape seed.