Three thousand bucks can buy you one cocktail dress from a luxury label, two It bags or three pairs of designer heels.

Or you could use the money to buy an entire skincare system from Cle de Peau Beaute, the most premium brand by Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido.

It launches Synactif today, its most expensive skincare range yet. Its five items will set you back $2,878.

The reason for the high price tag: It took 10 years of research to develop this range, which is said to boost the body’s lymphatic system so that toxins that accumulate under the skin can be drained more efficiently.

That is according to Fumiaki Matsuzaki, principal scientist of Shiseido’s beauty care development group at its skincare product research and development centre in Yokohama, Japan.

Synactif is said to be the first skincare range in the world that targets the lymphatic system.

“When the skin is exposed to external factors such as ultra-violet radiation, stress, oxidation and dehydration, the lymphatic system is also affected,” he says.

The lymphatic system is the body’s drainage network located just beneath the skin. It helps to collect waste products and excess water and is essential in maintaining the immune system.

When the lymphatic system is weakened, its drainage function becomes less efficient and this results in dull and puffy skin, explains Matsuzaki.

What the Synactif system does is to encourage the repair of damaged lymphatic vessel cells with an amino acid-derived compound called M.A.C.C.

Shiseido’s scientists have discovered that this synthetic compound works to encourage lymphatic cells to adhere together, which results in stronger vessels.

Although the five items in the Synactif range – a bar of facial soap ($148), softening lotion or toner ($280), daytime moisturiser with SPF17 ($300), night moisturiser or essence ($350) and intensive night cream ($1,800) – are sold separately, the brand recommends that customers buy the entire range for the best results.

The range is available exclusively at Cle de Peau Beaute’s newly opened counter at Level 1 Tangs Orchard.

Customers who buy the whole system will enjoy three free Synactif facials.

The result of embarking on this regimen is brighter, smoother and firmer skin in a month, declares Matsuzaki.

Skin experts, however, advise customers to manage their expectations when using such regimens. “If the Synactif system can act on the deeper tissue layers, then it is an exciting innovation in skincare as there is no other product that acts on the lymphatic system,” says Dr Calvin Chan, medical director of Calvin Chan Aesthetic & Laser Clinic in Wheelock Place.

“However, you can definitely encourage lymphatic flow through facial massages to improve your skin condition.”

When used twice daily, the entire range is estimated to last about six weeks.

Those who blanch at spending $3,000 on skincare so often will be relieved to know that this range is not meant to replace your usual skincare line-up.

Instead, it is recommended for those who feel their skin could use a boost. “Consider Synactif as a treatment to jumpstart your skin back into optimal condition,” says Evelyn Tan, Shiseido Singapore’s marketing manager. “After that, you can go back to your regular skincare regimen.”

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This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.