Not to sound too Seinfeld-ian, but what’s the deal with the sudden surge of skin care companies sponsoring shows this season? I was backstage at Charlotte Ronson when I saw a sign for Skyn Iceland, the “official skin care sponsor” of the show. Now I hear that, among others, Decléor is sponsoring Reem Acra and Carita is doing Carmen Marc Valvo.

On the one hand, I kind of get it: The shows need money, the brands need exposure, and models need good-looking skin. On the other hand, it’s skin care. I mean, no one is raving about how soft the models’ skin looked at Charlotte Ronson. If they’re talking about the beauty look at all then it’s about how badass that smudged in, brown-y red lip looked.

It just seems pretty pointless for a skin care brand to sponsor a show. Most makeup artists already come armed with their favorite skin savers anyway because they know that by the fourth or fifth time slot, models start to show some wear and tear in the form of blotches, ruddiness and - gasp!- blemishes.

But if any skin potion gets real, unforced publicity, it’s Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir. I’ve seen that ubiquitous bottle on at least one makeup station at every show I’ve attended thus far. Seven down, seventeen to go, and I’m sure there will be plenty more Beauty Elixirs, the “unofficial skin care sponsor of Fashion Week,” along the way.

—MEGAN MCINTYRE