Martha Stewart Just Dropped Her Latest Skincare Creation — and One Person in Her Life Is a Huge Fan (Exclusive)

Elm Biosciences — the skincare brand created by Martha Stewart and Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali — is full steam ahead on product launches. The latest drop hydrates, firms and smoothes while you snooze.

The A3O™ Elemental Night Cream ($165), out Jan. 13, is the third product for the brand, and as the lifestyle mogul tells PEOPLE, it was the right next stem for them.

“When Dhaval and I started working on Elm Biosciences, we knew that we were going to need more than just a serum,” she explains of her conversation with the board-certified dermatologist in relation to the brand’s initial launch, A3O™ Elemental Serum. “We’ve been trained to use toners. We had been trained to use serums. We’ve been trained to use creams. We’ve been trained to use so many products. We didn’t want to seem like we knew it all, and one product could do everything.”

Because Stewart, 84, and Dr. Bhanusali knew they wanted to add a night cream to their product lineup early on, they spent upwards of two years working on it. (This was part of the five-plus years that the pair worked on launching Elm Biosciences in the first place.)

The targeted treatment utilizes Elm Biosciences’ A3O™ Proprietary Complex, ectoin and barrier-strengthening lipids, to help “smooth the appearance of fine lines, help the skin feel firm, and deeply hydrate your skin while you sleep,” according to the product description.

Dr. Bhanusali breaks down what it means for this product to have a “fourth-generation retinoid,” noting that tretinoin is first generation (commonly used for acne), anti-inflammatories are second generation (commonly used for psoriasis), and adapalene and tazarotene are third generation (commonly used for acne). These are all derivatives of vitamin A.

“This fourth generation targets the gamma receptor, so it’s very unique and different,” he tells PEOPLE. “Part of the process, truthfully speaking, is we had to figure it out how to utilize the ingredient. We’re kind of first to play with it, first to try to make sure we stabilize it. I think some of the first iterations were very harsh. We were trying to understand what medium to utilize it.”

The night cream is launching with a glowy campaign fronted by supermodel Helena Christensen. In the photos, Christensen, 57, lounges in a bed with the night cream. Of bringing the model and mom of one on board for this campaign, Stewart says in a statement: “Helena is one of the great beauties of the modeling industry. I first met her in St. Barths when she was first posing for Patrick Demarchelier, and I was sailing by! She continues to be awe-inspiring and is aging gracefully in every way.”

Getting the A3O™ Elemental Night Cream formula right was a challenge for the pair (plus the team working on the brand and the many dermatologists, scientists and researchers they consult with). Stewart really wanted to nail the texture of the night cream, which presented a challenge for Dr. Bhanusali. Plus, the dermatologist adds, Stewart was historically not a fan of retinoids — so he had to present a product that she would love.

“I remember when we first met many years ago, she said that [retinoids are] very harsh, they’re drying, they’re irritating,” he says. “Then my job was to figure out how to engineer a next-generation retinoid, something that utilizes some of the technologies we previously have been developing, also with this new kind of unique molecule, and create something that gives us that notion.”

The Elm Biosciences team works with over 350 dermatologists, scientists and researchers on an advisory board, which Stewart calls “unprecedented.” This was important to both Stewart and Dr. Bhanusali, though, because it adds an ironclad layer of trust to every product the brand launches.

“The feedback [from the advisory board] is so scientific, it’s so proper, it’s so well-tested. You can trust what they’re telling you. It’s really quite extraordinary,” Stewart says.

Stewart adds that it was “very hard” putting all the pieces together for the new night cream, but in the end, they did. She says people wanted a night cream, and with the Elm Biosciences option, they’ll not only have one, but they’ll have a good one.

“I can see why you want to put something very soothing on your skin before you go to bed and wake up with a plump, dewy and hydrated face,” she tells PEOPLE. “That’s what this cream is designed to do, just that.”

Ahead of the launch, Stewart tapped a few people in her life to test the product, including her own daughter, Alexis Stewart, 60.

“My daughter is using it, and she actually has absolutely zero criticism of the product. That’s pretty amazing from a person called Alexis Stewart. It’s pretty incredible,” she says with a laugh.

The A3O™ Elemental Night Cream is the third product for Elm Biosciences. The brand launched in 2025 after more than five years in development. With a focus on “clinically advanced skincare” backed by cutting-edge science, it aims to bring top-of-the-line products right into your home.

This, Dr. Bhanusali says, is a good amount of pressure on him to deliver, but in the end, he calls the brand a “privilege” to work on.

Shop all of Elm Biosciences’ products online now.