$35 for 0.5 oz

One of the best wrinkle creams we’ve come across is Extreme Eye Rescue by Isabella Pelle, an emerging line of high end skin care & beauty. We really like this brand’s philosophy. They use active ingredients at high concentrations and use airless bottle packaging to maintain active ingredients fresh and free from oxidation. To top it off, they don’t include parabens in their products - a controversial preservative found in most skin care products that may be linked to breast cancer. 

Active Ingredient Analysis:

• Soy Rice Peptides: dramatic dark circle reducer
• Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5: potent collagen booster and anti-wrinkle agent
• Snap-8: Topical botox-like ingredient; reduces eye wrinkles by 63% and is 30% more effective than Argireline
• Matrixyl 3000: potent wrinkle eraser and dermal structure rebuilder
• Resveratrol: potent free radical scavenging antioxidant and UV damage protectant
• Haloxyl: potent dark under eye circle lightener
• Sesaflash: sesame seed derived next generation skin firmer and tightener
• CoQ10: potent antioxidant
• Lacto-Ceramides: deeply penetrating moisturizer
• Watermelon Extract: free radical protection
• Algae Extract: skin tightening antioxidant
• Hyaluronic Acid: powerful humectant & anti-aging agent
• Vitamin A (retinol): potent skin regenerator

The list of active ingredients is long and impressive - and the great thing is their percent concentrations are the same as those used in clinical trials. We love that! The majority of brands use tiny amounts of actives and then market the heck out of the the fact that their product contains the active - even if the amount is negligible.

It’s like a breath of fresh air to come across a brand that uses adequate percent concentrations of actives that will produce actual results. We also love that that they use airless packaging at  this price point - something usually reserved for wrinkle creams priced $75+. 

Extreme Eye Rescue is very reasonably priced considering the high number active ingredients included in this cream and the packaging. Other creams contain maybe one or two actives and cost double or triple.  Another plus - its fragrance free. 

Verdict: Thumbs way UP!

$18.99 for 1.7 oz

Oil of Olay Daily Regenerating Serum is an okay wrinkle cream that is more hype than substance. Once you take a look at the active ingredients you realize you’re paying a lot for very little, considering its still $20 for inadequate concentrations of its two star ingredients.

Active Ingredient Breakdown: 

• 2-3% Niacinamide: At this concentration, niacinamide can increase skin’s ceramide and fatty acid content as well as act as an anti-inflammatory. However, if you’re looking for anti-aging benefits, it comes up short as you’ll need a minimum concentration of 5% to see any anti aging results. 
• <1% Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3: This ingredient can regenerate and intensely hydrate the skin - but at a concentration of less than 1% it’s hardly worth noting in this serum. Note, this is *the* ingredient the entire line is based on. 

It’s amusing that Oil of Olay will market an entire line of products after a ‘regenerating’ ingredient (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3) only to include less than 1% concentration of  it in their line when you need at least a 3% concentration to see results. It’s absurd actually.

There are better wrinkle cream options out there that actually include adequate concentrations of these same active ingredients plus others that are even more state of the art. Save your money for those.

Verdict: So-so.

$88 for 0.5 oz

DDF Wrinkle Relax is a great example of a good wrinkle cream gone bad because of its steep pricetag and ineffective packaging.

Active Ingredient Analysis:

• Palmotoyl Pentapeptide 3 (Matrixyl): Reduces collagen loss.
• Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 (Argireline): Reduces appearance of wrinkles by easing muscle contraction. 
• Sodium Hyaluronate: Water-binding ingredient with good hydrating properties.

So where does this wrinkle remover come up short? Let’s start with the packaging. DDF Wrinkle Relax comes packaged in a clear pump bottle. There are two things wrong with this. A clear bottle exposes the product to light which will oxidize the ingredients quickly. Second, a pump bottle is not airless. Inside the container, the product is still exposed to air and can oxidize, which will render the product inactive faster. At this pricepoint we expect to see airless bottle packaging. 

While not a bad formulation, at $88 per 0.5 oz there is a lot that could be improved upon. Bottomline, there are better products out there that have more active ingredients, better packaging, and better pricing. Keep shopping!

Verdict: Good, but Pricey

    $78 for 1 oz.

Lancome has recently introduced Genifique - a serum that promises to “reactivate” the youth in your genes. 

We’ve analyzed the ingredient list of Genifique and found a glaring problem that seems to be wrecking havoc on many a users skin. Right at the top of the ingredient list is Denatured Alcohol.  Denatured alcohol is not only extremely drying and irritating to the skin, but can also cause free-radical damage. Because Genifique has such a high concentration of denatured alcohol (it is the #4 ingredient), this is likely to be a problem for most users, who seem to be experiencing severe dryness and acne upon using the product. Why this would be included in such a supposedly advanced anti-aging serum is bewildering. 

A breakdown of the “active ingredients”:

• Bio-Lysat (bifida ferment lysate): This is simply a type of gram-positive bacteria found in the digestive system. It has no known effect on skin when applied topically.

• Hepes (hydroxyethylpiperazine ethane sulfonic acid): This ingredient is simply a buffering agent, perhaps intended to reduce irritation from all the alcohol. 

• Phystosphingosine-SLC (Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine):  A study, published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, suggests that salicyloyl-phytosphingosine (SP), when topically applied to the face, reduces the depth of wrinkles and improves skin texture in photoaged skin. It is important to note that this study was funded by Degussa, which is the same company that developed the ingredient. No independent studies have backed up these claims. Lastly, the ingredient is not included at a very high concentration. 

The introduction and marketing of Genifique, which flaunts gene research in its very name, has raised a few eyebrows in the scientific community. Scientists worry companies like Lancome are making exaggerated claims to consumers about gene therapy skin care. The backlash when expectations aren’t met may compromise future funding and hinder the advancement of one of the most promising fields of research today. 

As for Genifique’s claim of reactiving ‘youth’ genes - It is important to note that just because a gene seems to be less active in aged skin does not mean that acting on that gene will prevent wrinkling. There are much better formulations and good wrinkle creams out there that include proven active ingredients and lack irritating ingredients in their formulations. The high concentration of denatured alcohol alone is enough to stay far away from this serum. Add to that a pretty hefty price tag and an active ingredient that leaves a lot to be desired, and we have enough to spend our money elsewhere.  

Verdict: Thumbs down!

 

 

$150 for 1.7 ounce

Despite the super steep pricetag, this supposed super wrinkle cream is just a very basic moisturizer. It claims to quickly reduce wrinkles via its star active ingredient: gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). Unforunately, GABA does not live up to these claims.  The reality is GABA has not been proven to relax muscles and reduce the appearance of wrinkles when applied topically. 

GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid synthesized in the brain that internally prevents nerves from firing. Cosmetics companies include GABA in their products hoping consumers will confuse the topical application of GABA with its internal function of inhibiting nerve firing. However, GABA does not work alone to inhibit nerve firing - it needs many other substances which are not present in skin care products in order for it to prevent nerve firing and cause muscle relaxation. 

To add insult to injury, this moisturizer actually irritates the skin because it contains Eugenol - a fragrance component that is a substance used to test for skin allergies. Eugenol wrecks havoc on the skin’s immune cells. Save your money and spend on better formulations!

Verdict: Thumbs Down!