Algenist Retinol Firming and Lifting Serum

Packaging/Pricing: 

I have nothing against the packaging, which is an opaque pump bottle (the picture above depicts a sample bottle). However, the price is really outrageous. 30ml (1fl.oz) retails for 98$ at Sephora. There is no skincare product in my opinion, that is worth that kind of money. There is limit to what skincare can actually do. My threshold is around 60$. Anything above that you better save towards something like corrective cosmetic procedures.

Ingredients:

Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Algae Exopolysaccharides, Retinol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide 3, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Squalane, Sodium PCA, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 20, Dimethicone PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Laurate, Cetyl Palmitate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Whey Protein, Carbomer, Lactic Acid, Sorbitan Isostearate, Lactose, Disodium EDTA, Trideceth-6 Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Mica, CI77891. 

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se) 

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in a skincare, usually fragrance)

Ingredients Discussion:

 

Though I do not think this product is worth the price tag, the ingredient list is actually pretty good, so you are not completely wasting your money. The main ingredient is, of course, retinol, which is reasonably high on the list. Retinol is a star ingredient in battle against signs of aging. It can also lighten hyper-pigmentation. This serum is also full of skin-identical and water binding agents like oligo-, tetra-, dipeptides, sodium PCA, ceramide 3, squalane and glycerin. There are also few plant extracts that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties: soybean seed  and licorice (dipotassium glycyrrhizate) extracts. Algae Exopolysaccharides (also known as alguronic acid) do not really have much independent research behind them in regards to being miracle anti-aging ingredient. Fortunately, they do have some antioxidant and moisture-binding properties, so they do aid healthy skin.  There is a little bit of fragrance and colouring agent at the bottom of ingredient list, but I am not too concerned about them. Overall, this is a well balanced anti-aging product, but it is not better than any other well formulated serum on the market. This serum can probably firm, improve texture and tone of the skin (because of retinol), but not lift the sagging parts (only facelift can do it).

Consumer Thoughts:

 

The texture of this product is more like light lotion than classic serum. Probably people with normal to dry skin would like it more. It doesn't have too much fragrance (should be fine for those with more sensitive skin as well). I used it all over my face, including eye area, and it didn't sting or induce redness. I think, if used for long period of time, you would be able to see visible results, but of course nothing like prescription strength retinol can produce.

Verdict:

I did enjoy using this serum, but I am not considering purchasing a full size one. Because of price tag, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this product.

5 out of 5 (price aside)