Hypothetically Speaking: Dr.Lin Skincare Daily Hydrating Gel

 

This is a request from a reader for a review of Dr.Lin Daily Hydrating Gel.

Ingredients:

Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Allantoin, Arbutin, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer

Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)

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

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) 
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)

Discussion:

This product could have been a very good one, if not for one ingredient - sweet orange peel extract. Citrus essential oils and extracts tend to be phototoxic on the skin, which can bring irritation and damage, and leave skin discoloured (this is less of a concern, if you use this kind of product only at night time). Otherwise the formulation is rather good. This gel promises to hydrate and sooth the skin, which it can do, because it has a number of water-binding and skin-identical ingredients (aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, allantoin and panthenol). There are also quite a few antioxidants as well (bearberry, cucumber and chamomile extracts, and arbutin).

Even though there is one irritant here the product can be good for the skin, because of numerous other beneficial ingredients. Also it is budget friendly (6-8$ at Target, Ulta, Drugstore.com etc.). However, this gel comes in a jar packaging. Which means all antioxidants will fall apart in about a week after opening the product. So for that reason this product can not be recommended.

Verdict:

4 out of 5 (just for ingredients).

Overall rating: 2 out of 5 (for the jar packaging).