Skincare: Where to Save and Where to Splurge?

Skincare is a powerful tool, that can keep skin healthy, make you look younger and make you feel great (of course, I am biased, since I am obsessed with cosmetics chemistry, and think skincare is that important). But it can be really confusing for a lot of people. You hope that spending 200$ on a moisturizer will do overnight miracle. But there is only so much that skincare can do. You can not completely erase wrinkles or fade severe hyper-pigmentation. You have to be realistic. Also there is not one miracle secret ingredient, there are multiple great ones that do work to some extent (and most of them are not that expensive). That's why, in my opinion, no skincare product is worth over 50-70$. And even that I would spend only on extremely "loaded" well formulated serum or prescription treatment. These days a lot of affordable brands produce amazing products, and anyone can afford at least the bare minimum. So where to put your money in? I am evaluating categories of products based on what realistically they can do for the skin and what kind of ingredients can be there.

Cleansers/Face Washes

Definitely do not spend too much money here. As much as I love watching UK skin guru Caroline Hirons, I have to disagree that 70$ cleanser can do wonders for the skin. Realistically, all cleansers are mostly different kind of detergents in water or oil base. Doesn't matter in what form they come (gel, cream, foam), their goal is to remove make-up, dirt and excess oils. Even if they do have antioxidants and such, there is just not enough time for them to work. And moreover, it will be damaging to leave any cleanser on the skin for more than few minutes. Save your money, and buy a really good serum. Also a lot of high-end companies charge for "designer" fragrance in their products (you basically pay for the scent, not quality of the product). There is no secret technology, that can make expensive cleanser better than a drugstore one. I would say 5-20$ is a good price range for a cleanser.

How I Shop For Skin Care

Here is the list that usually I mentally go through whenever I encounter a product I am tempted to purchase. I hope it will be helpful in some way next time you go shopping!

1. Jar packaging? I never ever purchase anything in a jar. Most of skincare ingredients are air and light sensitive. Once you open the lid, in just few days, all beneficial ingredients would fall apart (keeping product in refrigerator would not help!). Why waste my money on something that wouldn't work? I don't even start on the ingredient list. So if you ever have been wondering why you never saw any results from that nice cream in a jar, that my be the cause....
2. Price and appearance? Of course I want to find packaging appealing. Also no skin care product is worth 200$ per say. Big companies charge lots of money for the brand name, not actually for miracle ingredients. There are tons of products on the market with agreeable price tag with outstanding formulations. My reasonable upper limit for a product is around 60$ US (let's say for a serum, not a face wash). Mostly I am looking at 10-35$ range.
3. Ingredient list! The most important part. I keep good few hundred ingredients in my head, and I can tell pretty quick if something is worth buying. But still there are ingredients that may be are not as common and I have to look up research at home. If I am very suspicious of the ingredient/ingredients, I go home and check. Sometimes I just take a risk. Here are some guidelines for what should and should not be in the skin care product:

• Does this product has known irritants, especially in the first half of ingredient list (sometimes if they are the last few ingredients it is fine)? Bad: Alcohol (anything that has two parts to the name, like cetyl alcohol or cetearyl alcohol is fine; SD Alcohol is still a bad alcohol though), Essential oils (only exception is camomile essential oil; the most common offenders are lavender, peppermint, lemon, orange, grapefruit, resemary), Fragrance (in the first half of ingredient list is unacceptable);
• Does this product actually have any good ingredients? The list here can be pretty long, but the most common things to look for: vitamins (usually in the name there would be a word like - tocopheryl = vit E, ascorbyl = vit C, retinyl = vit A), good plant extracts (camomile, green tea, liquorice root, pomegranate), emollients (non fragrant plant oils, glycerin, hyaluronic acid), cell-communicating ingredients (niacinamide or vit B3, retinol or vit A), bonus (azelaic acid, allantoin, lecithin, resveratrol, ceramides, ubiquinone, squalene, peptides, AHAs) .
• Is this formulation well balanced/well rounded? I've already mentioned this in the previous post, but I like my products to have three type of ingredients: emollients/skin identical ingredients, anti-oxidants/anti-irritants, cell-communicating ingredients. Only in this case your skin is getting all it needs to be in top condition. Ideally I buy only those that have at least one ingredient from each of the group (better still if it has multiple). Sometimes though I can purchase product just for few specific components (usually anti-aging retinol, skin brightening vitamin C, anti acne salicylic acid).
• If the company promises certain results (for example, lightening hyper pigmentation), did they actually add ingredients to achieve that?
• Are those good ingredients in the first half of the ingredient list? Are those ingredients placed before preservatives (most common preservatives are parabens and phenoxyethanol)? If vitamins (and such) are in the bottom of ingredient list, they are most likely present in such a low concentration that they probably wouldn't be able to benefit skin.

This seems like a lot of things to consider, but once you've done it hundred of times it is almost automatic. I have to say that sometimes I go to stores and just read ingredient lists. It helps to see whats on the market and just  a fun activity for me. I hope you enjoyed this rambly post. If you have any questions about ingredients or products feel free to ask!

Now solutions Vitamin C and Sea Buckthorn Moisturiser

This is another offering from my favourite natural brand Now. It is quite a basic moisturiser, with very nice formula. I am not hugely in love, since I love very concentrated treatments and prefer serums as my non SPF choice of moisturisers. I use it as an evening neck/decolletage cream. It has light lotion texture, that is not sticky or greasy. The scent, in my opinion, is a bit cheap, somewhat fanta/orange juice like, but not offensive or disgusting.

 

Packaging/Pricing: 

59ml (2fl.oz) Retails for ~8-13$ US. You can find it in some whole food stores. I bought it on IHERB.com (here) for 9.93$. It comes in opaque tube, that is reliable, appropriate packaging. As I mentioned in my other Now brand review, packaging may seem not appealing to some, since it lacks the luxurious feel. But I am perfectly content with it, since I don't have to pay more just for a pretty bottle. I am all about ingredients.

 

Ingredients:

Water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cetyl alcohol, glycerin, glyceryl stearate SE, glucose & lactoperoxidase & glucose oxidase, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl glucoside, olea europaea (olive) oil (extra virgin), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (Vit C), hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) seed oil, niacinamide (Vit B3), tocopherol (Vit E), orange-grapefruit aroma, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, potassium sorbate, citric acid.

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 skincare, usually fragrance)

 

Ingredients Discussion: 

This moisturiser features minimal, but well balanced formula, that can address all skin needs. Ideally, in any skincare product you should have three categories of beneficial ingredients

Clinique City Block Sheer oil free daily face protector broad spectrum 25 SPF

Packaging/Pricing:

The product is offered in opaque tube format, which keeps all ingredients stable. You get 40g (1.4fl.oz) for 23$ US.

 

Ingredients:

Active: Titanium Dioxide 7.3%, Zinc Oxide 6.9%

Other: Water, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Steareth-2, Stearyl Heptanoate, Silica, Lecithin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Gentiana Lutea (Gentian) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Betula Alba (Birch) Bark Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitan Tristearate, Linoleic Acid, Polyquaternium-51, Caprylyl Methicone, Sorbitol, Sodium RNA, PEG-40 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytantriol, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cellulose, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Stearyl Dimethicone, Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Maleate, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Pantethine, Bisabolol, Ceteth-2, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Steareth-20, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sodium Stearate, Nylon-12, Citric Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Nylon-6, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.

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 skincare, usually fragrance)

 

Ingredients Discussion:

As you can see above, formulation is quite good. It features range of antioxidants and anti-irritants, as well as few barrier repairing agents (hyaluronic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid). I would love to see

Review & Comparison: Naruko Apple Seed And Tranexamic Acid black spots and lines defying mask & NRK essential Mandarin Orange and Pineapple pore refining mask

Let me start by saying that I have somewhat love/hate relationship with Naruko products going on. I love their luxurious feeling on the skin, I adore their scents, I am fan of their vitamins and plant extracts based  formulations, I think packaging is very cute. BUT! They often include irritating essential oils in products, which smell beyond amazing, but irritate skin, like nothing else. So I always go back to Naruko products, but I browse for occasional gems without problematic ingredients.

These two masks you can find on Naruko website  (here) or through various asian beauty sellers like sasa.com. The set of 10 masks is 32$ for Apple seed and Tranexamic acid mask and 26$ for Mandarin Orange and Pineapple mask.  Sometimes you can find them individually. Both masks are very moist with enough serum to actually spread to your neck and chest areas. They both smell very nice: Apple seed one like lavender oil and Orange one has a fruity sweet scent. I personally prefer more refined scent of lavender.

Company suggests to apply mask on clean skin for 10-15 min, then you can follow with your regular skincare. I find these masks to be very moist and slimy, so whether you have to wait for 10-15 minutes after you are done with them (for them to get fully absorbed) or tissue of the excess. Actually, I tend to splash my face with water, since ingredients already had time to penetrate skin, and it is too much to deal with so much extra product.

 

NOW solutions Vitamin C and Manuka Honey Gel Cleanser

"NOW foods" is an amazing company on organic/natural care market. They make vitamins, supplements, essential and basic oils, body, hair and skin care.  I believe they do not get as much love as they deserve. Their skin care is wonderfully formulated by someone who really knows his/her cosmetics chemistry. Their products are never in a jar packaging, never have essential oils that irritate skin, always have blend of antioxidants, skin identical ingredients and cell-communicating ingredients. What a joy! Few minor complaints I have though: they do not have sunscreens and some of their products do have fragrance (which is not necessary in skincare and can be irritating).

Product I would like to review today is a cleanser from their Vitamin C range. I am on a look out for gentle non-striping face wash. My skin is normal to dry and I find most of cleansers I've tried too harsh. I do not have a lot of requirements regarding my face wash. I would like it to gently clean my face. Since cleanser stays on my face for 30 seconds only and then goes down the drain, I am not looking for antioxidants and such. Most of good ingredients will not have time to work!  I usually take off my make-up with cleansing oils, but I still like to follow with face wash to remove traces of make-up as well as traces of cleansing oil. So anything not mild enough is not OK for double cleansing. And in the morning I don't really need anything striping as well.

I used Cetaphil and CeraVe gentle cleansers for years, but I got bored (to be honest =))) So I switched to this one. A do not like fragrance in anything that stays on my face. But I little bit of aroma therapy with face wash is good! It foams lightly, doesn't dry out my skin and smells like orange juice/fanta. The scent may be a bit cheap, but not offensive in any way. The consistency is very liquidy, not really a gel, so be careful when pouring product out!

Packaging/Pricing: 

237ml (8fl.oz) I realize that packaging may not be everyone's cup of tea. Again, it is an affordable product. But label doesn't come off in the shower, and I do find simple white bottle quite appealing. The price is good as well: 7-9$ US. You can find this brand in lots of whole food stores or IHERB.com

Ingredients:

Water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, lauryl glucoside, sodium coco-sulfate, glycerin, chondrus crispus (carrageenan), glucose & lactoperoxidase & glucose oxidase, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (Vit C), manuka honey, allantoin, panthenol, niacinamide (Vit B3), tocopherol (Vit E) (soy), olea europaea (olive) oil (extra virgin), orange-grapefruit aroma, citric acid.

Discussion:

As I mentioned above, I am not as picky when it comes to face washes. But still

LANCOME Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Well, this is an older version of the serum, which they updated to Advanced Genifique. The ingredients still are pretty much the same, especially high concentration of alcohol and lack of skin beneficial ingredients. So I thought to through in this review anyway, but I will try to make it shorter.

Packaging/Pricing: 

30ml (1fl.oz) Packaging is rather hygienic and with opaque bottle will keep ingredients rather safe. Pricing is outrageous (especially for what you actually get) at ~70-80$ US. I generally find most of Lancome skincare quite useless. If you want something luxurious and pricey, better check out Estee Lauder (though nothing that comes in a jar!!).

 

Ingredients:

Water, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Yeast Extract, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide/Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Limonene, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Octyldodecanol, Citrinellol, Fragrance.

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 skincare, usually fragrance)

 

Discussion:

This is slightly emollient serum with glycerin and hyaluronic acid to prevent moisture loss. It does have Vit C (not very concentrated though), but that's it. Yest extract (which I marked in green kind of against my wish) has no research that proves

Naruko AM+PM Real Xpert 10-peptide total defense sunscreen SPF 50 PA+++

Hello! Today I would like to review product from one of my favourite asian brands Naruko.This particular product is from their AM+PM line, designed for office ladies.

Packaging/Pricing:

50ml (1.75fl.oz) Use within 6 months once opened. Nice sleek white bottle with small nozzle, that will keep ingredients stable. I do not approve of any sort of jar packaging, as it is ridiculous to pay money for something that will not keep ingredients stable for more than a week. Pricing is not too bad, but still it is not completely budget friendly choice at 26$ US. On the side note, US Naruko website (Naruko) always have promotions going on. I picked it up for 21$ US.

Ingredients:

Actives: Octylmethoxy Cinnamate 10%, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 3%

Other:Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Oleate, Magnesium Sulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyloyl Hydroxytheonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-6 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15, Pentapeptide-18, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Oligopeptide-68, Nonapeptide-1, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Methylisothiazolinone.

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 such)

Ingredient Discussion:

There are really 10 peptides as they promise which are always nice to have in your skincare. Peptides usually serve