On a personal note, I used to suffer from extreme cystic acne and also used to tan heavily in tanning beds, so at one point my face was so littered with acne scars that I had to use concealers like Dermablend to cover them up. That is part of what led me to go for a series of chemical peels and Fraxel treatments when I was 20. It is still one of the best decisions I've ever made, almost all my scars and fine lines are gone and I've maintained my results with religious sun avoidance, sunscreen application and at home exfoliating products such as this one. In the next while, I'm likely to get my back done too, because that's where my scarring is the worst. If you have thought about seeing a dermatologist and getting these treatments done, I will say this: the money I spent and the pain I endured is nothing compared to the joy of no longer being dependent on layers of heavy makeup to feel beautiful. I can now get away with just tinted moisturizer and a little bit of concealer.
Anyway, let's discuss the product. This is a creamy, semi-oily (so don't try it if you still suffer from breakouts) moisturizing mask with some exfoliating properties. It comes in a tube which dispenses the product onto a brush which you use to apply it. I prefer to leave it on all night when I do use it, so I can get the full benefit of the moisture and exfoliation, so it absolutely can be used as a night cream (though I find it's texture not so great for daytime). It starts balling up with dead skin cells almost as soon as it dries, so I find that I definitely notice a good amount of exfoliation, though it certainly isn't as effective as some more powerful products. The unfortunate thing is that it isn't a straight Glycolic, Lactic or Salicylic product, rather a mix of practically every AHA on the books, in small concentrations. There's citric, lactic, glycolic, tartaric and malic acids, all in concentrations of less than 1%. What this tells me is that they're there for fluff and advertising rather than function. Which made me wonder what it was that provided the noticeable exfoliating effect I observed. Read on for one of the most mysterious ingredient breakdowns I've ever done....
Ingredients:
- Water: A given, off course.
- Dicaprylyl Carbonate: Dry finish emollient that also enhances slip of product
- Glycerin: A long time favorite of all skin types, the everyday humectant
- Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil: One of my favorite plant oils because of its relatively absorbent texture
- Pentaerythrityl Distearate: Emulsifying agent.
- Decyl Glucoside: this is usually used as a non-ionic co-surfactant in mild cleansing formulations, so it is strange to see it in a leave on product, however this seems to confirm a theory I've held for a long time about chemical exfoliation. If dead skin cells are held to skin by the glue like skin lipids, and if surfactants partially defat the skin (eat up some of that glue) how is it impossible for surfactants to exfoliate skin when in a leave on product? This product's performance seems to confirm my theory, the dead skin cells don't just get eaten up and dissolve (as would be noticeable in a high AHA product) they seem to just sort of separate and roll up into dissolved little balls. Any chemistry buffs out there wanting to confirm or deny my theory? This article from the beauty brains would argue that the thickeners in the product aren't mixing well and that's why little balls roll off, but none of the ingredients they suggest are in high concentration here....hmmm.
- Bisabolol: My favorite skin soothing ingredient, it's lovely to see this so high up on the list, but unfortunately for sensitive skin, there are other irritants present which counteract its effects.
- Potassium Cetyl Phosphate: Another surfactant, akin to Decyl Glucoside...hmmm.
- Tripalmitin: Emollient
- Tristearin: Another emollient
- Maltodextrin: A sugar which functions as a binding and stabilizing emulsifier.
- Subtilisin: A protease enzyme which is a pretty new idea, it does dissolve proteins (like skin cells) and is listed by the INCI directory as a keratolytic (meaning exfoliant). Because it hasn't been used often, it's hard to tell how much is needed or how effective it is. This seems like a small amount and the fact that the dead skin cells roll off the skin, rather than dissolve, still leads me to believe my surfactant theory.
- Lipase: This one will sound familiar to anyone that still remember factoids from high school biology, yes this is the same lipase that dissolves fats we eat and breaks them into fatty acids and glycerol. It's purpose in a skincare product is likely similar, although the fats in skin are already in the form of fatty acids and glycerol, if the skin is in good health.
- Sodium Acrylates Copolymer: A binding and film forming ingredient.
- Menthyl Pca: An ingredient which provides a cooling feeling to skin, it is derived from menthol and is therefore a potent irritant. My sensitive skin didn't like this part, and neither would most.
- Hydrogenated Polyisobutene: Emollient with some properties similar to Mineral Oil.
- Dimethicone: Hello beloved! Good old dimethicone always functions well in keeping skin healthy by maintaining moisture. This is a really negligible amount though.
- Tocopheryl Acetate: Vitamin E, again, would be a great conditioner and antioxidant, were it present in a higher amount.
- Fragrance: Well we all know what fragrance is...
- Butylene Glycol: Humectant, carrier and solvent.
- Sodium Dehydroacetate: Preservative.
- Titanium Dioxide: Used here as an opacifier, contributing to the creamy white color of the product.
- Caprylyl Glycol: Preservative.
- Xanthan Gum: Thickening and binding ingredient.
- Citric Acid: This is featured as one of the primary exfoliants, but looking at how far down the ingredient list this is, all it probably does is help preserve and create a slightly more acidic pH.
- Lactic Acid: Again, were it present in a higher concentration I would attribute the exfoliation to this, but alas, it's not.
- Sodium Pca: One of my favorite skin conditioning agents, because it's a part of skin's natural moisturizing factor. Again, I wish it were present in higher concentration.
- Cetearyl Alcohol: skin conditioner and thickener.
- Phospholipids: Like sodium PCA, this is an NMF type moisturizing ingredient, and would be great in a higher concentration.
- Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate: Skin conditioner
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil: A fabulous plant oil that would work very well to moisturize skin in a higher concentration.
- Glycolic Acid: My favorite, beloved, Glycolic. This, similar to the Lactic and Citric acids, is not what is contributing to this product's performance.
- Pentylene Glycol: Solvent ingredient.
- Palmitoyl Grapevine Shoot Extract: This is one of Caudalie's touted and heavily marketed antioxidant ingredients. See how there's less concentration than preservatives? This means that at this concentration it does nothing.
- Tartaric Acid: Another AHA, of which there's not enough.
- Malic Acid: Same story as above.
- Sodium Hydroxide: A pH adjuster.
- Sodium Bicarbonate: Another pH adjuster/buffer.
- Xanthan Gum Crosspolymer: Skin conditioner
- Sodium Phytate: Chelating agent.
- Hydroxyethylcellulose: Thickener.
- Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract: Puff and fluff.
- Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract: Another puff and fluff that if I saw in the top ten ingredients, would make me smile.
- Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract: Bilberry fruit extract, another great antioxidant that's just fluff at this concentration.
- Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract: An irritant. In this case, thank God it's not more concentrated.
- Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract: Humectant, in higher concentrations.
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