Vichy Lift Activ Serum 10 (30 ml), £29.50 vs. YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum (30 ml), £60
L’Oreal is the parent company of both YSL and Vichy and has launched the new YSL skincare line to repeat the commercial success of their make-up and fragrance products, eg. Touche Eclat.
Claims Comparison:
YSL – anti-wrinkle lift/plump/radiance vs.
Vichy – velvety texture/advance anti-wrinkle efficacy/long-lasting lifting effect.
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- Similar products in terms of the main ingredients, rhamnose and glycerol that benefit the skin by increased hydration. Both products contain a small amount of hyaluronic acid (long-term hydration).
- The Vichy serum contains a ceramide derivative, salicyloyl phytosphingosine, with a potential anti-wrinkle benefit.
- The Vichy serum also contains less alcohol that can be detrimental to the healthy barrier function of facial skin.
I would expect the efficacy of the Vichy serum to be slightly superior – given the higher content of rhamnose, the additional ceramide derivative and less alcohol in the formulation. We are awaiting the clinical studies. Read more…
The FWC Members have tested the YSL serum on 13th February 2012 to have luminous and plump skin for Valentine’s Day. Please read their comments below.
FaceWorkshops Trial Review:
Silky, fine textured serum leaves skin feeling more soft, smooth, tight. Next day – luminous, bright and “more alive”. Perfume and alcohol in the formulation not great for sensitive and dry skin! Best for normal and combination skin types.
FaceWorkshops Expert Rating **** (4 out of 5 stars)
Claims – Luminosity > Wrinkle Reduction > Plumping.
- A great pre-party serum with an instant illuminating WOW effect and a potentially promising anti-ageing ingredient – but we are still waiting for the scientific evidence. L’Oreal have launched a rhamnose-based serum previously (Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Youth Enhancing (£29.50/30 ml), but this is the first skincare launch of the prestige YSL brand (known previously for make-up only) – and hence can the serum can command a higher price tag (£60/30 ml).
- AESTHETICS: As always with prestige skincare, the texture of the YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum is luxurious and refined. However, I would prefer less fragrance – that is to say that this is the least fragranced product from the skincare line.
- INGREDIENTS/EFFICACY: The serum contains Rhamnose (hydrating and potentially anti-ageing through cell signaling – to be proven in a clinical study) and Glycerin (short and medium-term hydration) and Hyaluronic Acid (long-term hydration). I am not happy with the high content of alcohol and would not recommend the product for dehydrated/stressed or sensitive skin types.
Read more…
@ Skin Forum
Professor Hadgraft, an expert in transdermal absorption at the London School of Pharmacy, is getting increasingly frustrated with false statements in womens’ and life style magazines and web sites.
“The skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs 70% of the topically applied products!”
These statements are often substantiated by references to experiments on rodent or rabbit skin which are totally inappropriate. Other discussion members add that:
- These articles are written in response to new product launches and become no more that an advertising opportunity.
- The journalists are bedazzled by the hype presented by marketing.
- If scientists were to contribute to the information packs then these false statements would never have seen the light of day.
The Facts Behind Skin Absorption
- The skin possesses an outer layer, stratum corneum, which is a very impressive barrier. It is about one sixth the thickness of a piece of paper but stops us losing excessive water because of its unique structure.
- The stratum corneum has a structure of a brick wall, the skin cells – keratinocytes – are the bricks. If the bricks are bigger, the path any active ingredient has to go through when penetrating into the skin is longer, if smaller, the path is shorter.
- The “mortar” layer is an organised structure of orderly hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. Actives soluble in water, eg. vitamin C, cannot penetrate into the lipophylic layer and oil soluble actives eg. vitamin A and E, cannot penetrate into water soluble layers. Actives soluble both in oil and water perform best.
- Absorption is variable depending on: the skin site and its condition, the properties of the active applied, the product in which the active is applied. Absorption is usually higher in the face than on the body; it is related to the cell size. Cheek corneocytes are small and the protease activity is higher on the cheek than forearm, leading to more penetration.
- For most of ingredients the percent of dose absorbed is around 1-2%. For some it is less than 0.1% For some, very few, it is 10-20%.
- The barrier properties of the skin and the subsequent low absorption of actives into the skin are a major problem in the topical treatment of skin diseases! The majority of active ingredients that have potential to affect the biology of the skin are rarely delivered in amounts to allow them to realise that potential!
Source: Skin Forum on LinkedIN and Inaugural SCS Lecture October 2011
The future trends involve Naturals + Home Devices + Beauty from within !
- Even in the recession, personal care market is doing well. Global Personal Care market value is $300. Global ingredients market is $20M!
- Skincare is the largest, fastest growing segment – 30 % of Personal Care market share. Dominant all over the world, also in Europe.
- 1 in every 2 women in the UK is concerned about ageing and speciality actives – anti-ageing, anti-wrinkle – are key in new product development.
- Featured skincare product was Kinerase C Peptide Intensive Treatment. Featured claim – reduces depth and appearance of wrinkles by 35 %.
Beauty Framework for the British Consumer
- Ease of Access: Botox can be bought online in the UK!
- The Foreign Lifestyle: Antioxidants are important in skincare ie. polyphenols from grapeseed or white tea. Remember the French paradox – a glass of wine a day will help you look younger!
- Going Green: Aveda with green credentials and cradle-to-cradle sustainability.
Source: Kline: Sparked by Innovation, Fuelled by Consumption: Emerging ingredient trends. March 2011, In-Cosmetics Milan. Kline work with L’Oreal, Shiseido, P&G and Unilever.
The ITV This Morning Show broadcast a programme about anti-ageing skincare! Looking at the overwhelming skincare market with too many products to choose from, they asked Dr Patrick Bowler for his expertise and tested his best anti-ageing ingredients in skincare: Retinol (vitamin A) in RoC Retin-Ox, Vitamin C, Co-enzyme Q10 in Nivea Q10, Idebenone in Prevage and Vitamin E in Liz Earle product range.
Ladies over age of 70, the “Bus Pass Beauties”, were encouraged to use one of these ranges each and rate them in terms of the effect on their face. It was the organic Liz Earle product range that got the “10 out of 10″ mark.
Although the producers caution us to consider that “everyone’s skin reacts differently to different products and it is important to find a product that suits you and your budget best”, my expertise enables me to raise a few comments:
- Subjectivity: Organic products have lovely textures that drive our liking of a skincare product more than its true efficacy and this may have contributed to the highest score of the Liz Earle product range.
- Period of Testing: A month of testing might be enough in terms of a subjective change but for any significant and visible difference to be achieved, we need a much longer time period as shown e.g. in the Boots serum trial.
- Holistic Approach: Not only the age group (70 +) but also your skin type and concerns, sun exposure, genetics, medical history and lifestyle need to be taken into consideration when recommending a personalised skincare routine.
Interesting to watch but not a shopping guide to skincare! http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/thismorning/styleandbeauty/beauty/buspassbeautylookingyounger/
To Buy the Right Skincare Products for the autumn/winter season, book a Personalised Skincare Consultation on 01482 863807. http://www.faceworkshops.com/private-consultations/
