L’Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power Concentrated Serum
Can one bottle of L'Oreal's serum out-perform the leading brand with triple power?
RevitaLift Triple Power Serum Overview
As any avid beauty guru knows, Serums are the powerhouses of any product line. They often have the highest concentration of product per ounce, and with that heavy lifting usually comes a matching price tag. Sometimes they can even be the most expensive item in an entire line! RevitaLift Triple Power Serum from L’Oreal’s RevitaLift line boasts three different super ingredients combined to deliver a mighty blow to the signs of aging.
This Serum uses Pro-Xylane, Hyaluronic Acid, and LHA to even skin tone in as little as one week, according to L’Oreal and the packaging the serum comes in.
A Closer Look at L’Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power Serum
Serums are usually the best any particular beauty line has to offer, but RevitaLift’s edition seems to fall short of the mark. It has the three driving ingredients from the “triple power” portion of the label, but the rest is bogged down by unnecessarily alternating between drying agents to sop up excess moisture and conditioning agents to counteract the drying ones. On top of that, there are potentially less-than-stellar additives, which help nothing regarding skin appearance and could actually be harmful to skin and the environment.
Now, this product may work for you if your skin isn’t easily damaged, but if you are at all sensitive to abrasives or just really want to invest in ingredients that are all-natural and 100% safe, this probably isn’t the choice for you. If you’re just at the big box store and want to give something a try, this wouldn’t be a terrible introduction to beauty serums, but it would hardly be the best.
Positives
- Contains Hyaluronic Acid, which is an extraordinary moisturizer
- Top ingredients are good anti-agers proven to show results
- Widely available in-store and online
Negatives
- Results from trials on Pro-Xylane could be bias
- Contains a few questionable ingredients
- May not be cruelty-free
RevitaLift Triple Power Serum Ingredients
The three ingredients contributing to the “triple power” are nearly the only useful ingredients on the list. With so many chemical question marks, artificial colorings, and mystery fragrances, the ingredients label reads more like a list of hi-jinx from Scooby Doo villains than anything meant to be around or on humans.
Pro-Xylane
Very little is known about RevitaLift’s main ingredient, Pro-Xylane. All clinical trials and tests were done by parent company, Lancome, in early 2006. What information is available is the fact that Pro-Xylane is a sugar-protein hybrid, and it includes natural sugars found in beech trees. It is said that these sugars stimulate the production of glycosaminoglycans (also known by the acronym GAGs). GAGs are the molecules which defends skin against water loss. This is all well and good, but since all of the information comes from the company that makes and benefits from Pro-Xylane, there is plenty of opportunity for bias in these results.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
This emulsifying agent is a complicated mixture of potassium salts and cetyl alcohols. Both of these components are drying agents, and can damage the skin if not accompanied by a powerful moisturizer. It is also a strong detergent and cleansing agent. It is included in multiple beauty products, cosmetics, shampoos, sunscreens, and make-up removers. Because of its emulsifying power, it can be found in serums too, where high concentrations of ingredients needs a strong binder.
2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
There is little to no information available on this particular chemical structure, other than the fact that it can be found in many beauty products as a skin conditioner and emollient. It’s been under study since the 1980s, and there are still pending patents on file from the 2000s. Yet despite the plethora of studies, very little information has been translated from science-speak to normal English. 1
CI 15985 / Yellow 6
‘Sunset Yellow’ is the name of this petroleum-derived dye. Technically, it is an orange azo dye, but still goes by the alias ‘Sunset Yellow’. It is considered safe by the FDA to add to foods and ‘products used around eyes’ but not ‘cosmetics used around eyes’. That specification alone is worrisome enough, considering there is no further available info specifying why this dye should not be used around eyes. We hope that the possibility for discoloration is the worst of it. 2
Mica
This mineral reflects light, which is why it is included in so many cosmetics. It gives the shimmery finish that so many makeups utilize because it hides any imperfections by filling wrinkles and reflecting light within them, eliminating the shadow and thus their appearance, at least temporarily. Overall, Mica is determined to be safe by the FDA, but it is often tested on animals. While L’Oreal claims they are an animal cruelty-free operation, there is no guarantee that the Mica they use isn’t sold from a provider with lesser standards. 3
RevitaLift Triple Power Serum Full List of Ingredients
Aqua/Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Propylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Alcohol Denat. (Denatured Alcohol), Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Potassium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate. Silica, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Palmitic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Cetyl Alcohol, Octyldodecanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 15985 / Yellow 6, CI 19140 / Yellow 5, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum / Fragrance
Directions: How to Use L’Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power Serum
Begin your beauty routine by thoroughly washing and cleansing the face. Use a cleanser for this step, or a mild soap. Pat dry or allow to dry completely. Apply serum in dots to desired area(s). Once administered, gently massage the dots into the surrounding skin. Can be used all over the face or in concentrated bursts for spot-treatment. Continue with daily routine including moisturizer and sunscreen. For best results, L’Oreal recommends utilizing products from the rest of their RevitaLift line.
The Final Word on L’Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power Serum
While L’Oreal RevitaLift’s Triple Power Concentrated Serum does have three excellent active ingredients on their side, that’s about all it has going well for it. Extraneous additives bog down what should be a highly concentrated product, with little to no unnecessary fluff. Serums should be the very best ingredients a line has to offer, in the highest concentration. If lotions are a blanket, serums should be a heating pad. But this product has us feeling chilly.
If you’re interested in finding potential alternatives or just want to know more about beauty and skincare, check out our other articles!
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