L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Peel Pads
Will L'Oreal's RevitaLift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Peel Pads help get your skin on fleek or on fire? We had to find out for ourselves!
L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Peel Pads Overview
If you are looking for brighter, smoother skin, L’Oreal’s RevitaLift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Peel Pads say they can help. L’Oreal says these pads were inspired by dermatological peel processes to help resurface skin texture and encourage a more even tone.
Also, as a part of the RevitaLift line, L’Oreal says these daily peel pads can also reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time. Each jar contains thirty multi-ply textured single-use pads for the cost of $19.99 from L’Oreal’s website. This price is not including any taxes or shipping and handling costs, which also may be added to an order.
A Closer Look at L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Peel Pads
L’Oreal RevitaLift claims these pads help to exfoliate skin and reveal the newer, softer skin layer below. When looking at the pad material and the ingredient list, it becomes clear that this ‘exfoliation’ is rather a chemically induced skin peel, and the pad is just for delivering the ingredient and sloughing off the resulting damaged skin.
The glycolic complex which is supposed to comprise a ten percent concentration of the active ingredients is fourth on the overall ingredient list. The items above it then must have over ten percent concentration, as ingredients are listed in order from most to least contained by volume. The second ingredient on the list, denatured alcohol, is dangerous in high concentrations, and considered a risk for sensitive skin in as low as five percent concentrations.
Positives
- Short ingredient list
- Inexpensive
- Widely and readily available
Negatives
- Highly flammable
- Contains irritants
- Several ingredients can be improperly processed and tainted
- Increases sun sensitivity
- Scent ingredients could be allergens
Ingredients in L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Peel Pads
While a short ingredient list is usually a good sign, this product doesn’t have enough of the good stuff to balance out an abysmal collection of potentially hazardous additives. Several of its key moisturizing ingredients have potential to be tainted, resulting in toxic side effects. Most other ingredients include some sort of masking scent, likely to hide the chemical odor. All of that aside, these also include AHAs, which are known to increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun’s rays.
Alcohol Denat (Denatured Alcohol)
Also sometimes called SD alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, this ingredient remains simply just pure grain alcohol with a denaturant to make it unpalatable to discourage drinking products containing it. It performs a variety of purposes in cosmetics, namely as a quick-working astringent, anti-foaming agent, and antimicrobial. This seems well and good, until we look deeper into the research surrounding this ingredient. When listed near the top of an ingredients list (as it is in L’Oreal RevitaLift’s Daily Peel Pads) this ingredient can be dangerously aggravating towards skin. It essentially dries the skin too much, without giving anything replenishing back.
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
More often referred to by the acronym HEPES, this buffering ingredient is usually used to control the pH in a solution. In the presence of oxygen, it can cause free radical damage, making it not exactly ideal for the sensitive skin of the face. It normally gets listed as a “stabilizer”, and is used by L’Oreal in many products with that intention. The thought behind it is that the HEPES will balance the pH of the face and help with acne and excess sebum, but the damage done by triggering free radical reaction is more harm than any possible good it could do.
PPG-26-Buteth-26
This ingredient is mostly utilized as a conditioning agent in skincare products. It helps to restore dry, damaged skin and improve softness and suppleness. It is also sometimes used as a fragrance. The only concerns from this ingredient are the potential for contaminants resulting from manufacturing errors. Certain errors can result in tainted PPG-26-Buteth-26, containing toxins which may have carcinogenic or reproductive toxicity effects. If the contaminant is noticed prior to combination with any other ingredient, PPG-26-Buteth-26 can be purified and recovered. 1
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
An amber-colored liquid at room temperature, this oil is slightly more viscous than a normal oil, and emits a naturally fatty odor. In the cosmetics industry, it is used for an emulsifying agent and sometimes as a fragrance ingredient. However, Castor Oil can contain harmful impurities if not harvested and processed correctly. Some of these impurities have been linked to increased risk of certain cancers, including leukemia and breast cancer. This is especially concerning if products containing impurities are used on broken or damaged skin.
Hexyl Cinnamal
Smelling of sweet jasmine means this synthetic ingredient is often used as a scent or fragrance component in beauty and cosmetic products. It can be sourced naturally from chamomile flowers, but more often than not, this chemical is lab-created for ease. While the smell is lovely, it can be challenging for those with a sensitivity to strong floral scents, or for anyone with sensitive skin. It is also a known allergen and potential irritant, as well as a skin sensitizer. 2
Full List of Ingredients
Aqua/Water, Alcohol Denat. (Denatured Alcohol), Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum/Fragrance, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate
Directions: How to Use L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Peel Pads
L’Oreal advises to use this product only as directed. Every night, smooth one pad gently over cleansed skin. Always avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with cool water and mild soap. Newly revealed skin may be sensitive to sunlight. Be sure to use Bright Reveal Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30. If your skin is sensitive, consider waiting between ten and twenty minutes after cleansing but prior to using these pads. If irritation occurs, discontinue use. Before first use, patch test on arm skin.
The Final Word on L’Oreal RevitaLift Bright Reveal Peel Pads
While L’Oreal usually delivers a solid product at a generous price point, these daily peel pads lack almost any appeal at all. There are skin irritants around every corner, drying agents, problematic ingredients, and overwhelming competitive scents. We would recommend giving this product a pass, and perhaps looking in a different direction if you have any sort of skin sensitivity or allergy.
Click for more information on products in L’Oreal’s RevitaLift line.
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References:
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