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Effectiveness6.5
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Speed of Results6
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Quality of Ingredient7
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Customer Service5.5
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Customer Feedback6
St Ives has developed a moisturizer which it says will give you visibly softer and smoother skin. The moisturizer in question is Renewing Collagen and Elastin Moisturizer and today it forms the subject of our review. St Ives says it uses an all-natural approach, taking inspiration from collagen and elastin proteins. We’ll review the cream for efficacy against the clinically accepted standards for a good moisturizer.
Ingredients
The main ingredients are:
- Safflower Seed Oil
- Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Hydrolyzed Elastin
- Glyceryl Stearate
Safflower has been included as a moisturizing and smoothing agent. It the St Ives key ingredient. As most plant and flower extract oils tend to sink in deeply, Safflower is likely to do the same delivering nutrients to where they are needed at the cellular level. However, a key element in moisturizers that do incorporate oils is that they rely on more than merely one oil. In this case, Shea Butter and Sweet Almond oil as clinically proven to hydrate and nourish would have best been included.
A negative product included is liquid paraffin, a by-product of crude oil. Most beauty scientists and doctors are in agreement that it is more harmful than beneficial to skin long term, and it is probably why this product has attracted a proposition 65 warning. Collagen and elastin, on the other hand, are of course beneficial and give skin a plump, firm appearance. However, the more common and beneficial route is to include adequate doses of clinically proven ingredients, Vitamin C and E, which would then stimulate the skin’s own ability to produce these long term. Glycerin Stearate is the emulsifier that gives cream its fatty, ‘creamy’ appearance. This brings us to our next point: we are not certain that this formula contains 10% active ingredients at least. This is one of the criteria for a truly effective moisturizer.
How To Use
Scoop a small amount of moisturizer onto your fingers. Smooth it in over your face, massaging until it’s fully absorbed. The manufacturer mentions that you can use it morning or night. We would have liked to know if you should follow this up with a sunscreen or not, given that you can never be cancer-aware enough. There does not seem to be inbuilt sun protection factor in this cream, so it is probably best to use sunscreen as well.
Price
You cannot buy this directly from the manufacturer but must do so in a store or via a third-party online reseller. On Amazon, you can buy a 10 oz jar for $5.44. A pack of 4 will cost you $23.97, representing a slight discount.
Guarantee & Feedback
On Amazon, no returns are available for this product. A proposition 65 warning has been issued for this product in California as it contains a harmful product known to the state of California to cause cancer. This is probably the liquid paraffin as discussed under Ingredients.
Our Conclusive Review About St Ives Renewing Collagen and Elastin Moisturizer
The consumer feedback is interesting because the consensus regarding ‘Renewing’ – which appears to be a new formulation in new packaging – is that it is distinctly not as good as the original formula. The original cream in its old packaging was rated as above-average by three-quarters of users, with this new formula being negatively rated.
While we like the inclusion of Safflower oil for its nutrient benefits, it does seem that this is one of the only active ingredients, if not the only. The cream is bulked up by emulsifiers, fillers and other non-active ingredients which may mean there is very little of actual benefit to your skin. To be effective, a moisturizer needs to contain 10% active ingredients. At very least, we would have expected to see Vitamin C or E included as both of these are clinically recommended and proven anti-oxidizing agents, which also encourage rejuvenation. These are not the only clinical ingredients missing. If you care about the health of your skin long-term, opt for a safer product that is denser in ingredients which hydrate, nourish and protect your skin.
