Works for:
based on ingredients and %- Anti-aging
- Moisturizing
- Evens skin tone
- Anti-blemish
Can it cause trouble?
- Irritation risk: low
- Comedogenic risk ingredients: 0
Key actives
Product Summary
Based on the ingredient list, "EltaMD - AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer" can work well for skin moisturization. This moisturizer uses a good combo of humectants and emollients. These both types of ingredients are essentials for improving the skin hydration and keeping the skin barrier healthy. Glycerin, piptadenia colubrina peel extract, sodium hyaluronate and butylene glycol in this product (humectants) attract water molecules to the upper layer of the skin (the water comes from the outside air or from the deeper layers of the skin if the air is dry). Emollients in this formulation (dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane and ethylhexyl isononanoate) help to reduce the moisture loss from the skin. They also soften the skin surface and relieve the feeling of dryness and tightness.
Ingredient callouts
- We particularly like that there is a good concentration of niacinamide (niacinamide 2.80% - 4.20%) in this moisturizer. Niacinamide is a well-studied multi-tasking active. It is a great ingredient to have in a moisturizer. It is stable, and can work well in almost any hydrating formulation. There is solid evidence that niacinamide can help support skin barrier, regulate oil production and reduce acne and clogged pores. It also helps to fight photodamage and help improve the skin tone, reducing pigmentation marks.
- In addition, this moisturizer contains Allantoin (0.40% - 1.00%). Allantoin is helpful in wound-healing and can help restore the skin barrier faster. It might also be able to improve scars, but the evidence is not very strong for this.
Irritation risk
There are actives in this product that can be irritating. We assess the overall irritancy of this moisturizer to be low. For a detailed overview of all potential irritants: click here
You can see the detailed formula review with the breakdown of all actives in the product and the full ingredient list with estimated concentrations in the tables below.
Price
The product retails from 35.10$ up to 39.00$ in the United States.
For a detailed price comparison: click here.
Anti-aging
What does the product description say?
Antioxidant that reduces free radicals to help diminish the visible signs of aging.
Source: Skinstore
This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because it contains niacinamide.
Keep in mind that it typically takes at least 6 weeks to notice any results because the changes that are needed to improve fine lines and elasticity happen in the deeper layers of the skin. No topical anti-aging product can “erase” wrinkles or fully reverse signs of aging.
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
Being a lipid soluble form of vitamin C, it is more stable and can penetrate the skin better than L-Ascorbic acid. It is effective in protecting the skin from free radicals, as well as evening the skin tone, but is less effective in stimulating collagen production compared to L-Ascorbic acid.
Evens skin tone
What does the product description say?
EltaMD AM Therapy moisturizes while it smoothes skin texture and evens skin color and tone.
Source: Bluemercury
This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following effective ingredients: niacinamide
Keep in mind that you would need to apply any topical skincare targetted at hypigmentation consistently for a couple of months to get a result. No topical skincare product can help get rid of hyperpigmentation (including post-acne marks and age spots) instantly.
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
Moisturizing
What does the product description say?
AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer
Source: From product name
This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.
The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from
within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job:
glycerin, piptadenia colubrina peel extract.
This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane.
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: niacinamide
A silicone that helps to reduce water loss from the surface of the skin. Can temporarily "fill in" lines and wrinkles, absorb oil, and create a nice product finish
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Attracts water into the upper layer of the skin
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
Helps attract water to the upper layer of the skin. Preliminary research has shown that the extract contains chemicals that might be able to support skin hydration in other ways, but the evidence is lacking
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
A silicone that helps improve the product texture and spreadability. Can absorb oil creating a short-term mattifying effect on the skin
Helps oil and water mix together, preserve cosmetic products, and attract water to the upper layer of the skin
Used to create a nice product texture and help delivery of other ingredients. Might be somewhat helpful in attracting water to the upper layer of the skin
Helps soften the upper layer of the skin and improve the product consistency
A type of silicone that helps to soften upper layer of the skin and create a nice product texture
Helps calm down inflammation in skin and can help reduce itching. Helps to repair the skin barrier and keep skin hydrated
Anti-blemish
This product might be able to help reduce blemishes and clogged pores because it contains niacinamide.
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
A plant extract that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. It contains a compound salicin that can theoretically be converted into salicylic acid that, in turn, helps reduce inflammation in skin, but the evidence of effectiveness in skin is lacking and the extract is usually not used in a concentration that would enable an exfoliating effect
Helps calm down inflammation in skin and can help reduce itching. Helps to repair the skin barrier and keep skin hydrated
How honest is this product?
| Promise | Can it deliver? |
|---|---|
| Anti-aging | |
| Moisturizing | |
| Evens skin tone |
Total Promises Fulfilled score: 100/100.
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Potential irritants
Comedogenic ingredients
No comedogenic ingredients detected
User reviews (1)
Averages from community submissions.
How well does it work for anti-aging?
How well does it work for evening out skin tone?
How well does it work for moisturization?
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| Product | Similarity | Price | Irritancy |
|---|---|---|---|
 EltaMD AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer | Current | $39.00 | |
Dr Sam's Flawless Moisturiser | 88% | $55.00 | |
 Maruderm Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer Face & Body Cream | 85% | - | |
 Aiken Prebiotic Hydra Plus Moisturiser | 83% | - | |
 Naturium Niacinamide Gel Cream 5% | 83% | $18.99 | |
 Paula's choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel Full size | 83% | $31.00 |
Key Actives
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
Helps calm down inflammation in skin and can help reduce itching. Helps to repair the skin barrier and keep skin hydrated
A silicone that helps improve the product texture and spreadability. Can absorb oil creating a short-term mattifying effect on the skin
A silicone that helps to reduce water loss from the surface of the skin. Can temporarily "fill in" lines and wrinkles, absorb oil, and create a nice product finish
Might be helpful in neutralizing free radicals. Can have a dehydration effect that might somewhat decrease the look of puffy eyes
Helps attract water to the upper layer of the skin. Preliminary research has shown that the extract contains chemicals that might be able to support skin hydration in other ways, but the evidence is lacking
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Attracts water into the upper layer of the skin
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
Potential irritants
A plant extract that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. It contains a compound salicin that can theoretically be converted into salicylic acid that, in turn, helps reduce inflammation in skin, but the evidence of effectiveness in skin is lacking and the extract is usually not used in a concentration that would enable an exfoliating effect
Helps attract water to the upper layer of the skin. Preliminary research has shown that the extract contains chemicals that might be able to support skin hydration in other ways, but the evidence is lacking
Might be helpful in neutralizing free radicals. Can have a dehydration effect that might somewhat decrease the look of puffy eyes
Being a lipid soluble form of vitamin C, it is more stable and can penetrate the skin better than L-Ascorbic acid. It is effective in protecting the skin from free radicals, as well as evening the skin tone, but is less effective in stimulating collagen production compared to L-Ascorbic acid.
Comedogenic ingredients
We couldn't find any comedogenic ingredients in this product
All ingredients
A silicone that helps improve the product texture and spreadability. Can absorb oil creating a short-term mattifying effect on the skin
Helps soften the upper layer of the skin and improve the product consistency
Is proven to be effective in reducing blemishes, evening out skin tone and helping to improve lines and wrinkles. It helps the skin to repair sun damage, calm down inflammation and keep maintain good levels of moisture. The concentration of about 2% is effective for supporting the skin barrier and evening out the skin tone. Concentration of 4-6% is better for helping with acne and balancing the sebum production
A type of silicone that helps to soften upper layer of the skin and create a nice product texture
A plant extract that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. It contains a compound salicin that can theoretically be converted into salicylic acid that, in turn, helps reduce inflammation in skin, but the evidence of effectiveness in skin is lacking and the extract is usually not used in a concentration that would enable an exfoliating effect
Helps attract water to the upper layer of the skin. Preliminary research has shown that the extract contains chemicals that might be able to support skin hydration in other ways, but the evidence is lacking
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Attracts water into the upper layer of the skin
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
A silicone that helps to reduce water loss from the surface of the skin. Can temporarily "fill in" lines and wrinkles, absorb oil, and create a nice product finish
Helps calm down inflammation in skin and can help reduce itching. Helps to repair the skin barrier and keep skin hydrated
Might be helpful in neutralizing free radicals. Can have a dehydration effect that might somewhat decrease the look of puffy eyes
Being a lipid soluble form of vitamin C, it is more stable and can penetrate the skin better than L-Ascorbic acid. It is effective in protecting the skin from free radicals, as well as evening the skin tone, but is less effective in stimulating collagen production compared to L-Ascorbic acid.
Used to stabilize mixtures of oil and water, and create thicker, gel-like product textures
Used to create a nice product texture and help delivery of other ingredients. Might be somewhat helpful in attracting water to the upper layer of the skin
A preservative. It helps prevent bacterial growth in cosmetic products
Helps oil and water mix together, preserve cosmetic products, and attract water to the upper layer of the skin
Ingredient list view
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl isononanoate, Niacinamide, Lauryl peg-9 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, Salix alba bark extract, Piptadenia colubrina peel extract, Sodium hyaluronate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Allantoin, Caffeine, Ascorbyl palmitate, Dimethicone/peg-10/15 crosspolymer, Sodium chloride, Butylene glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Capryloyl glycine, Undecylenoyl glycine, Disodium edta, Sodium hydroxide
- Amended Safety Assessment of Alkyl Esters as Used in Cosmetics
- Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology
- Gehring, W. (2004). Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(2), 88–93. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00115.x
- Efficacy and Safety of White Willow Bark (Salix alba) Extract
- An evaluation of the effect of a topical product containing salicin on the visible signs of human skin aging
- Expression of differential genes involved in the maintenance of water balance in human skin by Piptadenia colubrina extract
- Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging
- Hyaluronan (Hyaluronic Acid): a natural moisturizer for skin care
- Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions
- Dimethicone as a protective ingredient in topical medications
- Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Dimethicone Copolyol
- Profile of wound healing process induced by allantoin