Based on the ingredients included, "Maya Chia - The Advanced Eye Response Complex Retinol Cream" works well for moisturizing the skin. 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. Humectants in this product (alanine, anhydroxylitol, arginine, aspartic acid and glycerin) help to increase the water content in the upper layer of the skin. (These ingredients do so by "capturing" water molecules from the outside air or from within the deeper layers of the skin). Carthamus tinctorius seed oil, cocos nucifera fruit extract, salvia hispanica seed oil, arginine and butyrospermum parkii butter in this product help decrease the water evoporation from the skin, so that it stays hydrated for longer. These ingredients also soften the skin and take away the feeling of tightness and dryness.
Ingredient callouts
this moisturizer contains an effective form of Retinoids (vitamin A): retinol 0.15% - 0.65%. Retinoids are potent multitasking actives. They work to improve and prevent early signs of aging, reduce hyperpigmentation (age spots and post-acne marks), and prevent inflamed blemishes and clogged pores. The downside of Retinoids is that they can be irritating. If you are not already using a Retinoid in your routine, it is best to start slowly and apply the Retinoid product only a few times per week. If your skin tolerates it well, you can gradually increase the frequency to daily. Because of the irritation risk of Retinoids, we recommend to have another, retinoid-free moisturizer in your routine to use on the alternate days or when your skin feels dry.
This moisturizer also contains Peptides (tripeptide-29 0.15% - 0.65% and hexapeptide-11 0.15% - 0.65%). Peptides are a very big group of ingredients. They all consist of a different combination of aminoacids. Our skin produces Peptides naturally. Some of them work as natural antibiotics, promote wound-healing and production of collagen. The scientists are still studying how effective the topical application of Peptides is, but it is very likely that they are helpful. Peptides might be able to support skin barrier restoration and even have an anti-aging benefit. At the very least, they certainly help attract water to the skin and support the hydration in this way.
Actives derived from an extract of the Centella Asiatica plant (also known as Gotu Kola) - asiatic acid 0.15% - 0.60%, madecassic acid 0.15% - 0.60% and asiaticoside 0.15% - 0.55% The Centella Asiatica Actives help strengthen and restore the skin barrier, decrease inflammation in skin and neutralize free radicals. They also can help to reduce scarring. The good news is that these actives work even in low concentrations.
This product contains ingredients that could be beneficial, but their concentrations are too low in this formulation: vitamin e, lecithin, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and caprylic/capric triglyceride
Irritation risk
This formulation includes some common irritants, including ingredients that do not provide a benefit for the skin. We assess the overall irritancy of this moisturizer to be medium. 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 for 86.00$ in the United States.
This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because
it
contains
retinol.
These ingredients in the product can also be helpful, even though there is less evidence for their
effectiveness:
asiaticoside, aspartic acid, hexapeptide-11, serine, threonine, tripeptide-29.
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.
Two steps removed from the active form of vitamin A - retinoic acid. Once converted to the retinoic acid in the skin, retinol is proven to be effective against all signs of aging. It improves skin cell turnover, helps fight blemishes and clogged pores, can regulate excess oil production and even skin tone. It can, however, be quite irritating
An active compound of Centella Asiatica plant extract. In combination with other active compounds of Centella Asiatica extract (madecasosside, asiatic
acid and madecassic acid), asiaticoside has been shown to be helpful in wound-healing, restoring skin barrier function and supporting collagen production in skin. It can, however, itself be irritating
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Evens skin tone
This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following
effective ingredients:
retinol.
The following ingredient (ingredients) in this product might be helpful, but there is no evidence to confirm that it actually can help even out the skin tone: alanine.
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.
Two steps removed from the active form of vitamin A - retinoic acid. Once converted to the retinoic acid in the skin, retinol is proven to be effective against all signs of aging. It improves skin cell turnover, helps fight blemishes and clogged pores, can regulate excess oil production and even skin tone. It can, however, be quite irritating
Being a lipid soluble form of vitamin C, it is more stable than ascorbic acid, but still degrades quickly and needs to be stabilized in a formulation with another ingredient. It is claimed to penetrate skin better than pure vitamin C and have the the similar benefits, but solid studies of its effectiveness are lacking. Is likely to require a higher concentration in a product than pure vitamin C to be effective. It might be able to help reduce pore clogging.
Exfoliation
This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover.
Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier.
The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: retinol.
Two steps removed from the active form of vitamin A - retinoic acid. Once converted to the retinoic acid in the skin, retinol is proven to be effective against all signs of aging. It improves skin cell turnover, helps fight blemishes and clogged pores, can regulate excess oil production and even skin tone. It can, however, be quite irritating
Moisturizing
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:
alanine, anhydroxylitol.
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:
arginine, butyrospermum parkii butter.
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with
the hydration level: hexapeptide-11, tripeptide-29
A great moisturising ingredient that softens the skin and reduces water loss from its upper layer. It also can be helpful in protecting skin from free radicals
An emollient that helps soften the skin and might help calm down inflammation
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Anti-oxidation
This product contains antioxidants (asiaticoside, retinol, ubiquinone) that can help neutralize
free radicals in skin. By doing so, they can lessen the damage the skin gets from the UV light (sun).
Two steps removed from the active form of vitamin A - retinoic acid. Once converted to the retinoic acid in the skin, retinol is proven to be effective against all signs of aging. It improves skin cell turnover, helps fight blemishes and clogged pores, can regulate excess oil production and even skin tone. It can, however, be quite irritating
Coenzyme Q10. It helps neutralize free radicals in skin, improves skin hydration and might be helpful agains fine lines and wrinkles. It can be an allergen
An active compound of Centella Asiatica plant extract. In combination with other active compounds of Centella Asiatica extract (madecasosside, asiatic
acid and madecassic acid), asiaticoside has been shown to be helpful in wound-healing, restoring skin barrier function and supporting collagen production in skin. It can, however, itself be irritating
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Honesty check
How honest is this product?
Promise
Can it deliver?
Anti-aging
Total Promises Fulfilled score:
100/100.
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Works for:
Moisturizing,
Anti-aging,
Anti-oxidation
A great moisturising ingredient that softens the skin and reduces water loss from its upper layer. It also can be helpful in protecting skin from free radicals
Works for:
Mattifying,
Anti-blemish,
Evens skin tone,
Anti-aging,
Anti-oxidation,
Exfoliation
Two steps removed from the active form of vitamin A - retinoic acid. Once converted to the retinoic acid in the skin, retinol is proven to be effective against all signs of aging. It improves skin cell turnover, helps fight blemishes and clogged pores, can regulate excess oil production and even skin tone. It can, however, be quite irritating
Works for:
Moisturizing,
Anti-oxidation,
Reduces irritation,
Anti-aging
An active compound of Centella Asiatica plant extract. In combination with other active compounds of Centella Asiatica extract (madecasosside, asiatic
acid and madecassic acid), asiaticoside has been shown to be helpful in wound-healing, restoring skin barrier function and supporting collagen production in skin. It can, however, itself be irritating
Works for:
Moisturizing,
Anti-aging,
Anti-oxidation
A great moisturising ingredient that softens the skin and reduces water loss from its upper layer. It also can be helpful in protecting skin from free radicals
Traditionally used to treat sunburns, dermatitis and inflammation, but evidence for its effectiveness is lacking. The extract can contain humectants that help attract water into the skin
Works for:
Moisturizing,
Anti-aging,
Anti-oxidation
A great moisturising ingredient that softens the skin and reduces water loss from its upper layer. It also can be helpful in protecting skin from free radicals
