Review: Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

08 July, 2014

Review: Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum

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Happy "I can't believe it's already July 8th", everybody! I hope all my fellow Americans enjoyed the holiday weekend.

Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum

Today I'll be reviewing Radical Skincare's Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum ($190 for 30ml/1oz), a skincare product that promises a big old heap of anti-aging benefits. Will it live up to the hype? Only one way to find out ....


Official product description:
ONE SERUM for all skintypes, all ages, all ethnic origins to fight 16 identified causes of aging. The triple potency action of Trylacel™ technology in a complete, universal and multi tasking serum designed to achieve fast and visible results. 13 active ingredients chosen for their efficacy ,their ability to work in synergy, their clinical results to reduce the deepest wrinkles, even skin-tone, improve skin elasticity and firmness. Feel and see Radical results : increased hydration and comfort, less wrinkles, and reduced wrinkle depth, improved skin firmness and density, more even complexion, better protection due to broad spectrum antioxidants.


I'll be honest: I was a bit like "whuuuuuuutttt" when I read that. Lots of fancy words there, but the extremely short version is that this an anti-aging serum meant to improve skin firmness and complexion as well as skin tone. OK, sounds good.


Full ingredients:
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Leaf/ Seed Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Ceteareth-20, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Quercetin, Leuconostoc/ Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tripeptide-10 Citrulline, Tripeptide-1, Phenoxyethanol, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Ethoxydiglycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Pca, Urea, Triethanolamine, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Soluble Collagen, Carbomer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Wheat Extract, Fragrance, Squalane, Hydrolyzed Soy Extract, Tetrasodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Lecithin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Ascorbic Acid, Sorbitan Isostearate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropionate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool.

I put the ingredients list through Cosdna and it flagged a few ingredients as minor to moderate acne triggers or irritants, but personally I have not experienced any increase in acne breakouts or irritation since I started using the product (over a month ago now). I realize that's purely anecdotal, but I figured I'd offer my two cents.


Key ingredients (from Sephora.com):


  • Tripeptides: Help improve skin condition, giving it a smoother appearance through the support of natural collagen.
  • Green Tea: Possesses anti-redness and anticarcinogenic potential.
  • Resveratrol: Fights free radicals that cause oxidative stress damage to the skin.
  • Sodium Hyaluronate: Moisturizes, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, and protects skin.


Since I've only been using this product for about five weeks it's hard for me to comment on whether or not it has any long-term effects in terms of oxidative damage or collagen production, but the serum definitely has a skin plumping and smoothing effect in the short term.


Here's what the package looks like out of the box. It's extremely metallic, and therefore difficult to photograph. That doesn't say anything about the contents of course, but look, oooh, shiny.

Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum

This serum has one of those ultra-futuristic twist-up, pop-out pump. I like this type of dispenser a lot because it keeps air from getting in the pump and causing clumps near the opening.

Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum

And finally, the serum itself:

Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum

Sort of a light, nondescript beige color. Sorry if you were hoping for rainbows and unicorns instead.

The texture of this serum is light and almost lotion-like, with a subtle fresh scent. For the people reading who are really into Korean skincare systems, I would probably recommend using this in place of an emulsion or just before an emulsion if you have very dry skin. The serum does not feel heavy on the skin and plays well under makeup—I've mainly been using this as part of my daytime routine, actually.


Overall impressions:
I'll admit that I was a bit put off at first by the lofty claims made by Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum, but I honestly don't have anything bad whatsoever to say about it. As I said before, it's difficult to analyze this in terms of long-term benefits without the aid of a laboratory and several more months, but this has been great as an extra layer of light moisture in my routine. My skin feels hydrated (but not greasy) and looks smooth and radiant.

My only complaint about this product is the price—I think $190 for 1oz of product is steep, and I doubt many people would argue with me about that. If I lived in a world where money was no object, would I consider buying more when I run out of my current supply? Yes, definitely. But unfortunately many of us (including myself) do live on a budget, so I'll have to work on growing those money trees in the meantime.


Where to buy:
You can purchase Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum at the Radical Skincare website or on Sephora.com.


What do you think of Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum? What's the most expensive skincare item in your collection?


Disclosure: The product featured in this post was provided to me for review purposes, however any opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.
 

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like a nice serum but I totally agree about the price.

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  2. That's a problem I often seem to run into with skincare - I find products I love but some of them are too expensive to buy on a regular basis!

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  3. Sounds good but daaamn that price. I have the Lancome Dreamtone serum which I love and was $100. I thought that was too much.

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  4. That is a crazy price! I think the most expensive skin care product that I actually purchased and not sampled is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. This sounds like a good serum, though.

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  5. I'll agree that a mere (hah) $100 is also expensive! I've tried a few serums I love in the $100+ price range, but I just can't afford that sort of thing regularly.

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  6. Yeah I've yet to try a product that actually had a "OMG YOUNG AGAIN!" effect. I think the product description oversells it a bit, but it is good hydrating serum.

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  7. I really want to try Advanced Night Repair! But I haven't yet because it is a bit expensive. I guess it's a bargain compared to this one though, haha!

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  8. Yikes, that is way too rich for my blood. At that price, it'd better walk my dogs and bring my groceries in for me. e_e;

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  9. I don't know ... I'd probably expect it to cook me dinner on top of that!

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