Pammy Blogs Beauty: The Newest Thing in Skincare: Alguronic Acid (Algenist Skincare: Complete Eye Renewal Balm review)





Friday, April 27, 2012

The Newest Thing in Skincare: Alguronic Acid (Algenist Skincare: Complete Eye Renewal Balm review)

It is so exciting for me to try out new skincare products. I always have high hopes that each new product that I try will be the "one" that I have been searching for. Many skincare lines have big claims for anti-aging. In the vast sea of skincare products on the market, it can be hard to decide upon what works for you! One of the main reasons that I started blogging was to chronicle my skincare testing online. It takes me awhile to test out skincare products. So, I am always excited when it is time to actually sit down and write my review. 

When I first heard about Algenist Skincare, I got very excited! This brand has something new. Yes, an exciting new product ingredient: Alguronic Acid. 

So, what is Alguronic Acid and what does it do?
The story of the discovery of Alguronic Acid is a good one! Sometimes the best discoveries are the accidental ones!


A team of biotechnology scientists in San Francisco, California, focused on developing microalgae-based renewable energy solutions, unexpectedly discovered Alguronic Acid, a powerful compound responsible for regenerating and protecting the microalgae cell. When scientifically tested, Alguronic Acid demonstrated significant anti-aging properties, increasing elastin synthesis by up to 32%* and cellular regeneration by up to 55%*.

Algenist Skincare is the first line to introduce Alguronic Acid in the skincare market! I have a feeling that they have started a big thing here with this ingredient! The results are scientifically tested and promise good results. Exciting!!!

I am embarking upon reviews for two items from this line: The Complete Eye Renewal Balm (today's review) and the Regenerative Anti-Aging Moisturizer with SPF 20 (review coming soon!). Want to hear more, please keep reading after the page break!

My Eye Area:
Alas, none of us are getting any younger, right?!?! Me included! I am in my "late" 30s and am trying to fight aging with my skincare product choices (no botox here baby!). I am lucky so far. Previous use of good eye creams and daily SPFs has really kept signs of aging at bay for me. So, for now, no wrinkles no sagging...occasionally I have a few fine lines crop up in the eye area when my skin gets dehydrated. But, that's about it as far as "signs of aging". 

With that said, I do consider my eye area to be my "problem area" of my face. I am absolutely plagued with dark under eye circles. They arise because of a triumvirate of problems: hereditary dark circles, dark circles secondary to allergies, and dark circles secondary to lack of good sleep. I know that there is not much that I can do about hereditary causes. But, I can focus on trying to control my allergies and get good rest. Good rest evades me as I have a 4-month old baby at home. So, with all that said, I turn to good eye creams to tackle my eye circles. 

Previous experience has taught me that while many eye creams claim to help with dark circles, few actually live up to that. Now, it might just be that my dark circles are just that...*super* dark. Possibly those of you with less of an issue here might see better results from your average eye cream? I mean, mine are super-bad, especially with a new baby that wakes me up at night! In my opinion, any eye cream that even helps a little bit in this regard is a good product!

Besides that dark under eye circles and the occasional fine line, my only other eye "issues" are sensitivity and puffiness. The puffiness waxes and wanes with allergies, sleep, and diet (oh my how salty food makes my eyes puff up!). The sensitivity is totally dependant upon my product choices. My eyes are very prone to tearing (is this a blue eye thing?) and redness and are very sensitive to light. The skin in my area is so sensitive too. There are so many eye creams that I can't use as they are just "too strong" for my sensitive eye skin.
Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm:
With all the eye creams that I have tested, I can't believe that I have never tested a product in "balm" form before! That is exactly what this product is: a creamy textured eye balm. It is balmy, but it still has "slip". It is just smooth and moisturizing to the touch and has a feeling of "gliding" across your skin when you put it on. 

This eye balm is lightweight, yet still moisturizing. It contains the newly found Alguronic Acid to diminish signs of aging and fatigue, decreasing the appearance of puffiness and dark circles while tightening and firming the skin around the eyes.

Let's Break it Down: What are the active ingredients?
  • Alguronic Acid: Increases cell regeneration and elastin synthesis.
  • Vitamin C: Boosts radiance and reduces wrinkles. 
  • Caffeine: Reduces puffiness around the eyes. 
  • Cucumber Extract: Smoothes, hydrates, and nourishes the skin.
This eye balm is both lightweight and concentrated! I just swipe my finger in a circle in the jar to pull up a small amount of product to apply. It takes just the tiniest amount. So, this .5 oz jar should last a long time! 
There is no greasy residue with this product. It absorbs quickly and leaves your skin feeling soft and dewy. I find that this is a great base for the pretty heavy-duty under eye concealer that I wear. I do not feel the need to use an additional eye serum over this eye cream (I often top eye cream with serums so that concealer will apply better).

How I use: 
I apply to freshly cleansed skin in the mornings and before bed. I gently apply the eye balm under and over the eyes. 
My Results:
I love how gentle this eye balm is! I experienced absolutely no eye nor skin irritation with this product! 

While this eye balm is light, it still hydrates very effectively. My skin around my eyes looks and feels supple and moisturized. My fine lines are barely noticeable or non-existent.

After a few weeks of use, I was amazed to see how much my under eye circles had diminished. Actually, the surface skin in the eye area almost looks "whitened". There is no question that this has a brightening effect. I am quite pleased! No, this product did not get rid of my dark circles. I honestly do not expect any product to do that. But, it has made a "dent" in them. The results were certainly more than I hoped for!

Also, I find that this eye balm works extremely well with puffiness. Honestly, I didn't even realize how puffy my eye area was on a day-to-day basis until I used this eye balm. The decrease in puffiness leaves me looking much more rested.
The Skinny:
  • $65.00 for a .5 oz jar.
  • Available at Sephora.
I am so happy with my results from this eye cream! I am sure that this is just the beginning. Long-term use should really bring about more anti-aging results as more elastin synthesis and cellular regeneration takes place. As a product tester, I know that I will be testing out more eye creams in the future. But, my plan is to return to using this eye balm by Algenist in between other reviews!

Who else out there battles dark circles and has sensitive eyes and skin? I would love to hear about what products you like to use!



2 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh wow, the eye cream looks fantastic! I have genetic dark circles, so am obsessed with concealers and eye creams. Unfortunately, I have resigned myself to the fact that genetics and pale skin make it unlikely I'll ever get rid of mine, but a girl can always hope right?!

Lipsticked Louise

Xxx

Unknown said...

@Emma Cooke-I am obsessed with concealers and eye creams too. Alas, genetic dark circles...the bane of my existence. It is always great when a product makes a dent in those circles. I need all the help I can get!



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