- This is the only anti-aging and moisturizing cream
that works according to scientists
and has a scientific consensus behind it.
I've been doing a lot of research on the beauty industry,
including finishing this great science book about your skin,
The Remarkable Life of the Skin,
and I've realized there's a lot of misinformation
out there about products.
So we're gonna sit down with my partner Mitch
because he didn't really know or use skin creams,
to see if he can actually pick and choose
which ones are more effective and teach you
how to actually read the ingredients lists
of these beauty products to understand
from a scientific perspective which ones work.
So starting in your early 20s,
you lose roughly one percent of your collagen per year.
- Okay, so then like a lot of it's gone.
- Yeah, we're in our 30s.
Collagen is the protein that gives your skin strength
and plumpness and things that in our society
we deem as good as.
As this collagen disappears, that's when you get wrinkles.
- I'm not that aware of wrinkles but I feel like
after this video, that's all I'm gonna think about.
- I have one here and I have two here.
Like I sleep on my face like this,
like literally like this.
- Every morning you wake up next to me,
it's literally like, you know when someone's so dehydrated,
like somehow in the night you become
the most dehydrated person on the planet.
And you wake up with like lines everywhere like,
(Mitch whooshes) huh?
And I'm always like well now you have wrinkles.
(Mitch laughs)
- Literally trying to make a beauty video
about being snatched and you're calling out
my most vulnerable part of the day.
In order to understand skin cream,
you must first understand the largest organ
in your body: your skin.
The hypodermis holds the sweat glands,
fat cells, and the base of hair follicles.
Next we have the dermis which contains collagen fibers
of which we will be talking a lot about today,
and the sebaceous gland which secretes natural oils.
Next we have the epidermis which starts
with the stratum basale right on top of the dermis,
consisting of stem cells that continuously divide,
creating your skin cells known as keratinocytes.
Next is the stratum spinosum
where the keratinocytes link up,
then it is the stratum granulosum
where the keratinocytes flatten,
lose their fats and nucleus, then reach the outermost layer
of the skin, the stratum corneum
which is now, the effectively dead cells
at the outermost layer of your skin.
The epidermis is so thin, only one millimeter,
but it is your main barrier to the outside world.
And a lot of the BS from skincare products
is because this layer is actually so effective
at keeping the active ingredients
in creams out of your body.
So I'm gonna bring out two creams at a time.
You are gonna try and decipher which one
you think is better.
- I'm just trying to figure out which ones are, like,
more BS versus which one has like maybe more legitimacy
to the claims/ingredients that would actually help my skin.
- Yes, exactly.
- My skin okay.
My BS detector is on.
- So your first two creams are right here.
We have the London and Grant Collagen Moisturizer.
Oh my god I've always wanted to do the beauty thing.
What do they do?
The London Grant.
Or the Bluelene Revolutionary Anti-Aging Cream
with Methylene Blue.
- Okay?
Okay.
Ooh, probably a sign that it's worse for you,
and I've never heard of Methylene Blue.
Oryza sativa?
It's like, isn't that a strain of marijuana?
Rice bran oil.
My honest evaluation if I was to see these both
and guess which is either more legit
or better for you, would be this one.
(bell rings) - Ding, ding,
ding, ding, ding! - Is it really, yeah?
- If you ever find a cream that has collagen in it,
or a face mask with collagen in it,
that you're topically applying to your skin,
it's 100% BS. (gasps)
Collagen... - Isn't that what
everything says? - A lot of things.
It's crazy it's actually, look at this one.
Gold collagen, so there's literally flakes of gold in this,
24 Karat Eye Cream, this is called, with collagen.
There's a lot of things that claim collagen
will help with wrinkles, but the molecule itself
is too large to actually go through your epidermis,
what we were talking about earlier the keratinocytes,
it does not get through.
So anything with collagen, do not ever buy.
When you read the ingredients of this Methylene Blue one,
it has glycerin pretty high up.
Glycerin is a really important molecule
for moisturizing your face.
It actually keeps the fluids in and on your face.
So, if you are looking for a moisturizer
and you want a cheap one, for example,
look at the ingredients list.
If glycerin is high up, that will be
a pretty good moisturizer.
This has glycerin at ingredient number three.
This has glycerin at ingredient number, like, six.
Not only is it BS with the collagen,
it's not even that moisturizing.
It's a much worse cream.
Bye London and Grant.
- Oh. - We broke our floor.
(laughs)
It's claiming anti-aging in its actual packaging,
from Methylene Blue.
There's no scientific claims behind Methylene Blue
helping with anti aging at all.
That's purely a tactic to get you to buy this.
Also not only that, but moisturizer in and of itself
is not anti-aging.
There is no scientific claims behind moisturizer
helping with any anti-aging when it comes to wrinkles
or photo aging of your skin.
So next you have the Bluelene versus
this Pure Vitamin C La Roche Posay.
- Okay I thought it said La Croix,
and I was like they have a face cream?
- So this one retails at 59 Canadian dollars.
This more expensive. This is a fancy, fancy thing.
- In big writing, anti-wrinkle concentrate,
renovating antioxidant.
Okay, so- - Renovating?
- We're going in, we're renovating the face.
(grunts)
- [Greg] Ew.
- Looks like jizz.
(grumbling)
- Ew. - So it-
- Ooh. - It truly smells
like foundation to me.
Like a liquid foundation.
- Oh, I love the smell.
- There's something about this first one
that I just like really liked.
And do we know like vitamin C,
is that the vitamin we want in our skin?
This is what these companies need to do.
It should be regulated.
They need to say what that is doing.
I honestly think I'm gonna stick with the Bluelene
just 'cause I liked it more, and I feel like these claims
and these terms are not as clear to me
and it just seems like they're saying things
that would convince someone that doesn't know.
- Okay, you're right.
(Mitch cheers)
This is still the superior cream.
Good job.
- Hashtag not sponsored, though.
- So antioxidants are something that are claimed
on a lot of products that people are buying.
There is not a scientific consensus
that antioxidants will help with anti-aging.
- Topically. - Topically applying.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and what is important to know
is that as you read in here, the second ingredient,
bran oil, also has two types of vitamin E in it,
which are antioxidants.
So this is claiming, mostly, only that it has vitamin C,
which is an antioxidant.
This cream has more moisturizing properties,
and actually a second ingredient
is a vitamin E antioxidant.
- So it's already got one that's claiming without even-
- Exactly, without having to write it all over.
- It's being subtle. - Yeah.
- It's like I'm not gonna brag.
- It's kind of funny because they're advertising
this Methylene Blue thing, which is actually
the BS part of this.
So now I want to get into the idea of claims
and language on this packaging.
You're allowed to say a lot more misleading things
on skin creams than you are on safe food.
It's just it's just a less regulated industry.
So here it says dermatologist tested for safety.
Okay, so first of all, everything is tested for safety.
Like that's a weird thing that they're claiming.
But if something says dermatologically tested,
that just means a dermatologist had to test it.
It doesn't mean that the results were saying
that it was doing anything.
It doesn't actually mean that, like,
it's essentially a good cream.
That's a really interesting sentence
you can put on packaging, and it's meaningless.
- I hate that. - I know, it's crazy.
And clinically proven, there's no regulation
on what that clinical study could be.
Technically, you could make a cream,
you could go to any clinic, you could test it on one person,
your best friend, and then you could write
clinically proven. - What?
- Yes, there's no regulating body to say
if something is clinically proven or not.
They're not technically lying. - Sneaky.
- And even here, it says a renowned antioxidant,
which we now know (grumbles)
with something called Neurosensine.
And then when you look it up,
it's a chemical that this company has created.
And there's not really any clear information
on what exactly it is.
And there's definitely no clear scientific information
that it does anything. (chuckles)
Active ingredient is another important one.
Active ingredient, again, it sounds really great
to your ears, but that could only be in vitro,
that could be in a Petri dish, that could be on rats.
It doesn't have to ever be on humans.
Active ingredient, dermatologically tested,
clinically proven, all of these things
are essentially debunked.
Don't allow those words to trick you.
And again, we're gonna be learning how to
read the ingredients list to get the best moisturizer
and anti-aging cream for you.
So number three you have the Protect and Perfect Intense.
- Number three is No7.
- No7, yes, that is the brand, I guess?
- Okay. Actually, I kind of like this branding.
They're kind of similar.
They're sort of simple, single tone.
Now that it's out, it's like, this feels pretty cheap.
So water is not even the first one.
- What's the first? - Dimethicone.
- Okay, so dimethicone is essentially silicone.
It's an additive to make the cream cream.
Yeah. - It just makes it like thick?
- Yeah, it doesn't do anything good or bad.
- Aqua.
I kinda like that they said aqua
instead of water. - Yeah, I know.
- Glycerin, okay.
- Phenoxyethanol is in tons of creams.
It is a preservative.
A lot of these things are preservatives and additives.
- So it doesn't rot. - Exactly.
Preservatives so that it doesn't rot
and doesn't get bacteria on it.
So there's some pretty important ingredients-
- Ooh! - In there.
- That's what moisturizer does to my hands.
(speaks gibberish)
Morus alba leaf extract.
- So a lot of plant additives like aloe,
honey, for example, those are natural humectants,
so those are the types of ingredients
that will moisturize your skin.
- I see ethylparaben and I know that some creams
and things say, like, they're paraben free.
So I don't know if that's a negative against this.
One ingredient is retinyl palmitate.
- Oh. - And I only know this because
I've kind of heard you alluding to retinol,
I don't know if it's the same as retinol,
as an ingredient that is good.
I'm gonna try it.
Just a little squeeze- - This one's only $30.
- Ooh! Oh, it's really coming out.
Not much of a smell.
- They all look like semen.
- Again, this one's kind of, like, gluey.
I actually still prefer this one
because I like this kind of substance more.
Like it feels more like a real cream
and it doesn't have too much of a scent.
But I'm gonna go with No7.
- So you chose No7 over Bluelene?
- Yes.
- Correct. (Mitch cheers)
You're doing so good.
Interesting thing about this is that
the last two ingredients, are palmitoyl polypeptides.
So these are fatty chain acids attached to proteins,
and studies are now showing that they can actually
go past your epidermis to your dermis
and stimulate collagen creation.
So those are like an interesting new
sort of, like, cutting edge science.
- Cool. - Not enough to really
claim that much, but interesting that it's in this.
This also has moisturizing properties,
and it has retinyl palmitate, which has been proven
to increase collagen, but it does thin your skin.
It should only be applied at night.
And it's not actually saying here
how much of that ingredient is in there,
which is kind of interesting
and will lead to our final cream.
So against our No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced,
we have this SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3% pure retinol.
Which is interesting 'cause you were saying
you don't know how much retinol is in here,
but you do in this one.
- Because I know you have this now.
- Yes, I do after my research, yeah.
- I know you are interested in this.
- It seems more simplified.
It's not trying to claim so many different things,
so far as I can see.
Refining Night Cream, retinol.
And it's just like a very specific number.
Maybe it's not claiming like, oh, to have this vitamin,
this vitamin, but it's like,
here's a product that does a single thing.
And I think that's really interesting.
- Retinol and retinoic acid
is what we're going to talk about right now
because it is the only face cream
for anti-aging that there is a scientific consensus about.
This is retinol 0.3%.
This is something that you can buy over the counter,
you don't need a prescription for.
Retinoic acid is something you need a prescription for.
So these are all derivatives of vitamin A.
And this has all been proven to go through your epidermis,
which we talked about earlier,
to your dermis and stimulate collagen growth.
It also creates new blood vessels,
it creates angiogenesis in your face.
- Whoa. - So it's actually
quite intense, and it's interesting because
it's like obviously the one that affects your face intensely
from a biological perspective
is the one that's actually doing something.
If you want to...
Retinol you can buy right now.
You could buy this product, it's quite expensive,
and I think they're starting to realize they can
charge a lot for this 'cause it does technically work.
So if you're in your 20s and you're already starting
to lose your collagen, you could just buy this retinol 0.3%
and start there.
But if you wanna work your way up to a stronger,
more intense concentration,
you do need a dermatologist, and that's because
it does irritate your skin.
It can create redness, and retinoic acid in and of itself
is toxic when you consume it by mouth to rats.
And therefore they have actually like fallen under
regulating bodies as dangerous.
That's another reason why you need to go to a dermatologist.
- Thinking that it's gonna irritate my skin
and make it red, make me sensitive to the sun
and all these things- - Yeah, apply this,
you have to apply this at night.
Don't apply during the day because you are
more likely to get sunburned.
- It makes me a little afraid.
- Well, you kind of should be.
So one thing that's important,
and they make it clear on the packaging,
and based on the scientific evidence of this,
you need to start low.
You want to start it at 0.1%, start once a week,
work your way up to two times a week,
work your way up-
- Well why do you have that one?
- I don't know. I thought I could handle it. (laughs)
I apply it at night with a moisturizer.
That's something that they say is worth doing
because it does dry out your skin.
And also light, literal light, can deactivate the retinol.
Like it's a very sensitive molecule.
And it does make your skin feel weird,
and it does make my red ass skin turn more red.
- I'm freaked out by that. - Yeah.
- I have to be totally honest. - No, that's totally fair
to be freaked out by it.
It means you don't care, also,
that much about this anti-aging concept.
- Or I'm just anxiety ridden and scared to, like,
do something that could potentially not be, like,
just 100% safe.
- Yeah, okay, but I mean, it's the only one that works.
- Okay, wow.
Well okay, toss them all out.
Well, I will say, and this is no shade to anyone,
I just want to put it out there, that also there's nothing
wrong with wrinkles.
There's nothing wrong with not wanting them,
there's nothing wrong with having them.
I don't believe that there's any medical reason
that wrinkles are bad. - No, they're not.
They're actually quite beautiful
and indications of a wise life.
Yeah, wrinkles are maybe more of like a sign
of the inevitability of death.
(Mitch chuckles)
- And in this industry, it's necessary, okay?
I just like start pouring all over.
- I know, not my (mumbles).
In summary, don't fall for products that claim that
collagen is going to do anything
to increase collagen in your skin.
It won't even get absorbed.
Don't fall for sentences such as
dermatologically tested, clinically proven
or active ingredients.
Make sure that there's humectants high
on the ingredient list, such as glycerin,
is a very obvious one, or natural ones like aloe and honey.
If the ingredients have antioxidants,
palmitoyl polypeptides, and retinol in them,
you're checking all the boxes for any scientific
sort of understanding for anti-aging,
but retinol, is the only ingredient
that is scientifically proven to be absorbed
and to stimulate collagen within your skin
when applied topically.
That is our video, but I just want to say one more
really important cream, and that is sunscreen.
Because UVA radiation is actually
what breaks down the collagen, so staying out of the sun
is like the best technique. - Preventative.
- It's preventative.
Also, really good for your skin,
not drinking, not smoking, sleeping a lot,
and drinking lots of water and eating healthy.
I am now sounding like your mom.
- Thank you guys for watching.
We hope that the beauty industry is quacking, ready for-
- Yeah. James Charles, lookout, sister.
- Snatched skin. - Hey sisters,
welcome back to my YouTube channel. (laughs)
- If in future videos, you notice that
we're looking really flawless, let us know.
Otherwise, we'll see you guys next time.
Bye.