Skincare Ingredients Week Day Four - C. O. Bigelow Acai Repair Night Cream

Anti-oxidants have a big part in Skincare Ingredients Theme Week, my skin is young enough that I want to protect it from future signs of aging and I prefer to avoid having to go to the plastic surgeon for as long as possible.  Therefore, anti-oxidants and their role in protecting my skin are of huge interest to me and I will always try a new product that has anti-oxidant active ingredients and promises to help protect my skin from the environment.  Today we are going to look at another fruit anti-oxidant ingredient, acai berry.  Acai berry is very similar to pomegranate in its ability to protect and help the skin.

Acai berry targets the protection of both collagen and elastin, other anti-oxidant ingredients tend to target only one of these essential skin proteins.  The acai berry produces extract that contains more anti-oxidant power than most fruit, including the blueberry.  This ingredient is mostly used to protect skin, it helps to neutralize free radicals by binding to them before they bind to the skin and begin the breakdown of the essential proteins in the epidermis.  Acai can help to reduce the visible signs of again however this is not where it excels, I would recommend products spiked with this active ingredient mostly for younger skin that is free of signs of aging.  Given the power of the acai berry, I do not understand why it is not used in as many skincare products as pomegranate or Vitamin C.  I wonder how hard this product is to find or if it is more difficult to stabilize and add into a formula.

I have only seen this ingredients used alone in one product, the C.O. Bigelow Acai Repair Night Cream.  This product is getting harder and harder to find, it used to be carried in all Bath and Body Works and now it can only be ordered from the C.O. Bigelow website.  This is a shame since I love this night cream and I have used it for about a year now, I have alternated it with other products but i have come back to it time after time, I really wish it was much easier to find than it currently is.

"Rebalance and nourish sleepy skin with this dream cream formula. this cream is made with two exclusive complexes packed with powerful levels of super-antioxidants, multi-vitamans and multi-minerals. Formulated to mend signs of past damage and replace lost nutrients while moisturizing skin all night while you sleep.  Healthy Skin Complex 1.3%; Skin-Renewal Complex 10.3 %; Acai Berry Extract 2%."

"Healthy Skin Complex: This complex is packed and super-boosted with vitamins, minerals (zinc, copper, iron, magnesium) and antioxidant-rich berries that deliver essential nutrients to the skin to keep it looking healthy, strong, and youthful.  Skin-Renewal Complex: Formulated to combat visible signs of aging and skin dehydration. It contains a unique blend of vital elements for skin to look its best. Reparative ingredients along with moisture-replenishing and retaining lipids give skin a renewing boost to prevent depletion of skin's natural moisture."

I have used this face cream at night and during the day, I actually preferred to use it during the day instead of at night.  During the testing phase for this Theme Week, I alternated this product with the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Cream.  Originally, I used this product at night and the other one during the day but found that the opposite use of these two products gave me the best results.  This product is a thicker so I would only recommend day use of this product if you skin is dry, otherwise this texture will be too much for you to layer on primer and foundation.  The acai berry in this product will be best used during the day in order for skin to fight the free radicals in the air while helping to treat some of the visible signs of aging.  As I stated earlier, this cream is on the thicker side so I could only recommend it for people with normal to dry skin, I wish that this company offered the acai berry ingredient in a lighter lotion too as it is a great ingredient.

This is one of the strongest anti-oxidant ingredients on the market and I am really hoping that I will begin to find this in more products over the next few years.

photo courtesy of C.O. Bigelow