Skincare Ingredients Week Day Three - Philosophy Hope in a Jar Face Cream

So far this week, we have been looking at anti-oxidant ingredients in skincare and how they protect the skin from future signs of aging.  Today we are going to move away from this category of ingredients and look at another type of ingredient that protects the skin from environmental damage.  Lactic acid is a milk-based ingredient that both promotes hydration, soothes skin, promotes healthy exfoliation, and protect the skin.  This ingredient is very old and was first used by Cleopatra, it amazes me how lactic acid has endured through the years and makes me think that sometimes natural ingredients are better than those that have been cooked up in a chemistry lab.

I hestitated in choosing lactic acid for one reason, I am considering going from vegetarian to vegan and if I would go into veganism, then I could never use any type of product with milk proteins or lactic acid in.  This may be how I go in a few years but for now I will keep using product with milk in.  Lactic acid is a form of AHA and is derived from sour milk.  AHAs are used to exfoliate and tighten skin and this is a more gentle form than many of the others on the market.  Products that are spiked with this ingredient with help increase exfoliation and therefore will improved the overall complexion and texture of the skin.  Milk fats help to increase hydration levels in the skin and is soothing enough to calm redness and easily irritated skin, it is an ingredient that is often used in skincare products targeted for sensitive and red skin.  Being that this ingredient can both increase exfoliation but is used in products for sensitive skin, the active levels of this ingredients are very important as to much of a good thing can actually make skin worse.  Excess exfoliation of skin that is easily irritated can make the redness and irritation much worse so if this is your skin (and it is mine) then you will need to choose a gentle formula that is well trusted and respected.

I decided to try this ingredient for the first time in the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Face Cream, one of the best selling skin creams at Sephora and one of the overall best selling skin creams on the market.  What started out as one kind of face cream has now bloomed into a line of these creams for every skin type and I am getting hints that a special night cream with this formula is coming out very soon. This is a very simple formula that is also very effective at the same time. 

"A cult-favorite moisturizer that gently hydrates, exfoliates, and protects the skin.  Philosophy Hope in a Jar is a 99.9% oil-free, deeply hydrating, lightweight wonder designed to smooth the complexion while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration. Originally created for the medical market, this expert essential delivers soft, healthy, glowing results.  This beloved formula contains antioxidants that protect skin against environmental damage and provides continuous exfoliation to keep roughness at bay. An infusion of yeast-derived beta glucan supports the skin's natural defense system and improves repair capabilities."

This face cream is made for use any time of the day however I preferred to use it at night instead of during the day.  The simple formula hydrated my skin very quickly and absorbed into the skin.  With the lactic acid in the formula, I found that this cream made my skin a bit red in the cheek area, this is not a look that I want to wear during the daylight hours as I needed extra makeup to cover up the problem areas.  My skin is fine when I use it at night and then use a different face cream in the morning.  I know that the redness is caused by the extra exfoliation of the lactic acid and overall my complexion is better than before use of it.  After two weeks of using this product once a day, I could see an improvment in my complexion and I really started to like this product.  Initially I was disappointed by it since it seemed to make the red in cheek area worsen but using it at a different time in the day made the redness less visible. 

I do really like this product since it helped to improve the eveness and tone of my complexion and I will be purchasing the new version of this cream as soon as it is released.  I am really excited to see how a night version of this product works and I will be reading up on it as soon I can get more information on it.  Will the lactic acid percentage be higher and will my complexion improve even more?  Or might an enhanced version be too much?  One thign is for sure, I will keep looking for great products with lactic acid in them.

photo courtesy of Sephora