sephora
Battle of the Moisturizers: Contestant #2 Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare – Hydra-Pure® Oil-Free Moisture with Chelating Complex
Unlike our dearly departed previous contestant, the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Hydra-Pure® Oil-Free Moisture with Chelating Complex (holy crap, long name) was suggested to be by HAL 9000 the Sephora Skincare IQ machine. I have never heard of this brand before and I was immediately skeptical as soon as I saw the price.
But Marina, you said the point was to find a moisturizer that cost LESS than LUSH’s Gorgeous! Why even bother trying this one?
I am really interested in finding something that costs less than $60 an ounce, and I am also looking to find something that could possibly work way better than what I have been using. But most of all, I want to test out the high-end, uber expensive products that make aggrandized claims and see if they really are better than what you can buy at CVS for $5. And THIS GUY is definitely one of those fancy shmancy products I want to run through the gambit. Lets get started –
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare – Hydra-Pure® Oil-Free Moisture with Chelating Complex
Cost = $78 US
Size = 1 fl oz
Extended cost (Cost / Size) = $78/oz
Estimated cost per application = $1.56
I used the same application amount estimate I did with the Fresh – Rose Hydrating Gel Cream because the consistency and feel of the two were relatively similar, which means this guy evens out to a whopping $1.56 an application. Holy heart-failure, Batman! I better be impressed. You know there are 514,063 things on Etsy that you can buy for $1.56 or less? A 90’s grunge choker, 1g of organic shea butter, a Kanye West Pin! I actually think i’d rather moisturize my face than have that last one.
So I didn’t really see what about this product constitutes it as “Hydra-Pure?” The first ingredient is water… so there’s that…But thats not really the headline. The big selling point for this guy is it’s “Chelating Complex.” Don’t be dazzled by strange words, kids. Lets talk about Chelation.
What the heck is Chelation?
Pronounced key-LAY-shun, its one way ions or molecules bind to metal ions. Dont worry if you don’t remember from high school chemistry what ions and molecules are, that part doesn’t really matter. What matters is these chelating ions and molecules are kind of like Pac-Man, and they like to chomp down on cherries… or metal ions.
So when Mrs. Pac-Man chomps down on the metal ion, it is rendered chemically inert and will no longer interact with your body. Now, Chelators are SUPER important, and not just for removing those hard-water stains from your shower (no joke, that’s one of the things they’re used for), they’re also key in curing heavy metal intoxication. I’m talking about arsenic, mercury, and lead poisoning. But thats not what we’re talking about with this product – the Chelators here are being used for, among other things (cough-preservatives-cough), neutralizing the “damage” hard water may be doing to your face. We’re talking about the calcium and magnesium that seeps in from old pipes and deposits in the ground that give 85% of homes in the USA what is refered to as “hard water.” Heres a full list of what this product claims to do:
- Softens hard water and removes heavy metals that antioxidants cannot
- Combats free radical damage
- Decreases redness and irritation
- Eradicates dull skin
- Eliminates waxy plugs/blackheads
- Cures the oil chemistry disorder that leads to acne and clogged pores
- Improves penetration of active ingredients
- Allows trace minerals beneficial to the skin to be absorbed
- Dual-mechanism, lightweight moisturizer provides immediate and long-term hydration
You guys know the drill, lets take this one by one –
“Softens hard water and removes heavy metals that antioxidants cannot”- This bit was news to me, I had heard of hard water making your hair gross, and that’s why they make shower heads with water filters in them, but I’d never thought of what it’d do to your skin. I did some googling and came across this article from SELF magazine. Holy cannoli! Its all right here! The acne, how the minerals clog pores, the irritation, everything this moisturizer claims to do! And they’re even getting their info from a real doctor, Dr. Dennis-… Wait a minute. “Dr. Dennis Gross, Manhattan dermatologist and founder of the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare product line.” But can you blame the guy? Hes just trying to sell his expensive stuff – its the American dream.
I am leaning towards calling bullsh*t on this claim that Chelators can do so many amazing things for your skin. According to Cosmetics and Toiletries Magazine “Chelators are used in almost every personal care formulation type to increase effectiveness and improve stability, thereby improving consumer acceptance. In addition, they have demonstrated the ability to boost preservative activity. Chelators are used in liquid soap and body wash to prevent fragrance and color degradation and for their synergistic effect with antimicrobials. They are also incorporated into bar soap to prevent rancidity, softening, brown-spotting, cracking and discoloration due to metal ions, as well as to enhance foaming and rinsability.” Chelators are everywhere, and the ones in this moisturizer aren’t that special. Not to mention, how effective can they be when they’re in a moisturizer? You’ve already washed and dried your face and the oils in your skin are hard at work neutralizing metal ions on their own. Thats right, thats what they’re there for.
(I’ll get off my soapbox now, no pun intended, the rest of this will be quick, I promise)
“Combats free radical damage” – This is what antioxidants do, and this product does have a lot of very effective ones. Free radical damage basically means oxidation (its when a molecule loses an electron and becomes unstable, Antioxidants have electrons to spare and donate them – but that’s a WHOLE ‘nother post). But one of the antioxidants is soy isoflavones – which means don’t use this moisturizer if you’re allergic to soy.
“Decreases redness and irritation” – This Is another claim of Dr. Gross’, (this guy must have been made fun of when he was a kid) said reddness and irritation is allegedly caused by the soap scum on your face. File this under “meh… mabey.”
“Eradicates dull skin” – I’m sure you guys remember our friend Tetrasodium EDTA from the Fresh – Rose Hydrating Gel Cream, well guess who is back and is also a chelator? For those of you yet to catch up, Tetrasodium EDTA “reversably” damages the top layers of your skin so whatever its mixed with can absorb better. The internet hates this stuff, but i’m on the fence.
“Eliminates waxy plugs/blackheads” – Oh boy, chelators are soooo fancy! They can also do your taxes and walk your dog!
“Cures the oil chemistry disorder that leads to acne and clogged pores” – “Ugh, chelators, chelators, chelators!”
“Improves penetration of active ingredients” – (cough-Tetrasodium EDTA – Cough)
“Allows trace minerals beneficial to the skin to be absorbed” – Yawn, this guy is just going on about the same ingredients..
“Dual-mechanism, lightweight moisturizer provides immediate and long-term hydration” – I don’t really know what Doc is on about with this one, but I will say that this product has a lot of skin conditioning ingredients. I mean A LOT! At least twice what the Fresh – Rose Hydrating Gel Cream had. Maybe that’s the “long term hydration?” I don’t even know anymore.
In Conclusion…
I know it really sounds like I’m hating on this moisturizer, but the truth is i’m being skeptical because I REALLY want to believe all the things its claiming to do. I think a lot of it make sense theoretically, but I have a hard time accepting a product that claims to do so many things without solid scientific studies to back it up, even if the product is made by a licensed dermatologist. Like my homeboy Justin and homegirl Sydnee say on their podcast Sawbones “Cure-alls cure NOTHING!” (p.s., if you’re not listening to Sawbones, we can’t be friends)
I do have relatively hard water and I didn’t see anything miraculous while using this product, but I believe a 5 day trial-run sample wasn’t enough to see any improvement. I feel like if there are benefits to what Dr. Gross is selling, they’re best seen in the long-run. Unfortunately $78 a bottle is out of the question for long-run use for me. Sorry Doc.
New Contestants!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dior’s Capture Totale Dreamskin has entered the building! I decided to test this one out after seeing Bunny a.k.a Grav3yardgirl talk about it on her YouTube channel. I love that chick, but I wanna see for myself If I can really get me some dreamskin, and at $115 a bottle I am ready for some serious testing.
We do have another candidate hiding out, but hes a secret that will be revealed in a haul coming very soon, I promise! BE EXCITED!
Sources
The Battle of the Moisturizers
Apparently moisturizers are important. Very important. So much so that there’s a gazillion of them and they can cost an obscene amount of money. The only piece of cosmetic advice my grandmother ever gave me is “be sure you’re moisturizing every night,” and my childhood was awash with the smells of Neutrogena and Aveeno facial moisturizer with SPF – my mother wore that stuff religiously, rain or shine. The combination of her painfully fair and delicate complexion and my father’s invincible olive skin of the gods has left my face very confused.
So when I started running dangerously low on my current weapon of choice (LUSH’S Vanishing Cream ), I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something out there that was better for me. Something magical and medicinal and … slightly cheaper perhaps, and I decided to embark on a journey. A journey full of countless little tinctures of what is essentially silicone and plant goop. A journey to bring justice to those who adorn their product in a veil of empty promises, and vindication to those whose promises are kept. An adventure where in I, not unlike Magellan, will circumvent the vast sea of modern cosmetics and do battle with their exotic ingredients, their clever marketing, and their outrageous claims.
I have many names… the most legal one being Marina (Hello!), and in the ripe old age of my late 20’s, with my career obtained and a tiny disposable income at the ready, I have decided to learn…
How to : “Girl.”
So come, be the Lewis to my Clarke – the Spock to my Kirk – the Chewie to my Han as we brave the depths of modern femininity and document our failures epically. We start at the most basic level, the foundation of the foundation (that’ll be a whole ‘nother post, i’m sure), the moisturizer.
And like any journey, one of the most important things you need is a map –
Sexy. And, like I said – confused. In my research I have discovered that my skin situation is what is referred to as “combination.” I fit under the great miscellaneous category of “well… you’re screwed.” My eyelids could provide enough crude to power a small town in Texas, my chin is a sebum-filled minefield dwarfed only by the no man zone that is my nose, and my jawline is dryer than the British version of “The Office.” It is because I have so many things going on that I don’t have a lot of faith that there is going to be a single product capable of addressing all my issues, but ain’t nobody got time to use two different moisturizers on their face. I got sh*t to do.
As I mentioned before, the product I have been using for the last year is Vanishing Cream by LUSH. Its pretty safe to say that I know a little but about LUSH’s products, when it comes to moisturizers alone I have also used Imperialis , Full of Grace, Enzymion, and Gorgeous. The problem is none of them have every wowed me… except for Gorgeous.
This thing is allegedly “the finest quality moisturizer on the market.” A whole mess of cold-pressed, organic oils from a large list of things that sound like they’d taste pretty good in a salad together go into this puppy. Its reportedly great for every skin type, age, tone, whatever. I’ve sampled it extensively and I really like it. Its light, it makes my skin feel fresh and clean and elasticky and young, it smells kind of like tortillas (its supposed to be orange blossom scented, don’t ask me why my nose translates orange blossom into tortillas, its probably brain cancer), and its wonderful and I love it. Its apparently the cold pressed part that makes it so effective… and expensive.
How expensive, you ask? 1.5 ounces will run you $89.95 US + tax. That’s right, $60 an ounce! I can’t do it, I just can’t. There are so many other things I could do with $90 bucks. That’s gas for a month (I don’t get out much). That is A LOT of yarn. That’s 22.5 lattes. 13 Publix Deli subs. I could get TWO new Filofaxes with $90! (Oh, more on those later)
But I am not sure its worth it. Can a bunch of plant oils, some emulsifiers, and preserving parabens all mixed together really be the absolute best thing for me? And can 1.5 ounces of it really be worth more than I made in a whole week while I was working in college, all because the oils are “cold pressed?” Imma find out.
Now, I’ve got nothing against LUSH. I basically have a mini-LUSH store in my bathroom, its a problem. If it turns out that Gorgeous is better than everything else – great, and i’ll know EXACTLY why, right down to the chemical level. And if its not? I’ll still know exactly why, and maybe save myself some money while I’m at it.
So I had no idea what moisturizers to try, but it turns out there is a place called Sephora , and in the very back of this mystical place there is a giant computer that knows all, the Skincare IQ Computer. I told HAL 9000 the Computer that I wanted a moisturizer, that I had the “combination” skins, and that my primary concerns were Acne/Blemishes and Oiliness. I actually tried several different things in combination with “Acne/Blemishes” and it pretty much kept returning the same results. It then printed them on a little slip of paper and the nice Sephora Skincare IQ Computer slave Lady gave me free samples! I also purchased the Sephora Favorites Customized Skincare Favorites Bag that got me 2 more moisturizers to try, along with 3 other “deluxe size” samples and a cool bag for $25. I was pleased.
So that leaves us with 4 contestants! I’ll most likely be adding more as I find ones to try and rule others out. I am going to closely analyze how each effects my skin as well as break down their ingredients to see if they are really all they’re cracked up to be and maybe even try to find some dupes. Without any further adoo – here they are:
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Fresh – Rose Hydrating Gel Cream : A daily moisturizer proven to provide up to 24 hours of significant hydration.
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Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ : A luxurious moisturizer that promotes smooth, healthy-looking skin.
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Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer : An antiaging hydrator for combination and oily skin.
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Dr. Dennis Gross SkincareHydra-Pure® Oil-Free Moisture with Chelating Complex™ : A lightweight, oil-free moisturizer with an exclusive Chelating Complex.
How 2: "Girl" 