Following on from the Stratum C serum review, this is the moisturiser I’ve been pairing it with for the last few weeks – Optimum PhytoDeluxe by Superdrug. (And topping that off with Skin79 BB cream, a totally excellent Korean BB cream that lasts all day.)
One of the things that got me interested in Korean skincare was the unusual range of ingredients. You just don’t get snail filtrate, dried bird’s nest and yeast in too many UK high street products, which is a shame. Don’t fear the snail goop people, it works wonders.
But more and more, the Korean influence can be seen in Western skincare and I detect more than a hint of it in this new range from Superdrug – would you believe it’s infused with Platinum and Black Diamond Truffle?
Black Diamond Truffle you might have seen as an ingredient in Estee Lauder’s Re-Nutriv range which retails at well over £200. Obviously we don’t know how much of the ingredient is in each of these products to compare, but the fact that it crops up at all in a Superdrug range costing under £15 is pretty remarkable.
Other ingredients in Optimum PhyDeluxe include Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Vitamin B5. There is some alcohol present which I know not everyone likes, but it is right down at the bottom of the ingredients list so I don’t really see it as a problem.
There is a separate day cream and night cream, and as you’d expect the day cream is lighter than the night one. That’s not to say that the night cream is heavy though, and you could still top it with a Korean sleeping mask if you are like me and like whacking ALL THE CREAMS on your face at night.
Packaging-wise, these creams come in an airtight, elegant pump dispenser which helps retain the products’ effectiveness which they might lose in a jar where the product gets exposed to the air every time you open it. Both are dispensed white then completely disappear into the skin, leaving it feeling silky and moisturised.
I can’t say that I noticed a lot of the visible firmness that this product promises, but I did find it to be a good daily (and nightly) moisturiser that sinks in well and keeps the skin hydrated without oiliness all day. My skin tends to react and feel drier when the central heating goes on but I haven’t found that to be a problem since I’ve been using these.
What I especially like is that it contains 15 SPF – SPF is not yet a standard in UK skincare and I think it should be because protecting your skin from the sun is one of the sure fire ways you can stop skin damage and premature ageing. And even though I am very pro-ageing, that doesn’t mean I want my skin to fry needlessly.
And though they sound super-luxe, each of these retails at a very modest £14.99. I also like that they are very simply marked as being suitable for age 40+, with no added marketing puff about being anti-ageing or rediscovering lost youth.
Skin does change as you age due to hormonal and other factors, so a skincare product for a twenty-something is not going to be the same as one for a forty-something, so in this case the marketing is simply to point you in the right direction.
And you’ll need that in the Superdrug aisles. I’m already a fan of Superdrug’s own brand ranges, from make-up to skincare – I seem to shop there, or at least have a mooch around the aisles, most weeks. There are all sorts of treasures to find – earlier this year I went through a whole tube of their Clearly Youthful Glycolic Peel which is a great skin refresher to use a couple of times a week. The only down side is that their range is so wide, it’s hard to know where to start. But if you’re over 40, definitely start here.
The Superdrug Optimum PhytoDeluxe day and night creams are available in Superdrug stores and online here. RRP £14.99 for 50ml. Was on buy one get one free and has just changed to less than half price at £7.45 so the message is SNAP EM UP PEOPLE.
UPDATE – MARCH 2016
I just finished using both these creams, enjoyed them very much and would continue to recommend them as great budget-priced moisturisers for the over 40s.
HOWEVER (there’s always something, isn’t there?) – beware of slack fill. This is the difference in the amount of product versus the size of the container. For both the PhytoDeluxe day and night creams, I thought that there was plenty left because the container didn’t feel empty, until it suddenly refused to pump out any more product. So it seems to me like the packaging is heavy enough to make it feel like there is some left, when there isn’t. Therefore if you like these creams it seems sensible to keep a backup handy because they might run out sooner than expected. They still seem to be regularly on special offer though so when you see a good one, make the most of it and stock up.
*PR Sample