Drugstore skincare brands have come on leaps & bounds over the years. As lovely as it is to use luxury skincare products, you really don't need to spend a fortune to get good skin. One affordable brand that I always recommend is Superfacialist By Una Brennan. Whilst picking up a fresh bottle of my fave cleansing oil I noticed that there were some new Superfacialist products on the shelves, namely the Probiotic skincare range. Whenever I spot something new in Boots I always Google the hell out of it in store to see if there are any reviews or swatches but I could hardly find any information about these new products. So I took it upon myself to try all three items & find out if they were as brilliant as the rest of the Superfacialist products.
Probiotics are kind of a big deal in skincare right now. Aurelia are highly regarded for their probiotic skincare range & I've personally found that taking probiotic supplements has helped to calm down my skin. Aurelia's products are pretty pricey though so it's good to know that there's a high street alternative. We are often told that one of the main causes of acne is bacteria on the skin but apparently there is a difference between bad & good bacteria, just like in the gut. Each product in the Probiotic range contains a unique blend of healthy bacteria, anti-ageing actives & skin soothing naturals which claim to protect, balance & rejuvenate for a renewed, healthier complexion. The collection comprises of a micellar water, day cream & night cream. This range is ideal for all skin types but it is especially suited to those with sensitised, stressed or damaged skin.
The first item I picked up was the Superfacialist Probiotic Micellar Cleansing Water (£6.99). I've been using Bioderma for years now & am rarely tempted to try other micellar waters. In fact I really wish I hadn't bothered. This is one of the worst makeup removers I have ever tried. In theory it sounds like a really nice cleansing water with the soothing probiotic complex, refreshing echinacea & cucumber extracts as well as hyaluronic acid for an extra hit of hydration. However in reality this liquid struggles to remove a light layer of foundation let alone eye makeup. It feels soapy & froths up slightly as you sweep it over the skin. It made my eyes sting & my face feel raw. I dread to think what this could do to someone with hypersensitive skin. Please don't waste your money on this, it's awful.
Despite my terrible experience with the micellar water I decided to persevere with the other two products in the Probiotic range - the Superfacialist Probiotic Skin Recovery Day Cream (£14.99) & the Superfacialist Probiotic Overnight Skin Recovery Cream (£15.99). These moisturisers claim to intensely hydrate & soothe the skin whilst promoting cell renewal. The main difference between the two is that the day cream contains arnica & aloe vera whereas the night cream has bisabolol. Both feature shea butter, glycerin & sunflower seed oil for hydration as well as probiotics, allantoin, peptides & lactic acid. Together these ingredients boost collagen production, reduce inflammation & reinforce the skin barrier, protecting it from external aggressors.
I've been using both of these moisturisers for a couple of months now & they've definitely had a positive effect on my skin. I absolutely love the Skin Recovery Day Cream. It has such a lovely gel creme texture & makes my skin feel super soft. It calms down any redness & irritation whilst preventing the formation of blemishes. The high glycerin content means that this moisturiser also works well as a primer & my makeup stays on all day long without the need for further products. The only problem is that I can't really tell the difference between the day cream & the night cream. To be honest I kinda feel like I wasted my money buying both. At night I normally like to use a richer cream to really amp up the moisture levels in my skin but the Overnight Skin Recovery Cream doesn't feel any more hydrating than the day cream. I have to mix it with a facial oil otherwise it doesn't really nourish my skin as much as I would like it to. I could just as easily mix an oil into the day cream & use that twice a day instead.
Although the Skin Recovery Day Cream has become my go-to moisturiser, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed with these new additions to the Superfacialist range. The micellar water is a load of rubbish & the night cream seems to be pretty much the same as the day cream, just packaged in a different coloured tube. They might have ever so slightly different ingredients but the texture of the creams & the effect they have on the skin are too similar to justify purchasing both. I am still very fond of the day cream so this experience hasn't put me off the brand or the idea of probiotic skincare in general. Just know that there are plenty of other gems to be found in the Superfacialist lineup!
Probiotics are kind of a big deal in skincare right now. Aurelia are highly regarded for their probiotic skincare range & I've personally found that taking probiotic supplements has helped to calm down my skin. Aurelia's products are pretty pricey though so it's good to know that there's a high street alternative. We are often told that one of the main causes of acne is bacteria on the skin but apparently there is a difference between bad & good bacteria, just like in the gut. Each product in the Probiotic range contains a unique blend of healthy bacteria, anti-ageing actives & skin soothing naturals which claim to protect, balance & rejuvenate for a renewed, healthier complexion. The collection comprises of a micellar water, day cream & night cream. This range is ideal for all skin types but it is especially suited to those with sensitised, stressed or damaged skin.
The first item I picked up was the Superfacialist Probiotic Micellar Cleansing Water (£6.99). I've been using Bioderma for years now & am rarely tempted to try other micellar waters. In fact I really wish I hadn't bothered. This is one of the worst makeup removers I have ever tried. In theory it sounds like a really nice cleansing water with the soothing probiotic complex, refreshing echinacea & cucumber extracts as well as hyaluronic acid for an extra hit of hydration. However in reality this liquid struggles to remove a light layer of foundation let alone eye makeup. It feels soapy & froths up slightly as you sweep it over the skin. It made my eyes sting & my face feel raw. I dread to think what this could do to someone with hypersensitive skin. Please don't waste your money on this, it's awful.
Despite my terrible experience with the micellar water I decided to persevere with the other two products in the Probiotic range - the Superfacialist Probiotic Skin Recovery Day Cream (£14.99) & the Superfacialist Probiotic Overnight Skin Recovery Cream (£15.99). These moisturisers claim to intensely hydrate & soothe the skin whilst promoting cell renewal. The main difference between the two is that the day cream contains arnica & aloe vera whereas the night cream has bisabolol. Both feature shea butter, glycerin & sunflower seed oil for hydration as well as probiotics, allantoin, peptides & lactic acid. Together these ingredients boost collagen production, reduce inflammation & reinforce the skin barrier, protecting it from external aggressors.
I've been using both of these moisturisers for a couple of months now & they've definitely had a positive effect on my skin. I absolutely love the Skin Recovery Day Cream. It has such a lovely gel creme texture & makes my skin feel super soft. It calms down any redness & irritation whilst preventing the formation of blemishes. The high glycerin content means that this moisturiser also works well as a primer & my makeup stays on all day long without the need for further products. The only problem is that I can't really tell the difference between the day cream & the night cream. To be honest I kinda feel like I wasted my money buying both. At night I normally like to use a richer cream to really amp up the moisture levels in my skin but the Overnight Skin Recovery Cream doesn't feel any more hydrating than the day cream. I have to mix it with a facial oil otherwise it doesn't really nourish my skin as much as I would like it to. I could just as easily mix an oil into the day cream & use that twice a day instead.
Although the Skin Recovery Day Cream has become my go-to moisturiser, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed with these new additions to the Superfacialist range. The micellar water is a load of rubbish & the night cream seems to be pretty much the same as the day cream, just packaged in a different coloured tube. They might have ever so slightly different ingredients but the texture of the creams & the effect they have on the skin are too similar to justify purchasing both. I am still very fond of the day cream so this experience hasn't put me off the brand or the idea of probiotic skincare in general. Just know that there are plenty of other gems to be found in the Superfacialist lineup!
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Thank you for this very honest review. I love their cleansing oil and would have probably jumped ahead and bought these in store (or at least the overnight cream). I'm always on the look out for more indulgent creams for the night time so will probably give this a miss. x
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame these didn't work out for you, I had high hopes!xx
ReplyDeletewww.lucy-cole.co.uk
Ah what a shame this range was a disappointment! I have looked at the products in Boots a couple of times but have always given them a miss. I love the other Superfacialist products I've tried but I guess I won't be bothering with these - thanks for the honest review!
ReplyDeleteJess xo | The Indigo Hours
I'm glad I read this, I had the micellar water on my shopping list to try. I'll stick with Garnier.
ReplyDeleteI like the stark honesty in this review. Without seeing the ingredients though, I'm not sure I even buy into the "probiotic" part of this range. At least, not the effectiveness of a topically applied probiotic. My concern would be how bioactive they are in these creams or if it's just a buzzword?
ReplyDeleteWish there was a Boots in the US!
I would love to try out more of the Una Brennan range! The products I've tried so far I love, great review!
ReplyDeleteMadeFromBeauty.co.uk