Anti aging skin products – are they worth the marketing hype?

I have so much to say about the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. Over the summer I was looking to try a new moisturizer that was the right combination of hydrating, anti aging, and lightweight enough for warm weather. In the past, Drunk Elephant skincare products have agreed with my skin, and a few friends highly rated the Protini polypeptide cream, so I decided to give it a try. And now that we are deep in the transition from summer to fall, my skin is still craving this product.

The juicy quality of this cream? Unmatched. No really, I’m not sure I’ve tried a hydrator or moisturizer quite like this. The texture is thick but not too thick (aka thicc), spreads easily on skin, almost like a firm gel cream vibe. What makes it unique is that it is truly like, wet? But dries and locks in and doesn’t feel slimy or gross on the face. In my mind it’s like the perfect combination of a moisturizer and oil. The ingredients list does have some oil, so perhaps I’m onto something.

This cream promises younger, hydrated skin through the use of signal peptides, growth factors, and amino acids that help with lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. I’m not one to really believe marketing jargon, I’m all about ingredients, and and more importantly how my skin reacts and benefits. Peptides, from what I’ve learned through the years, are ingredients that act as building blocks for collagen and elastin. Important things that keep our skin young, strong, and healthy, bouncy and JUICY. What I’ve never heard of before is signal peptides. My guess is that the ingredients signal our skin to produce the collagen versus just supporting existing collagen production? In googling, this seems to be accurate. Please weigh in and share resources on peptides/signal peptides. I’m always looking to read more science behind skincare ingredients.

The bounce and glow my skin has after using this – both immediate and long term – is awesome. The marketing for this product holds up, it really DOES strengthen and moisturize. My skin feels smoother after using this, to the touch and in look. I am only 28, so not a ton of lines or wrinkles, but I do have 1 minor line on my forehead and I can see noticeable improvement since using this product.

One thing I’m not loving about this cream is that it’s on the more expensive side. At $68 for 1.69 fl oz, it is a standard size moisturizer at a not so standard cost. Some of my most beloved moisturizers are more like $22. With that said, when a product is good and works, and makes me happy? Willing to pay the price. Literally. HOWEVER, because I’m bald, I use all my skincare on my entire face and head, and with this product I was going through a jar each month. It felt like too short of a time compared to the price. So while I definitely recommend this product, and have continued to repurchase, I’ve also mixed in using some more affordable creams to make it last longer.

One of my favorite (local to Nashville) brands, Therapy Systems, makes a great moisturizer. The Oil Free Moisturizer, $48 for 4 fl oz. This breaks down to $12 per fluid ounce, while the Drunk Elephant is $40 per fluid ounce. In other words, the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is nearly FOUR times more costly. The Therapy Systems moisturizer is definitely not a Protini Polypeptide Cream dupe in neither ingredients nor texture, but it is a great product nonetheless.

Do you know any Drunk Elephant dupes? Let me know!