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Prevage™ Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum

Prevage™ Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum Review

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Best Feature:
It contains a powerful antioxidant called idebenone
Worst Feature:
Incredibly expensive and somewhat inflated efficacy claims
Best Uses:
Serum helps to diminish the signs of aging
Pricing:
$159
Manufacturer:
Elizabeth Arden and Allergan

Where to Buy

Store Name
Price
Bloomingdales
$159.00
Macy's
$159.00
SkinStore
$162.00
Ulta
$162.00

Overview

Founded more than a century ago, Elizabeth Arden is one of the most well-known brand names in the world with a broad range of products and services in the beauty, cosmetics, skincare and fragrance industries. The PREVAGE® commercial product line is marketed by Elizabeth Arden but was formulated by Allergan (the maker of Botox). It incorporates advanced Idebenone technology to take anti-aging skincare to the next level. Proponents of idebenone technology claim it is more powerful than the antioxidants available today (ie. alpha lipoic acid, kinetin, vitamin C, vitamin E and coenzyme Q10). The Prevage Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum works to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, minor scars, redness, and sun damage. It aims to improve the texture and firmness of your skin and to reduce the need for more drastic cosmetic work like chemical peels, laser resurfacing or surgery. Finally, the serum is said to help protect your skin from damaging free radicals in the environment and, over time, fortify its natural resilience to them.

You can purchase Prevage Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum for $159 on http://www.elizabetharden.com or check www.skinstore.com as they usually have a 20% off special. It is also available at department stores like Sephora.

Product Report Card Grade

We give PREVAGE® Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum a B+ because it is a great anti-aging moisturizer that features a high concentration of idebenone. While idebenone is claimed to be the most powerful antioxidant on the market, we had to deduct points because there haven’t been any unbiased studies on it that back up these statements. Additionally, the serum is incredibly expensive and isn’t necessarily any better than brands that are significantly cheaper.

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Comparison at a Glance
 
This Product
Product Name
Prevage™ Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream - Night
Olay Professional ProX Deep Wrinkle Treatment
Price
See Prices
See Prices
See Prices
Overall Score
Our Awards
Date Reviewed
January 2012
January 2012
January 2012

Pros/Cons
Pros
Highly regarded among aestheticians and dermatologists; 30-day return policy with full refund; lightweight, non-greasy, absorbent formula; not tested on animals
Inexpensive; effective, well-formulated cream; lightweight, non-greasy and absorbent; oil-free; non-comedogenic (won't clog pores); fragrance-free; dermatologist tested; good for acne prone skin
Effective, well-formulated OTC treatment; satisfaction guaranteed or Olay will refund your money; can be used on all skin types including sensitive and acne prone skin
Cons
Expensive; many users reported developing rashes, hives and/or itchy skin; fragrance may irritate sensitive skin
Retinol can initially irritate skin and make it sensitive to sun exposure; Neutrogena tests their products on animals; Cosmeticsdatabase.com gives the cream a moderate rating (5 out of 10) on its hazard scale
Retinol can initially irritate skin and make it sensitive to sun exposure; Olay products are tested on animals; somewhat expensive for drugstore face lotion

Details
Skin Type
Normal, Dry, Oily and Combination
Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination and Sensitive
Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination and Sensitive
Skin Concern
Aging
Aging
Aging
Price (est.)
$159
$13
$38
Size (fluid ounces)
1.7
1.4
1.0
Active Ingredients
It contains 0.5% Idebenone, a powerful antioxidant.
A patent pending formula, it contains retinol and a combination of Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin B5 and moisturizers.
It contains retinyl proprionate, niacinamide and glycerin.
Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrance-Free
Fragrance-Free
Ingredients
Ingredients are not listed on Elizabeth Arden's website, but Beautypedia.com lists the following: Water/Aqua/Eau, Peg-8, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinoyl Dipalmitoyl Glycerate (Idebenone), Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ergothioneine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Peucedanum Graveolens (Dill) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Pca, Trehalose, Urea, Phospholipids, Polyphosphorylcholine Glycol Acrylate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyquaternium-51, Polyisobutene, Xanthan Gum, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Tetrasodium Edta, Mica, Parfum/Fragrance, Benzoic Acid, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Red 4 (Ci 14700), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)
Water, C12 15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Dimethicone, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Retinol, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, BHT, Carbomer
Water, glycerin, niacinamide,C12-15 alkyl benzoate, dimethicone, Polyethylene, stearyl alcohol, cetyl Palmitate, retinyl propionate, tocopheryl Acetate, palmitoyl dipeptide-7, Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, caprylic/capric Triglyceride, cetyl alcohol, behenyl Alcohol, sodium acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, Panthenol, isohexadecane, cetyl Ricinoleate, dmdm hydantoin, carbomer, Polysorbate 80, polysorbate 20, disodium Edta, peg-100 stearate, stearic acid, sodium Hydroxide, bht, decyl glucoside, Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, lactic acid.
Product Design
It comes in an opaque pump bottle to limit exposure to light, air and other external contaminants.
It comes in an opaque tube to limit exposure to light, air and other external contaminants.
It comes in an opaque tube to limit exposure to light, air and other external contaminants.

ProductReportCard Editors' In-Depth Review

Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Highly regarded among aestheticians and dermatologists
  • 30 day return policy on the product (full refund)
  • Lightweight, non-greasy, absorbent formula
  • Can pack in a carry-on bag for air travel
  • Not tested on animals

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Many users report developing rashes, hives and itchy skin
  • Contains fragrance that may irritate sensitive skin

Key Features

Size
1.7 fluid ounces
Skin Type
All skins types, but you will want to be careful if you have sensitive skin
Skin Concern
Aging, sun damage
Use
Morning and night
Directions
Smooth a pea sized amount over clean dry skin avoiding the eye area.
Clinical Trial Results
In a consumer test conducted on 102 women between ages 25 and 65:
  • After 4 weeks:
    • 94% of women saw a dramatic improvement in the skin's overall appearance
  • After 8 weeks:
    • 74% saw a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
  • After 12 weeks:
    • 80% improvement in radiance and brightness
    • 70% improvement in skin tone
    • 69% improvement in the look of photo damaged skin
    • 61% improvement in the appearance of firmness and elasticity
    • 51% reduction in the look of discolorations
    • 29% reduction in the look of freckles
Key Ingredients
0.5% Idebenone
All ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Peg-8, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinoyl Dipalmitoyl Glycerate (Idebenone), Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ergothioneine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Peucedanum Graveolens (Dill) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Pca, Trehalose, Urea, Phospholipids, Polyphosphorylcholine Glycol Acrylate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyquaternium-51, Polyisobutene, Xanthan Gum, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Tetrasodium Edta, Mica, Parfum/Fragrance, Benzoic Acid, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Red 4 (Ci 14700), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)

Reputation

The Prevage Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum has won numerous awards including "Best Wrinkle Treatment" in InStyle Magazine (2010), "Healthiest Buys" in Health Magazine (2010) and "Super Serum" in Whole Living Magazine (2011). That said, there are more than a few negative online reviews from customers who broke out in hive-like blisters or who had itchy, reddened skin and rashes that lasted several days (check makeupalley.com). I would try to get some samples from your local Sephora or other department store to test the cream before shelling out $160.

As a side note, one feature that I didn’t include above is Elizabeth Arden’s claim that the Prevage product line received a 95/100 EPF™ (Environmental Protection Factor™ are certification marks and trademarks owned by Pharma Cosmetix Research, LLC). I hadn’t really heard of other products touting this rating, so, after some digging, I learned that the two most senior people at Pharma Cosmetix Research were formerly senior Allergan employees. Joseph Lewis was Director of Research & Development at Allergan and Joseph DiNardo was formerly a Regulator and Clinical Safety Manager. It was Lewis who discovered the benefits of idebenone in anti-aging skincare products, and they first licensed the technology to Allergan for use in the prescription form of Prevage, Prevage MD. In addition to Pharma Cosmetix Research, Lewis and DiNardo are also partners in an idebenone anti-aging skincare line called Priori. Beyond the Allergan connection, it seems to me like Lewis and DiNardo are just using this "EPF" rating system as a marketing ploy.

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