Can we talk about Japanese skincare? I feel like lately, it’s all about Korea, Korea, Korea. But before SoKo got good at marketing, Japanese skincare was the talk of town. So what happened? Are they so confident in their products, they don’t feel the need to market them as heavily? Or was it all just hype anyway? I got my hands on a couple of DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel to find out. Can it really boost collagen and firm your skin? Here’s the answer you’ve been waiting for:
Key Ingredients in DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel: What Makes It Work?
HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN
Collagen is what keeps your skin from looking saggy and sad. Your body makes a ton of it when you’re young but then around your mid-20s it just decides to quit on you. The hydrolyzed part matters because regular collagen is way too huge to actually get into your skin. It just sits there being useless. When it’s broken down smaller though, it can actually sink in.
Real talk, it’s not gonna magically fix your aging skin from the inside. That’s not a thing with topical products. But what it does is grab onto water and hold it there. In this gel it’s basically just making your face look plumper right away, like you just drank a gallon of water.
Related: What Really Works To Boost Collagen?
GLYCERIN
Glycerin is that one ingredient that’s been around forever because it actually works. It just yanks water from the air and from the deeper parts of your skin and brings it up to where you need it. But what’s actually cool is it fixes your moisture barrier when you’ve wrecked it with too much exfoliating or harsh face wash. There’s real research showing it stops your skin from leaking water all over the place. It’s third on the ingredient list so there’s a good amount of it doing the hydration heavy lifting. And it doesn’t leave you feeling gross and sticky like some hydrating things do.
ASTHAXANTHIN
Fun Fact: astaxanthin is what gives salmons, flamingos, and some algae their pinkish-orange colour. In skincare, Asthaxanthin is one of those super powerful antioxidants you rarely see in skincare products (I know, don’t get me started on that…). Studies show it’s 1000x more powerful than vitamin E and 6000x than vitamin C at destroying the free radicals that cause premature wrinkles.
Plus, it can easily penetrate skin – something that vitamin C and other antioxidants struggle to do – so you know it works. While it’s at it, it also soothes irritations and boosts sun protection. DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel doesn’t have astaxanthin. Whatttttttt? It has haematococcus pluvial extract, an algae that’s rich in astanxanthin. But only a drop of it. You know what that means? You can’t rely on it to keep wrinkles at bay. 🙁
Related: Is Astaxanthin The Most Powerful Antioxidant Of All?
Not sure what you ingredients and products you can use together? Download the “How To Combine Actives Like A Pro” cheatsheet to find out:
The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
- Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
- Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
- Red: What is this doing here?!
- Water/Aqua/Eau: It’s water. The base of basically every skincare product because you need it to dissolve everything else and make the texture actually spreadable.
- Butylene Glycol: There’s a lot of this, it’s second on the list. Another thing that grabs water but also makes the texture nice and silky instead of sticky and weird.
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Coconut oil derivative, makes your skin soft and helps the other ingredients actually absorb instead of just sitting on your face.
- Hydrogenated Palm Oil: Acts as a thickener and moisturizer, the hydrogenated version is more stable so it doesn’t go rancid. Gives the gel some body without making it heavy.
- Pentylene Glycol: Hydrates and keeps the product from going bad, helps everything absorb better too.
- Squalane: Honestly one of the best moisturizers because it’s almost the same as the oil your skin already makes, so it just sinks right in and doesn’t clog your pores.
- Orange Roughy Oil: Fish oil with omega-3s and vitamin A, really nourishing and fixes your moisture barrier when it’s trashed.
- Tocotrienols: The fancy stronger version of vitamin E that protects your skin from pollution and sun damage.
- Glyceryl Stearate: An emulsifier that keeps the water and oil parts from separating, also adds some moisture.
- PEG-100 Stearate: Another emulsifier working with the glyceryl stearate to keep everything mixed together properly.
- Batyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol from shark liver oil (or synthetic now) that’s moisturizing and helps with texture, not the drying alcohol type.
- Tocopherol: Regular vitamin E, antioxidant that protects from free radical damage and works with the tocotrienols.
- Porphyridium Polysaccharide: Red algae for hydration and calming, supposedly helps with elasticity too.
- Carbomer: A thickener that gives the gel its gel texture, basically makes it the right consistency.
- Potassium Hydroxide: Used to adjust the pH so it’s not too acidic or alkaline for your skin, works with the carbomer.
- Cetearyl Alcohol: Another fatty alcohol that’s moisturizing and helps thicken the formula, not drying at all.
- Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer: A texture modifier and thickener that also helps stabilize the formula.
- Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate: From licorice, calms down redness and irritation without being heavy or breaking you out.
- Cetearyl Glucoside: An emulsifier derived from plants that’s super gentle and helps blend everything together.
- Allantoin: Super gentle, soothes irritation and gets rid of dead skin cells without freaking your face out.
- Sodium Hyaluronate: Holds like 1000 times its weight in water so your skin puffs up and fine lines kinda vanish temporarily.
- Alcohol: Probably here as a solvent to help dissolve certain ingredients, in small amounts it’s not gonna dry you out with all the other moisturizing stuff.
- Hydrolyzed Elastin: Elastin makes your skin bouncy, this version just sits on top and makes everything look smoother and fuller.
- Beer Extract: Literally beer but with B vitamins and antioxidants that help your skin regenerate and look better.
- Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate: A gentle plant-derived emulsifier that helps mix oil and water ingredients together.
- Placental Protein: Don’t worry it’s from plants or sheep not humans, has growth factors that make your cells turn over faster for fresher looking skin.
- Hydrolyzed Royal Jelly Protein: What bees feed their queen, packed with proteins and nutrients that nourish and help your skin heal.
- Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate: Another plant-based emulsifier working to keep the formula stable and blended.
- Lactoferrin: Milk protein that fights bacteria and calms inflammation, good for protecting your skin.
- Lysolecithin: An emulsifier and penetration enhancer from soy or eggs that helps other ingredients absorb better into your skin.
- Brassica Campestris Seed Oil: Rapeseed oil with omega fatty acids to moisturize and make your barrier stronger.
- Lactic Acid: Gently exfoliates dead skin and hydrates at the same time, makes everything brighter without being harsh.
- Phenoxyethanol: Preservative so your gel doesn’t get moldy, it’s in basically everything and it’s fine at this concentration.
Texture
They call it a gel but I disagree. It’s definitely a cream – like a pretty thick one – that kinda morphs into a gel-like consistency as you’re rubbing it in. When you first put it on, it just sits there on top of your face for like ten minutes before it actually starts sinking in. It’s not the worst thing ever but if you’re used to lightweight gels that absorb instantly, this is gonna feel heavy and kinda suffocating at first.
The drier parts of my face love it though. My cheeks and around my mouth drink it up eventually. But my t-zone? Not so much. It gets a bit shiny and feels like there’s still product sitting there even after it’s supposed to be absorbed. If you’ve got combo skin like me, you might wanna skip your oily areas or just use way less there.
Fragrance
No added fragrance which is cool if scented stuff bothers you. It does smell a little weird though -kinda earthy and fishy from that orange roughy oil. But it’s super faint and goes away pretty much right after you put it on. Doesn’t bug me at all.
How To Use It
It’s an all-in-one gel (well, cream) so you’re supposed to use it after cleansing as your entire skincare routine. But honestly? I don’t recommend that. The antioxidants in here are nice but they’re not concentrated enough to really do the heavy lifting for protection and anti-aging.
What I do is apply my antioxidant serum first-something with vitamin C or whatever actives I’m using that day – then I use this on top as my moisturizer. Just take a small amount (like a grape-sized blob) and warm it up between your hands, then press it into your face. Don’t rub it in aggressively or it’ll just pill up and sit there forever. Press and pat, and give it time to absorb before you move on to sunscreen or makeup.
Packaging
It’s in a jar which kinda sucks because you’re sticking your fingers in it every time. Not exactly clean. A pump would’ve been way smarter. But the jar’s solid and won’t break or leak in your bag, so there’s that. Nothing fancy about how it looks, just basic.
Performance & Personal Opinion
This moisturizes like hell, no joke. Even when it’s freezing and my skin usually feels like sandpaper, this keeps everything soft and happy. The glycerin pulls water in and the oils lock it down, and my skin genuinely looks fuller. Fine lines around my eyes and forehead basically disappear because everything’s so hydrated and plumped up.
But that’s kind of it though. It moisturizes amazing but it’s not doing much else. Yeah there’s astaxanthin and collagen and all that fancy stuff but honestly they’re not at levels where I’m seeing any real anti-aging magic. This is basically just a really good thick moisturizer with some antioxidants tossed in. If you think it’s gonna firm everything up or fade spots or be your whole routine, it won’t.
And the texture bugs me. It’s too heavy for regular use especially when it’s warm or my skin’s being oily. I mostly save it for night or when my face is freaking out and needs serious help.
What I Like About DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel
- Moisturizes insanely well: My skin stays soft and hydrated even in brutal winter, the humectants and oils combo just works.
- Makes my fine lines disappear: Everything looks plumper and smoother because my skin’s so hydrated, genuinely looks younger.
- No fragrance: If scented stuff irritates you this is perfect, the natural smell is barely there and fades immediately.
- Some good stuff in here: Astaxanthin, collagen, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, so you’re getting antioxidants on top of the moisture.
What I DON’T Like About DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel
- Way too heavy: Sits on my face forever before it sinks in, feels like I can’t breathe especially on my oily spots.
- It’s not even a gel: They straight up lied calling it a gel, it’s a thick cream and super misleading.
- Jar packaging is gross: Sticking my fingers in every time is nasty and not hygienic at all.
- Can’t replace serums: The actives aren’t strong enough for real anti-aging, you still need everything else.
- Makes oily skin worse: My t-zone gets shiny and gross, I have to use barely anything or just avoid it completely.
Who Should Use This?
Dry or dehydrated skin people who need something intense. Like if your skin’s always tight or flaky and lightweight stuff does nothing, this’ll save you. Also great in winter when everything’s dried out. But if you’re oily or combo, don’t. Or only use it on dry patches. It’s gonna make oily areas disgusting and you’ll hate it. And if you want something that actually replaces all your steps and gives you crazy results, this isn’t it. You still need your serums, this is just moisture on top.
Does DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All-In-One Gel Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| This lightweight, fast-absorbing facial moisturizer tones, hydrates, and brightens skin in one easy step to simplify your beauty routine. | It only hydrates skin. Tone doesn’t really mean anything. |
| It harnesses the power of astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant proven to be 6,000 times more effective than vitamin C and 550 times more powerful than vitamin E in helping to protect against free radicals and environmental stressors. | It’s true. Why? Because they’re only mentioning how powerful astaxanthin is. They’re NOT directly claiming it does anything in this moisturiser, which would be a much harder claim to prove. |
Price & Availability
$53.00 at Dermstore, Ulta and Yes Style
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
If your skin’s dry and needs serious moisture, yeah get it. Does that job really well and the antioxidants are a nice bonus. Just keep using your serums underneath because this isn’t doing anti-aging on its own. If you’re oily or combo though, skip it. The texture’s gonna make you miserable and there are way better lightweight moisturizers that’ll hydrate without feeling like you smeared paste on your face. And if you want a real all-in-one that actually transforms your skin, this isn’t it. It’s a good moisturizer with extras but that’s it.
water/aqua/eau, butylene glycol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, hydrogenated palm oil, hydrolyzed collagen, pentylene glycol, squalane, hoplostethus/orange roughy oil/huile d’hoplostète orange, tocotrienols, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, batyl alcohol, tocopherol, porphyridium polysaccharide, carbomer, potassium hydroxide, cetearyl alcohol, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, stearyl glycyrrhetinate, cetearyl glucoside, allantoin, sodium hyaluronate, alcohol, hydrolyzed elastin, beer extract, polyglyceryl-10 oleate, placental protein, haematococcus pluvialis extract, hydrolyzed royal jelly protein, polyglyceryl-10 stearate, lactoferrin, lysolecithin, brassica campestris (rapeseed) seed oil, lactic acid, phenoxyethanol
About Gio
Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.
