Just because a doctor recommends something, it doesn’t mean that it’s good for your skin. Case in point: St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer. A few years ago, Dr Oz urged his viewers to put away their expensive creams and turn to this drugstore “gem” instead. I totally agree with Dr Oz when he says a lot of these fancy moisturisers aren’t worth the splurge. But with all the cheaper, yet effective, alternatives on the market, why would Dr Oz recommend this? What’s so special about this? If you ask me, this formula is SO dated. So what should you do? Here’s the lowdown on this moisturiser and if it really is your skin saviour:
Key Ingredients In St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer: What Makes It Work?
MINERAL OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN
Mineral oil has gained a bad reputation because it’s derived from oil. But cosmetic grade mineral oil (the only type allowed in skincare, FYI) is highly purified. All the nasty stuff is taken out before it gets in your cream. Phew!
But what’s it doing here? It’s an occlusive moisturiser that creates a barrier to prevents water loss. Now water stays in, it helps skin stay hydrated for longer. Before you ask, mineral oil itself isn’t comedogenic. But the barrier it creates can trap comedogenic ingredients into your skin, and those can make you breakout. Be careful what you use it with!
Related: 5 Mineral Oil Myths You Need To Stop Believing Right Now
PROPYLENE GLYCOL TO HYDRATE SKIN
Propylene Glycol is another ingredient with an undeserved bad rep. It’s true that, at 100% concentrations, it is an anti-freeze. But no one puts that much into a cream! In skincare, it’s used in tiny doses. Enough for it to do its job. What job? It’s a humectant, a fancy way of saying it attracts water from the environment into the skin, helping to keep it hydrated.
Related: 7 Skincare Ingredients With An Underserved Bad Reputation
COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN FOR… MARKETING
Collagen is the protein that keeps your skin firm. Elastin makes it elastic (the name gave it away, didn’t it?). As you get older, and your body stops making so much collagen and elastin, your skin starts to sag and wrinkle. So it makes sense that adding them back into the skin would make it firmer and more elastic again, right?
WRONG. Collagen and elastin are too big to penetrate the skin. If they can’t penetrate it, they can’t firm anything! All they do is rest on the skin’s surface and hydrate it. That’s it.
Related: 4 Anti-Aging Skincare Ingredients That DON’T Work
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): The main solvent, it helps to dissolve other ingredients in the product.
- Glyceryl Stearate: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother. It’s also an emulsifier that helps the water and oil based ingredients to blend seamlessly into your skin.
- PEG-100 Stearate: It enhances the texture of skincare products. It makes skin softer and smoother. And it helps the water and oil based ingredients to blend seamlessly into your skin.
- Stearic Acid: Another emollient and emulsifier. It makes skin softer and smoother and helps the water and oil based ingredients to blend seamlessly into your skin.
- Phenoxyethanol: A preservative that inhibits bacteria contamination, keeping your moisturiser safer for longer.
- Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil: It creates a protective barrier on the skin that makes skin softer and smoother and protects it from environmental aggressors.
- Triethanolamine: It helps to adjust the pH of skincare products.
- Carbomer: It helps to create a gel-like formulation.
- Cetyl Alcohol: It’s a moisturising alcohol that makes skin softer and smoother.
- Dimethicone: A silicone that makes the texture of the product velvety soft, leaves your skin softer and smoother, and plumps up fine lines and wrinkles so they look smaller. Silicones get a bad rep, but they’re not toxic and they don’t cause breakouts.
- Disodium EDTA: A chelating agent. It’s a fancy way of calling ingredients that neutralise the metal ions in the water before they can spoil the formula.
- Fragrance (Parfum): The most irritating ingredient used in skincare, it makes the product smell good.
- Ethylhexylglycerin: A preservative with hydrating properties to boot.
- Linalool: A fragrance ingredient with a floral and spicy scent. It must be listed separately on the ingredient list because it’s a common allergen.
- Hexyl Cinnamal: It smells like jasmine and it’s used to give skincare products a floral scent. But it can be irritating.
- Coumarin: A fragrance ingredient with a very sweet, vanilla-like scent. And yes, it can be irritating too.
- Geraniol: Another irritating fragrant component that imparts a floral scent (roses, to be exact) to skincare products.
Texture
This moisturiser has a lightweight, gel-like texture that sinks in fairly quickly into your skin. Feels a little greasy only if you overdo it. A little goes a long way.
Fragrance
I’m not a fan of fragrance in skincare products. It can often irritate sensitive skin. But, a lot of brands use it to make their products smell good. This one is pleasant, if strong. And a little powdery. Told ya it was an old-fashioned formula – in the fragrance department too.
How To Use It
Like all moisturisers, you can use it up two twice a day. In the morning, apply it before sunscreen. At night, it’s the last step of your skincare routine. If you use an oil, either skip this or use it before the oil.
Packaging
St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturiser comes in a huge blue and green jar. It’s not the most hygienic packaging, but it’ll last you for a long time. In case you’re wondering if the jar packaging will spoil the formula, the answer is no. There are no antioxidants or anti-aging actives that go bad when exposed to light and air here.
Performance & Personal Opinion
St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer is surprisingly hydrating. I say surprisingly because the texture is very light and sinks in so quickly. If you’ve got dry skin, it’s not enough. Your skin needs something more heavy duty. But for acne-prone skin that’s a little sensitive? Works like a charm.
The cream keeps skin hydrated for a few good hours, leaving it softer and smoother. Good – but don’t expect anything more than this. That’s my gripe with this moisturiser. It moisturises indeed, but it doesn’t have any actives – think niacinamide, retinol, or antioxidants – that can slow down aging and fight wrinkles. Thirty years ago, this may have been a decent formula. Now, it leaves A LOT to be desired.
What I Like About St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer
- Lightweight, fast-absorbing texture
- Moisturising, makes skin softer and smoother
- Plumps up wrinkles, so they look smaller
- Big size, will last you for a long time
- Affordable
What I DON’T Like About St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer
- Texture can feel sticky if you apply too much.
- Has fragrance, which can irritate sensitive skin.
- Basic moisturiser, there’s nothing anti-aging here.
- Jar packaging isn’t hygienic.
Who Should Use This?
This gel-like moisturiser is most suitable for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin that needs a lightweight formula.
Does St Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin Moisturizer Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Inspired by collagen and elastin proteins, this lotion helps renew skin’s glow. | Note how the brand doesn’t say collagen and elastin do anything. It just says the cream was inspired by them. And yes, when skin is well-moisturised, it glows a little. |
| Use morning and night for softer, visibly smoother skin. | It does make skin softer and smoother (just like any moisturiser out there). |
Price & Availability
$6.51 at Amazon and iHerb
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
If you’re still young and need a basic moisturiser that keeps your skin soft and smooth, this’ll do. But don’t expect it to do anything more than that.
Dupes & Alternatives
- CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion ($15.99): One of my fave moisturisers, it has ceramides and niacinamide to strengthen the skin’s protective barrier and make every skin type soft and smooth without clogging pores. But it’s not anti-aging. Available at Boots, Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, and Ulta.
Water (Aqua, Eau), Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum, Huile Minerale), Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum), Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Geraniol.
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.
