Cheap as chips Anti-Ageing

£2.50 ish (or around $4 ish Australian) doesn’t always get you much when it comes to anti-ageing products but we may be onto something here…..

Lidl, the cut-price supermarket chain set up to rival brother Aldi is gearing up to take the bottom end of the anti-ageing market by storm with its potent formulations and lightweight textures. I picked up this little gem today and thought I’d do some investigationing to see what makes it tick.

Can you reduce wrinkles without breaking the budget?

And the ingredients are……

Aqua – Water

Glycerine – A natural humectant that keeps the skin soft and supple by binding moisture to it like a sponge and hydrating the skin.

Octocrylene – An ingredient that is usually used to stabilise UV filter but also has a low SPF on its own.

Oleyl Erucate  – A natural emollient that creates a  luxurious and slow spreading feel on the skin making the product feel richer.

Pentylene Glycol –  Another humectant with slightly higher water binding power than glycerine. Not usually naturally derived.

Cetearyl Alcohol – A thickener and stabiliser for the emulsion helping to hold it together as well as giving it a whiter look.

Dicaprylyl Ether  – Another natural emollient that gives a light and silky feel rather like that usually achieved with silicone.

Isopropyl Palmitate – Natural light emollient and solubiliser for some active ingredients.

Tocopherol Acetate – Vitamin E for use as an antioxidant and also as a skin conditioning active.

Theobroma Cacao Butter – Cocoa butter to give the cream a thick, rich consistency while also bringing trace vitamins and fatty acids for conditioning.

Next we get into the smaller ingredients. The more interesting of these are:

Panthenol, Retinyl Palmitate, Ceramide 2 – Anti-ageing actives to help with skin conditioning, resurfacing and re-building.

Arachis Hypogaea Oil – This is PEANUT oil which is often used as a speciality emollient and skin conditioning agent.

Panicum Miliaceum Extract –  Extract of millet seed (the stuff you feed your budgie).  Said to be a good skin conditioner.

Chlorella Vulgaris/ Lupinus Albus Protein ferment, Caffeine, Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract – This is a blend of actives that have been found to reduce orange peel skin. Quite why that should be relevant in a facial product is unclear but I bet that the improvement in micro-circulation would bring some benefit, especially on skin that has become puffy and sluggish.

Tannic Acid– A phytochemical which is found in tea and has powerful antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are great for preventing skin ageing as they can mop up free-radical damage that is caused by smoking,  UV light, pollution and the natural ageing process.

So, is it any good?

Well,  having only just bought it I can’t vouch for its long-term results so I can only go by the ingredients listing, the price and the claims that the product makes.  The product claims to have a special formula based on the patented ‘liftan’ active blend. This ‘opens up a new dimension in skin-care’ and is an active that reduces the appearance of wrinkles plus energizes and firms the skin.  UV actives also help to prevent further damage.

Looking at the ingredients listing and the positioning of key ingredients I can say that this presents as an appealing base that rubs in well, it does smell quite strong, rather like Nivea cream (and that puts me off) although that is not really a problem.  The interesting actives do seem to be quite low down in the pecking order which is not unusual for a product at this price point meaning that it is unlikely to give you ‘instant’ results but may work to some degree.  The formula contains a really nice set of emollients which for me, is the best thing about the product and having tried it, it does feel good.

Overall this is a pretty nice product and a great buy for the price. I personally would prefer it without the fragrance and with a more effective UV filter included AND I wouldn’t mind them taking out the peanut oil and replacing it with something less linked to allergies, but apart from that, I’m happy.

If you ever find yourself in Lidl, give Iseree Beauty  a go!