SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture, MetaCell B3, Antioxidant Lip Repair

I'm (finally) back with more on SkinCeuticals! Today's post features products that could be broadly described as moisturizers that would be applied after using Serum 10 AOX+ or Retexturing Activator.

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture

Daily Moisture is an oil-free moisturizer intended for normal/oily skin. The texture is light and easily absorbed, and the lotion-cream has a very, very mild scent, though I can't quite describe it. While the lotion has a pretty, pearly look in the frosted glass jar, I don't think it imparts any kind of pearlescent effect to the skin. It leaves a smooth finish to the skin, so makeup applies well over top.

High on the ingredients list are glycerin (humectant), sorbitol (humectant), and cetyl palmitate (emollient). Other ingredients worth noting are sodium hyaluronate, licorice root extract (anti-irritant), and retinyl palmitate (antioxidant). Despite a pretty spiffy-looking ingredients list, I worry that the benefits of any antioxidants or plant extracts are not stable in this jar packaging. It's a nice moisturizer, but I don't consider it superior to other moisturizers I've tried that are at a similar or lower price point.

SkinCeuticals MetaCell B3

MetaCell Renewal B3 is a recent-ish addition to SkinCeuticals' "Correct" line-up of products intended to address issues such as slower cell turnover, environmental damage, and fine lines, all in an airless pump tube. This product boasts 5% vitamin B3, aka niacinamide, which has tons of benefits including improving skin elasticity and barrier function. Note that using a product with niacinamide together with acidic products can cause some flushing; I've tried it on separate occasions after Serum 10 AOX+ (vitamin C) and AHA products and had a little bit of flushing but it calmed down within a minute.

MetaCell B3 is described as an "emulsion"-- this is the step that would come after actives and toners, and before a moisturizer like Daily Moisture. The texture is a lightweight cross between a gel and a lotion. If you look closely at the photo, you can see a very subtle iridescent effect, though I don't think it makes a difference to the face once applied. The finish on the skin is natural and non-tacky.

With a high amount of glycerin, it also serves to bind water to the skin, which in turn helps keep my skin smooth and flake-free. The formula also contains tripeptides to help with signs of aging, but I can't comment on its effectiveness since I'm still relatively young. For me, although it's a nice product with the glycerin and niacinamide, I wouldn't be able to justify the $110 USD pricetag, mostly due to the fact that I'm not able to properly assess its anti-aging claims.

SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair

Antioxidant Lip Repair is unlike any other lip product in my stash right now. Instead of a balm in a twist-up tube or pot, it's an airless pump that dispenses a rich lotion-cream. The packaging keeps antioxidants such as vitamin E and milk thistle extract stable, while a combination of emollients and humectants (glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, hydroxyethyl urea, microcrystalline wax) hydrate and protect the lips. I was a bit alarmed to see drying denatured alcohol on the ingredients list, but my sensitive lips had no problem with it. I'm assuming it's there to enhance penetration of other ingredients.

I honestly didn't know what to make of this product at first. But I applied it one day in the morning and absent-mindedly touched my lips later in the afternoon--I was blown away by how soft and supple my lips felt. Really. Maybe it's partly because of the unconventional creamy texture? I use about half a pump and apply this all over my lips. It might look whitish at first, but disappears on the lips with a little bit of rubbing, and leaves a natural, almost-matte finish (in contrast to lip balms with lots of lip-hydrating oils that can leave a slippery sheen on the lips). As a result, it's a nice choice to prep lips with before applying lipsticks, since the lip colour shouldn't slide around too much with Antioxidant Lip Repair as the base.

To get the most out of Antioxidant Lip Repair, I prep my lips by using a lip scrub first. It's the kind of product that won't work well if you have a lot of dry bits clinging to your lips. If I'm using it before bedtime, I'll also layer a very thick, occlusive lip balm on top to lock in all the moisture and wake up with amazingly smooth lips.

Is it worth $38 USD? Actually, out of the three products featured in this post, this is the one I would most likely say "yes" to. I don't have anything quite like it, and it genuinely wowed me at how soft it made my lips feel. I can't really pin down a particular ingredient in the list that would make it so good, but it just works.


Part 1 of this post series: SkinCeuticals Introduction + Gentle Cleanser, Serum 10 AOX+, Retexturing Activator
Part 3 of this post series: SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel, Physical Fusion UV Defense, Physical Eye UV Defense, + Conclusions


Available at select skin care professional locations: Daily Moisture ($60 USD / 2 oz); MetaCell Renewal B3 ($110 USD / 1.7 oz); Antioxidant Lip Repair ($38 USD / 0.34 oz)

Daily Moisture ingredients: aqua/water/eau, sorbitol, cetyl palmitate, stearic acid, stearyl benzoate, glycerin, butylene glycol, cyclopentasiloxane, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, peg-100 stearate, Hamamelis virginiana extract/witch hazel extract, glyceryl stearate, Glychyrrhiza glabra extract/licorice root extract, sodium hyaluronate, Urtica dioica/nettle extract, Equisetum hiemale extract, Thymus vulgaris extract/thyme extract, algae/Gellidiela acerosa extract, algae/Sargassum filipendula extract, carbomer, allantoin, panthenol, algae/Hypnea musciformis extract, triethanolamine, methylparaben, trisodium edta, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, retinyl palmitate, Poterium officinale root extract, Zingiber officinale root extract/ginger root extract, Cinnamomum cassia bark extract, cinnamal

MetaCell B3 ingredients: aqua/water/eau, glycerin, dimethicone, niacinamide, propanediol, dimethicone/peg-10/15 crosspolymer, methylsilanol/silicate crosspolymer, sodium chloride, polymethylsilsesquioxane, phenoxyethanol, microcrystalline cellulose, CI 77163/bismuth oxychloride, chlorphenesin, caprylyl glycol, sodium citrate, ethylhexyl hydroxystearate, peg-10 dimethicone, disodium edta, cellulose gum, Laminaria digitata extract, adenosine, Citrus aurantium amara flower oil/bitter orange flower oil, Melaleuca viridiflora leaf oil, tetradecyl aminobutryoylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, linalool, Cymbopogon flexuosus oil, citral, limonene, Pelargonium graveolens flower oil

Antioxidant Lip Repair ingredients: aqua/water/eau, hydrogenated polyisobutene, glycerin, Cera microcristallina/microcrystalline wax/cire microcristalline, dimethicone, undecane, tridecane, peg/ppg-18/18 dimethicone, silica, alcohol denat., tocopherol acetate, polymethylsilsesquioxane, ethylhexyl palmitate, phenoxyethanol, lauryl peg-9 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, tocopherol, magnesium sulfate, distearimonium hectorite, glucosamine HCl, tribehenin, caprylyl glycol, allatoin, disodium edta, hydroxyethyl urea, sorbitan isostearate, sodium hyaluronate, Faex extract/yeast extract/extrait de levure, biosaccharide gum-1, palmitoyl oligopeptide, Silybum marianum extract