If you are looking for a company based on science, where you truly get good quality without the usual price markup, I cannot think of a better line than Skin Actives Scientific. This gem of a brand is results-driven, a little under the radar of the masses, but loved by true skin care aficionados (I first learned about them on the sub-Reddit Skincare Addiction when people kept recommending their Collagen Serum). When I went to skinactives.com to look up the Collagen Serum, the first thing I noticed was the affordability. An ounce of this number-one selling anti-aging product is just $14. Then I looked at the “expert details” outlining the utility of each of the active ingredients, and my mind was blown. This is a very well thought out product.
I was impressed enough that I contacted them, and they generously allowed me to try their Collagen Serum, Every Lipid Serum, and Olive Anti-inflammatory Cream.
The Skin Actives Scientific website is highly informative and even includes a forum. Just looking around a bit, it seems that the individuals who flock there tend to be quite knowledgeable about skin care and the science behind it. For each of their products, Skin Actives Scientific provides ingredients, expert details, and scientific references. Having had the chance to try their Collagen Serum, Every Lipid Serum, and Olive Anti-inflammatory Cream, I will share what I like about each one and how I think they work well together for those of us with the dual concerns of aging and reactive skin. I will also include the ingredients of each product so you know exactly what is in it.
The Collagen Serum: has a consistency somewhere between a liquid and a gel, making it easy to apply (i.e., it’s not going to drip out of your hand before you can get it to your face). It has had a gently exfoliating effect on my skin, and it caused a little peeling the first couple of nights, but it was the gentlest peeling I’ve ever experienced. Even when I had some initial peeling, the Collagen Serum never made my skin red or angry, and I didn’t look like a patchwork quilt. My skin adjusted to the Collagen Serum quickly, and it has continued to reveal fresher, softer, smoother skin. My worry lines are a little less pronounced. I’ve been impressed enough that I’m also been using the Collagen Serum on areas where I’m beginning to show some sagging: marionette lines, beneath the corners of my mouth, and my jawline, and I have faith that this will both slow down sag and firm those areas up a bit as well.
Ingredients: Distilled Water (Aqua), Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate, Glycerol, Sodium PCA, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Carnosine (L-), Indian Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) Extract, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Acetyl Glucosamine (N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine), Centella asiatica Extract, Betulinic Acid (from Betula alba Bark Extract), Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG, Green Tea, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract ), Glutathione, Thioredoxin, Citric Acid, Epidermal Growth Factor (sh-Oligopeptide-1, EGF), Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid.
The Every Lipid Serum: nourishing enough that I (someone with parched. often-flaking skin, living at high altitude in the desert) could get by with applying just this and no moisturizer and still have soft, smooth skin–with no flaking –after 18 hours. In consistency, it is like an oil, and it spreads easy and leaves skin with a gentle glow. A little goes a long way and is very effective at moisturizing and improving the skin barrier as well. My skin is so dry that it has often appeared dull, but with Every Lipid Serum, the dullness is gone. Yet as nourishing as Every Lipid Serum is for parched skin, you will not have to worry about this breaking you out, because it actually helps control oil for those with blemish-prone skin. It’s an all-around great, multitasking skin savior!
Ingredients: Squalane, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Lecithin, Cholesterol Oleyl Carbonate (and) Cholesteryl Nanoate (and) Cholesteryl Chloride (and) BHT, Astaxanthin, Tocotrienols, Lycopene, α-D-Tocopherol, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, Xanthophyll (Lutein), Beta-Carotene, Ceramide-3, Phytosterols, Oryzanol.
Olive Anti-Inflammatory Cream: absorbs easily and leaves skin moisturized without a heavy or sticky residue. The Olive Anti-Inflammatory Cream took my skin from red, chapped, and inflamed to even and calm in about a week. This is a soothing moisturizer that did a lot of good for my reactive skin. This cream has a track record of being as effective as prescription creams when it comes to healing inflammatory skin issues, and I found it to be a better moisturizer for my skin than prescription Hylatopic Plus. It cream offers wonderful moisture and relief for those of us dealing with inflammation.
Ingredients: Water, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Squalane, Rosa moschata (Rose hip) Seed Oil, Sesamum indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Cetyl Myristoleate, Beta Glucan (Yeast), Sodium Hyaluronate, Olea europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane (and) Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane (and) Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Xylitol, Luteolin, Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice) Extract, Quercetin, Boswellia serrata (Indian Frankincense) Extract, Polypodium leucotomos Extract, Andrographis paniculata Extract, Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract, Cyanocobalamine, Punica granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil (and) Astaxanthin (and) Tocotrienols (and) Lycopene (and) Tocopherol (and) Thioctic Acid (and) Lutein, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben
Conclusion: Skin Actives Scientific Collagen Serum is an effective anti-aging product that is suitable for sensitive, reactive skin, especially when used in conjunction with their skin-calming and nourishing Every Lipid Serum and Olive Anti-Inflammatory Cream. With this trio, I was able to efficiently achieve some noticeable anti-aging effects while simultaneously reducing skin irritation! You don’t have to take my word for it. See the Before and After photos below.
BEFORE AFTER
