I honestly cannot remember when the French brand Caudalie came into my life and my skincare drawer……or even why? For the purposes of writing this post, I wish I had a recollection it was because of the science behind the ingredients they use, but alas, I fear it was due to the pretty packaging!
The good news is both are top-notch, so I don’t feel too superficial!
You’ll be pleased to know I have now spent some time researching this product for this Caudalie Resveratrol Lift review (however not enough it would seem to know how to pronounce it – so ignorant!).
This incredibly creamy, dreamy, cloud-like billow of fluff may be just what you need for your next moisturiser purchase.
If you are looking for a new moisturiser, do have a look at this review on a different moisturiser – the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
Related posts:
KIEHL’S ULTRA FACIAL CLEANSER REVIEW: HOW TO ACHIEVE FRESH, CLEAN SKIN
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The Overview
Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Firming Night Cream is enriched, Caudalie says, with a patented combination of vine resveratrol, hyaluronic acid and a vegan collagen booster.
Claims they make are:
- It smooths wrinkles overnight for a beautiful awakening
- Features will appear rested
- Skin will look firmer
- Complexion will be more radiant
That’s quite some bold claims, and they back them up with their research they say:
- smoothed skin by 90% from a clinical trial as a % of satisfaction of 40 women over 56 days.
- increased natural production of collagen 5x from an in vitro genetic test
- increased natural production of hyaluronic acid 2x also from an in vitro genetic test
The Star Ingredients
Resveratrol – An antioxidant that is found in the seed and skin of the red grape. This is one of the ingredients Caudalie have made its name from and what is patented. Not only is this molecule known for its antioxidant properties, but also its anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic abilities.
Within skincare, it is effective against UV-caused oxidative stress and has a good effect against multiple types of skin cancer.
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil – An antioxidant plant oil from the grape plant that comes from the polyphenol-rich seeds of the grape.
It is also a great source of the fatty acid linoleic acid, which is a great barrier repair, but also the skin-protectant antioxidant Vitamin E. It is a light emollient oil that enables your skin to feel smooth.
Palmitoyl Grapevine Shoot Extract – An antioxidant and skin-brightening ingredient that also comes from the grape plant. It is exclusive to Caudalie, so there is not much independent info out there, but they say it is very effective at fading brown spots.
Tocopheryl Acetate – An antioxidant Vitamin E that is a slightly different version of the purer version Tocopheryl.
This version is more commonly used in cosmetics as it is more stable with a longer shelf life – unfortunately, it does not get absorbed as well by the skin and may not have the same photoprotective impact as pure Vitamin E.
Adenosine – A “cell-communicating” ingredient that tells our cells to perform a better job! In this instance, it encourages wound healing, increases collagen production, helps with barrier repair and protection and provides an anti-inflammatory ability.
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester – another “cell-communicating” ingredient, and this one has soothing properties as it can signal our skin cells to relax thereby decreasing skin irritations coming from heat and chemical or mechanical stressors.
Thanks to the relaxation properties it is also thought to be able to prevent the onset of wrinkles.
Glycerin – A natural humectant moisturiser that’s in the outer layer of our skin. It is really effective for moisturising dry skin but also protects against irritation and damage to the skin barrier.
Squalane – An emollient and natural moisturiser that is found in fish, plant oils and human sebum. A great moisturiser that leaves skin smooth, but not greasy or heavy as it is absorbed easily.
Hyaluronic acid – a skin-identical ingredient that is a humectant moisturiser. It behaves like a sponge in our skin where it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water
All the Other Ingredients
aqua/water/eau, butylene glycol, glycerin, coco-caprylate/caprate, cetearyl alcohol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, hydrogenated vegetable oil, triheptanoin, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower water, arachidyl alcohol, carbomer, behenyl alcohol, potassium sorbate, caprylyl glycol, cetearyl glucoside, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, xanthan gum, sodium hydroxide, tilia platyphyllos flower extract, verbena officinalis leaf extract, khaya senegalensis bark extract, maltodextrin, citric acid, paeonia lactiflora root extract, sodium benzoate, parfum (fragrance), linalool, limonene, coumarin
Its Scent
- Caudalie on their website says this has a signature fragrance that is “notes of basil, lemongrass, chamomile, thyme and orange blossom”.
- I’ve got to say this is not my favourite element of this product – and not just because of the fact that skincare does not need a fragrance, which I shall address later.
As far as the actual scent goes, I didn’t mind it too much when I was first using the product, but after a while, I started to find it a bit of a sickly sweet smell. - I can’t say if the smell did have notes of basil etc, but to be fair I’m useless at getting notes of taste/smell from wine too!
Its Texture
- This I reckon is a real stand-out feature of this product. I know I alluded in the intro to a “creamy, dreamy, cloud-like billow of fluff” but that’s not far from the truth.
As an example, I quite often end up putting my nighttime moisturiser on in the dark in bed (as silently as possible) as quite often my husband has already gone to sleep – with this product, I genuinely couldn’t tell once my finger had made contact with it!! That’s how soft it is……as soft as air! - It spreads around the skin really smoothly and I would say a little goes a long way, however, it is always tempting to add more as it feels so good.
- It sinks quickly and easily into the skin with no tacky finishing.
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UNRAVELING AND RESOLVING THE HIDDEN BARRIERS TO SELF-CARE BLISS
Its Packaging
- Hello…..have you seen it? It’s soooo pretty! The glass jar has an opaque finish with a plastic screw top lid all in a dusky pink colour. It’s a real feast for the eyes when you look at pictures of the whole resveratrol range on their website!
- The only downside is it is a jar that is used – not the most hygienic of ways to get skincare onto our skin.
- It comes in just one 50ml size jar and all packaging is fully recyclable, with the product boxes using lighter FSC paper that allows the carbon footprint to be reduced by 40%.
- The jar itself is made from 100% recycled plastic and glass
Its Purchase Locations
- You can buy it from Amazon here
- Other stockists include Sephora, Boots, Look Fantastic and Cult Beauty.
If you think you’re going to stick with this brand, or are doing a big order, it’s worth using their website as they have a good loyalty program – I’ve got a few free goodies with this over the years.
The Directions
- Simple stuff really: just apply it daily in the evening to the face and neck, alone or after your serum.
- It’s the last step in your evening routine
Who is it For?
- The website says it’s suitable for all skin types. It also adds that its facial products are tested under dermatological control by independent laboratories, so are all suitable for sensitive skin.
- I’d say it’s certainly suitable for dry, normal and possibly combination skin
- Having a good hunt through the depths of their website I came across a FAQ section on this particular range.
They specify in this hidden drop-down and tag section that this particular range is best suited for those who think their “skin is losing firmness and elasticity”. Based on their other ranges I’m going to guess this is those in their mid-30s and 40s.
Who is it Not For?
- Personally, being such a rich creamy product, I do think you might struggle a bit if you have oily skin.
- If you have sensitive skin, and fragrance is one such ingredient that causes you issues, just be careful. Why, oh why did they have to add it?
- I mentioned in the “Who is it For?” section that this range is best for those in their mid-30s and 40s. Caudalie goes on to say that they have a better range for those for are wanting to correct all signs of ageing – wrinkle, firmness and dark spots.
Therefore, if you feel this is you, obviously you can still go ahead with this Resveratrol this range, but you may prefer to try the other range (and if you’re wondering, it’s the Premier Cru range)
And The Results Are In
The Caudalie website reviews show a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 from 319 reviews. The other stockists mentioned above have this same result, with Boots having double the amount of reviews.
As for me, I would have given a review on their site a 5-star rating. Frankly, there’s not much to not like about this whole range. Here are my final few thoughts on my non-sensitive, combination skin experience:
- It’s a soft, poofy cloud of (slightly icky-smelling IMO) silk.
- It gave zero stinging sensation….ever, no matter what other active ingredient I was using. At times it was really soothing (a snotty and sore cold-based nose situation is what I’m meaning here!).
- It sinks in well and leaves no tacky after feeling.
- No issues with makeup application with this product.
- My skin genuinely felt really soft the whole time I was using this and VERY well moisturised/hydrated. Perhaps a little too moisturised at certain times – would be, I think, an issue should you have oily skin.
- I used this when I started out with tretinoin and this was the only thing that wasn’t a stinger. It’s important to find a suitable moisturiser when you’re starting out with retinol and you can read about that in this post here
Related post: HOW TO APPLY RETINOL FOR BEGINNERS – THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Patented natural ingredients | Unnecessary sickly sweet fragrance |
| Beautifully soft texture that sinks into skin easily | Expensive |
| Pretty packaging that’s 100% recyclable | Sensitive skin may struggle with the fragrance |
| Suitable for a wide range of skin types | |
| A good alternative for those who cannot tolerate retinol | |
| Vegan and not tested on animals |
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SIDE EFFECTS OF USING RETINOL DEMYSTIFIED: YOUR ULTIMATE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
MEDIK8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3 REVIEW IN FOCUS: CRYSTAL CLEAR RESULTS
So Should You Buy It?
So let’s conclude this review for you. There are a few more highlights I’ve not yet mentioned:
- I have read a few quotes on how this specific mix of ingredients has proven to be better than retinol, obviously without the joyful side effects we know that can bring.
This required some serious hunting from this retinol-loving woman, and I found on their website the quote that it is the “existing Resveratrol and hyaluronic acid patent (that) is twice as effective as retinol on the natural production of collagen”. - Looking at this further, I found their reference to be based on sales “in the pharmacy distribution channel in France on the CMA in January 2022”. I’ve no idea what this is either, and with no link to this (and no joy from a copy and paste into Google), I ended the research there…..life’s too short!
- Despite there being other ranges in the Caudalie line they say are better suited to those aged 25+ with the first signs of ageing, I do feel this range will do just fine if you’re that age. As a nurse, I’m evangelical about prevention being better than the cure after all!
- Therefore the age range I would recommend is 25-50. If you’re older than this and/or have more “established” signs of ageing you may not get the power you want from this product, despite the retinol claim.
- All of their ingredients are 97% natural, with no nasties like parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oils, PEG or silicones. It is a vegan product and they are a company that does not test on animals – certainly a big plus!
- Be cautious if you have sensitive skin, due to the fragrance…..or at least if you are sensitive to fragrance…….or if your nostrils are sensitive to slightly icky sweet smells!
- It will be perfect for you if you have dry or normal skin. Perhaps be cautious if you have combination or oily skin (certainly oily skin), but my combination skin worked fine with it.
- Let’s address the elephant in the room: the price…….£46!! This one is expensive so that’s certainly something to take into account
- Don’t forget, another option for a good moisturiser is the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream which you can read all about here
Related Posts:
KIEHL’S ULTRA FACIAL CLEANSER REVIEW: HOW TO ACHIEVE FRESH, CLEAN SKIN
Have you discovered Caudalie yet? What’s your thought on this brand? Let me know in the comments below – I would love to start a discussion!
Related Posts:
MEDIK8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3 REVIEW IN FOCUS: CRYSTAL CLEAR RESULTS
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