Paris Hilton… skincare…?!?! YASSSSS…!!! Hey, everyone! Hope you’re all having a fabulous and wonderful summer!
I’ll admit I’m usually skeptical with celebrity-branded skincare and beauty products. All too often, they’re more about the name than the actual formulations. With Jerry’s son having had an adolescent “thing” for Paris Hilton many years ago, and my own obsession with her first fragrance (yes, it was a great summer scent, and I wore it EVERY day!), I was actually VERY excited to have the opportunity to preview one of the new products.
So… the brand sent me the ProD.N.A. Face & Decolletage Cream, and let me just start off by saying that the packaging is GORGEOUS. But, more on that later- the ingredients were actually quite impressive, being chock full of great hydrators and extracts.
Paris Hilton ProD.N.A. Face & Decolletage Cream is purported to be luxurious and fast-absorbing to invigorate the skin. Trademarked GenoMatrix works to address signs of aging such as loss of elasticity, sagging, wrinkles, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and dryness. The formula is designed for both day and night use.
I like to end on a positive note, so I’ll start with the two ingredients I’m most skeptical of: hydrolyzed collagen and cocos nucifera (coconut) oil. Although it’s not bad or harmful, collagen in skincare products does not affect the collagen in our skin, which is the reason many products contain other ingredients that stimulate the skin’s own collagen production. As for coconut oil… while I personally love it for my body and hair, it can be comedogenic, resulting in clogged pores and pimples (Allen, 2018).
The first ingredient is aloe, which is a great moisturizer with soothing properties. Squalane (the hydrogenated version of the squalene produced by the body) acts as an excellent emollient and antioxidant. Apple extract not only contains some great vitamins, but is also a mild exfoliant.
Another very useful ingredient is sodium hyaluronate, or hyaluronic acid. It’s important to note that even small hyaluronic acid molecules will not penetrate the skin (this is why doctors inject it) because a molecule as to be less than 500 Daltons to cross the skin barrier (Bos & Meinardi, 2000). However, the ingredient is a humectant, which means it’s a fantastic hydrator.
The problem with hyaluronic acid is that some companies have been marketing the ingredient in products with very few other ingredients, or even by itself. Since it’s a humectant, it draws moisture to itself. If you’re in a dry environment, this means it will actually pull moisture out of your skin, resulting in dryness and a more aged appearance.
To prevent moisture loss, hyaluronic acid should be used in conjunction with moisturizers. With the Paris Hilton ProD.N.A., there are several great moisturizing ingredients, such as the aloe, water, squalane, glycerin, phospholipids, and a several quality oils.
Rounding out the formula… coffee seed extract, camellia leaf extract, rose extract, among others, all add a diverse group of nutrients. Another one of my faves is the plankton extract, which as an algae, contains a nutrient profile of vitamins, minerals, and proteins that is closely related to those in human skin.
So, now that we know this celebrity formula is actually legit, let’s get back to that packaging I mentioned earlier… it really is gorgeous and lux! Like many high-end products, ProD.N.A. Face & Decolletage Cream is packaged in a jar. The black and rose gold is so sleek, and it looks fab sitting on my counter.
Now, if you’ve kept up with our blog, you likely know I generally do not like jar packaging because the ingredients are degraded from repeated exposure to air, light, and our fingers (Kaur, Kapila & Agrawal, 2007). But, the Paris Hilton jar isn’t quite what it seems…
The jar is actually a pump! I LOVE this type of packaging, so I really wish more brands would use these. It looks like a jar, so it’s easy to store, but it has a pump in the top. You simply press down on it (super convenient), and a bit of cream is dispensed through the center. So, all those great extracts remain safe and effective!
When I first dispensed a bit, I noticed the cream has a very nice texture. It’s thick and rich, but not so dense that it’s difficult to spread. For those of you who don’t like fragrance, you’ll be pleased to know that I couldn’t discern any scent in the cream. This is also a good sign for those with sensitive skin because it’s a good indicator that the ingredients aren’t as irritating or volatile.
When I smoothed the cream onto my face, it was very soothing, and didn’t feel overly heavy. However, after a couple hours, I noticed my T-zone had gotten very greasy. This is definitely not something I can wear under makeup or during the day- bummer, because I really liked how soothing it was!
I decided to try it again as a night cream, and while it still made me greasy, since I was in bed, I was able to leave it on. When I woke up and washed my face, my skin was so soft- so soft and smooth I didn’t want to stop touching my face (I know, I know, not supposed to do that…lol)! Also, I had zero problems with using it on my neck and chest- just smooth skin.
I also noticed I didn’t have any clogged pores or problems with the coconut oil, so that’s a huge plus, especially since I love the stuff! My best experience, though, was after a day in the 99 degree heat and sun- I used this in the evening, and it really did a great job of soothing and hydrating my heat and sun-parched skin.
I must say, despite not being able to use this on my face for day time wear, it was fantastic elsewhere, and on my face at night. This is one of the very few, and I mean so few that I can count them on one hand, celebrity-branded skincare products that I’m actually impressed with. It truly is First Class Skincare.
Get 20% off Paris Hilton Skincare products with code 1STCLASSCHALLENGE at www.parishiltonskincare.com.
Sources:
Allen, M. (2018) Does coconut oil clog pores? Interview with dermatologist Craig Austin, M.D. Byrdie.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018, from www.byrdie.com.
Bos, J. & Meinardi, M. (2000). The 500 Dalton rule for the skin penetration of chemical compounds and drugs. Experimental Dermatology, 9(3). Retrieved June 30, 2018, from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Kaur, I., Kapila, M. & Agrawal, R. (2007). Role of novel delivery systems in developing topical antioxidants as therapeutics to combat photoageing. Ageing Research Reviews, 6(4). Retrieved June 30, 2018, from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
