Take care of my face (Nivea?)
February 21, 2012 1:42 AM Subscribe
Do products like Nivea coenzyme Q10 face protector (or the DNAge) do anything or are they just a mix of fancy soap/lotion + marketing hype?
Sure, the box says that it will "energize your skin" but who knows what that means....sounds a bit like pseudoscience...
I'm outdoors a lot and want to make sure I protect my face, but don't want to be spending money for this crazy product if it's essentially a gimmick.
You can see it here here
This one has SPF 15 but according to a recent Lifehacker article, it probably won't do anything, either...
I don't know much about this stuff, so hopefully there's some dermatologist or experienced person who knows what's what.
Sure, the box says that it will "energize your skin" but who knows what that means....sounds a bit like pseudoscience...
I'm outdoors a lot and want to make sure I protect my face, but don't want to be spending money for this crazy product if it's essentially a gimmick.
You can see it here here
This one has SPF 15 but according to a recent Lifehacker article, it probably won't do anything, either...
I don't know much about this stuff, so hopefully there's some dermatologist or experienced person who knows what's what.
My go-to source for information on cosmetic/skin care BS is Paula Begoun and Beautypedia. Here's what she says about the ingredient coenzyme Q10.
Her reviews for the DNAge series aren't so great: the same for Nivea's coQ10 products. (go to Beautypedia, create a free account, and the just look at the product Nivea Visage International). They seem to generally make a lot of unsubstantiated claims. (The little Q10 in at least some of the products will deteriorate due to the packaging.) If you look at this article, it will give you all you need to know about anti-aging products. I actually use Paula's Choice products for some steps of my skin are routine--AHA & BHA products specifically. And I rely on her reviews at Beautypedia for my info on moisturizers, cleansers, etc. There may be other reputable sources, but in this world of snake oil dealers this is the only place I've found to trust.
(I've been reading Paula's Cosmetics Cop series since before she had her own line of products. I do think that selling her own stuff now is sort of sketch, but I have used her whole line at one time or another, and I have been very happy with the results. Now I just use her products for the skin care steps I can't find locally; I'm not great about ordering products online when I run out.)
posted by Kronur at 2:37 AM on February 21, 2012 [6 favorites]
Her reviews for the DNAge series aren't so great: the same for Nivea's coQ10 products. (go to Beautypedia, create a free account, and the just look at the product Nivea Visage International). They seem to generally make a lot of unsubstantiated claims. (The little Q10 in at least some of the products will deteriorate due to the packaging.) If you look at this article, it will give you all you need to know about anti-aging products. I actually use Paula's Choice products for some steps of my skin are routine--AHA & BHA products specifically. And I rely on her reviews at Beautypedia for my info on moisturizers, cleansers, etc. There may be other reputable sources, but in this world of snake oil dealers this is the only place I've found to trust.
(I've been reading Paula's Cosmetics Cop series since before she had her own line of products. I do think that selling her own stuff now is sort of sketch, but I have used her whole line at one time or another, and I have been very happy with the results. Now I just use her products for the skin care steps I can't find locally; I'm not great about ordering products online when I run out.)
posted by Kronur at 2:37 AM on February 21, 2012 [6 favorites]
funny, but I was just reading up on this yesterday, my mom gave me a really nice nivea skin cream that has q10 in it, and I was wondering if it does any good. Lots of places say that it's some kind of wonder drug, but in this article, they question if it can actually be absorbed through the skin. The cream that I have is a really nice moisturizer, and smells wonderful (though I imagine the formula for men wouldn't smell the same, it's pretty girly) but is it worth shelling out more for the stuff with q10? don't know. the article I linked may be subtly promoting a different product. Using a basic moisturizer is always a good idea, though, and there are lots of products out there that will keep your skin from getting too rough and chapped that don't cost buckets of cash.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:38 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:38 AM on February 21, 2012
According to Paula Begoun, none of the Nivea Q10 products are worth bothering with. They're not particularly good moisturisers nor good sun-protection products.
And jar packaging isn't good for facial products -- jars expose ingredients to air that breaks them down, and it's easy to introduce bacteria by dipping your fingers into a jar. Opaque bottles are better.
If you're concerned about the effects of ageing on your skin, I recommend checking our her articles. She does a good job of explaining which ingredients do what.
On preview, everything Kronur said. :)
posted by neushoorn at 2:41 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
And jar packaging isn't good for facial products -- jars expose ingredients to air that breaks them down, and it's easy to introduce bacteria by dipping your fingers into a jar. Opaque bottles are better.
If you're concerned about the effects of ageing on your skin, I recommend checking our her articles. She does a good job of explaining which ingredients do what.
On preview, everything Kronur said. :)
posted by neushoorn at 2:41 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I don't know about the face cream but their Q10 body lotion is amazingly smoothing. My skin feels incredible when I use this, like a baby's. Nothing else I've tried comes even close and I'm a cosmetics junkie.
posted by Dragonness at 3:35 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by Dragonness at 3:35 AM on February 21, 2012
Best answer: Yes, I can't comment on this specific product, but always check out reviews on MakeUpAlley (they do moisturisers too) and the Paula Begoun site listed above to see if something is right for you.
The useful thing to remember is that a topical cream can only do so much for the skin. It will moisturise your stratum corneum (the top layer of skin) and it may provide a protective barrier against the sun's rays etc. but it won't permanently change things. That said, there was a big rush on a Boots brand cream when Horizon (a notable science programme) said that it improved skin - though who's to say whether that skin was reacting to being moisturised rather than what was in the specific moisturising cream.
posted by mippy at 3:37 AM on February 21, 2012
The useful thing to remember is that a topical cream can only do so much for the skin. It will moisturise your stratum corneum (the top layer of skin) and it may provide a protective barrier against the sun's rays etc. but it won't permanently change things. That said, there was a big rush on a Boots brand cream when Horizon (a notable science programme) said that it improved skin - though who's to say whether that skin was reacting to being moisturised rather than what was in the specific moisturising cream.
posted by mippy at 3:37 AM on February 21, 2012
Best answer: You need a higher SPF than 15 if you're spending hours outside. Minimum of 30 SPF is the usual dermatologist recommendation. This is far more important than any anti-aging ingredient, and don't skimp on the coverage. Sunscreen is really the only cheap but proven ant aging weapon, everything else is mostly bunk.
posted by slow graffiti at 6:56 AM on February 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by slow graffiti at 6:56 AM on February 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
Paula Begoun lost credibility with me when she began shilling her own skin care line but I will agree with other posters that most mass market moisturizers at best provide cosmetic improvement.
To see real results in anti-aging, I think your best bet is to hit a medi-spa for mild chemical peels, or your local dermatologist for prescription retinoids. Retinoids are still the gold standard in anti-aging.
posted by nubianinthedesert at 7:22 AM on February 21, 2012
To see real results in anti-aging, I think your best bet is to hit a medi-spa for mild chemical peels, or your local dermatologist for prescription retinoids. Retinoids are still the gold standard in anti-aging.
posted by nubianinthedesert at 7:22 AM on February 21, 2012
If your main goal is to protect your skin outdoors, then a good sunscreen that protects against both kinds of radiation, re-applied as often as the directions say, is what you want. Also yes - a good sun hat.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:20 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:20 AM on February 21, 2012
You're going to need a much more invasive procedure to see results. Unless you haven't been moisturizing your skin properly, all topical solutions except Retin A (although basically, it's not incredible, either) are blah. Sunscreen is a nice feature, but yeah, SPF 15 via moisturizer probably isn't going to change your life either.
posted by devymetal at 11:54 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by devymetal at 11:54 AM on February 21, 2012
Best answer: Yes, definitely sunscreen is the way. I recently went to a dermatologist for a mole check and he advised that sunscreen with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (a physical blocker) is way better than moisturizer with sunscreen in it. I asked a question about brands recently.
posted by pised at 4:01 PM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pised at 4:01 PM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mippy at 1:58 AM on February 21, 2012