Love-Renaissance is a beautiful store at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Recently, while on vacation in Hawaii, I came across a lovely skin care store called Love-Renaissance.  Established and quite popular in Japan, Love-Renaissance is relatively new to the American seaboard, having set up a U.S. shop in only Hawaii thus far.  And while I visited many skin care stores and spas during my visit to Hawaii, I must say, this was by far my favorite find.

Love-Renaissance is not the typical skin care system you will see getting high marks on this website.  For one, Love-Renaissance is significantly more expensive than most drugstore brands, and it has never been conclusive that there is a statistically significant difference between the performance of most department store and drugstore brands of skin care.  Second, Love-Renaissance does not contain what are arguably the five most proven effective ingredients in anti-aging skin care today: sunscreen, retinoids, niacinamide, antioxidants, or alpha hydroxy acids.  Lastly, proper use the complete Love-Renaissance system requires four steps: cleansing (a cleansing oil, $47.00-$57.00), moistening (a cleansing foam or soap, $33.00-$57.00), supplementing (with a serum-like product called milk, $57.00-$65.00), and protecting (moisturizing gel or cream $76.00-$95.00) – a multitude of steps some experts would say is excessive.  

However, Love-Renaissance still manages to deliver high-performance results with its inclusion of very high concentrations of all-natural, but scientifically proven, ingredients.  (The salesperson informed me that the main ingredients were included in concentrations up to 80%, but I could not find documentation online verifying this statement).  Love-Renaissance has four separate lines, each concentrating on one specific ingredient:  Verdi (olive leaf and royal jelly); Noe (olive leaf); Sakuyahime (cherry leaf extract); and Swaness (brown rice extract).  The cherry leaf extract in Sakuyahime has been demonstrated in published scientific journals to have anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogenic activity, with the additional inclusion of vitamin C, which helps to fight hyperpigmentation by controlling melanin production.  The brown rice extract in the Swaness line has been shown to be anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory, with the potential to also inhibit portions of the free radical pathway that lead to oxidative damage.  Lastly, olive leaf (in Verdi and Noe) has perhaps the least independent scientifically published data behind it, with one study demonstrating its antiviral activity.

I personally have been using the Sakuyahime line for the past three weeks, and I can honestly say my skin looks smoother and feels softer.  However, I am only using the entire system at night, as I will not forgo my ultra-effective morning routine (Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 85 (or 100) OR NIA 24 Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30), at least until conclusive published research shows there are more effective products for ultimate sun protection.  

And while I miss my nighttime prescription retinoid and Revale Skin’s coffeeberry moisturizer, for a short while, I am pleased with the results of Love-Renaissance and will continue to use it.  I look at it like my skin is still on vacation: maybe not the most productive use of my time, but definitely relaxing and soothing…and I am definitely enjoying the luxurious pampering experience!  :-)

With that said, I really love these products.  To order, please see information below.  Product Rating: 7.0/10.  High concentration of proven ingredients: 2.5/3.  New technology or unique formulation: 3/3.   Value for the money: 1.5/3.  Sunscreen: 0/1.  

Take care!  :-)

Ordering information for Love-Renaissance:
2301 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu HI 96815
Tel: 808.923.0991
http://www.love-renaissance.com