Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream Review, Ingredients

Oh, Shiseido.  Somehow, the Asian brand always manages to come through with luxurious creams, outstanding claims, and, of course, deluxe packaging.  Their newest release, Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream ($51.95, Amazon.com), serves as no exception.  The cream is formulated with Super Bio-Hyaluronic Acid, mukurossi extract, chlorella extract, and gambir extract, all claiming to “target—and improve—the look of aging skin.”  Add in an Asian orchid scent, and women everywhere are captivated.

Overall, I feel Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream is a hydrating cream with mild skin-brightening properties and antioxidants.  I would “definitely” buy it if it had retinol or another proven anti-ager in it, but it’s just a “maybe” as-is.  Here’s why:

Mukurossi extract

Mukurossi extract is also known as “soapnut” because many of the components of soap can be found in S. mukurossi, including saponins, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and eicosenoic acids, and glycerides.  There are a number of constituents, so great a number in fact that it is difficult to ascertain exactly what the effects on the skin will be (International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2011).  In Ayurvedic medicine, mukurossi extract is traditionally used to treat eczema, psoriasis, and freckles.  Eczema and psoriasis are alleviated somewhat by the high lipid content, whereas freckles are somewhat removed by the fact mukurossi acts as a tyrosinase inhibitor (Journal of the Taiwanese Society of Chemical Engineers, 2010).

Mukurossi extract also has been found to act as an anti-microbial agent (World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006) and a spermicide (Asian Journal of Andrology, 2002).

Chlorella extract

Chlorella is an exciting ingredient, more as a superfood than a topical treatment, but interesting in skin care nonetheless.  Chlorella has been found to inhibit inflammatory processes via the NFkB pathway (Clinica Chemica Acta, 2005) when incubated with cells called macrophages.  Chlorella may also be helpful in protecting skin cells from UV damage by upregulating collagen production in fibroblasts and inhibiting collagen-degrading enzymes (European Journal of Dermatology, 2008).

Gambir Extract

Gambir extract is obtained from the leaves of a woody vine (Uncaria gambir) of Malaysia and Indonesia.  Throughout Asia, it is considered to be a pharmacopoeic agent, used in the treatment of premature ejaculation.  In skin care, it is an astringent, used to shrink or contract the skin, temporarily reducing inflammation somewhat.  Shiseido proposes that Gambir has the ability to preserve the skin’s elastin, but I cannot find evidence of this in any blinded, controlled, randomized, peer-reviewed, published study to date.

Bottom Line

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream has some promise as a hydrating, mildly brightening, antioxidant-rich cream.  I’m excited by the inclusion of chlorella, though it’s in such low concentration that it really can’t do much.  I suggest that you ingest chlorella to get the benefits if you’re interested, as higher concentrations of chlorella in skin care have been associated with allergic reactions.  Overall, if you’re looking for a luxurious treat for your skin,  Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream is fine over a retinol or alpha hydroxy acid serum.  However, given that there are no direct comparison studies between mukurossi extract and other brightening agents, or gambir and other elastin-preserving ingredients, I can’t give it more than just a “‘eh” for now.  Product Rating:  7.5/10 (High or optimized concentration of proven ingredients: 2/3.  Unique formulation or new technology: 3/3.   Value for the money: 2/3.  Sunscreen or sunscreen-protection boosting ingredients:  0.5/1).  

Water (Aqua), Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Nylon-12, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Glyceryl Stearate, SD Alcohol 40-B (Alcohol Denat.), Isododecane, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Beheneth-20, Fragrance (Parfum), PEG/PPG-17/4 Dimethyl Ether, Alcohol, Carbomer, Sodium Citrate, Trisodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Citric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Sodium Metaphosphate, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Sapindus Mukurossi Peel Extract (Sapindus Mukurossi), Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Uncaria Gambir Extract (Uncaria Gambir), Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxyproline, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Tocopherol, Hypericum Erectum Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract.