Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup Review

Revlon just has a way of making regular drugstore products look gooood.  Maybe it’s spokeswomen Halle Berry and Jessica Alba, maybe it’s the packaging and the glossy advertisements, but whatever it is, their products always seem to catch people’s eye more than the average drugstore brand.    With that said, their latest fancy addition is Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup ($14.99).

Not Likely to Repair Your DNA

The double helix-shaped package and the advertising suggest the product will protect DNA in order to fight the signs of aging.  On the one hand, this is true, as any product containing sunscreen will protect your DNA.  Without sunscreen, any UV exposure hitting the skin will cause DNA damage within minutes.  The damage includes the formation of mutated pyrimidine dimers, 6-4 byproducts, and free radical singlet oxygen species, according to The Textbook of Aging Skin, which accumulate in skin over time and result in signs of premature aging.

On the other hand, Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup does not seem to contain any ingredients that directly target damaged DNA, like the DNA repair enzymes and growth factors found in NEOVA® DNA Total Repair and SkinMedica TNS Skin Recovery Complex.  Instead, it’s “DNA advantage” ingredient is yeast.

Yeast:  A Waste of Time, Not Proven to Turn the Clock Back!

There are some who believe yeast (Saccharomyces) may stimulate DNA repair in the skin.  This is based on the fact yeast contains a sequence of DNA that is necessary for double-strand DNA break repair, a major finding that was published in the highly acclaimed journal Nature in 2000.  However, applying yeast to the skin has never been shown to promote DNA repair.  The DNA motif within yeast would have to penetrate through the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nuclei to reach the DNA within skin cells, and this simply is not likely.

Furthermore, even if yeast could reach our DNA, it wouldn’t be doing anything new.  Scientists love yeast because its genes are well-sequenced and relatively easy to manipulate, but its repair genes are similar to the ERCC1 repair genes already found within the human genome, according to the Annual Review of Genetics.  In fact, most of the genes in yeast are typically found in higher-order eukaryotic organisms, like humans.

There is limited research to suggest yeast may stimulate wound healing or act as an antioxidant.  So it’s not to say yeast is detrimental to the skin.  It’s just not likely the DNA from topically applied yeast is reaching our own inner cell machinery.  And if it did, the genes introduced are nothing novel, as they are very similar to the DNA repair genes naturally occurring within the skin.

Quality Coverage Best for Dry, Wrinkled, Non-Blemished Skin 

With its high silicone content, Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup has a consistency somewhere between a gel and a cream, so it is most suitable for normal/dry to dry skin.

I feel this product is best for women who are worried about wrinkles, but who have relatively smooth skin otherwise (read: no little lumps or bumps!).  I say this because the product is rather thick, settling into fine lines and creases.  It dries to a beautiful, smoot finish, and with its light-reflecting mica particles, I could see it taking off 10 years!  Yet, by that same token, it also dries thickly across raised lesions on the skin – acne, psoriasis, and the like – making those a bit more evident.  So definitely a must-buy for women with dry skin, fine lines, and wrinkles – but smooth skin otherwise.

Bottom Line:  Great Cosmetic, Not-So-Great Skin Care

Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup has a lot of great points, settling into fine lines and wrinkles with a smooth, light-reflecting finish.  Unfortunately, I wouldn’t expect this product to change the appearance of your skin without it over time.  It may be “age-defying,” but I’m not so sure about the “DNA advantage,” other than the sunscreen!

Product Rating:  6/10  (High concentration of proven ingredients: 1/3.  Unique formulation or new technology: 1/3.  Value for the money: 3/3.  Sunscreen: 1/1).

Ingredients in Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup

Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate) (3.5%), Titanium Dioxide (9.5%). Non Medicinal Ingredients/Other Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Isostearic Acid, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isocetyl Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, Nylon-12, Triethanolamine, Polyacrylamide, Glyceryl Stearate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces/Podophyllum Peltatum Ferment Filtrate, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Ceramide 1, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6 II, Phytosphingosine, Phospholipids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Cholesterol, Alumina, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Steareth-21, Steareth-2, Methicone, Laureth-7, Xanthan Gum, Simethicone, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol, 1, 2-Hexanediol, May Contain: [+/-: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499)].