Now that the skin care market has effectively sold us on the idea of a separate serum, moisturizer, eye cream, neck cream, and hand cream, it’s no wonder that cosmeceuticals have moved into a new realm: Body care!
Especially with bathing suit season fast approaching, we are all looking for that miracle solution. Skinceuticals, for one, is pitching us the latest miracles with the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment and Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate. But are they worth it?
Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment: Product Rating 4/10
I’m honestly not a fan of the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment ($60.00 retail; $43.00 Amazon.com). The company claims that the product is formulated to treat “dull, rough body areas” and to “significantly improve radiance and firmness.”
To be honest, the only ingredient I am impressed with in the treatment is niacinamide. Yes, niacinamide has been proven to stimulate lipid production within the skin (British Journal of Dermatology, 2000), alleviate inflammation (International Journal of Dermatology, 1995), and inhibit the production of melanin  (British Journal of Dermatology, 2000).
However, niacinamide is also available in very high concentration in Olay Quench Body Lotion. (Yes, the drugstore brand!) For half as much money, you get three times as much product: 20.2 ounces for Olay Quench, versus 6.7 ounces in the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment. It’s like getting 6x the product free!
Of course, I know that there is more to premium skin care than just a heftier price. Which is one of my problems with Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment: instead of throwing in Skinceuticals’ patented CE Ferulic in alcohol combination, even in lower concentration, or even the new alpha hydroxy acid LHA, the company just chose to essentially make an overpriced, paraben-free version of Olay Quench Body Lotion. They’ll surely make money, but I’m not impressed, especially not from a brand that characterizes itself on being a leader in skin science.
So I’m not a fan of the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment.  What’s more, the company tries to avoid the use of parabens by throwing in every citrus oil known to man as a preservative, including limonene, orange peel oil, citrus grandis oil, and others. But as savvy FutureDerm readers know, limonene and other citrus oils can be a cause of contact dermatitis (Contact Dermatitis, 2006). Research also shows limonene can be the cause of allergens when it are exposed to light and air (Contact Dermatitis, 1992). Even worse, citrus oils in general can be photosensitizing. And what’s the point in skin care if it makes you more sensitive to the sun, the leading cause of aging?!  So I am not a fan of this overpriced body treatment at all, even if it does contain niacinamide.
Ingredients in Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment: Aqua / Water / Eau, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Undecane, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Palmitate, Tridecane, Glycine, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Lactate, Carbomer, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Palmitic Acid, Dimethiconol, Chlorphenesin, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Disodium Edta, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil / Orange Peel Oil, Limonene, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil / Sweet Almond Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil / Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil / Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil / Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil / Peppermint Oil, Citrus Grandis Oil / Grapefruit Peel Oil.
Ingredients in Olay Quench Body Lotion: water, glycerin, niacinamide, petrolatum, isopropyl isostearate, caprylic/capric triglyceride,tocopheryl acetate, panthenol, glycine, alanine, proline, serine, threonine, arginine, lysine, glutamic acid, dimethicone, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, polyethylene, sodium acrylates copolymer, behenyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl glucoside, dimethiconol, disodium edta, stearic acid, peg-100 stearate, sodium pca, betaine, sorbitol, ethylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, sodium hydroxide, fragrance
Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate: Product Rating 7/10
Surprisingly enough, the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate ($75.00 retail, $56.00 Amazon.com) gets a higher rating from us here at FutureDerm. But not for the reasons you’d think: While Skinceuticals touts this product for treating “loose, sagging skin on gravity-fighting body zones including the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, knees and upper arms,” we like it because it contains ingredients that will smooth the skin over time. That’s right: Not eliminate 50 pounds of fat, not take off 30 pounds in a single application. But legitimately smooth the skin with regular use.
The secret here is the menthyl lactate, which is a cooling menthyl group attached to lactate. In skin care, lactate’s acidic brother, lactic acid, is one of the only prescription drugs FDA approved for dry skin, as 12% lactic acid in LacHydrin. Lactate has been shown to have similar properties. In one study, 12% lactate was shown to increase skin surface lipids and improve skin’s barrier function after several weeks’ use in all patients (Acta dermato-venereologica, 1992).
The difference here is that Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate feels light and luxurious on the skin. LacHydrin is great in the cooler winter months after a bath or shower to lock the moisture in, but Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate drinks in quickly and leaves a cool, minty finish.
On the other hand, you will pay for this difference. The cheaper alternative is LacHydrin Five ($16.70, Amazon.com), with 5% lactic acid for 8 oz. Considering the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate is 67.5% the size, for about 6 times as much money, you are again overpaying for the same ingredients. But, at least it’s not ridden with citrus oils like the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment.  So if you want to treat yourself to something nice, I do approve of the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate, though I wish it were being marketed as a “Body Smoothing Concentrate” or “Body Skin-Refining Concentrate” instead of tightening.
Ingredients in Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment: Aqua / Water / Eau, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Dimethicone/vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Menthyl Lactate, Polyacrylamide, Pentylene Glycol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide / Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Panthenol, Faex Extract / Yeast Extract / Extrait De Levure, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Triethanolamine, Laureth-7, Cellulose Gum, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil / Rosemary Leaf Oil, Disodium Edta, Adenosine, Dimethiconol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Limonene.
Ingredients in LacHydrin Five:Â Water, Lactic Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Squalane, Steareth 2, POE-21 Stearyl Ether, Propylene Glycol, Dioctanoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetyl Palmitate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone.
Bottom Line
Truth be told, I’m a little disappointed in both in the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment and the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate. A less pricey alternative to the Skinceuticals Body Retexturizing Treatment would be a niacinamide-rich lotion like Olay Quench Body Lotion, whereas a similar alternative to the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate is a lactic acid-rich lotion like  is LacHydrin Five. Both are six times cheaper.
My main source of disappointment, though, is in the fact that Skinceuticals prides itself on scientifically “different” formulations, and nothing here is really revolutionizing body care, at least not from my perspective. The whole line could be improved with the addition of some of their patented CE ferulic in an alcohol base, for instance, or perhaps the addition of some LHA. The fact that there’s nothing really novel here disappoints me. That said, I do enjoy the Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate, I just wish it weren’t called “body tightening,” for obvious reasons.
What are your favorite body products? Let us know in Comments!