Skincare products are a little like old friends: Some grow and change, some stay the same, but only a select few stay in your heart forever. The latter is the case for me with Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum ($74.99, Amazon.com). Although the serum was originally released nearly a decade ago, I never will forget how soft it made my skin the first time that I used it, and I’ve been a devoted fan ever since.
The secret to the serum’s addictive softening effect turns out to be a combination of silicones. According to Cosmetics and Toiletries, silicones have been used in skin care formulations since the 1950s, primarily as emollients and cosmetic solvents. Dimethicones are amongst the oldest of these ingredients, and they are highly emollient and improve the skin feel of many types of skin care formulations, including Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum. In the late 1970s, another important class of silicones, cyclomethicones, were introduced. Cyclomethicones are volatile, low-viscosity silicone fluids that act as cosmetic solvents. They are particularly suited for use with other silicones and as delivery vehicles for a variety of active ingredients. For instance, according to the textbook Principles of Polymer Science and Technology in Cosmetics and Personal Care, silsesquioxane crosspolymers provide a water-resistant barrier, whereas dimethicone provides an improved feel/softness, and dimethicone copolyols reduce irritation with the skin. Silicones have not been shown to be toxic, but it has been suggested by some at the Environmental Working Group that silicones may accumulate in the skin and hair over time, “tricking” the body into thinking it is healthy when it is not. While this theory has not yet been substantiated in a peer-reviewed study, I mention it here because increasing numbers of readers have recently expressed concern about exposure to chemical toxins through their skin care. I personally do not exclude silicones from my own skin care regimen, but I understand the concerns of those who choose to do so.
The actual long-term benefit of using Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum does not stem from the wrinkle-blurring effects of the silicones, but primarily from the product’s Wrinkle Lift Restructuring Peptides™ complex, which specifically features a small-sized fragment of palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 – one of my favorite ingredients! Numerous studies have demonstrated that palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 reduces the appearance of aging, including this 2005 study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science. According to research published in Dermatologic Therapy, these anti-aging effects may be attributable to the fact that palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 increases collagen production within the skin, an effect that the Estee Lauder companies maintain takes place within two minutes of application of Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum, though this has only been shown in skin cells in vitro (i.e., in a petri dish).
I personally love Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum due to the fact that I tend to use retinoids every night, which can be drying. This serum brings a softening and ultra-hydrating layer to my skin after I use my retinoid cream, and further provides a source of firming peptides and numerous antioxidants (mulberry root, grape seed extract, Centella Asiatica, vitamin E, and numerous others). I honestly can’t live without it!
Product Rating: 8.5/10 (High concentration of proven effective ingredients: 3/3. Unique formulation or new technology: 3/3. Value for the money: 2.5/3. Sunscreen: 0/1).
Ingredients in Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Correcting Serum
Water purified, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Yeast Extract, Dimethicone Copolyol, Morus Nigra (Mulberry) Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Extract, Siegesbeckia Orientalis extract, Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract Salvia Sclarea Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Sacchromyces Lysate Extract, Disodium Distyrylbiphenyl Disulfonate, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Polysorbate 40 – Silybum Marianum (Lady’s Thistle) Extract, Sodium Beta-Sitosteryl Sulfate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Cholesterol, Linoleic Acid, Squalane, Pantethine, Sodium Hyaluronate, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyl-lactone Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Postassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Mica, Titanium Dixoide