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Product Review: Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

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I remember being a young girl, and watching my mother and grandmother alternate to and fro between the Estee Lauder and Lancome counters.  It’s no wonder, then, that these two long mainstay brands have started to create mirroring products, such as Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate ($75.49, Amazon.com), no doubt designed to be the French correlate to Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Serum or Concentrate ($66.99 or $85.00, Amazon.com).

Unfortunately, the similarities between the two are not pleasant.  While Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Serum with Synchronized Recovery Complex and Lancome Genifique both claim to be able to change your genes – Estee through regulating “clock” genes to turn on normally sleeping genes, Lancome through continuously “boosting gene activity” – these claims are entirely based on in vitro studies, meaning the studies are conducted on cells in petri dishes.  And while certain ingredients elicit the same response in vivo (within the skin) as in vitro, it is difficult to conclude a blanketing function when it comes to gene function.  For one, genes (DNA) are subject to undergoing transcription (to RNA) and translation (to protein), a process that is highly regulated by a number of enzymes.  Is it fair to say that increased gene expression automatically correlates to increased – and improved – proteins within the skin?  Not necessarily.

A second similarity between Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Serum and Lancome Genifique is the fact that both include probiotic bacteria.  In particular, Lancome Genifique contains a very high concentration of Bifida Ferment Lysate.  Cosmetic companies have proposed that Bifida ferment lysate acts as a DNA repairing agent, such as in this 2009 patent, and skin care experts (and marketers) at Sephora.com claim that Bifida “helps maintain and support skin’s natural microflora.”  And indeed, Bifida does help to maintain microflora, but that is only supported by substantiated research to do so within the GI tract.   Unfortunately, neither of these Bifida claims for the skin have been supported in any published, non-company affiliated, peer-reviewed research journal, at least none that I could find.  To that end, I’ll keep my eyes open for new research, but in the meantime, I won’t buy a product for its inclusion of Bifida.

As for the other ingredients, I’m not that impressed.  Hydroxyethylpiperazine ethane sulfonic acid (HEPES) is traditionally used as a buffer, i.e., to maintain a steady pH in solutions.  In Lancome Genifique, it is proposed as another product for maintaining skin’s microflora, but I’m not convinced that microflora is a concern for patients without acne, infections, or other forms of inflammation due to bacteria.  Furthermore, this product does contain sodium hyaluronate, an ingredient capable of holding 10000 times its weight in water, so it will be hydrating.  But even that does not make up for a rather lackluster ingredients list, at least in my opinion.

From reading reviews of other bloggers and product users, Lancome Genifique is “thick, unscented, taking a minute or two or absorb”.  It seems that its high dimethicone content immediately (and temporarily) fills in fine lines, while its sodium hyaluronate is hydrating enough so that women find it best to apply this after lighter creams, such as Retin-A.

I personally do not like this product, and will not be buying it.  However, given that I do like Lancome in general (mascara, hellloooo!), I’ll keep my eyes (and ears) open to redeeming myself with a positive review of some other Lancome skin care product in the future.  Any ideas?

Product Rating: 3/10 (High concentration of proven-effective ingredients: 1/3, for sodium hyaluronate.  Unique formulation or new technology: 1/3.  Value for the money: 1/3.  Sunscreen: 0/1).

Ingredients:

Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine, Amonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide/Amonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Limonene, Xathan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Octyldodcanol, Citric Acid, Citronellol, Parfum/Fragrance.

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Nicki Zevola is the founder and editor-in-chief of FutureDerm.com. Named one of the top 30 beauty bloggers in the world by Konector.com since 2009, Nicki

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