Dr Sam's has done it again with their Flawless Moisturizer Intense. I can't stop using it. This is a barrier repair cream that really lives up to its claims to provide intense barrier repair and provide deep hydration. Details per Dr Sam's:
Helps heal sensitive and redness-prone skin that just won’t behave with the first NAD+ boosting barrier repair cream you’ll actually like using. This moisturiser for sensitive skin is clinically proven to repair your skin barrier after first use, and it won’t clog your pores. Dr Sam's products all work well together, so this moisturiser layers well with your sunscreen and make-up. It also makes using your retinoid easy, or gives you the confidence to start!
"I’ve watched the trends of flooding and slugging come and go, but I felt there had to be a better way to help patients and customers fix their barrier by getting to the root cause. That, and I felt it had to be possible to repair your skin barrier with a cosmetically elegant formula, rather than the traditional functional formulas that are thick and gloopy, cause breakouts, and wreck your pillowcases and your blow-dry."
Key Ingredients:
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Sunflower Shoot Extract - Fuels mitochondria, your skin cell battery.
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Centella Asiatica & Madecassoside - Fights UV damage, inflammation + pollution.
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Lactobacillus Ferment - Bolsters skin's microbiome.
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Ectoin - Dramatically shields skin cells from transepidermal water loss.
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Glycerin - A naturally occurring water-attracting humectant that maintains skin balance.
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Squalane - A skin-loving ultra-hydrating source of fatty acids and antioxidants.
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Panthenol - An anti-inflammatory with moisturising and soothing benefits.
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Ceramides - Helps retain your skins moisture and strengthens the skins barrier.
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Aquaxyl™ - A super hydrator that prevents the skin from dehydration.
The texture of this cream is light, but do not let that deceive you. It's richly nourishing and hydrating. It almost has a slight cushiony, bouncy quality to it. It doesn't feel heavy on the skin while being deeply repairing and moisturizing. It has no scent and honestly I feel this could work for a lot of skin types as it's shea butter free. Will it be the best for oily skin? Can't say for sure I'm not oily. Maybe on winter nights or when skin badly needs repair. Combo to dry skin will get along with this great. You can also control how much you use making it easy to get the level you need. I use two layers for my really dry skin.
This is more nourishing than the regular Flawless Moisturizer but doesn't feel that much heavier. The regular version also uses shea butter and dimethicone, whereas this one uses oils. Flawless Moisturizer is a heavy intense gel cream, texture. Flawless Intense is a light cream, bouncy moisturizer. It's like a gel cream meets a cream. Flawless Moisturizer is more a basic moisturizer while this intense version has great soothers like cica and panthenol, ceramides, prebiotics, ecotin plus sunflower shoot extract. Both versions use Aquaxyl and glycerin as humectants yet don't have hyaluronic acid if you're into products free of hyaluronic acid.
I do like this version more, it suits my needs better. I like the added extras like prebiotics, ceramides, ecotin and sunflower shoot extract. Ecotin seems like it's being used may more now in skincare than it used to be. For good reason. Ecotin is an extremolyte (stress-protection molecule that protects microorganisms living under extreme conditions such as salt lakes, hot springs, arctic ice, the deep sea, or deserts). Ectoin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pollution and light protecting, skin hydrating, barrier repairing as well as anti-aging properties. Its main mode of action is binding water molecules and creating hydro complexes. These complexes then surround important biomolecules (cells, proteins, enzymes) and form a stabilizing hydration shell around them.
Sunflower shoot extract (SSE) is from sunflower sprouts which helps energize the skin (boosting ATP production) and provides anti-aging benefits. In short it targets fatigued and photodamaged skin plus reduces inflammation. SSE boosts enzyme NAMPT (Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase) that helps in NAD+ synthesis. Boosting NAD+ levels helps stimulate stem cell rejuvenation. NAD+ levels decrease as we get older just like collagen. Is NAD+ a new buzzy topic in skincare? Yes. Does it work? There's a few studies--but only time will tell. It's like a new alternative to niacinamide. Niacinamide is a precursor to coenzyme NAD+. Niacinamide can irritate some, plus it's in everything under the sun now. I'm curious to see how finding a way to naturally boost NAD+ could be different than using niacinamide.
It's a great moisturizer. My skin feels great when I use it. I know the product has sold out multiple times since it's first launch. I see why. It's a brilliant moisturizer that has a great texture, it's soothing, nourishing, hydrating and not irritating at all. I'm also extremely picky about moisturizers so keep that in mind. Dr Sam's has always done good moisturizers, this new one does outshine the others, including the Revival Mask which was my favorite night cream from the brand before this launch.
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides, Cetearyl Olivate, Xylitylglucoside, Ectoin, Squalane, Anhydroxylitol, Sorbitan Olivate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Benzyl Alcohol, Maltodextrin, Xylitol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Butylene Glycol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Sodium Hydroxide, Madecassoside, Lactobacillus Ferment, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ceramide NP, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Sprout Extract, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Polyglycerin-3, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Ceramide EOP
*I received my first version as PR from the brand, I did buy a second tube already for myself as it's become a new favorite.