One of my favorite skin care brands is Your Best Face. They have a fairly wide range of products that are primarily focused around anti-oxidants, in particular Spin Traps. Spin Traps are among the most powerful anti-oxidants known, so if you are going to be including anti-oxidants as your primary anti-aging category, this is a good way to go. Note that very few companies use spin traps, but Your Best Face is one of them, hence my love.
Recently I had a Delurking Post in which I asked readers to comment about who they are (I'm curious! Who are these people that care what I think about lip gloss and eye cream??) and one of the commenters "The fake kind of doctor" said that she was interested in YBF's Prep scrub that I had brought up, but was waiting to order until I discussed some of their other products again.
Since I have pretty much their entire line sitting here, I thought a series of 3 posts in which I go over what is in each product and how I like it would be exactly what she needed. So, this is day #1. If products you're interested in aren't covered then just be patient, the next 2 days will have pretty much the exact same post as well.
A quick note about the Your Best Face products. I have found that pretty much all of them are very similar in application and feeling. They are all light lotions that sink in quickly, leave no residue and can have makeup applied over it easily. They are fairly moisturizing and are enough for my combination skin during the summer time, but I do find I need a little extra hydration during the winter so I will apply a second moisturizer over them once they are done sinking in. They are all white lotions (there is an exception, noted in the description below), and they pretty much all smell the same to me, a pleasant almost citrusy scent that quickly dissipates after application.
When using YBF products I've had great results. My skin seems to really love them, becoming glowy and never a blemish in sight. I don't have any wrinkles, but I do have issues with my skin looking sallow or just tired, and I think they are helped by the YBF products.
So, read on to find out the differences amongst today's group of products. If you're reading and find yourself easily confused by all of the info, just know that you are not the only one. While I love that YBF has so many products that you can easily find the formula that is just right for you, picking it out initially can be a bit daunting.
Things to keep in mind:
• Do you want just anti-oxidants?
• Are you interested in additional anti-aging ingredients like Vitamin C, peptides or niacin? You can have those.
• Do you need a skin lightener? That's also available.
• Do you have oily or combination skin? There are a few formulas that will help absorb excess oil.
Just keep those answers in mind and prioritize them a little as you read on, your right formula will become clear.
Restore
• Spin Traps
• Contains Vitamin C
• Contains skin whiteners (alpha arbutin)
There is quite a bit of research looking into Vitamin C an anti-aging, and if done right Vitamin C is definitely something that we should all include in our anti-aging skin care routine. (I have been meaning to do a post about Vitamin C, but haven't had time (in the meantime, both Dr. Cynthia Bailey and The Derm Blog have addressed Vitamin C). The problem with Vitamin C is that it needs to be at least 5% of a product to have a benefit, it needs to be in an acidic environment to penetrate the skin (I've read a pH between 3.5-4.0 is needed) and since it degrades so easily the product needs to be kept in an air-tight and light free environment.
Restore does:
• Come in an air-tight and light free pump (all of the moisturizers and treatment products from Your Best Face do actually)
• I don't know the exact percentage of Vitamin C included in this product, but since it is listed as the second ingredient (after water) that leads me to believe the concentration is fairly high
• I'm not sure of the pH. I tried to test it, but when I opened my bottle of pH test strips they were all ruined. Boo.
Restore also contains a high concentration of alpha arbutin, a skin whitener. Niacin (which I discussed in this post about StriVectin), Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E also make an appearance. Most of the hydration is provided by Hyaluronic Acid, which is my favorite hydrator for a non-sticky feel.
Control
• Spin Traps
• Contains Vitamin C
• Peptides
This product is a bit stronger anti-aging with the addition of a ton of peptides, in addition to the Vitamin C and Spin Traps already present (Note, a few other products include peptides, but the ingredient list of Control seems to have a lot more than the others). Other anti-oxidants have been added (idebenone, Vitamin E and alpha lipoic acid) and again my favorite Hyaluronic Acid is here to hydrate.
This lotion almost feels like a gel, is a light yellow color (apparently due to the Idebenone) and the scent seems a little stronger to me than the other products, though it is gone a few minutes after application (it's pleasant though, very citrusy). It feels pretty hydrating when applied, sinks in and again creates a great base for makeup.
Defend
• Spin Traps
• Peptides
• Homeostatine
• Oil Absorption
Again, this product tackles aging from multiple angles. Things that make it a little different include the homeostatine, which is a blend of 2 different botanical extracts, it is thought that it may act as a MMP-I as well as inhibiting local inflammation.
Another cool feature is the Nylon-12 is found in this formulation, which helps to absorb oil for those of us with combination skin. Now, this is not going to make your skin way super matte the way Milk of Magnesia will, but it does help and is likely all the extra mattifying that most of us need every day.
Balance
• Spin Traps
• Oil Absorption
• Niacin
Once again, we have gentle, more natural looking oil absorption with Nylon-12 (at least compared to my beloved super mattifying MoM). Also included is the Niacin that is discussed more in this post. As well, tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) apparently is an anti-inflammatory (good for anti-aging) and helps to regular oil production. Sounds good to me, I'm going to read more about it.
Boost
• Spin Traps
• Homeostatine
• Other anti-oxidants such as White Tea
• Niacin
• Caffeine
What sets this formula apart from the others is the caffeine (great for temporary tightening) as well as the presence of so many other anti-oxidants beyond spin traps in the formula.
Your Best Face
Your Best Face is available on-line at The Skin Care Shop
These products sound amazing!!! I am thinking Boost or Defend might work best for me as my Derm just advised me that Vit C might be too irritating for my sensitive skin. Did you experience any irritation from the ones with Vit C? Great post!!!
ReplyDeleteScore! Thanks, Christine. I will read this series of posts with extreme attention!
ReplyDeletePammy- I've never had any irritation from Vitamin C products, though I definitely do from retinoids. I really like these products, though I do tend to need a little more hydration in the winter. I'm using Estée Lauder's Hydrationist over it when I need to rather than something heavier. It's perfect!
ReplyDeleteFake Kind of Doctor- I'm so glad you saw them! I got overwhelmed with replying to everyone on the delurking post, but I definitely did these 3 posts for you! One today, one Wednesday and one on Thursday. Also, I forgot to tell you that my hubby and I refer to ourselves as the "Money Doctor" and the "Poor Hungry Doctor". Let me know if you have questions or want more specifics about any of the products! I do think that Darrell said if you spend $200 over on YBF at the Skin Care Shop they have a free mask that is otherwise not available. I haven't tried it, so if you get it let me know how you like it!
Christine-Thanks for the reply! I actually was a bit suprised that my Derm said to avoid Vit C as I have used it in the past. Yes, layering the products might be the key for effective use! :)
ReplyDeleteI have to try it! It looks amazing! I will def take your word for it!
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment on why vitamin C products can be irritating-it's the acid pH. Products with a very acid pH, like good quality vitamin C or glycolic acid products can irritate sensitive skin. For example, if you have active rosacea, facial seborrheic dermatitis or eczema then you have very sensitive skin and need to control your rash before you use the vitamin C. If you don't it's like putting lemon juice on a cut. When the rash is controlled then it may well be possible for your skin to tolerate the vitamin C.
ReplyDeleteFYI, I've changed my web address from otbskincare.com to drbaileyskincare.com. A big step, but it feels right to me. Cheers!