Lancôme has been in the beauty industry for over 80 years, offering skin care, fragrances, and cosmetics inspired by French elegance. As the company has rapidly grown over the years, so did the Lancôme skin care line, which includes anti-aging creams, cleansers, eye creams, and more. You may be surprised to learn that Lancôme currently offers 58 different moisturizers! With so many products to choose from, it can be a challenge to know which moisturizer is going to work best for you. To help you out, we’re reviewing the 5 most popular Lancôme moisturizers below.
The 5 most popular Lancôme moisturizers
Lancôme Absolue Revitalizing & Brightening Soft Cream
With more than 1,500 customer reviews, the most popular Lancôme moisturizer is the Absolue Revitalizing & Brightening Soft Cream. It is claimed to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles, while rejuvenating skin with firmness, radiance, and 24-hour hydration. The texture transforms from a thick hydrating cream to a thin serum-like lotion, to a thick layer.
This Lancôme moisturizer contains a high concentration of emollients, such as silicones, shea butter, and meadowfoam seed oil. One key ingredient is Pro-Xylane, also known as hydroxypropyl tetrahydropyrantriol, which is a patented ingredient by L’Oreal. Pro-Xylane stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the skin. GAGs are responsible for supporting the structural proteins collagen and elastin, as well as functioning as the skin’s natural moisturizer. Due to the combination of these ingredients, Lancôme Absolue Revitalizing & Brightening Soft Cream should help to provide skin hydration and anti-aging benefits.
Lancôme Renergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream
Lancôme makes some pretty hefty claims about their Renergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream. For example, this Lancôme moisturizer is said to minimize signs of aging—such as sagging, wrinkles, and fine lines— while visibly lifting cheekbones, tightening the jawline, and improving definition of all facial contours…in just one week! Sounds like a lot of hype to us, especially after evaluating the ingredients in this Lancôme moisturizer.
The active sunscreen ingredients in the formula include avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene, which together provide SPF 15 protection. The highest concentration inactive ingredients in Renergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream include dimethicone (a silicone), glycerin (a humectant), hydrogenated polyisobutene (synthetic emollient), and beeswax (emollient, humectant). Perhaps the most beneficial ingredient in this Lancôme moisturizer is hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.
Lancôme Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream
Another popular Lancôme moisturizer is the Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream, a rich, anti-aging night cream that is claimed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles overtime, while also helping skin to appear firmer and smoother. This Lancôme night cream contains a high concentration of apricot kernel oil, which provides the skin with fatty acids that help to replenish its barrier function. A strong, intact skin barrier will help to keep moisture in and environmental aggressors out.
Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30 Day Cream
Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30 Day Cream is another Lancôme moisturizer that is said to provide 24-hour hydration while helping skin to look healthy and feel touchably soft all day. Similar to the Lancôme Renergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream, this formula contains the active sunscreen ingredients avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene. However, these ingredients are used in higher concentrations in this formula in order to provide SPF 30 protection.
We were pretty disappointed to find out that this Lancôme moisturizer contains a high concentration of denatured alcohol (it is the fourth highest concentration ingredient after water, dimethicone, and glycerin). Denatured alcohol is well known to cause skin dryness, irritation, and even disruption of the skin barrier.
Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital Night Cream
The final Lancôme moisturizer we’ll discuss is the Bienfait Multi-Vital Night Cream. Lancôme claims you can get a short amount of sleep and still wake up looking recharged and radiantly luminous after using this cream. The formula contains a high concentration of mineral oil, which is a clear, odorless oil derived from a mineral source, typically a distillate of petroleum, that functions as an emollient. After application, mineral oil forms a protective film on the surface of skin that helps to prevent evaporation of the skin’s natural moisture.
Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital Night Cream also includes ascorbyl glucoside as a key ingredient. Ascorbyl glucoside is a stable derivative of vitamin C. After being absorbed into the skin, ascorbyl glucoside is converted to ascorbic acid, which provides numerous benefits to the skin. For example, ascorbic acid has the ability to reduce the appearance of dark spots and improve uneven skin tone by inhibiting melanin synthesis. Ascorbic acid also stimulates the production of collagen and functions as a potent antioxidant.
What ingredients are important in a moisturizer?
We’ve already touched on a few of the key ingredients found in the 5 most popular Lancôme moisturizers. But you may be wondering: are these ingredients actually good for my skin? To answer this question, we’ll discuss what ingredients are important in a moisturizer below.
Emollients
All moisturizers contain emollients. A simple definition of an emollient is an ingredient that helps the skin feel soft. There are plenty of synthetic emollients that are safe to use in moisturizers, such as hydrogenated polyisobutene, mineral oil, and silicones. But with the rising consumer demand for natural skin care products, many brands are turning to natural emollients. A few examples of natural emollients used in moisturizers include shea butter, mango seed butter, cocoa butter, and many more botanical oils and butters.
Humectants
Humectants are very commonly used in all skin care products, including moisturizers. A humectant is a hygroscopic substance that has a molecular structure with several hydrophilic (water loving) groups, such as hydroxyl groups (OH) and/or amine groups (NH2). The OH and NH groups hydrogen bond with water, essentially “grabbing” it and holding it on the skin. Humectants slow water from evaporating and therefore keep the skin hydrated. Examples of humectants include glycerin, amino acids, and hyaluronic acid.
Antioxidants
Not all moisturizers contain antioxidants, but those that do are a great addition to your skin care routine if your goal is to prevent signs of aging. Antioxidants are ingredients that help to protect the skin against free radical damage. This is important because the harmful effects of free radicals occur as direct chemical alterations of the cellular DNA, the cell membrane, and cellular proteins, including collagen. Damaged collagen manifests as signs of premature skin aging, including wrinkles, lines, and sagging skin. Examples of antioxidants commonly used in moisturizers include vitamins A, C, and E, ferulic acid, niacinamide, and botanical extracts like green tea extract.
Peptides
Once again, not all moisturizers will contain a peptide, but this is an important ingredient to look for in an anti-aging moisturizer. But what exactly is a peptide? Simply put, peptides are fragments of proteins that consist of two or more amino acids linked in a chain. When two amino acids are joined together by a single bond it is called a dipeptide. Three linked amino acids are a tripeptide, followed by tetrapeptides, etc.
There are many different peptides used in skin care products that are each designed to target specific skin concerns. For example, many peptides function as messenger peptides because they send messages or signals to cells. Cells have the ability to communicate with each other to coordinate certain actions, which is known as cell-signaling. For instance, when collagen is degraded it produces peptides that signal skin cells to generate more collagen. Synthetic peptides can mimic these naturally occurring peptides, thus causing your skin to “think” collagen is deteriorating. This results in new collagen production. Over time, increased collagen levels promote firmer skin with less fine lines and wrinkles.
Where are Lancôme moisturizers sold?
Lancôme moisturizers are sold online through the company website and third party e-commerce sites. In addition, you can find Lancôme products at beauty stores and beauty counters at department stores around the world.
Is Lancôme cruelty free?
Lancôme is not cruelty free. Lancôme is owned by L’Oreal, a company that tests on animals. While L’Oreal does not conduct animal testing on their products or ingredients, they do test on animals when required to do so by law (such as in China).
