(images from www.shiseido.co.uk)
SHISEIDO (Global Brand) carries quite a few skincare ranges, including The Skincare, Pureness, White Lucency, Benefiance, Bio-Performance, Future Solution, and Future Solution LX. (The latter four target more mature skin). Under Benefiance, there are two sub-ranges (NutriPerfect and WrinkleResist24 (styled as W-Resist24 in Japan)) besides the main Benefiance items. Today I am reviewing two WrinkleResist24 products, WrinkleResist24 Day Cream SPF 15 and Night Emulsion.
Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Day Cream SPF15 is one of the two daytime moisturizers in the range (along with WrinkleResist24 Day Emulsion SPF 15). It has a rich butter-like consistency and a soft orchid scent.
Some of the moisturizing ingredients in this product are glycerin, butylene glycol, hydrogenated polydecene, sorbitol, myristyl myristate, stearyl alcohol, stearic acid, mineral oil, glyceryl stearate SE, and paraffin. It contains antioxidants such as tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), sapindus mukurossi peel extract (also an anti-irritant), and tocopherol (vitamin E).
However, there are two drawbacks in this product:
– The lack of full UVA protection. The product contains benzophenone-3 (also known as oxybenzone), which protects against UVB rays and some (but not all, in terms of wavelengths) UVA rays. There is no other ingredient in this product that fully protects the skin from UVA rays (which, like UVB rays, can cause skin cancer as well as damage collagen fibers). (Note that this product has PA++ listed on SHISEIDO’s Japanese website, but oxybenzone is not one of the recognized anti-UVA ingredients in the US (or, as far as I know, in the EU). I will be looking into ingredients that are officially recognized as anti-UVA ingredients in Japan.) This makes the product a less-than-ideal daytime sun-protection moisturizer. If you use this product in the morning, you will have to layer another product with adequate sun protection. (Check this post for ingredients that protect against UVA rays.)
– The inclusion of alcohol. Even though alcohol is not among the top few ingredients on the list (tenth on the ingredient list, above many of the emollients in this product), the product has enough of it to be potentially irritating for some people.
Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Emulsion is one of the two night-time moisturizers in the range (along with WrinkleResist24 Night Cream). It has a lightweight creamy lotion consistency and the same orchid scent.
Some if its moisturizing agents are glycerin, mineral oil, petrolatum, hydrogenated polydecene, glyceryl stearate SE, squalane (also an antioxidant), stearic acid, and butylene glycol.
Apart from squalane, it contains the same antioxidants as those in the Day Cream SPF 15. It also contains dipotassium glycyrrhizate as an anti-irritant.
It also contains alcohol (sixth on the ingredient list), and the amount of it could pose a risk of skin irritation for some people.
I would hesitate to recommend the Day Cream SPF 15 to anyone (mainly due to the lack of full UVA protection) and I find it difficult to recommend the Night Emulsion to any skin type. (The occlusive emollients, such as mineral oil, petrolatum, and squalane (though not bad ingredients at all) will not suit those with combination or oily skin, and the amount of alcohol in this product and the light consistency are unlikely to appeal to those with drier skin types.)
Also included in the Benefiance WrinkleResist24 range are one cleanser (Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam) and two toners (Balancing Softener N and Balancing Softener Enriched).
The SHISEIDO Benefiance range is available on-line at Harrods and QVC UK.
(Some of the ingredient information is based on Paula Begoun’s Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.)
(The products featured in this article are provided by SHISEIDO.)
Related posts:
SHISEIDO Fall 2011 Makeup Collection
SHISEIDO Summer 2011 Makeup Collection
Review: Kanebo Sensai Cellular Performance Mask & Hydrachange Mask
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Words cannot express how much I adore your reviews. Your guidance on ingredient issues is unparalleled in beauty blogging. I enjoy updates on makeup line releases but I gobble up your reviews so happily.
I wish I could afford you to guide me on all purchases.
Keep up the fantastic work!
Hi Christy,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words!
I certainly hope that my skincare reviews will help you with the purchases. One of the aims of these reviews as a whole is that hopefully they can help you investigate and judge other skincare products that you come across. By reviewing various items, I hope that I can gradually cover various issues in skincare products. If you have any question, do let me know. :)
Thank you very much for posting your comment again! :)
(I noticed that you posted your comment shortly after I posted this review. Please kindly note that I have since updated the part regarding the PA labeling of the Day Cream SPF 15 on SHISEIDO’s Japanese website.)
I personally love Shiseido as a brand overall and actually been loving The Skincare Night Moisture Recharge – the saviour to my “was” flaky winter skin. I’m loving The Skincare Foaming Cleanser too. I guess this Benefiance range might not be suitable for our age… I’d say ;)
Love your blog, girl!
Hi Blushfully,
Thank you very much, and I am glad that The Skincare items are working well for you! :)
I don’t usually look at skincare products in terms of age suitability. I think skin types and overall skin conditions matter more, and people of the same age can obviously have completely different skin types and conditions. On the other hand, there are ingredients that can be problematic for all skin types and should be avoided by all of us.
Thank you very much for stopping by again! :)
I would like to know if the three extracts which are Mukurossi, chlorella, Gambir have any thing to do with Nuts . I am allergic to all nuts and have used the 24hour Benefiance wrinkle resist one time skin felt funny can you answer please. Thank you Linda
Hi Linda,
– sapindus mukurossi peel extract: from sapindus mukurossi trees (The fruits that sapindus mukurossi trees bear are usually called soapberries or soapnuts.)
– uncaria gambir: a type of uncaria, a leafy plant (I am not sure what type of fruit it produces and whether it may be nut-related.)
– chlorella vulgaris: a type of green algae
Regarding allergies, I would strongly recommend seeking professional medical help.
(Depending on the exact product(s) you use from the range, there could be other potential irritants, such as alcohol.)
Thank you very much for your question.
For the Shideido Benefiance line – The Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Night Emulsion, The WrinkleResist24 Balancing softener and the Benefiance extra creamy cleansing form – What age group is these products for? What it make any harmful to skin if I don’t have any wrinkle of lines? My skin are still dry after I used The skincare night moisture recharge light and the sales person recommend the Benefiance line to me. I wonder if I am too young for it.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your questions.
Firstly, beauty companies may have an age group in mind when they market a range of skincare products, but, in my view, consumers should choose skincare products based on their skin types and conditions, not necessarily on their age.
Secondly, “anti-wrinkle” and similar terms are often marketing terms that don’t have substantial meanings and they should not be used as a criterion for choosing skincare products. One of the only types of ingredients that can delay the aging process of the skin is UV-protection ingredients (UV rays can cause skin cancer and they also damage collagen fibers in the skin), and, as we know, everyone should be wearing sun protection every single day.
Thirdly, ingredients/products that are harmful to the skin are harmful to virtually everyone, regardless of his/her age. For example, I had a look at the ingredient list of The Skincare Night Moisture Recharge Light online and the product’s level of alcohol content is too high (fourth on the ingredient list). It can certainly dry out the skin, and alcohol can also cause free radical damage. I think this product should be avoided by almost all skin types.
Hope it helps, and thank you again for your questions!
Just wanted to know if you are Caucasian because Shiseido products are tailored for Asian skin. Both products you’ve mentioned (Benefiance Wrinkleresist day cream and night emulsion) works amazingly on my skin which is oily. I work in skincare advertising (for another drugstore brand which I will not mention) and Shiseido is top of the line at performance specially with regard to oily skin/thicker skin (which Asians/orientals possess vs. Caucasian skin which is thinner). They have the best sensate technology which enables products to penetrate the skin very quickly without leaving a greasy film nor encouraging extra oiliness. So I wonder if you have the right skin for testing this product and the length of time/season of the year you’ve “tested” for this product.
Hi Janice,
Thank you very much for your questions.
First of all, I am afraid that I am very private and that I do not wish to mention my ethnicity on my blog. Also, Shiseido’s Benefiance line is available globally and I don’t think the products in this line are formulated to suit any particular ethnicity.
Furthermore, as I mentioned in my review, there are specific reasons why I hesitate to recommend these two products to anyone. This is regardless of skin type or ethnicity.
Lastly, the reasons why I do not recommend the products are entirely based on ingredients, and they have virtually nothing to do with the season when I tested the products or the length of time of the trial.
Hope it helps, and thank you very much again.
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