Last week Prevention magazine hosted an event at the Andaz 5th Avenue hotel (which has a great lobby restaurant by the way!), to reveal the “Defy-Your-Age” product winners. To determine the winners, all of which are priced at under $50, Prevention enlisted seven leading dermatologists to test the claims of the 35 most innovative products of the year on a group of 175 women, ages 40-plus, for a period of up to eight weeks. The doctors then employed state-of-the-art equipment like the Visia Analysis Machine to measure which products best delivered on their claims using before and after skin analysis. The teams investigated seven categories of products including eye and night creams; lip, neck, and brown spots products; peel treatments; and day lotions with SPF.
This is such an awesome study that Prevention does every year. I love that they go beyond opinion to do their own tests and it’s nice to see that drugstore brands can often deliver noticeable results. A feature on the award winners, why they work and how to use them for best results can be found in the October issue of Prevention. Jump for the list of winners!
Below are the winners and some notes from the testers —
• Best Brown Spot Fader: RoC Multi Correxion Skin Perfecting System
This three-step system, which includes a cleanser, day cream with SPF 30, and night cream, contains retinol, soy, and vitamin C–ingredients proven to improve skin tone. Testers were thrilled with how it despeckled skin. ($50; drugstores)
• Best Day Cream with SPF: HydroPeptide SPF 30 Anti-Wrinkle Skin Enhancing UV Protection
A moisturizer that camouflages redness and blotchiness and produces a radiant glow. The product’s other winning attributes–long-lasting hydration, noticeably lighter brown spots, and decreased sensitivity–are due to an all-star lineup of rejuvenating ingredients like glycerin, zinc oxide, vitamin B3 and antioxidants such as green tea and açai berry. ($40; hydropeptide.com)
• Best Night Cream: Vichy LiftActiv Retinol HA Night
This potent potion works fast. Overnight, testers noticed brighter skin–and things just got better with time. Testers also reported a dramatic improvement in wrinkles and brown spots. Judge Mary Lupo, MD, credits retinol, “a top gun” in OTC anti-agers, for the dramatic results. ($42; drugstores)
• Best Eye Cream: Avon ANEW Reversalist Illuminating Eye System
This innovative, two-step regimen is the perfect counterpunch to the signs of aging that often attack this area. The activating cream triggers production of collagen, which improves the look of crow’s-feet and undereye circles; the accompanying “brightening veil” instantly softens imperfections with light-refracting mica, blurring polymers, and silica particles. ($30; Avon Representatives and avon.com)
• Best Skin Peel: Skin Effects by Dr. Jeffrey Dover Glycolic Peel Kit
This treatment instantly boosts brightness and smooths skin thanks to glycolic acid, which sloughs dead cells off the skin’s surface. The post-peel soothing pads help ensure that skin is left beaming, not blotchy. ($25; CVS stores)
• Best Lip Treatment: PCA Skin Peptide Lip Therapy
With top ingredients like sunflower seed oil and shea butter, this ultra-hydrating treatment is the balm for making lips softer, smoother, and plumper! Its tingly peppermint oil increases blood flow to further enhance volume and restore lips’ natural healthy color. ($20; 877-722-7546 for purchasing info)
• Best Neck and Chest Cream: Olay Definity Neck & Chest Daily Restoration Treatment
This luxurious cream, loaded with ingredients like glycerin, dimethicone, and panthenol, von ANEW Reversalist Illuminating Eye System, Skin Effects by Dr. Jeffrey Dover Glycolic Peel Kit and Olay Definity Neck & Chest Daily Restoration Treatment.
