Recently I had the opportunity to try out an Elucent skincare regime for a month. Elucent is a skincare range that’s produced by Ego Pharmaceuticals, the company behind brands like SunSense, QV and Azclear. I’ve always been a fan of their scientific, evidence-based approach.
Elucent is their higher-end skincare range, which contains products specifically designed for anti-ageing and whitening. The Anti-Ageing range is based around alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and vitamins while the Whitening range contains a range of brightening ingredients including safflower seed, niacinamide, vitamin C and antioxidants (but no hydroquinone). Elucent’s products are dermatologically tested, made in Australia, manufactured to pharmaceutical standards and not tested on animals. There are lots of actives in these products. Since my main skincare concern is hyperpigmentation, I was matched with a bunch of their whitening products, and their anti-ageing cleanser.
Elucent Anti-Ageing Gentle Cleanser
Elucent Anti-Ageing Gentle Cleanser ($29.99 for 95 mL) is a standard foaming gel cleanser that comes in a convenient pump container. It has gentle surfactants and lots of glycerin to reduce dehydration. I really liked that it doesn’t feel stripping, but still takes my make-up off efficiently. The cleanser also contains 1% lactic acid and 1% glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acids that are great for exfoliating, anti-ageing and evening out skin tone. I don’t usually look for actives in my cleansers, but they’re a nice bonus. The pH is a skin-friendly 4. My only complaint about this product is that the fragrance isn’t my favourite – it smells very mildly acidic on top of a generic floral scent.
Wearing sunscreen daily is the #1 best thing you can do to prevent wrinkles, so naturally I slather my face in sunscreen every morning (it helps prevent cancer too of course, but I’m vainer than I’d like to admit), under my make-up. I haven’t reviewed sunscreens in a while – here’s what I’ve been trying lately and what I thought.
Cetaphil Suntivity Liposomal Lotion SPF 50+
This sunscreen from dermatologist-faves Cetaphil has a surprisingly light texture, at a middling price of $20.99 for 100 mL. “Cosmetically elegant” sunscreens (i.e. formulations that don’t feel like you’ve slathered your face in greasepaint) are more common now, though they’re still not as easy to find as I’d like! Interestingly, this isn’t actually Cetaphil’s lightest sunscreen – they also have an Ultra-Light Lotion that’s also SPF 50+, and a Hydrating Lotion and Liposomal Spray that’s SPF 30+.
After much searching I found the following inactive ingredient list for the liposomal lotion here, provided after a redditor asked customer service:
It doesn’t look complete though, and has a few typos, so I’m not sure how accurate it is. It really annoys me that full ingredients list aren’t required for sunscreens in Australia. I understand that it’s good for them to be able to protect their trade secrets so they can invest more into sunscreen research without jacking up sunscreen price, but it’s so much easier to guess if a sunscreen is likely to break you out or suit your skin type if you have an ingredients list to work off.
The texture of this sunscreen is a little sticky, but it sinks in pretty quickly and the stickiness can be easily fixed by setting it with some translucent powder. It’s broad spectrum (which means UVA protection is 1/3 of the SPF, no other UVA protection indications), 4 hours water resistant and fragrance-free. The only real issue I have with this sunscreen is the packaging – the container is quite rigid and the sunscreen comes out of a little hole at the top. I can see myself having to take a saw to this when I run low!
Pros: broad spectrum, 4 hours water resistant, pleasant texture, fragrance-free (if you’re sensitive)
Cons: incomplete ingredients listing, no exact UVA protection rating, difficult to get the last of the sunscreen out of the packaging, a bit sticky
Elucent Anti-Ageing Day Moisturiser SPF 50+
Like with Cetaphil, there’s no official inactive ingredients listing available for this moisturiser, and it’s only available in Australia so there aren’t any sneaky overseas listing we can refer to. Like the rest of Elucent’s anti-ageing line (such as Elucent Anti-Ageing Serum that I reviewed earlier) it contains AHAs, at 4%. Additionally, there’s niacinamide and vitamin E, though the actual amounts are unknown. The texture is quite sticky but sinks in with some rubbing. I really like the hygienic and convenient pump packaging, and in terms of protection it’s broad spectrum and SPF 50+. Unfortunately, it’s moderately pricey at $42.39 for 95 mL, so I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a straightforward sunscreen, though if you’re after a multitasker this is a good option.
I’ve recently tried out two skincare ranges with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) as their star ingredients: Alpha-H’s A-List Kit and Elucent’s Anti-Ageing range. Today I’m concentrating on the leave-on liquid exfoliants in the ranges. A refresher: alpha hydroxy acids are fantastic exfoliants, which means they help the layers of your skin detach and shed. This makes your skin look brighter …
These three facial sunscreens from Biore, Jurlique and Elucent have full ingredient lists. Yes you read that right – FULL INGREDIENT LISTS! My pet hate with Australian sunscreens is that even though you get decent UVA protection and they tell you the percentages of the active ingredients, they’re classified as medicines so a full ingredient list isn’t mandatory. A lot of manufacturers don’t provide one, to keep their formula more secretive I assume – which is well and good for the company, but annoying as hell for the buyer. You don’t know if they contain things you’re allergic to, or react with your skin, and you have no idea whether they’ll actually suit your skin type.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA++++
This ($15-25 for 50 g) is the reformulated version of the cult classic light-as-air, high protection sunscreen. The biggest change in Biore’s new UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is that it’s now PA++++, which is the highest rating available and translates to a UVA protection factor of 16+. It’s also not lumpy like the older formula, although the lumps smoothed out on application and were never an issue anyway. It still absorbs quickly, leaves a smooth base for makeup and is a little drying (it has a relatively high alcohol content), so it’s awesome for oily skin but you’ll be better off with a richer formula if you have dry skin.
