I have finally found a neck cream worthy of the adjective “effective.” Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Fortifying Neck Emulsion ($75 in the shop) works. Until now, I have not been able to find a neck cream that can help my swan-like neck keep up with my face. I have tended to resort to using my face serums, but they don’t really work on my neck. DDG’s brand new neck serum is a breakthrough.
I have been using Ferulic + Retinol Fortifying Neck Emulsion for about six weeks or so, since I was given some pre-launch samples and, after pitiful begging, was sent one of the first bottles to come off the manufacturer’s conveyor belt. I have been using it morning and night and, while my neck still has some anti-aging to do before it catches up with my face, it is, at long last, well along the way. The skin is smoother, softer and far less red and rough. It feels firmer. It looks firmer.
I should mention that I have also been using Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peels and I am certain that they have also helped. My neck regimen is currently once a week microdermabrasion with my Trophy device, or the DDG Alpha Beta Medi-Spa once a week, daily Alpha Beta and twice daily Neck Emulsion.
This is first time I have used a DDG product with the signature combination of ferulic and retinol. I have long found ferulic acid to be an important anti-aging ingredient (I even added it to my Truth Vitality Shampoo). It is an antioxidant that can seek and destroy several types of free radicals and it selflessly helps other antioxidants work harder. Retinol, of course, is an exfoliator. Here it is boosted by alpha hydroxy acids. So of course, this begs the question as to whether I am overdoing things with the Alpha Beta Peel pads as well as the Neck Emulsion. I think now that I have made such good progress, I will dial down the pads on my neck and see what happens.
In the meantime, there are two amino acid complexes in the Neck Emulsion (collagen and silk) and I will give them plenty of credit for the way my neck skin is steadily transforming. As I have said many times, my skin does well with amino acids, which are essential for the synthesis of collagen and elastin. There are also some DDG favorites here including watermelon, ellagic acid, phospholipids and sphingolipids.
As always, Dr. Dennis Gross does not formulate for purists and some of you will want to take note of octyldodecanol, a potential irritant, as is sodium hydroxide, and the preservatives disodium EDTA and phenoxyethanol.
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April 20, 2016
by Jessica
Until I started using Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic & Retinol Fortifying Neck Emulsion, (after a disappointing try with one of my first TIA purchases several months ago--Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Lifting Neck Cream), I'd been using MOST of what I've been applying to my face (except treatments specific to the eyes/lips) also to my neck. Then I discovered Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic & Retinol Fortifying Neck Emulsion. This product has been an enormous improvement over using "face only" products on my neck. I STILL use some of facial skin care products on my neck, but like having a product specifically designed for the slightly thicker skin on my neck.
There is little scent in this product and it is a wonderfully smooth cream, not too thin or too thick. I am still working on a few tenacious wrinkles on the right side of my neck near my clavicle. Between using the Truth Vitality Lux (mostly the red LED), YBFs Prep 1-2x/ week, Skin Trophy's Microderm MD 2 x/wk and now this lovely cream, I'm making some headway in this area!
The only two "Cons": this product does have phenoxyethanol for those who are purists and the progress of this product is NOT one that I've seen overnight. However, those who may have seen some of my other reviews and remember that I've made a concerted effort to back off my long-time use of high-percent retinol products, will know that if I am 'touting' this product, that it has enough merit to overlook my promise to significantly decrease my retinol use. I think that Dr. Dennis Gross does not publish the percent of retinol in their products (Marta, perhaps you might be able to answer this??), but I'm not finding the heavier exfoliating process on my neck with this product that I once found with higher percent retinol products. I suspect that it will take some time, but I'm hopeful to see all of my neck "wrinkles" disappear slowly with this product in my skin care arsenal.
October 15, 2015
by Marta
Pam, that is such a good question. Here's what I am thinking - I'm going to finish this bottle and then, hopefully, take a break. The results have been transformative so far and so I am hoping that by finishing the bottle, I'll be satisfied with results to move to a non-retinol serum for maintenance. I can always come back to it later to top up the good work from time to time. I'll report back in a month or two.
October 15, 2015
by Pam
I'm with you on the amino acids. My skin loves them a lot. Marta, since this product contains Retinol, do you plan on only short term use?