Reviewed by Linda
Your Best Face products consistently receive ecstatic reviews from Marta and friends, so I was thrilled when I learned that I would be sampling that line's Hydrate B ($45 in the shop). I was somewhat less thrilled when I saw that it contained mainly hyaluronic acid—a good cosmetic ingredient in general, but for those of us living in the desert, not so much.
Theoretically, HA works by drawing moisture from the air into the skin. But what if there’s no moisture in the air? In that case, it's thought that hyaluronic acid actually pulls water from the skin, making dryness worse. That has certainly been my experience with HA since moving to a state where the humidity hovers between 4 and 12 percent—far less than the Sahara desert and most airplane cabins.
Though I kept an unusually open mind and applied the clear gel faithfully for four weeks, Hydrate B was truly disappointing: After a month, my complexion looked and felt more parched than usual, and no amount of moisturizer could make it remotely supple or dewy.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that my skin is naturally very dry, and I wash with some of the hardest water on earth. That, combined with an arid climate, is a tough challenge for any product. I’m quite sure that for someone with normal skin living in a more-humid region—HA is supposed to work best in coastal areas—this product would live up to its claims. But for me, sadly, it did not.
Ingredients: Reverse osmosis water, vitamin B5, sodium hyaluronate, niacin B3, dimethylamioethanol (DMAE), paraben DU
[Editor’s note: Your Best Face Hydrate B Concentrate has been reformulated. Below is the new ingredients list]
Reformulated Hydrate B: Reverse osmosis water, vitamin B5 (dl-Panthenol), Syn-Hycan (tetradecyl aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, magnesium chloride, glycerin), sodium hyaluronate, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), vitamin B8 (inositol), sodium PCA, Leucidal (radish root ferment filtrate)
Your Best Face Hydrate B- a contradiction in terms
Pros
Hyaluronic acid pulls moisture into the skinCons
Not suitable for those living in arid areas
Recommended for those living coastal or humid regions to see optimal results
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June 2, 2011
by Terrie
Now I see why the products I was using (which I picked based upon them having HA) don't do as much as I thought they should. I live in the desert as well, and just wasn't having the results I expected based upon what I thought I knew about HA. Thanks, Linda!
May 29, 2011
by Darrell Owens
Balance is best suited as a light moisturizer for those with oilier skin that's very prone to breakouts. It also provides good basic preventative anti-agers (such as carnosine and niacin). It's also our most skin-calming product (with olive squalane, alpha bisabolol and azulene).
Boost is our "next tier up" product, in that it's richer-feeling and more moisturizing, includes more profound protective and anti-aging ingredients (such as Lipochroman, spin trap and teprenone (Renovage).
Both do an effective job at helping to calm rosacea though since we've had Boost around longer, it has a stronger track record at helping in this arena.
Great questions -- and I hope I've been some help!
-Darrell
May 29, 2011
by Jennifer
And the ideal use for Balance? Which of your products serves best as a stand alone day time moisturizer?
May 29, 2011
by Marta
Yes, I only use Hydrate B to help the plumping effects of LED (as I did yesterday evening, in fact).
May 29, 2011
by Darrell
Hi Jennifer,
Hydrate B is intended primarily to be layered with other products, used as a pre/post treatment with LED light treatments or used as a pre-shave lubricant.
Thanks much!
-Darrell
May 29, 2011
by Jennifer
Darrell, is Hydrate B intended to be used as a stand alone, daily moisturizer? Or as a layered product with another moisturizer?
May 28, 2011
by Darrell
Hi Linda,
Thank you for sharing your experience! I think it's important for those in exceptionally dry environments to know how different use if a HA product can be.
I am curious if you could also share what product or products you were layering on top of Hydrate B with each application as this would also be important information for someone either with dry skin or who lives in a dry environment.
Thank you and I hope we find a different product from our line that will indeed work better for you.
All my best,
Darrell (here @ YBF)