UV rays. Pollution. Blue light from your phone and laptop. Your skin’s under attack every single day – no matter if you hide in the office or not.
You need a shield to protect your skin from all that damage. But what?
Well, sunscreen for sure. A moisturiser. A serum to fight antioxidants. Something for the blue light… Before you know it, you’ve got 10 layers of products on your skin.
What if you could use just one? Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 is a 5-in-1 cream that promises to futureproof skin against all its enemies.
Rumour has it, it acts as a moisturiser, primer, shield against blue light and pollution and UV filter. Does it deliver? Let’s find out:
- What’s In Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15?
- Texture
- Fragrance
- How To Use It
- Performance & Personal Opinion
- Who Is This For?
- Who Is This NOT For?
- Packaging
- Does Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 Live Up To The Hype?
- Price & Availability
- Do You Need It?
- Dupes & Alternatives
What’s In Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15?
NIACINAMIDE TO… EVERYTHING
Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 contains one of my fave ingredients ever: niacinamide.
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B that strengthens the skin’s protective barrier and increases hydration. In other words, it keeps skin soft and moisturised for hours.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Niacinamide is a multitasker that also:
- Fights wrinkles
- Fades away dark spots
- Soothes redness and rosacea
- Helps treat acne
Whatever skin woe you have, niacinamide can help you fix it.
Related: 5 Reasons To Add Niacinamide To Your Skincare Routine
SHEA BUTTER TO MOISTURISE SKIN
The other moisturizing star in Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 is shea butter. It’s one of the most moisturising things on this planet.
It works by creating a barrier on the skin that keeps it soft and supple for up to 8 hours. Plus, it has a few antioxidants that help fight wrinkles.
The catch? Shea butter can be TOO moisturising for oily skin. Sometimes, it may even break you out. Here, it’s not in the top 5, so it shouldn’t clog pores.
Related: Is Shea Butter The Best Moisturising Ingredient For Dry Skin?
ANTIOXIDANTS TO SHIELD AGAINST BLUE LIGHT AND POLLUTION
What do blue light and pollution have in common? They generate free radicals, the nasty molecules that give you wrinkles and dark spots.
Fighting them is a job for antioxidants. They patrol your skin looking for free radicals. When they spot one, they neutralise it before it starts destroying your collagen, elastin, and… well, everything.
Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 contains a few including:
- Bilberry leaf extract: Studies show it can protect your eyes from blue light, but I couldn’t find any proof it does the same for skin (mind you, it may just be that such a study hasn’t been independently done yet).
- Pine Bark Extract Enzogenol: In-vitro studies show it has antioxidant properties that fight free radicals.
A promising start, but I’d love to see even more antioxidants here. When it comes to them, my skin can’t get enough.
Related: How Antioxidants Help You Fight Premature Ageing
UV FILTERS TO PROTECT SKIN FROM SUN EXPOSURE
Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 uses synthetic UV filters:
- Octocrylene: An UVB filter that helps avobenzone last longer, coat the skin better and make the sunscreen water-resistant.
- Homosalate: A.k.a. Octyl Salicylate, an UVB filter with a slightly oily consistency and a mild floral scent.
- 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor: A.k.a. Parsol 5000, it’s an UVB filter not yet approved for use in the US.
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: A.k.a. Avobenzone, an UVA filter that’s very unstable (i.e. stops working quickly when exposed to light) and is absorbed by the body. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, avoid.
These filters work by absorbing UV light and transforming it into a less damaging form of energy (heat). They’re safe too, if you’re not a baby, pregnant or breastfeeding.
The catch? They don’t last long. As they neutralise UV rays, they get deactivated and slowly stop working. At the beach, they become useless after 2 hours. That’s why you need to reapply sunscreen so often, by the way.
FYI, moisturizers with SPF provide adequate sun protection only when you apply enough (1/4 of a teaspoon). If that’s too much for you (it is A LOT of product), you’re better off with a separate sunscreen.
Related: Do Moisturisers With SPF Provide Adequate Sun Protection?
Struggling to put together a skincare routine that minimises wrinkles, prevents premature aging, and gives your complexion a youthful glow? Download your FREE “Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):
Texture
Lightweight, it sinks in immediately without leaving a sticky or greasy residue behind.
Fragrance
Fragrance-free.
How To Use It
In the AM, after serums but before sunscreen.
Performance & Personal Opinion
Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 is a pinkish beige in colour. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it’s a foundation. Then, you realise it’s so sheer, it doesn’t really cover anything.
But, it blurs. The colour blends in with my skin tone, blurring out small imperfections like large pores and creating the perfect smooth canvas for makeup. My foundation goes on so smoothly over this.
To recap, how does Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 fare as:
- Moisturizer: Love it. Unless you have super dry skin, it leaves skin soft and smooth for hours without clogging your pores.
- Primer: Another thumbs up. It blurs small imperfections and creates a smooth canvas for makeup.
- Sunscreen: Good, IF you apply enough (but this is true for ALL moisturisers with SPF). But I’d still use a separate sunscreen. SPF 15 is really low.
- Blue light and pollution fighter: Ok. I’ll neutralise some free radicals (I just wish it had even more antioxidants).
Sure, there’s a little room for improvement. But overall, it’s a lovely daytime moisturiser that’ll suit most skin types.
Who Is This For?
It’s most suitable for normal to combination skin looking for a multi-tasking moisturiser.
Who Is This NOT For?
Very dry skin.
Packaging
A white tube. Sleek and practical.
Does Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 Live Up To The Hype?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Our Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 is a multi-faceted defence against damaging environmental and lifestyle factors. | True. |
| This non-greasy, barely-there makeup primer may also assist in shielding skin from ageing blue light damage. | True. |
Price & Availability
A$59.99 at Adore Beauty
Do You Need It?
If you’re looking for moisturiser/primer rolled into one, this is a good option to consider.
Dupes & Alternatives
I don’t know of any exact dupes for this product.
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Dicapryl Carbonate, Octocrylene, Dicaprylyl Ether, Homosalate, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter (Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea) Butter), Sodium Polyacrylate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Leaf Extract (Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract), Caprylyl Glycol, Caffeine, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil (Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil), Pinus Radiata Bark Extract, Diisopropyl Adipate, Disodium EDTA, Lecithin, Propanediol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Acrylic Acid/Acrylamidomethyl Propane Sulfonic Acid Copolymer, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Hexapeptide-10, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.
Please make a post about vegan cosmetics you recommend.
Helena, noted. 🙂