Algenist Elevate Advanced Retinol Serum Review

The Algenist Elevate Advanced Retinol Serum is the new retinol addition to the increasingly popular Algenist range and although I’ve already tried and reviewed their old retinol firming lifting serum, I thought it only fair to try out their new formula.

It could, after all, have been a negative replacement rather than an improvement so there really was only one way to find out.

Their original retinol serum was a popular product and after trying it, I could fully understand why but after the arrival of the new elevate serum, the old firming lifting serum has slowly been discontinued and has now pretty much vanished off the shelves.

Obviously, as I liked the original one so much, I was curious to know what had changed with the newer serum and whether or not it would be as good as its predecessor.

How It Differs From The Old Serum

The old and new serums aren’t all that different but there are a few small changes that have been made that set them apart.

Price-wise, the cost is the same as that of the old serum so it’s still not the cheapest of retinol products. Even the packaging is almost identical bar the new name but the ingredients have had a slight shake-up.

A couple of ingredients have been omitted and a few new ones have been added to improve the formula.

Amongst those new ingredients is a peptide called Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3 which has been said to work very similarly to retinol but without the common side effects. Also added to the new formula is vitamin E which is well known for its skin-benefiting properties.

What Else Does It Contain

Most of the original ingredients have remained the same in the new Elevate Advanced Retinol Serum which includes a few popular peptides, a ceramide, retinol (although the exact percentage is still not stated) and Algenists patented ingredient Alguronic Acid.

It still contains a small amount of fragrance but it’s fairly minuscule so it shouldn’t be problematic for most.

As for Alguronic acid, if you’re new to the Algenist brand then this is their very own patented ingredient which is added to almost all of their products.

According to Algenist, this compound of microalgae is said to have numerous skin benefits including significant anti-ageing and rejuvenating properties.

The only downside is that all of the research behind it comes from Algenist alone so as I’ve said a few times before, you’ll have to take their word for it.

How It Looks And Feels

In all fairness, I didn’t really notice much of a difference in the way the new serum looked or felt although I should mention that it was a good few years ago when I tried out the original.

I do remember thinking though that the original serum had a lotion-like consistency to it rather than the usual watery gel feeling you’d expect from a serum and this is something that hasn’t changed with the new formula.

I had no problem with this because I already knew that the old version went on and absorbed really easily and quickly and this new version was exactly the same.

Unlike many other retinol products that I’ve tried in the past which were pretty much odourless, this one does have a slight smell to it much like the original but it’s certainly not unpleasant and becomes unnoticeable once applied.

Packaging Is Everything (Well Almost)

Anything that comes in a pump dispenser wins brownies points in my book because they’re cleaner, they protect the product from light and air and they’re easier to dispense.

I flipping hate dropper bottles yet my skincare cabinet is rife with them so the fact that this product comes in a good old pump dispenser makes me appreciate it all the more.

Now I know that this product can be used up to twice daily but I’m personally a nighttime retinol kind of girl.

It’s not because I think two rounds a day might be overkill but more because my daytime serum use is already at maximum capacity (no more than three serums at a time apparently).

At this point, I’m not willing to relinquish any of my current morning serums for a second daily dose of retinol although in a few year’s time, my skin might disagree.

What About The Results

I’m really happy with this serum but I already suspected that I would be because it’s so similar to the original retinol firming lifting serum which I already loved.

It’s very effective at smoothing out fine lines and evening out skin tone and it even took care of a few blemishes while it was at it. It doesn’t state the exact percentage of retinol but it is one of the gentlest retinol products I’ve used.

I literally had zero side effects, no stinging, no redness, no flaking, nothing and you could easily be mistaken into thinking that the product isn’t working because of that but it really isn’t the case.

Whatever Algenist have done, they’ve done it well because it’s a very effective product that caused me no undesirable side effects in the process. And it’s not the new peptide I mentioned earlier either because the original formula was exactly the same.

Still Be Cautious

As much as this is one of the gentlest retinol products I’ve tried, you still need to be careful with it because it is retinol after all especially if you’re a complete retinol newbie.

So as with any retinol product, you should start off slowly by only using it twice a week to begin with then slowly increase your usage as and when your skin adjusts, eventually working up to daily use.

Sunscreen is also a must when you’re using a retinol product too because it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

It’s also worth noting that I’m no stranger to retinol and I’ve used some seriously strong retinol products in the past so this may have something to do with why I find this one so mild.

Also bear in mind that everyone’s skin is different and as much as this may be like spring water to me, it could be like hellfire to you so always start slowly no matter how eager you are to see results.

My Only Issue

I said this before in my original review of the old serum and that is that I wish they would state the percentage of retinol within their products because it would be nice to know what you’re working with.

It’s especially frustrating for anyone who wants to increase or decrease the strength of their retinol if they don’t know how strong or weak their current product is.

I will, however, give Algenist the benefit of the doubt on this one because judging by its effectiveness, I can only imagine that there’s more than an adequate concentration of retinol in this serum if the results are anything to go by.

What about you? Have you tried the new Algenist retinol serum and if so, what did you think of it? I’d love to hear all about it so please feel free to share your experience in the comments below.