I’m back with another Allies of Skin brand review! If you missed it, you can read part one here. Since then, I’ve been testing out more products from this trending brand and have now covered about 10 out of the current 13 products they offer. – Not counting their product “Bright Future” which has been reformulated, renamed.. The two products that aren’t mentioned in this post are the Retinal & Peptides Night Cream and Bright Future. Let’s jump right into it!
Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser
I’ll start off with their one and only cleanser in the Allies of Skin family. It’s an interesting one, as it’s somewhere between a cream and a balm cleanser, but without being anything like those two. Maybe more like a non-foaming gel cleanser? This cleanser has an orange hue which I think is due to the astaxanthin in it. One thing that stands out with the silk amino hydrating cleanser is the scent. Much similar to what I complained about with the Drunk Elephant cleanser. However, this one smells much more chemical. My first intuitive thought was emulsion paint which my brain associates with something toxic and indigestible. So every time I would wash my face with this it would feel very counterintuitive. Like, this should go on a wall and not my face. I’ve never had this experience with any other skincare product ever.
It has one surfactant in it that Paula’s Choice deems as potentially drying. However, this balm doesn’t produce much if any foam, despite it being a feature of this cleansing agent. Overall, I found this cleanser to leave my skin feeling clean and fresh without being too stripping. I was skeptical at first as if it would truly remove any makeup. It’s supposed to be applied with water on damp skin, unlike traditional balm cleansers. But a cotton swab after washing revealed that everything had come off. Still, heavy eye makeup will probably need a separate cleanse. I personally preferred to use the wash in the morning or as a first cleanse in the evening. However, as a first cleanse, it left me unsatisfied as it doesn’t transform into a luxurious massage oil.
As a last note on how to reap more of the benefits of the expensive ingredients in this. Besides astaxanthin, it also has ethylated l-ascorbic acid, which I wonder if it truly does any good in a wash-off product. But by using this cleansing balm as a “flash mask” you get a 2-in-1 product. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off. All-in-all, I found this to be a good cleanser if this type of gel/cream cleanser appeals to you. Honestly, I might’ve come back if it wasn’t for the scent.
Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist
I’ve gone through two bottles of this and gotta say that it’s one of the better face mists out there formula-wise. Compared to regular face mists this one’s formulated with, what they call, a “special anti-evaporation molecule”. This helps the mist cling to the skin’s surface preventing the hydration from evaporating. Making it excellent to mist during the day for a boost of hydration.
Packaging-wise, it’s not the best. The mist wasn’t as fine and delicate as you’d expect from a €69 mist. The Probiotic Treatment Mist should’ve come in a bottle and been marketed as a toner. As, with the two bottles I had, I always sprayed in my hands before applying. I also avoided spraying it directly onto my face because of the bitter taste that it would leave from the aroma of essential oils and rose water.
However, in their defense, the cause for the spatting mist was probably the oils clogging the nozzle. Allies of Skin seem though to have now reformulated, removing the oils and the rose water. So the issues with the nozzle should now be resolved. This was really my biggest gripe with the product, and seeing as I can now recommend it to those who prefer fragrance-free, makes me glad.
If you’re on the lookout for a face mist that will actually stay on the skin and hydrate, then the Probiotic Treatment Mist from Allies is the one to get! I do like it but not the price. I’m also sad to see that the new formulation isn’t as vegan-friendly anymore, adding yogurt as an ingredient. Yeah, it’s got silk amino acids too, but I personally draw the line around insects. I’m not huge on mists so I won’t probably repurchase another bottle. I would like to see other companies follow through with developing mists with the same technology of it staying on the skin.
Multi Hyaluronic Antioxidant Hydration Serum
This serum is supposed to give a “mega dose of hydration”, together with antioxidants that soothe the skin, strengthen the skin barrier and improve skin’s elasticity. I’ve tried both the old and the new formula. I went back and forth on which formula I liked better but, in the end, decided that the difference is quite minimal. I think the old formula hydrated better, but the new one felt nicer. Either way, I find this to work better as an antioxidant serum than a plumping hydrating one.
I don’t know what other reviewers are talking about, I just would not label this as “the best hydration product on the market”. 👀 Like, it’s good, but average at best. It just wasn’t as hydrating as I had hoped for. I feel like I’ve had better in that department or the same for much less spent. The new packaging was also a disappointment. As you can see in the pictures, something in the formula was chipping away the paint around the nozzle, Same thing has happened to me with the Mandelic Acid Corrector (review here), but not with the Niacinamide Booster.
Now, with that said, I do find the Multi Hyaluronic serum to be great for anti-oxidant protection. It’s got a nice semi-viscous texture that applies beautifully without feeling sticky. I’d repurchase it for the resveratrol, peptides, and antioxidants. Just not for the hydration claims. However, my only issue is the essential oils and aroma. I wish it wasn’t there. Overall, this serum is nicely formulated, tackling many different issues.
Prebiotic & Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster
I saw this to sort of be the marriage of NIOD’s Survival 0 and a niacinamide serum. It’s got 10% niacinamide and a bunch of other good-for-ya antioxidants. The Allies of Skin Probiotic Booster can be applied on its own or mixed with another serum or moisturizer. This serum is very watery like a toner, which I personally don’t like. It isn’t terribly difficult to apply on its own, but I would like a more viscous texture. Its formula makes it suited to be mixed with other skincare. However, whenever I would mix it with my moisturizer, my skin would feel a tad tacky. Which wouldn’t happen if I applied them separately.
Like the hyaluronic serum, I felt like this one was mostly good for its antioxidant boost. Nothing that will give results right away, but may perhaps help in the defense against UV and pollution. This formula can also help restore and maintain a healthy skin barrier.
After six months of use, I’m not totally convinced I need it. I don’t have large pores, but I do get spots from time to time that leave marks. Never did I feel like this serum did anything to relieve me of those issues. Neither did I feel like it improved my skin texture very much. It may have helped in calming down blemishes faster. But it wasn’t like if I stopped using it my skin would go berserk.
Perhaps if you got large pores, oily skin, and redness, this serum could be worth a try. I would repurchase it just for the antioxidant boost, but will probably not go back as I’m personally not fond of the watery texture.
Multi-Nutrient & Dioic Renewing Cream
In Part 1 of my Allies of Skin reviews, I wrote about originally wanting to try this moisturizer over the Peptides Firming Daily Treatment. Seeing as it is more for acne-prone skin I was excited when I did come across a tube. Formula-wise the two moisturizers are quite different from each other. The Dioic Renewing Cream is sort of lighter being made for oily and breakout-prone skin. Despite this, I did not find it to be short on hydration. And I found very little difference in how it felt and acted on my skin, compared to the peptides cream.
While I could see myself using either one, I still did lean more towards the Peptides Firming cream being my favorite. I do not have oily skin, so I find the creamier texture of the other one to be more comforting. The Dioic Renewing cream did pill with certain makeup and sunscreen, which have not been an issue with the Peptides Firming Cream.
Overall, there’s really nothing bad to say about it in terms of performance. If you have oily skin then this is the moisturizer to get from Allies of Skin. But if your skin is breakout-prone and more on the drier side, I’d stick to the Peptides Firming cream.
