Marcelle | Ideal Skin Perfector

Before you all run away and exclaim that I have yet another confusing skincare item to add to your 10-step skincare regime, hear me out! Released just this past August, the Marcelle Ideal Skin Perfector ($24.95 CDN) is a serum so it will fit in just after toning and right before moisturizing. On the Marcelle website, the instructions state to apply this FIRST in addition to any other serums you may be using. I preferred not to do this, but it’s totally up to you! Now that we know WHERE this product fits in, what does it do and more importantly, does it work?

Formulated for women of all ages and ethnicities, this skin perfector is all about improving and/or correcting skin tone, dark spots, pores and fine lines. Like most of Marcelle’s products, this product is fragrance and paraben-free and is hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested. It is also recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association as part of their Skin Health Program. Within just 2 weeks, 89% of women saw an improvement in their skin texture and 78% more even skin tone (not sure how big the sample size is, but it’s usually less than 50 people).

The red-tipped massage applicator tip is soft and can be used directly on the face or for spot treatments.

The texture feels somewhat cushion-like on the face and leaves a slightly silky finish.

Ingredients: AQUA/WATER/EAU, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, LACTOBACILLUS FERMENT, LYSATE FILTRATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, XYLITYLGLUCOSIDE, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, PANTHENOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-38, ANHYDROXYLITOL LENS ESCULENTA (LENTIL) SEED EXTRACT, BIOSACCHARIDE GUM-1, PAPAIN, BORON NITRIDE, SUCROSE DILAURATE, PISUM SATIVUM (PEA) EXTRACT, POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE, HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER, XYLITOL, HYDROLYZED PRUNUS DOMESTICA, POLYSORBATE 20, BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, DISODIUM EDTA, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, HYDROXYPROPYL CYCLODEXTRIN, CHLORPHENESIN, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL. CARBOMER, ALGIN

What I find interesting is that for most skincare products, there is always a “feature ingredient”. Something to focus on whether it be vitamin C, rose extract, harvested virgins’ tears, you get the idea. With this product, the description seemed incredibly focused on results and purpose. With such incredible skincare claims, I need to know what’s in here!

Claims like correcting dark spots need months of use to confirm and since I’ve only been using this product for about 4 weeks, I still need around another 8 weeks to fully see any effects.

The Players:

Skin Tone:

Panthenol: also known as Provitamin B-5, binds to the skin’s surface to help stimulate cellular proliferation and promote normal skin growth. It is also and anti-inflammatory agent which will help with any redness and contribute to a healthier looking complexion (Source, 2014).

Boron Nitride: is a lubricant and optical diffuser, meaning that it can scatter light and give skin a shimmery and translucent appearance. This means that it has the ability to refract light away from the skin and blur the appearance of wrinkles and discolouration (e.g. dark spots) creating an smooth look to the skin (smaller pores). It also adheres well to skin  making it an excellent makeup primer (Source, 2014).

Fine Lines

Cyclopentasiloxane: silicone that gives a slippery, silky feeling and can repel water forming a protective barrier on the skin’s surface. It also can fill in fine lines giving skin a more “plump” appearance (Source, 2014).

Xylitylglucoside: is a naturally-occurring sugar that has the ability to trap water molecules and stimulate hyaluronic acid production in the skin. This means that skin stays hydrated and looks more plump (Source, 2014).

Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract: has anti-oxidative properties and contains amino acids that support collagen and elastin production in skin = lift and firm! (Source, 2014).

Pores and Dark Spots:

Papain: this is an enzyme found in papaya and is found in many exfoliators. It is wonderful at sloughing off dead skin cells, revealing a healthy glow and unclogging pores, thereby improving skin texture and pore size (Source, 2014). I should note that genetically, you are born with a certain pore size, but when pores are clogged they get stretched making them look bigger. By clearing out the pore, it shrinks back to its predetermined size. Exfoliation can also help with dark spots or hyperpigmentation as it encourages cell turnover.

Hydrolyzed Prunus domestica: This ingredient I found very interesting just because there wasn’t a lot of information about it. It seems like a relatively new player in the skincare game. There seems to be promising results though from Japan. In a nutshell, hydrolyzed prune is able to suppress melanin intake by epidermal cells. This results in a skin lightening/brightening effect and has a moisturizing bonus (Source, 2014). 

Final Verdict: You will notice almost right away that “blurring” effect on your skin, reminiscent of most makeup primers. Your skin looks like “my skin, but better”. It is also an awesome primer as it isn’t as slippery as typical makeup primers, so it still feels like your own skin. I also noticed that my BB cream stayed locked on my face for 10 hours when using this!

I don’t have a lot of dark spots yet and if anything I am aiming to prevent any more from blossoming! I have one really big one just above my right eyebrow that is fairly light on the surface, but will take AWHILE to get rid of. At this point, what I have noticed is an ever so slight shrinkage of the pores just around my nose. Not really on my cheeks though which is where I want them to shrink. GRRR! You guys see my skin in FOTDs fairly often and I honestly don’t Photoshop anything because you can still see the little imperfections so you guys can judge as well.

Even though a lot of the ingredients I’ve managed to find (let me know if I’ve missed out on something since I’ve already spent hours going through the first half!) are more cosmetic in solution than skin deep, the Marcelle Ideal Skin Perfector IS meant to be used in conjunction with your existing skincare. I feel like this product is a bit of a hybrid between makeup and skincare, but there are some promising and lasting results especially with the presence of papain, pea extract and hydrolyzed prune.

I love the texture and will continue using this until it runs out. We’ll see what I have to say once this becomes an empty!

Marcelle skincare can be found at Marcelle.com and all mass retail drugstores.

PR sample sent for review.