SKINCARE | Beauty Bioscience R45: The Reversal

When it comes to the term "anti-aging", most of that can be addressed simply with hydration which is what most skincare products on the market do, but for those who wish to raise their skincare regime to another level, there are what I call the more "fun" or technical products that go the extra mile with ingredients and need some instructions for use. I know that might not sound fun for everyone, but as I have gotten older, I have steadily been making my way into the world of peptides, retinoids and bears, oh my!

Retinol, or vitamin A, is one of the few things that those in the derm, academic and beauty world agree is a great wrinkle-fighter with its ability to even out skin tone, increase firmness and diminish the look of fine lines and even repair UV-damage skin. It is one of the more volatile ingredients so I am always hesitant to use it consistently in my skincare routine. What interested me in the Beauty Bioscience R45: The Reversal* routine was that it was ONLY to be used for 45 days, 2-3x a year. MAX. I like the idea of giving my skin a gradual boost and then having the freedom to go back to my other skincare routine after. I have never been on a retinol-based product continuously for such a long period of time, but I really wanted to see what effect it would have on my skin so join me on my 45 day journey!

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

Sponsored Post, PR Samples

R45 The Reversal is a 3 phase system where the concentration of retinol is increased every 15 days. Each dual pump bottle is labeled: Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 and it is HIGHLY recommended that you start prepping the skin by starting with Phase 1 and not skipping to the end and grabbing a bottle of Phase 3! This treatment is only done at night and MUST be paired off with sunscreen during the day as retinol increases skin's sensitivity to UV.

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

Each bottle contains 5mL of the proprietary Regeneration Complex and GFS (Growth Factor Stimulant) Serum housed in separate airless containers to ensure top activity. All you need is one pump of each which you then mix together and apply to a cleansed and toned face. If you feel the need for moisturizer, you can apply it right on top, but I was actually shocked that I didn't feel the need for one!

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

The texture of the Regeneration Complex mixed with the GFS Serum is very "cushy" mainly because of the cyclopentasiloxane and various forms of dimethicone in the Serum that give this mixture a smooth and blendable finish. Ya'll know my views on dimethicone, but I feel like it tempers the retinol, so that it isn't as harsh on the skin. Keep in mind that the immediate effect silicones will be an immediate smoothing and plumping effect on the skin. What R45 promises is that even after this treatment is finished, the effects will still be noticeable.

R45 uses both retinol and a less irritating form of retinol known as retinyl palmitate which is a great way for even sensitive skin to enjoy the benefits of retinol. Both work by stimulating cell renewal by acting like an exfoliator and shedding the upper layers of the skin (Truth in Aging, May 2018) so on top of not needing moisturizer during these 45 days, I realized that I didn't really need to exfoliate much if it all!

What really makes the family of retinoids special is their ability to penetrate deeper into the skin thanks to their small molecular size and stimulate collagen and elastin production and repair (NCBI, May 2018). I mentioned that retinyl palmitate is the less irritating form of retinol, BUT it does eventually get converted to retinol once absorbed into the skin. This can cause some peeling, redness or flakiness as skin is slowly sloughed off. I only experienced a bit of flakiness on one side of my face at the end of Phase 2 and beginning of Phase 3.

While I am fairly pleased with the ingredients of the Regeneration Complex, I was a bit sad to see that there was only one type of peptide in the GSF Serum in the lower half of the ingredients list after a number of silicones. Maybe the peptide is very potent even at lower concentrations?

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

Regeneration Complex Ingredients: 
Water, Cocoglycerides, Safflower Acids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lysolecithin, Retinol, Glyceryl Diretinoate, Glyceryl 10 Laurate, Retinyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, BHT, Acetyl Carboxymethyl Cocoyl Glycinate, Safflower Glycerides, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol

GFS Serum Ingredients: 
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Disodium EDTA Copper, Myristoyl Pentapeptide 17, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Polysorbate 60, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

Day 1-15: Phase 1
The very first time I used R45, I experienced a very slight tingle on my cheeks which I often do with most treatments as they are the most sensitive area on my face. Within the first 7-10 days was where I noticed the most improvement with my skin with regards to texture and evening of skin tone. I also had zero redness and breakouts during Phase 1. During the day for all three phases, I used the Beauty Bioscience The Daily Intensive Vitamin Cocktail Serum* which I will review at a later date.

Day 16-30: Phase 2
I didn't really notice too much of a change until Day 20-30 when I noticed one dry patch along the left side of my jaw as well as a bit of roughness along both sides of my chin. I figured I would just keep on trucking and hoped that it would clear up. If your skin gets really sensitive, you can stop the treatment for 2 days and then get back into it every other night without losing out on the retinol benefits.

Day 31-35: Phase 3
I say 35 because the timing of this post is such that I am just wrapping up Phase 3 and will be doing a brief summary in a follow up post in about 2 weeks. What I have noticed in the last 5 days is that the roughness along both sides of my chin has cleared up and my skin is now smooth! The dry patch on the left side of my face is better with the flakiness being gone, but has been replaced by a little bit of redness the size of a half pinky tip. There is zero discomfort on my end though and light BB cream takes care of the redness.

Beauty Bioscience R45 The Reversal Review

Final Verdict: I still have 10 more days to go of Phase 3, but I think I have a good idea of the R45 system. In terms of skin texture, I definitely saw an improvement even in well-behaved clear skin like mine. The biggest change was in Phase 1 and seemed to taper off a bit, but the fact that my skin remained bright and clear of congested even though I wasn't using any form of exfoliant for Phase 1! Usually, I get congestion around my nose and forehead if I don't exfoliate a few times a week, but I have barely exfoliated since I started R45 because I really didn't feel the need to! The only thing I wish I could comment on, but can't (yet) is the effect on wrinkles and fine lines. I am still fairly smooth at the age of almost 35 and I know I will be reaching for something like this come closer to menopause, but for now I cannot say whether my fine lines and wrinkles have been affected. Texture and skin tone though? Definitely saw an improvement and will keep everyone posted in 10 days!

The Beauty Bioscience R45: The Reversal is now the Shopping Channel Showstopper so if you have ever wanted to give retinol a try, now is the time!

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