SKINCARE | Taking Care of Winter Skin with Caudalie

This post is sponsored by Beautysense.ca

Winter isn't just coming anymore, it is here and so is some of the driest skin I have ever experienced in a long time. Maybe it's getting older and partially the weather, but all I know is that I have had to step up my skincare game in order to keep skin moisture levels and radiance at their peak! I was first introduced to French brand Caudalie more than eight years through the Glymm subscription box and over the years, I have gotten the chance to experience their products in some amazing ways and discovered absolute must-have products like their refreshing Beauty Elixir, Grape Water and Vinoperfect Radiance Serum! They were also one of the first luxury plant-based brands I knew of who were eco-conscious and focused on anti-aging concerns using plant-based anti-oxidant rich polyphenols.

Caudalie Skincare Review

I have come to realize that skin has moods and cravings and needs definite TLC at certain times of the year. It just takes time to figure out what your skin is trying to tell you and whether it's extra flaky skin, redness or a lack of glow, for me it always comes down to needing to do two things: exfoliate and hydrate!

Review time: 6 weeks


I will admit that I do love my multi-step Asian skincare routine so I have never been afraid of using many products at once, but if I can put my exfoliator into a moisturizer I am down with that! I always use peels or exfoliators at night as this is when the skin renews itself without environmental stressors to interfere. The Brightening Glycolic Night Cream is for all skin types and claims to even and smooth skin texture using glycolic acid, papaya enzymes and Viniferine 500, which is a patented Caudalie ingredient that comes from grapevine sap, and aids in brightening the complexion and reducing the look of dark spots.


The texture of this moisturizer is very thick so I can see why this is better suited as a night cream. With its shea butter and plant oil base, a little will go a long way with this moisturizer, but it isn't the least bit greasy nor does it leave you sticking to your pillow at night! Like all things Caudalie, it also has a very calming and refreshing scent.

It isn't a Jayne-type skincare review without a look at the ingredients, so the first thing I always look at are the featured ingredients especially the exfoliating ones when it comes to this moisturizer and we see that the glycolic acid is in the first half of the ingredients list, but close to the halfway point. The papain or papaya enzyme is close to the end of the list. This indicates to me that the exfoliating properties of this moisturizer are fairly gentle which made sense as I found that I still needed a separate peel treatment once or twice a week to give my skin the exfoliation it needed. This moisturizer functioned more to maintain the level of exfoliation I had done. I do like seeing grape seed oil fairly high in the ingredients list as well as the naturally moisturizing squalane. In addition to Viniferine, bisabolol can also help with skin tone by calming down any redness as this is German chamomile.


INGREDIENTS: AQUA/WATER/EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN*, CETEARYL ALCOHOL*, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL*, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER EXTRACT*, CETYL ALCOHOL*, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL*, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE*, GLYCOLIC ACID (exfoliant), SQUALANE*, PANTHENOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE*, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, BISABOLOL* (calming), PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), BENZYL ALCOHOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PALMITOYL GRAPEVINE SHOOT EXTRACT* (grape-derived exclusive to Caudalie), CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, XANTHAN GUM, CASSIA ANGUSTIFOLIA SEED POLYSACCHARIDE*, ARGININE, CARBOMER, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, SODIUM PHYTATE*, SODIUM HYALURONATE, PAPAIN* (exfoliant), ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, TOCOPHEROL*, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, ALGIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, GERANIOL. (090/066)
*Plant origin


Premier Cru The Precious Oil*

The Premier Cru eye cream was the first Caudalie product I ever tried and I loved it. Premier Cru is the most luxurious of all the Caudalie collections and is a blend of reserveratrol, polyphenols and Viniferine. Even after using so much skincare since that first eye cream, when I think of anti-aging", this is the collection that pops into my mind because the ingredients are not only the ones that work, but they are in high concentrations and target very specific anti-aging concerns.

The Precious Oil has become my "renaissance product" in the last couple of weeks because it is a dry oil and has a versatile texture. The first time I tried it, I used 3-4 drops it on its own at night after the Glycolic Night Cream and just patted it onto my skin. It sat on the surface of my skin a little bit, but eventually melted in by the time I went to bed. My preferred way of using this product is to add 3 drops to my moisturizer (day or night) and apply the now Precious Oil-infused moisturizer to my skin. I even found that this made the texture of a thicker moisturizer, like the Glycolic Night Cream, spread more easily across my skin.


If you hadn't noticed, this oil is full of oils that all have various functions ranging from being a great anti-bacterial to fighting free radicals. It's the EVERYTHING oil. It has a pleasant, natural scent and I am all around quite pleased with the ingredient layout. The patented Caudalie ingredients are closer to the end of the list, but because the mode of action is unknown, I am not sure about what concentration is required for them to be most effective. All I can vouch for is that my skin felt incredibly hydrated and had that "post-facial glow" after using this oil. Not sure if I would use this in the summer, but right now my skin is soaking it all up!


INGREDIENTS : COCO-CAPRYLATE* (emollient hydrator), ISOAMYL COCOATE*, CORIANDRUM SATIVUM (CORIANDER) SEED OIL* (antibacterial properties), SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL* (anti-inflammatory), OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA SEED OIL* (moisturizing and soothing), OLEIC/LINOLEIC/LINOLENIC POLYGLYCERIDES*, SANTALUM ALBUM (SANDALWOOD) SEED OIL* (anti-inflammatory), TOCOPHERYL ACETATE*, TOCOPHEROL*, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL* (anti-oxidant), VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL*PALMITOYL GRAPEVINE SHOOT EXTRACT*PALMITOYL GRAPE SEED EXTRACT*PADINA PAVONICA THALLUS EXTRACT* (brown algae that fights pollution by absorption), PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), GERANIOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, LINALOOL (155/025)
 *Plant origin


Final verdict: While I have made it clear that the Premier Cru Precious Oil has definitely stepped up my skincare game, I would either have preferred the Brightening Glycolic Night Cream to either have had a higher concentration of AHAs or I am more than happy to use a separate night cream and chemical exfoliator like the Glycolic Peel Mask once or twice a week as I am someone with tougher, more mature skin that can handle a stronger AHA. While I find people focus a lot on hydration this time of year, it's just as important to remember that regular exfoliation is just as important in sloughing off dead skin cells and avoiding dull and lackluster skin!

You can find both the Vinoperfect Brightening Glycolic Night Cream and Premier Cru Precious Oil as well as more Caudalie favourites at www.beautysense.ca

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