Kiehl's Limited Edition Ultra Facial Cream for amfAR
Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultra Facial Cream for amfAR
Maintaining its long-standing tradition of supporting HIV/AIDS charities, Kiehl’s Since 1851, the venerable New York-based purveyor of fine quality skin and hair care, is pleased to announce a continued partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
Kiehl’s will introduce Limited Edition Ultra Facial Cream, a Limited Edition version of its customer favorite to benefit amfAR. 100% of Kiehl’s net profits from the sale of this product, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR.
The Limited Edition Ultra Facial Cream will launch during the second annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR, a seven-day charity motorcycle ride up the Eastern coast, to benefit and raise awareness for amfAR. The Limited Edition product features a specially-designed motorcycle and flame motif inspired by the ride.
Civic responsibility and a commitment to helping others has been an intrinsic part of the Kiehl’s heritage since the company’s inception in 1851. In fact, The Mission of Kiehl’s states that “a worthwhile firm must have a purpose for its existence. Not only the everyday work-a-day purpose to earn a just profit, but beyond that, to improve in some way the quality of the community to which it is committed.”
HIV/AIDS awareness has long been at the forefront of Kiehl’s philanthropic efforts, and through partnerships with organizations like amfAR, as well as the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation, and YouthAIDS, Kiehl’s has proudly raised more than $1,000,000 for the cause.
Also: LifeRide takes place July 31st through August 6th, and in honor of LifeRide, for every customer that visits Kiehl’s free-standing stores on these dates, Kiehl’s will donate $5 to amfAR, up to the $75,000 total donation. King of Prussia Mall (July 31st, 12:30-1:30pm), Walnut Street, Philadelphia (August 1st, 11:00-1:00PM), Burlington Mall, MA (August 4th, 10:00-11:00am), Newbury Street, MA (August 4th, 12:00-2:00pm), NYC Flagstrip Store (August 6th, 12:00-4:00pm).
availability: It will retail for $46 and will be available at Kiehl’s freestanding stores, www.kiehls.com as well as through select specialty retailers worldwide beginning in August.
At first glance I thought they were plugs! You know, for stretched ears. lol
Haha I agree. I wonder how this design alludes to HIV/AIDS, generosity, or any of the relevant themes surrounding this topic.
“up to $25,000”. Really? Im sure Kiehls will make more than that just for promoting an aids charity. There is no reason they couldnt donate all proceeds. Things like this bring a lot of business and they will probably sell more of everything just for doing it. Obviously they dont have the charities best interest in mind.
I couldn’t agree more. I mean MAC does exactly that with the entire Viva Glam line. But then again MAC has a larger revenue and it’s owned by the powerhouse Estee Lauder, so perhaps it can simply afford to give those away.
They probably could afford to donate more… but Kiehl’s has many different charitable initiatives on the go every year. Right now, they’re donate 160,000 to charities world wide (one of which is AmFAR; you can vote at kiehlsgives.com) and their Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser is available year-round – all proceeds go to JPF Ecosystems. Just thought I’d throw in my two cents’ 🙂
*they’re donating
First of all, let me just say that I completely support this campaign as well as any and all HIV/AIDS-related charities. But just because this product has a noble cause doesn’t mean that we should disregard the product itself. It would a disservice if this product wasn’t reviewed with the same standards as any other regular skincare product.
Here is the ingredient list, assuming that this product is exactly the same as Kiehl’s regular Ultra Facial Cream, minus the special labelling.
Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Squalane, Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Sucrose Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Peg-8 Stearate, Urea, Myristyl Myristate, Pentaerithrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice Bran) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Methylparaben, Chlorphenesin, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Disodium Edta, Propylparaben, peg-8, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Sweet Almond Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycine Soja (Soybean)Oil, Tocopherol, Collagen, Hydroxypalmitoyl, Sphinganine, Chitosan, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate
The combinations of silicones, various slip agents, and water-binding agents/emollients like squalane and glycerin give this product a silky and light yet moisturizing texture that many people will enjoy. However, here is where this product falls short. There is hardly any antioxidants, peptides, and other beneficial ingredients (like antiglycation inhibitors for example), in this cream. There are several plant extracts present that have demonstrated anti-aging benefits such as the avocado oil and olive oils, as well as vitamin E. That’s all great but the amounts present are not very significant when it comes to the extracts, and even less so when it comes to the vitamin E, as it is listed after all the parabens, meaning that the amount present is completely infinitesimal. On top of all that, this cream is packaged in a (large) jar, so the moment you open it, the antioxidants will begin to rapidly deterioriate. Obviously I haven’t done any scientific tests (and I can’t without precise measuring equipment), but I think it’s safe to say that a large majority of the antioxidants will have been neutralized before you have even finished half of this 4.2 oz jar. Just to note, the apricot and rice bran oils present function solely as emollients as they do not have any other established effects.
Now let’s quickly address the claims this product has. First up is the Imperata Cylindrica plant, which is an Australian plant that survives well in harsh conditions because of it’s ability to retain water. That’s great for botanists, but that translates to nothing when applied topically. Not only does this plant have no positive research behind it, but it’s just against common sense to equate how well it survives in a desert to how well it will hydrate the skin. I mean the common weed can survive harsh environments as well… Comparatively, that’s like saying we should smother cactus extracts all over the skin in order for the it to stay moist.
The second claim is regarding Antarcticine (listed as Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract), a type of protein that’s derives from microorganisms, in this case a type of bacterium, that dwell in sea glaciers. There is no scientically-sound research behind this glycoprotein and even if there is, the amount present won’t make any difference to your skin at all (as it’s listed after the first paraben). Remember, there is no single “magic” ingredient that will make the skin young and beautiful. The closest thing we have is tretinoin, which has decades of research behind it.
So overall, this cream will provide decently long-lasting moisture, however besides that, this doesn’t do much else as there are no peptides, etc, and the antioxidants will quickly become compromised due to the poor choice in packaging. Price-wise, as department store brands go, this is well-priced at around $11/ounce. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a truly beneficial moisturizer, I would look elsewhere. However, if you enjoy the texture and the moisture it provides and are willing to spend the money, then by all means, go ahead and purchase this. Finally, if the AIDS cause is a motivation to buy this product, I would recommend spending your money elsewhere on a truly worthwhile skincare product, and then just donating money to this organization, or any other charity you desire. I hope that this was a conclusive review to any of you who were curious about this product. :]
Just to clarify, I meant to type “glycation inhibitors” since antiglycation inhibitor would translate to glycation proliferator, which is the opposite of what we want. Haha.
Also in paragraph 4 I typed “there is hardly any…” when it should have been “there are…” you know, subject-verb agreement. As a normal poster, I don’t typically re-read my stuff, though I should, and not after I clikc the “submit comment” button as I am doing now.
click* Wow that is such a fail. 😛
With all that said, do you think it’s worth purchasing for very dehydrated but young (22 y/o) skin? I recently received a deluxe sample of this and am LOVING the way my skin feels so far, but I’ve also noticed that it seems very… plain? Do you think that there’s a comparable alternative that has better packaging and more long-term benefits?
That was extremely informative, by the way, thank you! :]
Anjee, you just made my day! Even if only one person responds to my post, I’m super thrilled because that means at least one person took the time to read through the entire novel haha, besides Christine of course!
Anyways, I’m glad that you really like what this product is doing for your skin. Like I addressed before, the water-binding and slip agents combined with the emollients make this cream very moisturizing, but not heavy at all.
Now, I hesitate to give product recommendations because there are so many factors to consider. First let’s consider how much you’re willing to spend. Since you’re 22, I’m assuming you just graduated, so you probably want to be pragmatic. Second, you say that you’re skin is very dehydrated. Please note that dehydration is different than dry skin because the first refers to water content and the second refers to oil content. Now do you still get oily as the day progresses? For example, do you have to blot your makeup after a few hours? There are many other aspects to deal with, but let’s get these two out of the way first.
Finally, please note that young skin needs all the stuff that more mature skin needs. As the skin and body ages, they will never stop needing antioxidants, peptides, anti-inflammatories, etc… Thought you should know that. :]
Again thank you for your awesomely kind words.
I don’t like the packaging but it does go well with the event. I would still buy it just to support research. 🙂
I used the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream a few days ago. I have never had anything break out my face like this did.