Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream Review & Photos
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream ($62.00 for 1.7 oz.) is one of the newest releases from Kiehl’s, and I really don’t leap to test skincare, let alone anything that makes as many claims as this one. What intrigued me the most was that it promised visible results in two weeks–not four, not six, not eight, a mere two–and the skeptic in me immediately thought, “Well, then maybe you’d actually see visible results in four or six weeks at least…” The exact claim is that “Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream is clinically demonstrated to simultaneously lift, firm, visibly redefine skin contour and re-texturize skin within 2 weeks and double efficacy within 4 weeks.” According to Kiehl’s, their chemists selected Jasmonic Acid (supposed to be “highly effective … for its ability to support epidermal renewal … smoothing and retexturizing the skin’s surface”), Beech Tree Extract (said to “improve skin firmness and visibly improve plumpness and density”), and Fragmented Hyaluronic Acid (listed to “reinforce skin’s natural short and long term moisturization … improve skin elasticity while reducing skin roughness”).
Kiehl’s is basing its claims on a clinical test of 50 women (described as multi-ethnic and those experiencing multiple signs of aging). It’s rare to receive so much specific information from a brand, so I would have loved to see the full ingredient list posted on their website as well. I’ve been using it for just over two and a half weeks now. I’ll update this post after I’ve finished the jar (probably around four or five weeks of use).
It feels like a lightweight cream, though the texture is thicker but not heavy. There’s a very faint herbal scent, though it is touted as fragrance-free (I expect it is just from the ingredients themselves), and I didn’t notice it once applied and mostly only caught the scent if I sniffed the jar. It absorbs for the most part within five minutes, but it takes a full fifteen minutes to really sink into the skin. The cream never feels sticky on the skin, and it doesn’t look greasy. The one thing I can say with absolutely certainty is that it is nicely hydrating, and it remedied some lingering dry patches I was contending with. I’ve worn it underneath makeup, and I haven’t had any issues doing so–as long as you give it proper time to absorb.
I’ve been looking for visible signs of, well, anything, since I hit the one-week mark, and after a week and a half, the one thing I kept noticing was my under-eye area seemed less shadowed, slightly less puffy. I don’t have major, major bags and shadowing, but my lack of sleep has become more noticeable over the past year. It hasn’t reversed it, and it is only minor improvement, but it’s something I’ve kept remarking on each time I’ve taken a moment to note what visible results I’ve seen. I haven’t seen the fine lines around my eyes really smooth out or become improved in any visible way. The general clarity and evenness of my skin’s tone has seemed to be slightly better. I don’t expect to be able to weigh in on firmness/lift, as my current signs of aging are the fine lines around my eyes. I’m quite impressed with how hydrated my skin is, and it does feel… plumper? in a way as my skin can when it’s really getting the hydration it needs. It’s not quite a miracle cream after using it for two weeks, though I like it and it is majorly hydrating, so we’ll see how it stacks up after more prolonged use.
Kiehl’s says to use this twice a day (morning and night), but without SPF, it’s just not a feasible daytime solution–putting a sunscreen on and this will feel and be too much for most. To clarify: When I know for sure I’m not leaving the house, I’ll skip the SPF and just use this in the morning, but on days where I need SPF, then it can take a couple of hours before the skin feels ready for makeup (this, of course, will vary depending on what product you use in combination–I’m using Origins’ A Perfect World, and I did try one day with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial and experienced similar results as when I used my Origins). I’d love to see a complementary product with SPF for this product or else a version with SPF.
Update: The final verdict is that this is a great cream for hydration. I think it helps to give skin a healthier, smoother, and clearer look overall, but I didn’t notice any fading, softening, or diminishing of the fine lines around my eyes or forehead.
See more photos!
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Yikes, for the price I think I’ll just stick with my Cerave. I have oily skin and don’t have any problems using cerave lotion with neutrogena dry touch sun screen over it. Most other moisturizers with sunscreen make you use too much product to get the right amount for the required coverage for the spf. For instance, I tried to get my SO to use sunscreen moisturizer so I bought him the Jack Black but even with two pumps its a minuscule amount and probably not enough for the full spf rating. The only one that’s reasonable is the neutrogena daily defense which I do also use during the day, though I still add more sunscreen if I’m leaving the house.
I really do love most of Kiehls’s products. This is something I would give a try. I have sensitive skin, so crossing my fingers for no breakouts. Thanks for reviewing it!
I’ve tried Kiel’s stuff and it never seems to do anything for me. To be honest, aside from CeraVe facial lotion and Shu Uemura’s brightening cleanser, I really have never found skin products that make any difference whatsoever on my skin – have you? What’s your favorite? Currently I just stick to retin-A and CeraVe, plus good old vaseline.
Yes, absolutely – having tried many products over the years, there is definitely a difference between them all – some work, some don’t, some make skin thrive, some do more harm than good.
I’ve been quite impressed with the few Kiehl’s skin care products I’ve tried. An SPF version for day would be nice though their facial SPF is such a nice product that I don’t mind using it in tandem with skin care products I have that don’t have SPF. Or I’d use this at night. The price is certainly a lot more reasonable than for a lot of skin care products on the market.
Hi Christine, I was wondering: considering their claims of 2 weeks, and the fact that you only use it once a day (instead of twice as they say you should), do you expect delayed results for the claims? Or do you not think that should play a role?
Hi Kris,
I’ve been using it twice a day – I just don’t like doing so, because this + SPF is too heavy for me and I really don’t like the combination. In order to test this and not go totally crazy, I’ve basically skipped SPF on days I’m not leaving the house (I have blackout curtains in my office) Days that I need to have both, I have to let everything really absorb for hours before applying makeup (which is why I don’t think a combo is feasible for most) 🙂
Wow, that’s dedication! Thank you for the clarification. This looks really interesting, especially since you have actually seen some results.
Do you think it would be worth getting even if not used twice a day? There’s no way I can do twice daily usage considering the absorption time 🙁
Not sure – I think it’s too early to call it (either way) since I’m seeing some results but not anything dramatic. I’m hoping that after four or five weeks, maybe there’ll be more improvement to make it worth it! 🙂 It’s very hydrating, which I do like, and for someone like me who finds it tough to find the right products when I get dry patches, I might still consider it just for the hydration aspect.
Thank you so much Christine, you’ve given me food for thought. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your final verdict after prolonged use.
Christine: No grade on this product or skincare products in general? Also, have you posted your skincare routine on the products you find worthy? I would love to hear your thoughts, I too have normal to dry skin. 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Tara,
I don’t provide any ratings/grades for skin care at this time, because it’s hard to come up with a rubric that a) can be applied to all skincare to begin, and arguably the thing that holds back the most is b) skincare is such a your-mileage-may-vary product, even more than regular makeup! I haven’t settled on any skincare products, as I keep rolling through new ones as I test them, but ones that are on my “if I ever stopped testing list, I would consider these” are all Editor’s Choice Winners (http://www.temptalia.com/2013-editors-choice-awards). Specifically skin – http://www.temptalia.com/awards-cat/skin-awards.
Products I’ve gone through twice:
– Kate Somerville ExfoliKate, Oil-Free Moisturizer
– bareMinerals Moisturizer w/SPF, Night Cream
– Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser
– Cetaphil Facial Cleanser
– shu uemura Cleansing Oil
– Renee Rouleau AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel
I’ve always had the thought that it would be helpful to see a little dab of whatever skincare product you’re testing on your hand so we can get a little better idea of what the consistency is like.
So this contains jasmonic acid, which is also in Lancome’s Visionnaire… aka LR 2412. A L’Oreal molecule. It’s also in some new L’Oreal (drugstore) serum. Glad to see it put to use outside of the $$$ Lancome serum. Guess that’s where the “re-texturized” skin claim comes from.
Thanks, Tyler – that is great info to know!
thanks Christine but how do you know if a cream is safe for the eye area?
Unless it says to avoid eyes, I can’t fathom why a cream for the face wouldn’t be allowable on the eyes, given that moisturizer doesn’t remain exactly as you applied it – it spreads and disperses. From what I understand, you don’t need a separate eye cream unless that’s your preference. Here’s a good article: http://www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/eye-care/_/you-dont-need-an-eye-cream-and-heres-why
I wouldn’t. Rosemary oil and limonene are in this product. These are known skin sensitizers/irritants and who wants to make delicate eye lid skin even more sensitive?
Christine–thank you so much for including the ingredients list! Just to throw this out there since it’s touted as “fragrance-free”: if fragrance is a problem for anyone, this product might be something to steer clear of. Limonene is typically used as a component of fragrance for beauty products. People who have skin sensitive to fragrance might be sensitive to limonene as well–which is certainly the case for me. After some unfortunate “supposedly fragrance-free” surprises, I ALWAYS check the ingredients list now.
I work for Kiehls, and in being trained I learned that adding SPF to these kinda of products slow down results therefor they wouldn’t be able to claim, much less deliver, the “two-week” claim. This cream is amazing for people of all ages but honestly you’re not going to get all the benefits out of this product unless you really have visible signs of aging.
Hi Jailene,
Here is Kiehl’s response to your comment:
Since the launch of Kiehl’s very first official anti-aging product, the chemists at Kiehl’s have and continue to develop formulas with high SPF levels without losing any anti-aging efficacy.
At Kiehl’s, we are so proud to have a customer centered approach to our development process. This means that we develop products based on customer demand or when a new ingredient or new skincare science is available. At this time we don’t offer this formula with a sunscreen but are always heavily considering developing formulas that respond to what our customers are seeking!
We are thrilled when customers are eager to use a daily sunscreen and we can proudly state that our Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50 layers perfectly with Super Cream.
For any of your readers with this concern—they can rest assure that Kiehl’s Super Fluid formula was developed to be supremely compatible with our anti-aging moisturizers.
Hi Christine, so what can you tell us about the product after two months? Thank you very much!
Updated! 🙂
Thank you so much for including ingredients! It is so annoying to me that Kiehl’s doesn’t give entire ingredients lists on their site, and they give poor responses when asked about why that is – “you can always call us or write to us.” Ugh!
this is nice I m looking for trying this product