Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Collection — An Olive Branch For Sensitive Skin

As if grappling with easily inflamed, allergy-prone, irritable skin weren’t enough of an ordeal in one’s young adulthood, once wrinkles become a concern, the tribulations multiply. Such common anti-aging ingredients as retinol can wreak havoc on sensitive skin, limiting the number of options available to those with temperamental skin. Fortunately, leading skincare brand Perricone MD has faced the challenge of developing a line for this niche group.

The Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Collection, then, aims to deliver dermatological-grade results to women with sensitive skin and who are becoming increasingly concerned with visible aging signs. Consisting of four products, the collection taps into the benefits of olive fruit and olive leaf extracts. Though many skincare experts know that olives are rife in polyphenols, naturally-occurring chemicals with antioxidant benefits. Over 4,000 types of polyphenols have been identified to date, most grouped into the two major categories of flavonoids and nonflavonoids. But, in researching the chemical composition of olive fruit and olive leaf extracts, Dr. Nicholas Perricone identified and isolated the two most powerful and rarest types of polyphenols therein: hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein.

Oleuropein, derived from the olive leaf, and hydroxytyrosol, extracted from the olive fruit, are infused into all of the products in the collection, thereby helping to firm, tone, and smooth skin, as well as protect it from free radical damage.

The collection’s shining star is the Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Peptide Complex ($98 at PerriconeMD.com), a concentrated anti-aging treatment boasting the soothing, hydrating and protective benefits of oleuropein and hyroxytyrosol, along with two proprietary neuropeptides that work in tandem to smooth fine lines on the upper surface of skin as well as deeper-set wrinkles; tocotrienols, superior forms of vitamin E that condition and protect skin; and vitamin C ester, a milder, non-abrasive form of vitamin C that works to brighten the complexion, even skin tone, and boost radiance.

The Hypoallergenic Peptide Complex has a light, serum-like consistency so that it’s quickly absorbed by the skin. Because of the vitamin C ester in the formula, you’ll quickly notice your skin appears more luminous, as if a light had been turned inside of you. Similarly, you’ll feel an immediate relief thanks to the hydrating properties of the olive extracts. The anti-aging benefits, meanwhile, take longer to become evident since results are cumulative with use but, within about three weeks, you should notice a vast improvement in skin firmness.

The Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Soothing Moisturizer ($75 at PerriconeMD.com), meanwhile, incorporates the aforementioned olive polyphenols, along with ceramides to restructure and fortify the skin’s natural barrier. Ceramides are lipid molecules naturally found in skin that deplete in quantity as we age, thereby leaving our skin more vulnerable to moisture loss and more likely to become rough, saggy, and wrinkly. By adding ceramides that mimic those naturally found in the epidermis to the moisturizer’s formula, then, Dr. Perricone seeks to combat the declining ceramide levels that tend to result from aging. The moisturizers also includes squalane derived from olives, which promotes cellular growth, protects the skin from UV damage, and penetrates the skin quickly, hydrating it from deep within. Because squalane mimics the skin’s natural oils, it is easily absorbed, leaving skin soft and smooth. And, as with the Peptide Complex, the Soothing Moisturizer incorporates tocotrienols to nourish, soothe, and soften skin, along with a neuropeptide that stimulates collagen production.

Though it looks really rich and creamy in its jar, when you smooth the moisturizer onto the skin, it glides on as smoothly as a stick of butter on a piping hot stack of pancakes, practically melting onto your complexion. Even if your skin is parched and flaky, once you apply this moisturizer, it will feel surprisingly comfortable and replenished. It will also feel remarkably soft — we’re talking rose petal soft, here! That being said, it will take a few minutes for the moisturizer to fully seep into the skin, so it might feel a bit greasy around your T-zone until it does so (it eventually will, we promise!). Once it does, the skin’s surface will appear so smooth, that you’ll almost feel like you applied a primer.

The other two products in the collection are the Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Gentle Cleanser ($39 at PerriconeMD.com), which pairs olive polyphenols with soothing green tea extract, and  Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Firming Eye Cream ($65 at PerriconeMD.com), which includes the collection’s two key olive polyphenols, along with toctorienols; moisture-binding hyaluronic acid; and four neuropeptides meant to simultaneously tackle crow’s feet, fine lines, dark circles, and sagging skin.

I haven’t had the opportunity to try these last two products, but the cleanser is definitely on my must-get list.

Also worth noting: no artificial fragrances, parabens, phtalates, sulfates, mineral oils, or synthetic dyes were used when formulating these products, making them all the more well-suited for sensitive skin in need of some TLC.