Sunday 29 May 2011

Naked Truth Skin Care

Naked Truth by Dr. Darren McKeown is a recently launched skin care range available exclusively in Superdrug. I was sent two items from the range to try, the Age Resistant Cleanser and the Face Renewal Mask. Dr. McKeown trained as a plastic surgeon and specialises in minimally invasive aesthetic procedures such as botox and fillers. I haven't established whether Dr. McKeown is involved in the manafucture/formulation of the products.


Truth1

I've had these products a little while and have had a bit of a tough time gathering my thoughts for review. Some of this relates to products themselves and some to the brand. I'm hoping I manage not to makes this post too disjointed so I'll deal with the products themselves first.

Age Resist Cleanser
This is a foaming wash off cleanser. It comes with packaged with a handy pump dispenser and I require at least two pumps to cleanse my face. I have a habit of using makeup remover or oil cleanser before using this so I can't comment on it's makeup removing ability. In the information on the back of the bottle it explains that this product contains three AHAs: Glycolic, Lactic and Malic acid. It also states that it uses natural surfactants to cleanse. This formula is SLS free, although no attention is drawn to this, and consequently it is low foaming.

I'm not sure I've encountered AHAs in a wash off cleanser before. This is part of the "Age Resisting" function of the cleanser, as it aims to increase cell turnover by chemical exfoliation, improving the texture of the skin surface. I wondered how the AHAs would actually have opportunity to work in formula that spends a limited time against the skin. This became clear when I read the instructions for use. You are directed to massage the cleanser in to the skin for two to three minutes. I have tried to do this but it isn't all that comfortable and two to three minutes massaging in face wash quickly begins to feel like a lot longer! I wonder whether the AHAs would be very effective if this is just used like a regular face wash?

On the positive side, this cleansers seems to work well. My face feels clean after use, it rinses off easily leaving no residue and it doesn't leave my skin feeling tight. It also smells quite nice and I like the pump dispenser. The sting in the tail is that this costs £17.99 for 150ml.

Face Renewal Mask
Like the face wash, one of the functions of this mask is to exfoliate the skin and promote cell renewal. Instead of chemical exfoliants, this uses physical agents, namely crushed olive stones. It is pretty gritty and to me the stones are reminiscent of Apri Scrub in texture. This worried me at first but as you apply as a mask rather than rubbing it in, it's not all that abrasive. The mask also promises to be radiance boosting and soothing.

You apply the mask, leave it on for ten to fifteen means then rinse off (I use a warm cloth). My skin does feel lovely and smooth once I've used it and I find the scent and soothing sensation very pleasant whilst it's on. It feels quite cooling on the skin.

In the product description it makes mention of an infusion of magnesium, copper and zinc. I suspect this is the Lactobacillus ferment extract that I can see in the list of ingredients. I find it extremely odd that no attention is drawn to the bio ferment. Likewise, there is no mention of the Saccharomyces (Yeast) ferment that I spotted in the cleansers ingredients. I shall come back to this point in a minute.

This is certainly a nice face mask, though I feel the beads would be better if they were more refined. The Face Renewal Mask costs £21.99 for 50mls.

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I have very mixed thoughts about this brand. I feel it is quite expensive, coming in at prices just under those of premium lines. It's being pitted against other "doctor brands" yet there is no mention of how the scientific expertise has been used to create these products or the how the formulation justifies the high price tags. Nowhere does it specifically mention the bio ferments or the fact that the cleanser is SLS free and I think this is an omission. This coupled with the advice from Dr. McKeown to only realistically expect to see results in six months and that these products aren't promising a miracle leave me very confused! With an effective skin care product you should see some result after 28 days and if a "doctor brand" is suggesting I have to use a product for six months until I see results, I would feel distinctly less inclined to part with £28.99 for a moisturiser!

I think the marketing of this brand is very confused. You're either offering good products that don't offer a miracle that are affordably priced. Or you're providing skin care with active or novel ingredients that offer proven results that justify the price tag. This seems to want to be a bit of everything and in doing so leaves the customer confused. I can't work out if it's over-priced or underselling itself. I think the answer to this will only become clear with time.

Is this a line you've tried already? What do you think?


UPDATE: Since writing this review I have had a response from Dr. Darren McKeown, addressing some of the points I made. You find my update post here - Naked Truth Update.

Disclosure: These product were sent to me without cost for the purpose of review.

13 comments:

  1. Hmm very interesting review, do I really have time to massage in cleanser for 3 minutes? no, I want my AHA's in a moisturiser or serum so that they are working throughout the day. It also seems very expensive and I would be more likely to spend that much in a department store for a high end cleanser, can't imagine paying that much in Superdrug. I would not buy a product if I had to wait 6 months to see an improvement, I like to see improvements within 2 - 4 weeks. I can't see this range being a success in this country and I'm sure we'll see it on the 'end of line' shelf in the not too distance future. Jude xx @jadlgw

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  2. Comment from Sparklz and Shine via Twitter (Blogger is acting up for her)

    Great review. Superdrug seems a very strange choice for this range - I don't think I've seen anything that that comes near to it price wise there. I'd need a fair amount of convincing incentive to want to commit to the brand for 6 months before seeing results and they don't appear to be giving that right now. x

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  3. I have seen this instore and at first glance the packaging looks very nice (kinda Eve Lom-esque) but I haven't explored further, especially as there are a lot of other products I would like to try. The cleanser does sound good and not too bad a price (although high for somewhere like Superdrug).

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  4. I totally agree that the presentation of this brand is rather confusing. Which is a shame as I'd looked forward to trying it after reading about it on another blog.

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  5. I've heard about this brand before and it interests me, but Im glad you've given up a clear and honest break down, especially of the Mask as that's something I possibly would get.

    I shall now give more thought to it than just chucking it in to buy..

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  6. I'd be very leery of anything with ground stones for exfoliation, I just think they're far too harsh for the skin. I agree; the branding seems very confused to me. I get the under-promise and over-deliver, but it doesn't take 6 months to see if skincare is improving your skin or not.

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  7. Great review. The lack of information does put me off however I am slightly tempted by the face mask x

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  8. Interesting Jane, one would think that with all the technology and research going into these products judging by the list of ingredients, a bit more fanfare would be brought to the fact! However according to your trial, it did come across like the products work well. Great review though but considering the lack of advertising or info, I can only judge by your opinion. I might be tempted to try them out to see if I can decipher it at all. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
    K x

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  9. @Jude: I don’t think many people would have the patience to massage it in for that length of time. It’s a nice line but it’s hard to know exactly it wants to sit in terms of other skin care ranges.

    @Sparklz and Shine: Superdrug does seem like an odd choice. I know they sometimes have Clarins and Lancome but that’s a little different when they’re such “known” brands.

    @Meeta: The products are nice. I think it would have been nice to explain the ingredients more rather than playing up the ‘not a miracle’ aspect. People want to know they’ll get results if they’re spending at bit more.

    @Strawberry Blonde: It is confusing. The products are nice but it’s hard to feel like splurging unless you know it’s worth it!

    @Ms Red: The mask is nice, it would be better if it was less gritty. I would love to know more about the ingredients so you could understand the price bracket a bit more.

    @Grace: It seems a bit of backwards step to go for ground stones. My skin is quite robust but I do prefer not to go for such a gritty texture. I cannot understand the 6 months time frame at all. I think it’s likely to put people off rather than sound ‘truthful’.

    @Claire: The face mask does leave my skin feeling very nice. I’d be happier without the such large ‘bits’. I do wish there was more information about the ingredients. I was reading the Snowberry catalogue this morning and the contrast between the explanations was huge. I don’t mind spendy but I like to know why!! Lol

    @Kenneth: Thanks for your comment! I do think it require other people to try it out in order to work out whether this is being under-sold. The ingredients sounded interesting but it involved me reading the actual ingredients list to glean most of the information. I find that a little odd. I would love to know your impression of it, especially on a variety of skins.

    Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts.
    Jane x

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  10. Excellent review Jane. I agree, it does seem rather expensive for 'science' that is ill-defined.

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  11. Thanks so much for this review as I had been wondering about this brand. It doesn't sound like its for me and I think you are spot on about the marketing, I'm not sure I can see this brand lasting really. Great honest reviews as always x

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  12. Hi Dempeaux, I know you appreciate what it's like to want to understand what's in there are why. I've since had a message from Dr. Darren and it definitely sounds like they're not selling the science side but don't want to get into the exaggerate unsubstantiated claims. I always find it easier to justify the costs when I know why (skin care only, this all goes out of the window for lipstick!).

    Hey Replica! Thank you. You might like a look at my updated post if you had been considering this line. I got an email from Dr. Darren responding to this review. It's quite interesting and I can understand better where they're coming from now. I think in somewhere like Superdrug it's really important that they 'sell' themselves.

    In terms of you trying it, I would definitely advise against the mask for you purely based on the grains.

    Jane x

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  13. Skin care reviews like yours help consumers find products, which are safe and effective for your skin. Beauty products are one of the first items you'll find in a girl's shopping list. I think both products are a little too expensive for my taste though. I have encountered cheaper products that worked well in age defying and moisturizing.

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I love receiving comments and read each and every one. I always do my best to reply too. If you have a question and need a quick response, please feel free to email me.

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