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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

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PRODUCT REVIEW: JAXON LANE RELAX AND REPAIR – BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN, BEST FACE CREAM FOR MEN

JAXON LANE | RELAX AND REPAIR

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This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Winter Moisturizers Part 2 – Some of the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin and All Skin Types in Cold Weather. You can catch the full piece here.

Last week, I kicked off my winter series of my top ten moisturizers in a blog article titled, Winter Moisturizers Part I – Some of the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin and All Skin Types in Cold Weather. If you missed it, by chance, you can read it here.

The first five was a collection of moisturizers from more popular, better known brands and included my favorite and what I think is the best face cream ever, the Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer. I’ve been through maybe a dozen bottles of it since it launched. You don’t want to sleep in this baby.

So, I’m excited to bring you the second five of my winter moisturizer picks — a more eclectic collection from more niche brands. Among them, Josie Maran’s Skin Dope Inner Strength Protein Boost Cream powered by Josie’s signature Argan Oil as well as nutrient-rich Hemp Seed Oil. I reviewed the brand’s initial Skin Dope range over the summer in a piece titled, Products I Love: Josie Maran Skin Dope Clean Facial Skincare with CBD.

In addition, there are picks from guy’s brand, Jaxon Lane; ethereal, natural skincare brand, Ayond; the fruit-crazed Glow Recipe; and Youth to the People –– oddly, my first product review from the brand in a long time.

Let’s have a look at the Jaxon Lane Relax and Repair

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I’ve featured Jaxon Lane on the blog a couple of times now including most recently in a piece titled, Three Facial Cleansers I Love But You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of. The brand’s “Shake And Wake” Enzyme Powder Face Wash is one of my favorite facial cleansers — and among the best cleansing powders in the niche cleansing category. Cleansing powders are so underrated!

I use Shake And Wake several times a week, always on the mornings that I shave. A cleansing powder is ideal for softening my beard and ameliorating the effects of the sharp razor blade over my skin.

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Jaxon Lane’s lightweight powder cleanser has this deliciously invigorating grapefruit aroma to it that’s just so crisp and refreshing. It makes shaving something to look forward to. Almost.

But perhaps the one product Jaxon Lane is most known for is its Bro Mask! Powered by 3% Niacinamide, collagen, peptides, green tea, licorice, and ginger, the hydrogel Bro Mask put Jaxon Lane on the map.

It was the first product from the brand that I tried and I get all choked up thinking about my initial experiences with the Bro Mask. Perhaps as with a St. Pauli Girl, you never forget your first Bro Mask!

So, sure, I’m a big fan of Jaxon Lane and was super excited to be among the first to try the brand’s new Relax and Repair face cream — what Jaxon Lane refers to as “the ultimate treat for your skin.”

I also love that it comes in a tube rather than in a jar, unlike the other four cold weather face creams in the part two collection. But that’s more of an indication that it’s lightweight enough to be squeezed out of a tube. The others are likely too thick and rich.

The fact that Jaxon Lane’s Relax And Repair is housed in a tube is beneficial to its numerous antioxidant botanicals – including Licorice Root Extract, Ginger Root Extract, and Green Tea Leaf Extract, all traditional Korean Hanbang ingredients.

If I weren’t wearing my blue light reading glasses, I’d think I’d stumbled upon a new K-beauty moisturizer. There’s an intriguing ingredient in here that I just had to google: Coptis Japonica Root Extract, or Tsubaki, Japanese camellia. I told you this was no run of the mill face cream!

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What is Japanese tsubaki?

I found some great information on the extraordinary antioxidant botanical from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team. They explain tsubaki this way:

Camellia japonica flower extract is also known as Tsubaki, Japanese camellia, common camellia. Native to Korea, China, and Japan, research has shown this plant has impressive antioxidant, anti-pollution, and soothing abilities.

Specific to anti-pollution, testing on human skin samples revealed that topical application of the flower extract protects fibroblasts (cells in skin that make collagen) from oxidative damage that heavy metal airborne pollutants trigger. It also intercepts collagen-degrading enzymes before they lead to visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and orange peel-like skin texture. At the same time, this plant extract addresses loss of collagen that can visibly impact pore size.

Along with offering antioxidant and pollution-neutralizing benefits on its own, topical application of Camellia japonica flower also boosts the presence of several antioxidant enzymes that naturally occur in skin, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. This helps skin better defend itself against external aggressors that detract from a healthy appearance.

This plant is also a rich source of the oil-soluble antioxidant gallic acid that defends skin against visible signs of UVB damage while also interrupting excess melanin production.


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I also love that it comes in a tube rather than in a jar, unlike the other four cold weather face creams in the part two collection. But that’s more of an indication that it’s lightweight enough to be squeezed out of a tube. The others are likely too thick and rich.

The fact that Jaxon Lane’s Relax And Repair is housed in a tube is beneficial to its numerous antioxidant botanicals – including Licorice Root Extract, Ginger Root Extract, and Green Tea Leaf Extract, all traditional Korean Hanbang ingredients.

If I weren’t wearing my blue light reading glasses, I’d think I’d stumbled upon a new K-beauty moisturizer. There’s an intriguing ingredient in here that I just had to google: Coptis Japonica Root Extract, or Tsubaki, Japanese camellia. I told you this was no run of the mill face cream!

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Without doubt, Jaxon Lane’s Relax And Repair is the most surprising of the five winter face creams. And, just may be the “ultimate anti-aging moisturizer” after all!

SHOP THE BLOG: For a limited time, save 20% on all Jaxon Lane skin care with code SKINCARMA20. Purchase the Jaxon Lane Relax and Repair for $28.80 (reg. $35) here.



WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF

WINTER MOISTURIZERS PART 2

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


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The Ingredient List of the Josie Maran Skin Dope Inner Strength Protein Boost Cream:

Water (Aqua)**, Isoamyl Laurate**, Propanediol**, Glycerin**, Cetearyl Alcohol**, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil*, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil*, Cetearyl Glucoside**, Cetyl Palmitate**, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract**, Phenoxyethanol, Vegetable Oil, Fragrance (Parfum)**, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Rhodomyrtus Tomentosa Fruit Extract, Sodium Phytate, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax**, Galactoarabinan, Alcohol**. 

The Ingredient List of the Jaxon Lane Relax and Repair:

Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Alcohol, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Gum, Chondrus Crispus (Seaweed) Extract, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Potassium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Swiftlet Nest Extract, Butylene Glycol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Asiaticoside (Centella Extract), Propolis Wax, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Dextrin, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20,Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7,Chlorphenesin, FragranceThe Ingredient List of the Ayond Taos Blue Day Cream:

The Ingredient List of the Ayond Taos Blue Day Cream:

Cistus Ladaniferus (Rock Rose) Leaf/Stem Water Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice so|h, Cetyl Alcohol emo|emu|vc|surf 2 2, Opuntia Engelmannii (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil, Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil emo 0 1, Plukenetia Volubilis (Sacha Inchi) Seed Oil aox|emo|h, Polyglyceryl-3 Rice Branate emu, Caryodendron Orinocense (Cacay) Seed Oil emo, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Propanediol solv|h, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Zea Mays (Blue Corn) Kernel Extract, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Tocopherol (Vitamin E) aox 0-3 0-3, Buddleja Davidii (Summer Lilac) Extract, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate h, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, Orobanche Rapum (Broom Rape) Extract, Buddleja Officinalis (Butterfly Bush) Flower Extract sunsc, Trehalose h, Sucrose Stearate emo|emu|surf 0 0, Saccharide Isomerate h, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil perf, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract aox|so|amic, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Neroli) Flower Oil , 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters emo, Water solv, Phenylpropanol perf|solv, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract so|emo, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Petitgrain) Leaf/Twig Oil, Cuminum Cyminum (Cumin) Seed Oil perf, Triethyl Citrate perf, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Citric Acid buff, Cananga Odorata (Ylang-Ylang) Flower Oil perf, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Sodium Benzoate pres, Cistus Ladaniferus (Rock Rose) Oil emo, Canarium Commune (Elemi) Gum Oil, [Benzyl Benzoate solv|perf|amic, Benzyl Salicylate perf, Farnesol perf, Geraniol perf, Limonene perf|solv, Linalool perf
Organic Ingredients
Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream:

The Ingredient List of the Glow Recipe Banana Soufflé Moisture Cream:

PRODUCT REVIEW: YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE ADAPTOGEN DEEP MOISTURE CREAM – BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN, BEST MOISTURIZER WITH ADAPTOGENS TO CALM IRRITATED SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE ADAPTOGEN DEEP MOISTURE CREAM – BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN, BEST MOISTURIZER WITH ADAPTOGENS TO CALM IRRITATED SKIN

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