PRODUCT REVIEW: YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE SUPERFOOD AIR-WHIP MOISTURIZER - BEST NATURAL FACE CREAM, BEST MOISTURIZER FOR OILY SKIN
YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE | SUPERFOOD AIR-WHIP MOISTURIZER
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Part 2: Three Super Light Moisturizers (and an Eye Cream!) for Spring that I'm Super into. You can catch the full piece here.
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As the pandemic has waned here in NYC, spring truly seems like a reawakening. Everything feels fresh, new, liberating. Just like spring in NYC should feel. And, as in years past, spring means new skin care! There are suddenly exciting, lighter textures; new, innovative face creams; and game-changing serums that light up a dull, winter-worn complexion.
Two weeks ago, I published the first part in my two-part series on lightweight moisturizers for spring. I had traditionally reviewed what I consider the best face creams for oily skin and all skin types in the warmer months during the early summer. (Psst…you can catch part one here.)
PART 1: THREE SUPER LIGHT MOISTURIZERS (AND AN EYE CREAM!) FOR SPRING THAT I'M SUPER INTO
That initial piece featured some of my favorite new face cream discoveries of the last few months, including the Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer, The Inkey List’s Symbright Moisturizer and the Sobel Skin Rx Bio Hyaluronic Moisture Cream Extreme. I also included in my recommendations one of my favorite anti-aging eye creams right now, the vitamin- and peptide-powered SELF/ish Eye Cream.
Over the past week, the temps have literally hit 80 degrees. So, the spring switch-up couldn’t be more timely. I’ve got tons of new product discoveries coming in the weeks ahead including a few super cool probiotic skincare products.
But for now let’s take a look at the next selection in my lightweight moisturizer series…
Youth To The People | Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid
This product from LA-based YTTP has been on the market a while, but I’ve never had the chance to experience or review it until now. The Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid is my pick of the spring face cream collection for oilier skin types.
Unlike the KORA Organics Turmeric Glow Moisturizer and Tata Harper’s Repairative Anti-Aging Moisturizer, it has a relatively conservative oil content with but a single plant oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, at ingredient number two. The Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer is more about hydration than it is about moisture; that is, it treats dehydrated skin, not dry skin. And all skin, no matter its skin type needs hydration in the form of water.
How do you know if your skin is dehydrated? And what’s the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? Simply, dry is a skin type and dehydrated is a skin concern or condition.
What’s the Difference between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin?
For the answer to that vexing questing, as I most often do, I turned to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team for insights. There’s a superb piece on the Paula’s Choice site titled, What is Dehydrated Skin & How to Choose the Best Products. Here is an excerpt:
Dehydrated skin often looks and feels like dry skin all over your face, but there's a major difference between the two: dehydrated skin is usually a temporary concern (with various surprising causes) and dry skin typically doesn't change over time. If you have dehydrated skin, your skin may also produce a normal or even excessive amount of oil on its surface.
"Dehydrated skin" is something we’re asked about frequently. It seems there’s a lot of confusion about what this skin concern is about. A major part of the confusion is that the term "dehydrated skin" is often used interchangeably with "dry skin" or "combination skin" but they are not the same! Dehydrated skin can occur in all skin types and is not exclusive to those with dry skin or combination skin.
The Difference Between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin
Having classically dry skin is easy to recognize. Dry skin frequently feels tight and dry, with no oil anywhere to be seen. This situation rarely fluctuates; skin feels dry all year long. The dryness might get worse depending on the climate, season, or activity, but regardless of those things, without great skin care products, the uncomfortable dry, tight feeling will persist.
As mentioned above, dehydrated skin can look and feel similar, but there’s a major difference: Dehydrated skin tends to come and go, it does not persist.
As the name implies, the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer is, well, light as air. Actually, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It’s light AF though.
So let me take free license as a copywriter who specializes in product naming and rephrase it:
The Youth To The People Superfood Light AF Moisturizer is perfect for a hot summer day and ideal for year-round if you’re an oilier skin type. It’s got such a refreshing, fluffy texture and melts right into the skin on application.
Superfood Light AF Moisturizer is infused with a wonderful, natural cocktail of antioxidant plant extracts, including several “superfood” ingredients like Spinach Leaf Extract, Alfalfa Leaf Extract and the brand’s signature Kale Leaf Extract. Don’t quote me but I feel like YTTP puts kale in everything.
And why not?! I had never even heard of kale growing up — and didn’t start incorporating it into my diet until I moved to New York. Now, I love to massage the leaves in olive and salt to soften them for a really nice, rather substantive salad.
As the name also avers, the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid contains power humectant Hyaluronic Acid in two molecular weights for broader skin hydration.
What Is Hyaluronic Acid and What Does Hyaluronic Acid Do for the Skin?
I love this article on Hyaluronic Acid on the Healthline website titled, Why Science Says Hyaluronic Acid Is the Holy Grail to Wrinkle-Free, Youthful Hydration. It’s wonky and full of insights. Check this part out:
“The benefits of hyaluronic acid on the skin has to do with its molecular weight and concentration. In this case, size matters! The molecular weight refers to its mass, or how big the HA molecule is. This is measured in something called unified atomic mass units — daltons, or kDa for short.
HA between 50 to 1,000 kDa is the most beneficial for skin, with about 130 kDa being the best, according to the most recent human studies. Anything higher won't make too much of a difference. Anything lower might cause inflammation. How did we get this number? When you look at studies, you'll see a pattern, but one of the most thorough studies looked at HA with different molecular weights, including 50, 130, 300, 800, and 2,000 kDa.
After one month, they found that treatment with 130 kDa HA was the most effective, increasing skin elasticity by 20 percent. Both the 50 and 130 kDa groups had significant improvement in wrinkle-depth and skin roughness after 60 days. All the other molecular weights still improved elasticity and skin hydration, just less so. You can read more about this molecular weight analysis from the original breakdown here.”
Interestingly, aside from the natural vitamin content of the kale extract., the brand makes no mention of the additional Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E) and Ascorbic Acid, the pure form of antioxidant powerhouse and skin brightening Vitamin C.
Youth To The People’s Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer is good stuff for skin on a warm day or any time of the year. Kinda like a kale-infused fresh juice!
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid for $48 here.
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW
THE YEAR’S BEST VITAMIN C SERUMS WITH PAULA'S CHOICE, SUNDAY RILEY, THE INKEY LIST AND MORE!
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The Ingredient List of the KORA Organics Turmeric Glow Moisturizer:
Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice*, Glycerin^, Coconut Alkanes, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil*, Balanites Roxburghii Seed Oil*, Water/Aqua/Eau, Lactobacillus Ferment, Cetearyl Olivate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Fruit Oil*, Passiflora Edulis (Maracuja) Seed Oil*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract*, Lactobacillus, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Bidens Pilosa Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Phospholipids, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint Indian) Leaf Oil*, Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract*, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract*, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract*, Yeast (Faex) Powder, Sodium Phytate, Cylindrotheca Fusiformis Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Juniperus Virginiana (Cedarwood) Oil, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol , Bisabolol, Soybean Peroxidase, Superoxide Dismutase, Alcohol, Citral**, Geraniol**, Limonene**, Linalool**.
*Ingredients from Organic Farming
**From essential oils
^Made using organic ingredients
The Ingredient List of the Tata Harper Repairative Anti-Aging Moisturizer:
so|h, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter emo, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes emo, Aqua/Water/Eau solv, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract so, Caprylic/Capric/Triglyceride emo, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil aox|emo|perf 0 0-2, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Cetearyl Olivate emu, Mel/Honey/Miel so|h|amic, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate amic|pres, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Seed) Butter emo 0 4, Sorbitan Olivate emu, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Leaf Extract aox, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Extract, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract so|aox|perf, Arnica Montana (Arnica) Extract 
, Propanediol solv|h, Sodium Phytate chel, Galactoarabinan aox, Sclerotium Gum vc, Cetyl Palmitate emo 0 0, Sorbitan Palmitate emu, Lavandula Stoechas (Spanish Lavender) Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Menyanthes Trifoliata (Buckbean) Flower Extract, Tilia Europaea (Linden) Leaf/Flower Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria (Meadowsweet) Extract so, Aroma**, Citral perf, Citronellol perf, Eugenol perf, Geraniol perf, Limonene perf|solv, Linalool perfThe Ingredient List of the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid:
Water/Aqua/Eau (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Hydroxyethylcellulose, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Kale) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Natural Fragrance, Hyaluronic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Ci 75810 (Chlorophyll), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool.
The Ingredient List of the Josie Maran Argan Pro-Retinol Eye Cream:
Water/Aqua/Eau*, Butylene Glycol*, Glyceryl Stearate*, Octyldodecanol*, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables*, Cetyl Alcohol*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Silica*, Tribehenin*, Beeswax/Cera Alba/Cire d’abeille*, Benzyl Alcohol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, C9-12 Alkane*, Octyldodecyl PCA*, Dunaliella Salina (Pink Algae) Extract*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beta-Carotene*, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract*, Caffeine*, Terminalia Arjuna Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil*, Biosaccharide Gum-1*, Sodium Hyaluronate*, Quercetin*, Physalis Alkekengi Calyx Extract*, Squalene*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax*, Fructose*, Cetearyl Alcohol*, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate*, Oleic Acid*, Sorbitan Caprylate*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin*, Xanthan Gum*, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate*, Sucrose Palmitate*, Sodium Phytate*, Dehydroacetic Acid, Maltodextrin*, Lecithin*, Glyceryl Linoleate*, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride*, Citric Acid*, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol*, Ascorbyl Palmitate*, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)*, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499)*.
*Naturally derived.
