Elemis and the Power of Marine Algae.

Are you familiar with Elemis? Elemis is a top British skincare/spa brand. I’ve had several facials using their products and always loved the results. When the brand reached out to partner on a post, my answer was an immediate YES. What I love most about the brand is their commitment to combining natural ingredients and botanicals alongside science + aromatics. Believe it or not, essential oils aren’t just for fragrance purposes… they are active carriers, meaning that they can help products to deliver better results by enabling active ingredients to more easily penetrate your skin.

I don’t know about you but this time of year my skin gets so, so dry. As I read up on the products I would be testing, I got excited – especially about the brand’s Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, which is definitely Elemis‘ most beloved “hero” product if you will. This cream has been around a very long time (not to date myself but it launched in 2003, the same year I graduated college!) and has developed quite a cult following. It’s probably Elemis’s most loved product. The most important ingredient in the marine cream is padina pavonica, discovered  in 1993. Padina Pavonica is a marine algae stumbled upon a French cosmetic scientist on a shipwreck during a diving expedition. The brand spent 10 years researching it. 52 formulations later, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream was born in 2003, and over the years the brand has built an entire line of skincare around the marine cream – most notably the cleansing balm and night cream.

Recently, the brand launched at QVC (selling their pro-collagen travel kit that is a huge value – I will tell you more about that at the end of this post). I was really excited for the opportunity to test out all three pro-collagen products, especially after hearing so much about the marine cream! I tested out the three products over the course of a week. I am going to tell you both what the brand says about these products… and what I have to say, after testing them!

The first product I tested is the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm. This is an emollient rich cleansing balm. I will tell you my thoughts in a minute, but in studies conducted by the brand 96% of users felt their skin was softened and smoothed by the balm, and 91% felt that it was significantly effective at removing make-up.

My thoughts? Oh my goodness – I LOVE this cleansing balm. It has replaced my beloved cleansing oil. First of all, it smells amazing. Like the spa. I checked the ingredients list and it contains Eucalyptus oil so that makes sense. As I mentioned earlier, Elemis uses essential oils in all of their products. Not only do these smell really nice but they also help to better deliver the product into your skin. I have dry skin which is especially bad in the winter. I’ll apply a thick layer of this, let it melt in for a second, and then massage all over my face with a few drops of warm water. After that I will use a hot wet towel to wipe it all off.  It takes all of my makeup off (even mascara) and leaves my skin soft and glowing.

Next? Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. As I mentioned above, I was really excited to try this cream as it has developed such a huge following. It lived up to the hype – it’s your perfect anti-aging day cream. In studies conducted by the brand, it reduces the depth of wrinkles, improves skin texture and hydration in 15 days. I have not gotten to the full 15 days, but personally loved how it sunk right into my skin and how soft + radiant it left my skin.

Last is the Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream. This contains the same special ingredient (padina pavonica) which helps to increase skin’s resiliency. It’s much thicker than the classic marine cream (but still not greasy), and it’s designed to replenish skin’s moisture and assist with regeneration of new skin cells overnight. It sinks in immediately and left my skin feeling luxuriously soft and beautiful the next morning.

* For both creams, a little goes a long way! You only need a pea-sized amount.

As I mentioned above, Elemis is now selling a 3-Piece Try-Me Kit featuring smaller sizes of all three products. It is a huge value (a $157.50 value for $48.50). The kit makes for a great way to try the line to make sure that it is right for you… or if you are already a fan (hand raised), it is wonderful for travel! I am taking this little kit with me on my trip to Europe next month… having luxurious travel-size products like this in my travel bag make travel all the more luxurious… no sad, tired airplane skin for this girl!

Last but not least – there are two products from Elemis that I LOVE but aren’t in the kit. The eye cream is super hydrating (and it comes with the brand’s hydra gel eye masks). The other is the brand’s Papaya Enzyme Peel. Papaya is an incredible (fruit acid) exfoliant. Apply like a mask, leave on for 10-15 minutes, and revel in smooth, soft skin.

This post was sponsored by QVC in partnership with ShopStyle. While I was compensated to write a post about Elemis, all opinions are my own.

Photography by Trent Bailey.