Ialuset Cream Can Be Your Best (or Worst) Friend

(I started this page in July and decided to use the cream for a while longer before posting about it.)

 With hyaluronic acid being so popular, I wanted to talk about this product. It's been around for a while but recently more and more people seem to be discovering the French "wonder product", Ialuset Cream. For once, I was way ahead of the trend. 

Funny story - where I learned about it:

The first time I ever heard about Ialuset, it was from a Google Plus friend. I was all about that social media platform (even though it could be annoying) and I still miss it.

Back then, I was living in Alaska and had been grousing about getting old (I think I was 50 or 51!). A French Canadian G-Plusser (Catherine, I think, who I have since lost track of, thanks to the shutdown of Google Plus!) told me about the Ialuset. She did so in a message so I read it as "Lalu-set" cream. And I couldn't find it for the longest because when I asked about it in stores, no one knew what I was talking about. I wouldn't have found it in Anchorage anyway because not a lot of folks knew about it. Turns out, I was gifted a tube thanks to a lady who was smarter, better-traveled, and more worldly than I. She was a flight attendant and a friend of a friend. And all this before I was on Facebook so, real-life networking. Imagine.

Anyway, that was my introduction to Ialuset Cream. I realize now that I was probably the only Alaskan and one of a few American women who'd have the privilege of even knowing about the product, let alone having it.

Once I finished my tube of cream -  and it lasted forever - I could never find it again and I eventually forgot about it. Until recently.

You all probably know that I'm heavy into my French skincare routine these days. I'm using stuff with names I can pronounce no better than I could "Lalu-set"!  (The better pronunciation is, by the way, "ee oh la set". So there.)  One day, I was browsing the French Pharmacy, and I saw the familiar package and, oh the memories... 

Green & white vs Orange & white?

Now here's something weird. The Ialuset I recently purchased from Amazon (same product but cheaper) is in green and white packaging while The French Pharmacy also had some in orange and white packaging. The orange and white tube is "healing" while the green and white is "anti-wrinkle" and I can't remember the color of the packaging I had the first time.  (The crazy thing to me is that both lists of ingredients seem to be exactly the same.) 

Orange:

Hyaluronic Acid (sodium salt) (0.2%). + cetearyl glucoside, oleic acid decylester, cetearyl alcohol and sodiumlauryl sulfate and sodium cetearyl sulfate, glycerol, liquid sorbitol, sorbic acid, methyl and propyl parahydroxybenzoate, sodium citrate dihydrate, water.

 Green:

Hyaluronic acid (sodium salt) (0.2%) +Cetearyl glucoside, oleic acid decylester, cetearyl alcohol and sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium cetearyl sulfate, glycerol, liquid sorbitol, sorbic acid, methyl and propyl parahydroxybenzoate, sodium citrate dihydrate, water.

Regardless, the packaging and insert are all printed in French - just like the first time so, thank goodness that these days, I have a translator app.

What IS Ialuset Cream anyway?

I didn't know this before but apparently, the name just means "healing cream".  That makes sense since the original use was not as a moisturizer but as a wound care treatment. It is still not a moisturizer and should never be used as one. But leave it to us women to figure out a way to utilize almost anything in a beauty routine. Snail slime, eye of newt, pig grease... LOL!

The best description I got of this is "prescription-strength" hyaluronic acid. If my regular face cream is akin to aspirin, Ialuset is akin to morphine. 

How I use it in my routine*

The first time I used this - way back in the day when I thought that being 50 anything was old - the flight attendant helped me by sharing her routine. I remember that she told me to always apply to a clean face and to mix the cream with some water in my palm and apply it to my face before putting on some moisturizer. That worked. Now I know why she gave those instructions. 

Just as I was taught to do by the flight attendant, I continue to use a lot of moisture in conjunction with the Ialuset. A LOT of moisture.

I clean my face first, of course. I will keep a misting bottle of water nearby while I apply my regular toner then apply just a dab of Ialuset to my face and immediately apply my moisturizing cream. On top of this, I apply some German Nivea to seal everything in. (If I don't have any Nivea, I will use some Vaseline, CeraVe ointment, or some other heavy and moisture-sealing product.) Since I am using so much moisturizer, I do the treatment at night. During the summer, I only do the treatment about once a month since Iowa, unlike Alaska is so humid. During the very drying winter weather here, I will probably use the Ialuset once every 3 weeks or when my skin is just parched.

  What I like about it:

It's so affordable. The very first tube I was given lasted almost forever. That's because it takes only the tiniest dab to treat my face and neck. For instance, this amount is almost too much:

It works. I always touch my face about 10 minutes after I've applied the cream, water, and all the other moisturizers. You hear that expression "skin as soft as a baby's butt", right? That's a real thing for me after using this cream. My La Roche-Posay cream makes my skin feel like that too. I'm pretty sure I should have been born a French woman...

Seriously though. The moisturizing effects are insane. Remember, I'm applying the Ialuset while my face is wet from my toner or water spritzing. That's easier than mixing the cream with water in my palm. I also think that having a good daily moisturizer like the LRP Toleriane helps.

Why I don't use it often:

As I said, I don't use the cream often - and especially won't need to here in the summer. I remember the flight attendant saying she used it more. She was traveling and her skin was also naturally drier than my own. She did tell me that using it too much could cause problems. What I learned from experience is that overusing the cream can make my skin much too dry. This is why I was kind of shocked to read of people using this once a week. They can't all be flight attendants or living in the Sahara!

Do your research!

As with anything, I always remind people to do their own research. Talk to your dermatologist or aesthetician or whoever you trust about your skincare situation. I'm no professional so don't take it from me. As always with these things, I'm just sharing my experiences with products I like. And I do like this Ialuset cream.

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMER: You know the drill. I was not compensated in any way for this post. I bought and paid for all products. I am not a skincare professional of any kind. Do your research and get advice before using any products.