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L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream review

What’s the most-effective, quick-fix anti-aging combination out there?

Sunscreen + hyaluronic acid. While sunscreen prevents wrinkles in the first place, hyaluronic acid plumps up your complexion, making it look instantly younger.

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream contains both. Is it worth checking out? I’ve put it to the test to find out and here’s my verdict:

About The Brand: L’Oreal

L’Oreal was started in 1919 by a young French chemist, Eugène Paul Louis Schueller. The very first product was a hair dye called Oréale. Since that day more than a century ago, the L’Oreal has become the biggest beauty company in the world. The company owns 36 brands, including Skinceuticals, Lancome, Shu Uemura, Kiehl’s, Vichy, La Roche Posay, and CeraVe. L’Oreal Paris is one of their main drugstore brands, offering everything from skincare to haircare to makeup.

Key Ingredients In L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream: What Makes It Work?

UV FILTERS TO PROTECT SKIN FROM UV RAYS

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream uses a combination of chemical filters to absorb UV rays and transform them into a less damaging form of energy (heat), so as not to cause damage, such as wrinkles and dark spots:

  • Ethylhexyl Salicylate: A.k.a. Octyl Salicylate, an UVB filter with a slightly oily consistency and a mild floral scent.
  • Ethylexyl Triazone:  Another UVB filter.
  • Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine: The scientific name for Tinosorb S, which protects from both UVA and UVB rays.
  • Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: A.k.a. avobenzone, an UVA filter that’s very unstable (i.e. stops working quickly when exposed to light) on its own. It’s absorbed by the body (and expelled quickly through urine), so it’s not recommended during pregnancy.

Yes, this moisturiser can provide broad spectrum protection BUT only if you apply it as generously as you would a sunscreen. A thin layer won’t keep UV harm away!

Related: Are Cosmetics With SPF A Good Alternative To Sunscreens?

SODIUM HYALURONATE TO HYDRATE SKIN

Sodium Hyaluronate is a form of Hyaluronic Acid, a.k.a. Mr Moisture Magnet. It attracts moisture from the environment into the skin, helping to keep it hydrated for longer. It’s so powerful, it can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water! All that moisture makes skin plumper, softer and brighter.

Related: The Complete Guide To Hyaluronic Acid In Skincare

ALCOHOL DENAT TO THIN THE TEXTURE

Alcohol Denat is one of the most misunderstood ingredients in skincare. Word on the street is that it’s terribly drying and irritating.

To an extent, that’s true. The reason you feel so bad after you gulp down one too many cocktails is that alcohol is drying out every cell in your body, giving you a bad case of dehydration.

Does the same thing apply to skin when you slather alcohol on it? It depends. If alcohol’s all you’re slathering on, then yes, it will dry out your skin.

But if you use alcohol together with moisturizing ingredients, they’ll counteract its drying effects. Science confirms this. Recent studies show that alcohol isn’t as drying as we once thought.

Having said this, everyone’s skin is different. If your skin is particularly sensitive to alcohol denat and doesn’t tolerate it well, this serum isn’t for you.

But what does alcohol do here? It’s a volatile carrier that helps create a thinner solution and texture.

Related: Is Alcohol In Skincare Good Or Bad For You?

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.

  • Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
  • Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
  • Red: What is this doing here?!
  • Aqua/Water: The base of this (and most) skincare products.
  • Glycerin: A humectant that drives water from the air into the skin, helping it to keep hydrated, softer, and simpler for longer.
  • Dimethicone: A silicone that makes skin softer and smoother. It also fills in fine lines and wrinkles, so they look smaller. But the effect is only temporary. Once you wash off the cream, your fine lines will still be there. One more thing: Dimethicone doesn’t suffocate skin. One: skin doesn’t have lungs, so it can’t breathe. Two: Dimethicone has a particular molecular structure made up of big molecules with gaps in between. Your skin can still perspire through those gaps.
  • Lauroyl Lysine: An amino acid derivative made from coconut oil. It makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Octyldodecanol: It keeps the watery and oily parts of the formula from separating.
  • Behenyl Alcohol: A fatty, non-drying form of alcohol, it makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Isopropryl Isostearate: It makes skin softer and smoother. It’s also comedogenic. If you have acne-prone skin, you may want to avoid anything with this ingredient in it.
  • Perlite: A naturally derived mineral extracted from volcanic rock. It absorbs moisture without compromising skin’s natural ability to perspire.
  • Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate: It absorbs excess moisture from the skin. It also helps adjust the viscosity of skincare products.
  • Cetyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol that moisturises skin (yes, really).
  • CI 15985 / Yellow 6: It provides an orangey-yellowish hue to skincare products.
  • CI 16035 / Red 40: It’s a colorant that gives products a reddish hue.
  • Tocopherol: It has two jobs here. One: it’s an antioxidant that shows down premature aging. Two: it’s a preservative that helps the formula last longer.
  • Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate: It prevents the oily and watery parts of a formula from separating.
  • Hydroxyacetophenone: It makes skin softer and smoother. Plus, it acts as a preservative, helping the formula last longer.
  • Sodium Polyacrylate Starch: It keeps the watery and oily parts of the formula from separating.
  • Phenoxyethanol: A preservative that kills a wide range of bacteria to keep your skincare products lasting longer.
  • Stearic Acid: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Adenosine: It’s used to stimulate collagen. But in this small concentration, it won’t do much.
  • PEG-100 Stearate: It keeps the watery and oily parts of a formula from separating.
  • Palmitic Acid: A fatty acid that makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate: It keeps the watery and oily parts of a formula from separating.
  • Polysorbate 80: It stabilises formulas and helps blend thicker oils in it.
  • Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate: It thickens, emulsifies, and improves the texture of formulas.
  • Linalool: A fragrant component that must be listed separately on the label because it’s a common allergen.
  • Benzyl Alcohol: It’s a preservative that helps the formula be free from bacteria so it’s safe for use for longer.
  • Isohexadecane: It helps improve the texture of a skincare product.
  • Capryloyl Salicylic Acid: A derivative of exfoliant salicylic acid, it has exfoliating properties too. But not in the small concentration used here. It’s pretty useless in this formula.
  • Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer: It thickens and stabilises a formula.
  • Myristic Acid: It strengthens the skin’s protective barrier and makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Sorbitan Oleate: It’s an emulsifier that helps the watery and oily parts of a formula from separating.
  • Disodium EDTA: It binds to the metal ions in water that could spoil the formula and deactivates them.
  • Cetearyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol that makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Cetearyl Glucoside: It’s an emulsifier that keeps the watery and oily parts of a formula from separating.
  • Citronellol: A fragrant component that must be listed separately on the label because it’s a common allergen.
  • Hexyl Cinnamal: A fragrant component that must be listed separately on the label because it’s a common allergen.
  • Parfum/Fragrance: It makes the moisturiser smell flowery, but it can be irritating for sensitive skin.

Texture

I wouldn’t describe the texture of this moisturiser as lightweight, but it’s not thick either. Somewhere in between. It sinks in quickly into the skin. My skin’s on the dry side so I don’t experience any oiliness from it. But if you have oily skin, it can feel slightly greasy for you.

Fragrance

It smells like a flower bouquet dipped in sunscreen. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It’s not my fave scent (it’s the sunscreen bit that spoils it for me), but it’s quite pleasant. I just prefer fragrance-free products. Fragrance is one of the most irritating ingredients in skincare, especially if you have sensitive skin.

How Do You Use L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream?

In the morning, after serum but before sunscreen. Yes, you still need to apply a separating sunscreen. Moisturisers with SPF replace sunscreen only if you use them as sunscreen (apply 1/3 of a teaspoon for the face and neck) – no one does that. If you do, kudos to you. You’ll still have to reapply it during the day too – just like a sunscreen.

Packaging

The moisturiser comes in a grey jar. I don’t know about you, but I find the look of the jar pretty boring. It’s not something I’d like to have on my vanity, but I’m sure there are people out there who love it. A jar is always not the most hygienic type of packaging, so wash your hands before dipping your fingers in it and possibly contaminate it.

Performance & Personal Opinion

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream is a plumping day cream.

Its high hyaluronic acid content gets into your fine lines and wrinkles, filling them up with moisture. This moisturising trick plumps up skin, so that fine lines look smaller to the naked eye.

The catch? Once the moisturising effect is gone, the wrinkles are still there. So, if you’re looking for something that reduces the size and depth of your wrinkles, this isn’t it. To be fair, most skincare products can’t do that. You’d need high strength retinol to make a dent in those pesky wrinkles.

Still, this moisturising, plumping trick makes your skin look younger. It also softens your skin’s texture and gives the complexion a subtle glow. Plus, the SPF also helps prevent wrinkles – as long as you apply enough. For a drugstore moisturiser, not too shabby.

Related: If Your Skin Is Perfectly Hydrated, Do You Still Need To Worry About Anti-Aging?

l'oreal revitalift filler + hyaluronic acid deep replumping anti-aging cream SPF 50

What I Like About L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream

  • Fast-absorbing texture.
  • It gives skin a subtle glow.
  • Moisturising, makes skin softer and smoother.
  • It plumps up fine lines and wrinkles, so they look smaller.
  • It provides some sun protection.

What I DON’T Like About L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream

  • It feels a little greasy for oily skin.
  • It has a fragrance.
  • Plumping effect is only temporary.
  • You get adequate sun protection only if you apply it as a sunscreen.
  • Jar packaging isn’t hygienic.

Who Should Use it?

This formula is best for normal to slightly dry skin. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, stay away. It’s greasy and potentially comedogenic for your skin type.

Does L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream Live Up To Its Claims?

CLAIM TRUE?
Clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. True. “Appearance” is the key word here. It makes wrinkles LOOK smaller, it doesn’t make wrinkles themselves smaller. Once the plumping effect of hyaluronic acid is over, your wrinkles are still there.
It is also enriched with Fibroxyl plant extract, known for its firming properties. True. Again, pay attention to the wording. L’Oreal doesn’t say the cream firms your skin. It says one of its ingredients firm skin. But there’s not enough of it here to do the job.
Replumps the skin with moisture.  True.
Skin bounces back. Too general. What does it mean? How do you prove it if you don’t know what it means?
Day after day, skin looks plumper and fuller. Contours appear more defined, you look younger.  True but again, look at the wording. “Looks” plumper, “appear” more refined. It means the effect is only temporary.
VISIBLE RESULTS In 4 hours, the skin looks firmer by 14% and more toned by 25%*. *Instrumental test, 40 women. Clinical Scoring True. But the wording is the same. “Visible” results. “Looks” firmer. And how did they come up with the numbers? Did they just ask women if they thought their skin looked firmer? Or did they conduct more scientific tests? We don’t know, so the claim isn’t as impressive as it seems.

Is L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Replumping Day Cream Cruelty-Free?

L’Oreal isn’t cruelty-free. Although they limit the amount of animal testing they carry out, and have developed synthetic alternatives, they still perform test on animals when required by law.

Price & Availability

£19.99 at Feel Unique

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

It’s not a must-have (almost no skincare product is, FYI). But if you’re on a budget, this is a good moisturiser to consider.

Dupes & Alternatives

  • Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Hyaluronic Cloud Moisturiser ($52.00): I know this is more expensive, but it’s a wonderful super hydrating formula that has both hyaluronic acid and sunscreen for plumper, younger-looking skin. Available at Cult Beauty and Ulta
  • Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer SPF 50 ($26.49): Enriched with SPF, hyaluronic acid and a sprinkle of antioxidants, this formula is fragrance-free and more suitable for sensitive skin. Available at Ulta.

Ingredients

Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazine, Alcohol Denat, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Dimethicone, Lauroyl Lysine, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Octyldodecanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Isopropryl Isostearate, Perlite, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Cetyl Alcohol, CI 15985 / Yellow 6 • CI 16035 / Red 40 • Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Stearic Acid, Adenosine, PEG-100 Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Myristic Acid, Sorbitan Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum/Fragrance

About Gio

Hi, I'm Gio. I'm a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever - every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what's worth the splurge and what's best left on the shelf - using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.