Something that works: The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%

Just imagine – a serum that can actually diminish fine lines and wrinkles just like Botox. For a fraction of the price. Is it a fabled unicorn of anti-aging skincare – or can it actually work? I tested The Ordinary’s Argireline Solution 10% and looked into the claims and ingredients, and spoiler! It works. (Somehow. A bit.) Read on for The Ordinary The Argireline Solution 10% review!

That’s an interesting one. It’s, per Deciem, “a serum designed to prevent wrinkle formation”. Argireline is, in fact, the trademark name of Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, a peptide that’s marketed by it’s maker, a Spanish company, as having Botox-like results. I’d never ever do Botox because Botox can’t ever be cruelty free and it’s especially cruel on animals because every batch has to be tested. So this serum made me especially curious, just because of the claim to work just like Botox. It’s supposed to inhibit muscle movement (like Botox), and no muscle movement? No wrinkles and fine lines. There is, btw, one clinical study that supports the claim somewhat (they call it “line smoothing”) after a topical application on skin.

There is, though, of course one very big difference. Botox inhibits muscle movement completely, it can make lines completely disappear. I think the study above mentioned that “total anti-wrinkle efficacy in the argireline group was 48.9 %”, meaning that about 50% of wrinkles disappeared or were 50% smoother than before. So let’s see if it worked like that for me…

Texture

The serum is clear, without any scent. This isn’t a thick gel-like serum, but it is very, very watery. This is because Argireline seems to work best in a water-based formula, and I, for one, enjoy it. No film formers, yay! Because the texture is literally like water, though, you’ll run through the bottle quickly. It’s very easy to overapply. This is also formulated without any alcohol, silicones, and is vegan and cruelty-free.

My experience

I try to not forget to apply it every AM and PM, because it needs a few weeks to properly work like every other good skincare ingredient. TO says you should see results after one month. I apply it directly after toner on my forehead, around my eyes and around my nasolabial folds that run from my nose to the corners of my mouth. Lo and behold, after about two weeks I can say that it does seem to work.

It seems to work best on my forehead and around the eyes, while I haven’t seen any change in the lines that run from nose to corners of my mouth. Colour me surprised. I’m STILL not sure, though, if that’s the culprit that’s the reason for some weird breakouts on my forehead where I usually never break out.

After four weeks my fine lines seem softer, less pronounced, especially on my forehead. I still can’t see a big difference in the lines around my eyes or my nasolabial folds, but let’s see what’ll happen if I continue to use it.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I actually would! It worked on me, is cheap, and plays well with everything I layer over it. What more can one want? You can buy it at Deciem’s website, or at Asos, Beautybay or Victoria Health. It’s 7,90$/ £5,50/ 6,43€.