Super pricey, but actually really good? Let’s decide in the following Allies of Skin: Peptides Moisturizer review.
The Brand
Allies of Skin was founded 2019 by Nicolas Travis in Singapore. 2020 he launched a more affordable sister brand called PSA.
- More: PSA Reset Cleanser
- And more: PSA Follow the Light mask
“Our mission is to disrupt the way personal care items are formulated. We do that by using highly concentrated, clinically proven ingredients that help give you the results you want in fewer steps. (…) Made with the most potent and state of the art ingredients available, my goal was to make formulas that actually work.
Allies of Skin
The result? Highly efficacious skincare products packed with actives, designed and developed fresh from the lab.”
What it is
There’s no mistake that AoS is a high-end skincare brand. Products usually range between 80-125$, packaging looks smart, but not overly luxurious, and, from having a look at the ingredient lists, they’re not joking when they tell you that these are “efficacious skincare products packed with actives, (…) perfecting the art of complex formulas with simply good ingredients.”
If you ever thought that Paula’s Choice (for example) products are packed with everything and the table lamp, AoS gives them a run for their money: these products BRIM with actives. And yes, that counts for this moisturiser as well. Does this justify the price? Let’s decide that further on in the review.
“Our best-selling formula. Actively firm & deeply moisturise skin.
A daily leave-on treatment supercharged with multiple Peptides, 7 Brighteners, 9 Antioxidants and a Teprenone Complex to firm and repair all skin types and conditions.”
What I think
The Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment is AoS’ bestseller. It’s supposed to do EVERYTHING: hydrate, brighten, firm, and protect against pollution. I’m all ears for that!
Can I just quickly add that I just love AoS’ homepage? It has a lot of information about everything you might need to know, from ingredient info, to usage, to pH of products and percentage of actives. It’s genuinely helpful, and I like them for that.
Allies of Skin: Peptides Moisturizer review: Ingredients
This moisturiser honestly packs a punch. It not only includes the peptides and antioxidants promised to you in its name, but also ceramides to strengthen your skin barrier, hyaluronic acid (hydration), niacinamide (brightening), manuka honey (soothing), caffeine (de-puffing) and a vitamin C derivative (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) that sounds promising. It also has a skincare active called Teprenone that supposedly reduces aging signs.
It’s also cruelty-free and doesn’t include alcohol denat. nor essential oils or fragrance. (Full ingredient list here.)
Application
The moisturiser comes in an airless tube with a pump. I usually use one and a half to two pumps, depending on what I layer underneath it. (Usually, that’s a toner and a serum.) The slightly beige moisturiser is an absolute joy to use: from the consistency (a creamy feeling of richness that spreads easily) to finish. Did I mention the finish?! THIS is a glow I love, not that oil slick Instagram influencers show off: it’s the lit-from-within glow of healthy skin. On me, it will have a dewy finish in the best sense of the word – it’s not that annoying tackiness of a product that sits atop of your skin, but that moisturised feel that shows that you treated your skin nicely.
It’s by no means matte, just to be clear.
Effect
Here’s the thing: not only is it fiendishly difficult to properly show skincare effects, but also my skin has been in a really good condition for some time. I also use retinol and Vitamin C, do the occasional peeling mask and can generally say that I don’t expect wonders from my skincare that I can actively see at this point in my skincare journey.
But let’s go back in time to December, when I actually got sick with a horrible infection and felt absolutely horrible for about four weeks. For about two weeks, I was much too tired for any kind of skincare routine, but because I had the new AoS products, I would just use my regular toner, their hydrating mist and this moisturiser, which was about all I could stomach to do. It was a five-minute routine, and I can tell you: I might’ve been sick like a dog, but my skin for sure didn’t show it. Not. At. All.
In fact, I looked – great. Facially, at least, and if you disregarded the dark circles. But otherwise? Great!
Oh, it also works great as a base under both sunscreen and foundation.
Comparison
The last luxury moisturiser I tried, of course, was the infamous Augustinus Bader The Cream, which I liked for the luxurious texture. This is better, and also doesn’t come with a generous helping of fairy dust.
This is also MUCH nicer that Drunk Elephant’s Peptide Cream (review), and also has more beneficial ingredients going for it. Paula’s Choice’s Ceramide-Enriched Moisturiser is maybe the most similar in effect and finish, but doesn’t have the peptides (but retinol instead) (review).
Packaging & CS problems
I rarely comment on packaging until it either has special benefits or faults. This one falls into the second category. A lot of PSA’s and also AoS’s tubes come with airless pump dispensers. The problem is: they don’t work well. The small skincare forum I’m a member of is full with accounts of tubes that stopped working suddenly, and also of accounts of CS not being really forthcoming with replacements.
I experienced the same. I was finally able to get a replacement of my tube that stopped dispensing any product. But: this is a faulty airless dispenser, and there’ll be an influx of air into a product that’s supposed to be packaged air-tight. I wouldn’t recommend opening it and then not using it for a long time, but open it and quickly finish it. For a $122 moisturiser, this should not be an issue.
Allies of Skin: Peptides Moisturizer review: Worth it?
There’s no way around it: this is an insanely expensive moisturiser. But we all know that “expensive” or “affordable” means different things to each and every one of us.
Here’s my own take on it.
Imagine you’ve formerly used a peptide serum, a niacinamide serum and an antioxidant serum in your routine. For me, it then would make sense to stop using those and instead using this moisturiser alone. If you’ve got the feeling that you’d still need your serums and boosters on top of this one, it would stop having a benefit for me. And for me, that is a streamlined skincare routine. I’m at a point right now where I love just using three or four products in my routine.
Still, I’d wait for one their deals to stock up on this (sign up for their newsletter), and also wait a bit and hope that they clear up the issue of the airless pumps.
Price & Availability
The Allies of Skin Peptides Moisturizer comes in a 50ml/1.7 fl.oz tube and retails for 122€/$115. It’s available at the AoS website, and also at Niche Beauty, Cult Beauty, Lookfantasatic, Zalando and Douglas.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
I can’t believe packaging matters as well with these products. Thank you for sharing Dorit.