Caudalie Vinoperfect Essence and Serum – first impressions (trnd project)

Hey beauties!

In case you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that some of my more recents posts are sometimes skincare related rather than about nail polish. I have been interested in skincare for a while now, especially in non-irritant ingredients, sunscreen and anti-ageing. Although I have been reading a lot (also scientific papers about the effectiveness and harmfulness of ingredients), I feel in no way competent about this topic, which is why I actually prefer reading about skincare over writing about it.

However, today I will make an exception and share my first thoughts with you about two skincare products by the brand Caudalie. The products are supposed to correct and brighten your complexion, so they should especially work against pigmented moles and redness, etc.
In a project by the market research company trnd, I test these products for a month and share my thoughts. The two products are (click to enlarge photo):

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence

Ingredients of the Essence: AQUA/WATER/EAU, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT WATER*, CITRUS AURANTIUM AMARA (BITTER ORANGE) FLOWER WATER*, GLYCERIN*, METHYLPROPANEDIOL, GLYCOLIC ACID, CAPRYLYL/CAPRYL GLUCOSIDE*, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) JUICE*, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID*, ARGININE, SODIUM BENZOATE, PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ROOT EXTRACT*, PHENYLPROPANOL, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM PHYTATE*, LINALOOL, LIMONENE
* Plant origin

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting

Ingredients of the Serum: AQUA/WATER/EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN*, SQUALANE*, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE*, CETEARETH-20, PALMITOYL GRAPEVINE SHOOT EXTRACT*, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE *, BISABOLOL*, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, POTASSIUM SORBATE, XANTHAN GUM, CARBOMER, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM PHYTATE*
* Plant origin

First impressions

I must say that I’m a little disappointed with the amount of information that is given to the people testing the products in this project. Both products came in mysterious white cardboard boxes, with no information whatsoever about how to use them. There are no ingredients lists anywhere on the products or in the package, I had to google to find this information, which I find unusual. Furthermore, there is no information available about the amount of glycolic acid in percent or the pH-value. I asked for this information in the project forum but did not receive an answer so far (it has been 10 days now).

The essence contains glycolic acid, an ingredient used as a chemical peeling. I think it is important to point out that when using glycolic acid on your skin, you should always use sun protection. However, this information is not given anywhere. Also, it is not clear whether the products are safe to use near the eye area and whether I am supposed to apply them in the morning or at night. From my experience, I would only recommend applying them at night so that your skin is not exposed to sunlight after using the glycolic acid.

Both the Essence and the Serum come in glass bottles, which makes the products appear luxurious and high quality. I’m not sure whether clear glass would be my number one choice as some ingredients are sensitive to daylight.
The Essence simply has a small opening to pour (I would prefer a spray bottle to be able to spread it across my face more easily) and the Serum comes with a pipette.
Both products smell very natural and green-y – I read that a lot of people cannot stand the smell, but I think it is okay. What I don’t get is why you would put parfum and other fragrances (Limonene, Linalool) in there and still create a smell that is not very “pleasant” to a majority of the people. Why not just leave fragrance out completely then? I would definitely be a fan of that!

In terms of tolerability, I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised. My skin seems to like both products so far (after 2 weeks of daily use), despite some of the ingredients having the potential of being irritating.
In fact, redness and breakouts on my skin are fading a little bit, which I mostly put down to the glycolic acid. In the past, I had some less pleasant experiences with glycolic acid, for example by Paula’s Choice, and had since then given up using glycolic acid because I thought my skin wouldn’t like it. But this one seems to be different, and in some weird way good for my skin.

All in all, I must say that despite the bad supervision during the project and the limited flow of information, something about the products makes my skin very happy so far. And that is a good thing! I will keep you updated and see whether the serum will actually be able to correct and brighten my complexion.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!