To add to its super popular Lifting Radiance collection (that already includes a concentrate serum and mask), Kanebo SENSAI’s created a Cellular Performance Lifting Radiance cream:

The cream promises to visibly ‘lift’ and firm your skin by activating the metabolism of your facial muscles with something they refer to as Natural Musculifter. Essentially, this is a fancy name for a natural yeast extract that causes your facial muscles to ever so subtly contract. This helps to ‘improve their tension’ to help pull up sagging skin. I asked Kanebo if this was a temporary contraction by way of most ‘beauty flash balms’ (they cause your skin to contract and tighten as they dry and then this wears off after a couple of hours) and they say it causes the muscles to ‘contract continuously with the use of the product, improving muscle tension over time’. (I’m still not sure if this means you slap it on and it makes them ‘pulse’ or they perform one big contraction once a day that contributes to their ‘workout’.)

As far as the radiance bit goes, the cream makes use of golden chamomile extract. Kanebo ran a study that they say shows it can help boost microcirculation by up to twenty five-percent. Chamomile is also a great anti-inflammatory and many people don’t realise that untreated chronic cellular inflammation is one of the biggest contributors to skin that ages super fast.

I was given a cute little mini pot of the cream to try and initially thought it would be too rich for my oil-prone skin type as most creams are. Fortunately, it’s more of a light, refreshing-feeling gel-crème that absorbs beautifully. It’s also got a very pretty soft floral scent but isn’t so heavily fragranced that it irritates my skin after I’ve sensitized the hellin’ out of it with retinol and alpha hydroxy acids. I also like that it’s got a nice, subtle iridescence to it; thus, whether the chamomile manages to boost my circulation or not, I still benefit from an instant glow.

In regards to the muscle contraction bit, I didn’t see any visible tightening nor did I notice any twitching muscles (hehe!) so clearly, whatever it does, it all goes down on a super subtle or cellular level. Still, one of the best ways to prevent skin from sagging is to invest in collagen-encouraging ingredients. That’s why I like that it also makes use of Kanebo’s special CPX Vital Extract which contains five different botanicals, once of which is hyloronate that helps improve the production of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and collagen. Being hard guns, however, I’d still want to boost this baby’s potency with a serum that makes use of other collagen-encouragers, things like vitamin A, C, E.

Other ingredients worth mentioning? Nourishing antioxidant argan oil and niacinamide (vitamin B3). The latter can help even out your skin tone, stimulate microcirculation and boost skin barrier function, helping to lock in your newfound moisture.

My one gripe? The jar packaging isn’t going to help preserve the active ingredients so if you decide to invest in this li’l darling, consider de-potting him into something that keeps out air and light to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.

Love, love

Leigh