Plexaderm is a skincare line from a company called Sheer Science. The manufacturer claims that Plexaderm "reduces under eyebags, dark circles and wrinkles from view in minutes."
But does Plexaderm contain research-backed anti-aging ingredients? Is Plexaderm proven to work in clinical studies? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? And what was our Product Tester's experience trying this brand for a month?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Plexaderm Rapid Reduction Serum, Reset & Replenish Pads, and Daily Moisturizer, to give our take on whether or not they're effectively formulated.
We'll also share our Product Tester's honest experience trying Reset & Replenish Pads for a month, share our concerns about Plexaderm's clinical research, and compare Plexaderm to other popular anti-aging brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- All products reviewed contain preservatives we recommend avoiding
- Some questionable clinical claims on brand's website
- We do not currently recommend Plexaderm
Rapid Reduction Serum Review
The ingredients in Plexaderm Rapid Reduction Serum are shown below:
The brand describes this product as a " powerful anti-aging formula that can almost instantly take years off your appearance."
Soluble collagen should have an anti-aging effect, however it may be less effective than the more commonly-used hydrolyzed collagen.
Soluble collagen is larger than hydrolyzed collagen, which makes it potentially less effective at penetrating the skin barrier.
A medical review published in the Antioxidants journal found that hydrolyzed collagen was effective for improving skin hydration and elasticity when applied topically.
Hexapeptide-8 is a peptide that's clinically shown to reduce the appearance of wrinkles when applied topically, as we documented in our Miami MD reviews article.
While this cream contains some research-backed ingredients, it also contains some inactive ingredients we recommend avoiding.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Ethylhexylglycerin is another synthetic preservative that's clinically shown to enhance the toxic effect of phenoxyethanol.
Overall, we consider Rapid Reduction Serum somewhat likely to have an anti-aging effect given the inclusion of soluble collagen and hexapeptide-8 as active ingredients.
However, we don't currently recommend this product due to the use of two synthetic preservatives shown to have a synergistically toxic effect in some clinical trials.
Further, we prefer cosmetic formulations using hydrolyzed collagen to formulations using soluble collagen.
Questionable Clinical Claims
The Plexaderm homepage highlights results from a "Clinical Study" at the time of updating this article:
image source: plexaderm.com
This "Clinical Study" section states: "We tested a group of 43 people."
There is no link or citation to the full study, nor does this study appear to have been published in any peer-reviewed journals.
We urge consumers to entirely disregard claims of clinical efficacy based on studies funded by the brands themselves, especially when the brand fails to even publish the full study including methodology.
We only consider clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals to be worth considering when evaluating a brand, because the risk of bias is too high with manufacturer-funded studies.
When we cite clinical trials on Illuminate Health, we're citing clinical trials published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals as this is the gold standard of product research.
We Tested Plexaderm
One of our product testers named Anna Chin tried Plexaderm Reset & Replenish Pads for a month. Here's her experience:
I had no issues with the packaging. The product comes in a tub with a twist on lid and a seal to lock in the moisture of the pads. It’s travel-friendly and can easily be carried in a purse or a bag for on-the-go touch ups.
There is not a strong smell to the product. The slight smell it does have is very sterile and clean.
I brought the product with me when I vacationed in Maui and it was great for removing sunscreen at the end of the day.
Its gentle enough to not irritate my skin but strong enough to remove mineral sunscreen after a day in the sun and water.
The pads are quite thin compared to similar products I’ve used in the past. I do think the effectiveness of the product makes up for the thin pads somewhat.
I wished it was a bit stronger. Although it did its job, I still felt a slight residue after the first use and had to use another pad to ensure I got everything off.
I did not experience any adverse effects from this product.
Honestly, I would probably not purchase this product. I could easily buy Neutrogena wipes instead, which work better for me.
It does a good job but I’ve used similar products with more effectiveness, stronger pads.
I had to use 2-3 Plexaderm pads to really feel like my skin felt clean.
Overall, I would rate Plexaderm Reset & Replenish Pads 5/10.
Reset and Replenish Pads Review
Plexaderm Reset and Replenish pads are used to cleanse the skin prior to application of Rapid Reduction Serum. Their ingredients are shown below:
The brand describes these pads as providing a "moisturizing boost in every application."
Sodium hyaluronate is the core active ingredient, and is a sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid has been shown in clinical research to improve skin hydration and elasticity, even at as low a concentration as 0.1% of a formula.
The above-linked clinical trial found that low molecular weight hyaluronic acid also caused a significant reduction in wrinkles.
Phenoxyethanol is included, and we explained why we recommend avoiding this ingredient in our review of Rapid Reduction Serum above.
Sodium benzoate is another synthetic preservative which may have a skin-sensitizing effect in some individuals as we documented in our review of Frownies.
Overall, we consider Reset and Replenish Pads somewhat likely to have an anti-aging effect, but we don't currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol and sodium benzoate.
We consider this formulation to be slightly healthier than Rapid Reduction Serum, because we can't find any evidence of a negative synergistic effect between phenoxyethanol and sodium benzoate.
How Long Does Plexaderm Last?
Consumers are often curious about how long Plexaderm lasts, because the use instructions provided by the brand fail to describe how long each tube lasts.
Plexaderm's Rapid Reduction Cream is sold in a box of 15 to 18 resealable tubes. Each tube contains 0.5 milliliters (mL) of product.
0.5 mL is equivalent to around 0.1 teaspoons.
Plexaderm instructs to only use an amount "about half the size of a pea" which we would estimate to be around 0.15 mL.
This means that we would estimate each resealable tube to last four uses, which should make Rapid Reduction Serum last for around 70 days.
This brings the price of the product under $1 per day which is quite reasonable.
We urge Plexaderm to publish official information on how long each tube lasts.
Daily Moisturizer Review
The ingredients in Plexaderm Plex-Perfect Daily Moisturizer are shown below:
The brand describes this product as providing "intense, lasting hydration" to skin.
Glycerin, hydrolyzed jojoba esters, cucumber fruit extract and beeswax are all naturally-derived ingredients that are shown in clinical studies to improve skin hydration.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that the combination of hydrolyzed jojoba esters and glycerin had a synergistic effect and significantly increased skin moisturization for at least 24 hours.
The reseachers described this combination as having "unique moisturizing potential."
Sodium hyaluronate improves skin hydration and reduces wrinkles, as we documented previously in this article.
Ceramide NP is clinically shown to support skin barrier repair, as we documented in our CeraVe Vitamin C Serum reviews article.
This formulation contains the same two synthetic preservatives as in Rapid Reduction Serum.
Phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin may have a negative synergistic effect.
We consider Plex-Perfect Daily Moisturizer likely to be effective for moisturizing the skin and reducing wrinkles due to its many research-backed active ingredients.
his is the best-formulated Plexaderm product in our opinion.
However, we don't currently recommend this moisturizer due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin.
Plexaderm vs. Popular Anti-Aging Brands
Here's how Plexaderm compares to other popular anti-aging brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
LifeCell
This brand's anti-aging cream contains retinol, which is clinically shown to improve skin hydration and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
It also contains the same synthetic preservative combination as in Plexaderm's moisturizer, so we consider the two brands equivalent from both a potential efficacy and safety perspective.
Winner: Tie
Byoma
Byoma Skincare sells a moisturizer with research-backed active ingredients and no unhealthy additives.
This formulation is healthier than anything we reviewed from Plexaderm.
Winner: Byoma
StriVectin
Contains fragrance and a synthetic preservative which was the subject of an FDA warning letter.
Plexaderm has healthier formulations.
Winner: Plexaderm
Our Clean Skincare Pick
MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.
This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."
This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Plexaderm Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Rapid Reduction Serum may have fast-acting effect
- Rapid Reduction Serum may have anti-aging effect
- Daily Moisturizer should be effective
- All products we reviewed were fragrance-free
- All products we reviewed were dye-free
- Relatively affordable
Cons:
- Some products contain phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin
- Rapid Reduction Serum contains soluble collagen rather than hydrolyzed collagen
- Brand makes questionable clinical claims
- Our Product Tester didn't have a great experience with Reset & Replenish Pads
- Doesn't appear to be tested in clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals
