Total Package Serum is one of the most popular skincare products on Amazon. It's sold by a brand called Sun Coast Sciences, and is described as an "anti-aging facial super serum."
But does Total Package Serum contain research-backed ingredients for anti-aging? What was our Product Tester's experience trying it for a month Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is it better or worse than popular anti-aging cosmetics like Green Mask Stick?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Total Package Serum to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for anti-aging, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also feature our Product Tester's honest experience trying Total Package Serum for a month, including before-and-after images, and compare the brand to other popular anti-aging serums to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains research-backed active ingredients for anti-aging
- Contains a preservative combination we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Total Package Serum
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Total Package Serum are shown below:
image source: https://suncoastsciences.com/
Some of the active ingredients in this formulation have been shown in research studies to be effective against aging, and to improve skin quality.
Acetyl hexapeptide-8 was shown to be effective for reducing the appearance of wrinkles in a 2020 clinical trial.
Chamomile flower extract was described as having the potential to "relieve skin irritation, and reduce redness and swelling of the skin" in a medical review published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology journal.
Green tea leaf extract was shown in a review published in the Molecules journal to delay visible signs of skin aging like wrinkles.
We consider the two synthetic preservatives in this formulation to be unhealthy when used in combination.
Phenoxyethanol is a common synthetic preservative that was shown in a clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.
Ethylhexylglycerin is a synthetic preservative shown to potentiate the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol in a 2016 medical review.
Overall, we consider Total Package Serum likely to have anti-aging effects.
We don't currently recommend this product due to the preservative combination highlighted above.
We Tested Total Package Serum
One of our product testers named Jodie Steinberg tested Total Package Serum for a month.
Here's her experience:
The serum packing was aesthetically pleasing.
It was an airtight container so air cannot get into the bottle when opened, and it has a nice pump that pumps out just the right amount of product for your needs.
I used two pumps daily for my face and neck.
I did not enjoy the scent of this product. I am not sensitive to scents and often like them in products I use and I often use perfumes and essential oils. But this product had such a strong scent that was not pleasant to me and extremely overpowering.
At first I did not think I could finish the test of the product because of the scent, but over time, the scent softened and became less harsh. However, it did not completely go away.
Here's my headshot before using this product for a month:
And here's my headshot after using Total Package Serum for a month:
I used this product for over a month.
The product is supposed to be hydrating but I did not experience that effect.
However, I did not notice negative effects such as breakouts or irritation. But I had some confusion as to why it was not hydrating given all the peptides, shea butter and aloe in it.
Upon further review of the label, I noticed that alcohol was the third ingredient which means that alcohol is the third highest ingredient in the product which could explain its drying effects.
For a serum I was surprised it was not a liquid consistency, and was more of a gel-like consistency that was thicker than most peptide serums I use.
Despite it being a gel-like or thicker serum, it did soak in and spread very easily into the skin. I think my skin looked nice after I was done testing the product despite my issues with its drying effect and scent.
I did not experience any side effects while using this serum.
Overall, I rate Total Package Serum 6/10.
It did not irritate my skin or cause breakouts but I did not find it hydrating and did not enjoy the strong scent.
Total Package Serum vs. Anti-Aging Serums
Here's how Total Package Serum compares to other popular anti-aging skincare brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Green Mask Stick
Significantly cheaper and also contains green tea extract, but we have serious concerns about the lack of an official manufacturer, and the resultant product safety and quality issues.
Winner: Total Package Serum
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Provides highly effective active ingredients (such as hyaluronic acid) at a low price. However, contains three synthetic preservatives that we consider unhealthy (one more than Total Package Serum), as we documented in our The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum reviews article.
Winner: Total Package Serum
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
Contains many research-backed active ingredients. Contains the same preservative combination that we called out in Total Package Serum. Much lower price.
Winner: CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
Our Clean Anti-Aging 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.
Total Package Serum Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Contains active ingredients for wrinkle reduction
- Contains at least one anti-inflammatory active ingredient
- Fragrance-free
- Our Product Tester felt it improved facial skin quality
Cons:
- Contains phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin
- Our Product Tester disliked scent
- Our Product Tester experienced a drying effect
