L’Oreal Youth Code Day-Night Moisturizer

L’Oreal proudly boosts that Youth Code, its “youth regenerating skincare” line, is the result of “10 years of gene research”. Given all that time (and I’m sure a lot of money), it’s really, really disappointing to see the utterly unremarkable results of the Day-Night cream, which I recently tested out.

Before I go any further, I should point out that I’m younger that Youth Code’s main demographic (I’m under 30). However, my forehead is already showing lines (thanks porcelain skin!) and really, any good moisturizer, regardless of what niche it’s targeted at, should create the same end result: healthy, smooth skin.

Also, I did only try this product for a few days. Maybe it needs two weeks before it starts to really work. But if that’s the case, I have to say, who wants to have dull, unattractive skin for two weeks while her moisturizer slowly kicks in?

I will admit that initially I was quite intrigued by this product since it markets itself as a day and a night cream. Wow, I thought, think of the cabinet space this could free up. And then I remembered why we have different moisturizers for the daytime, so that they can contain SPF and protect our skin for the cancer-and-wrinkles causing sun, which no, this product doesn’t do (to be fair, the Youth Code line does carry a SPF 30 day cream, which makes me wonder why have the day-night cream at all).

Sure, you could mix a sunscreen in but then the texture of this very lightweight cream is greatly altered. And that texture is really the only thing this product has going for it. It’s very lightweight, absorbs quickly and doesn’t cause makeup to do weird things like ball up. While personally I like my moisturizer to feel richer, I can see how some people might like this product’s texture.

Unfortunately, they’re probably not going to like the results, which are non-existent. Okay, my skin didn’t develop any dry patches while I was using it, but it also certainly didn’t look more “rested, smoother” or “youthfully luminous”. Instead, it looked like skin that needed a good exfoliator and moisturizer.  And as for the forehead lines, yeah, this stuff did nothing to pump up the surrounding skin and make those lines less visible.

This day-night moisturizer retails for about $30, which is not cheap and just another reason to pass on this product.

Would I buy this again: No
Should you buy it: No.