Instant Effects Skincare Review
Review of Instant Effects skincare from Lloyds pharmacy.
Skincare with visible instantaneous effects sounds extremely tempting doesn’t it. Actually the first thing that tempted me when I heard of the brand is that it’s sold by Lloyds pharmacy. I love pharmacy skincare, it’s such a French idea. It makes the skincare feel a little medical, which I love.
Another point of intrigue is that Instant Effects was made by the same guy who created Cult 51. If you are not familiar with Cult 51, it’s the uber expensive luxe skincare brand. Think £125 for a pot of cream and hundreds of devotees, including India Knight.
Here are some of the features of the Instant Effects range-
- Cruelty free
- Vegan
- Paraben free
- British company
- Provide results in minutes which continue to improve if used long term
- Products contain OX2 technology which improves blood supply to the skin and give fast results
- Available from Lloyds pharmacy U.K. From £24.99
I did a bit of research on the OX2 technology. Most of the Instant Effects products contain ingredients (eg perfluorodecalin) that deliver oxygen to the skin. There is a theory that perfluorodecalin can improve the skin barrier and reduce wrinkles, although more research is needed.
I am pretty lucky, I don’t have too many wrinkles (thank you sunscreen!), the wrinkles I do have are in my delicate under eye area and I think that’s true for most of us. I definitely had a favourite from the range, read on to find out which product came out top-
Instant Effects Instant Eye Lift Review
- £24.99 for 8mls from InstantEffects.
- Results in 15 minutes.
- Fragrance free, but does contain alcohol
Ingredients– Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Glycerin, Soluble Collagen, Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Methyl Gluceth-10, Benzyl Alcohol, Caffeine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Sodium Cocoyl Glucamate, Trideceth-6, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Escin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Carbomer, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide.
The ingredient list paints a picture of a depuffing moisturiser with anti pigmentation agents. The sodium ascorbyl phosphate is a vitamin C derivative which works as an antioxidant and helps brighten the skin. Argan oil, panthenol, hydrolysed collagen and glycerin moisturise and condition the skin. Caffeine can help with puffiness. Ammonium glycyrrhizate, derived from liquorice, targets dryness and is thought to be good for pigmentation. There is also escin and ruscus aculeatus root extract, aka horse chestnut and butcher’s broom- these support blood vessels and help the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. There’s no fragrance, but there is alcohol which might be drying.
Interestingly, when I put the ingredients into Skincarisma it was flagged as a dupe for the £95 a bottle Cult51 Immediate Effects Serum.
Instant Effects Instant Eye Lift is a light gel like serum with a slightly yellow tinge to it. It comes in a practical black airless pump bottle in a card box. Initially I couldn’t the pump to deliver, but after a little research I found out that I just needed to press a pin into a tiny little hole in the bottom and that sorted the issue. My undereyes are looking a pretty tired at the moment after having my third child so they certainly need a pick me up. The serum absorbed nicely and I timed 15 minutes to see what immediate effects had occurred, this is the result-
To me the skin under my eyes looks brighter and possibly the lines look better to me. What do you think? There are some more before and after pictures on the Instant Effects website, it looks like it can work well for that blue/purple undereye discolouration that some people get.
Triple Complex Eye Lift Serum Review
- £34.99 for 8mls from Lloyds Pharmacy
- 36% wrinkle reduction can be seen in just 5 minutes
- Full effects in 14 days
- Fragrance free, but does contain alcohol
Ingredients– Aqua, Perfluorohexane, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Glycerin, Perfluoroperhydrophenanthren, Soluble Collagen, Dimethicone, Perfluoro Dimethylethylpentane, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Methyl Gluceth-10, Oxygen, Benzyl Alcohol, Caffeine, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Sodium Cocoyl Glucamate, Trideceth-6, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Escin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Carbomer, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide
Triple Complex Eye Lift Serum looks pretty similar to the Instant Eye Lift. The pump packaging is the same and there are largely similar ingredients. As well as the antioxidants, moisturisers, depuffing and anti pigmentation ingredients it also has ingredients like Perfluorohexane (the OX2 technology), that bring oxygen to the skin. The serum has a more creamy texture than the instant eye lift. Out of the two, I prefer the Triple Complex, it feels more hydrating and I think the results are more visible-
The Triple Complex is more expensive than Instant Eye Lift, but I think it has a nicer texture and gives better results, the is my favourite out of the products I’ve tried from Instant Effects.
Instant Effects Lip Plumper
- £24.99 for 5mls from Lloyds pharmacy
- Results in 2 minutes.
- 12 hour hydration effect
- Fragrance and alcohol free
Ingredients– Tridecyl Trimellitate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ethylene/Propylene Copolymer, Perfluorohexane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Perfluoroperhdrophenanthrene, Perfluorodecalin, Perfluorodimethylcyclohexane, Sillica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate.
Instant Effects Lip Plumper comes in a black tube with an applicator brush. It has the texture of a moisturising gloss. It’s not like some lip plumper that plump the lips by irritating them and causing inflammation, there’s no stinging. I think the subtle plumping effect comes from the moisturising effect of sodium hyaluronate and the oxygenating ingredients. I have enjoyed wearing mine over a lip stain for a natural look.
Instant Effects Deep Line Elixir
- £29.99 for 5mls from Lloyds pharmacy
- Results in 5 minutes
- Lasts 8 hours
- Alcohol free, but contains fragrance
Ingredients– Betula Alba Juice, Perfluorohexane, Water, Perfluorodecalin, Pentafluoropropane, Oxygen, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lauryl Glucoside Chlorphenesin, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Natto Gum, Citric Acid, Red 6 (CI 15850), Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Benzyl Salicylate.
The top ingredient is birch bark extract (the Betula Alba Juice), this is a great skincare ingredient. Birch bark is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, it has astringent properties so helps with puffiness. There are also the OX2 oxygen delivering ingredients. Deep line Elixir does contain fragrance so may not be ideal to use close to the eyes. I did put on my under eye just for the pics, just because they were the best wrinkles for the job-
The Instant Effects Deep Line Elixir comes in a metal tube and you dispense the product onto a fine brush by twisting the base. The fragrance isn’t particularly noticeable to me, which is good. The elixir has a thin consistency and absorbs well with no stickiness. There is just the slightest immediate improvement in wrinkles, this may improve with long term use, as the willow bark extract continues to help with elasticity.
Instant Effects also sent me their Lash and Brow Volumiser, Hand Super Serum, AM Energiser and PM Recovery creams. I would like to trial these for a bit longer to get a fuller picture. It’ll be interesting to see the effect the oxygenating ingredients have on lash growth. First impression of the AM Energiser and PM Recovery is that they do contain quite a lot of fragrance, which is not my cup of tea.
Lloyds have a ‘£10 off the whole range’ offer at the moment and there are product bundles available from the Instant Effects website that’ll save you money.
Disclosure- I received the Instant Effects skincare products free in exchange for review, which did not affect my opinion. All prices and ingredients are correct at the time of publishing, check websites for up to date information. The photos are unedited. Some of the links may be affiliate which means that I will receive a small amount of money if you click and spend and that money will go back into my blog.
