Jordan Samuel Vitamin C

Medik8 Hydr8 B5 and Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate Serum Review

I might sound redundant because I always start my posts by saying how excited I am! But it's true, I find it hard to produce written content if I lack interest in the subject or products. When I started this blog I had so much to talk about I could type for hours and hours, but during the this year or so I've been focusing on photography and painting. I've had to push myself to get out of a bad creative rut, which is perhaps somewhat tiring and made writing more difficult. Fortunately my passion for beauty never seems to decrease and I feel alive when I get to babble about ingredients and textures. I just need re-find a routine for producing content, today I'm typing this intro after 5AM with a huge cup of coffee. Thanks for reading my rambling! Now back to one of my favorite subjects: hydrating serums!

*Medik8 serum kindly gifted. Shop links are affiliated to support this blog, thank you!

About Jordan Samuel Skin and Medik8

When Jordan Samuel Skin (JSS) became available on Cult Beauty, I was ecstatic! I had followed Jordan's brand for years, done imaginary shopping carts on his site, but I never bit the bullet to order from the US with extra shipping and taxes. It'd be counterintuitive to order a semi-affordable brand and pay a very high price, I guess? Jordan Samuel is an ex-professional ballerina, esthetician and his brand has some ballet inspiration in naming. I think cleansers were his first products, designed how to remove heavy stage makeup gently. Jordan Samuel Skin is a direct consumer brand with midrange prices and found only on his website, Cult Beauty and maybe one or two online retailers(?) Jordan seems like a wonderful, kind and funny person (ah I love a good JSS meme) what I've followed him online during several years.

Medik8 on the other hand is a professional skincare brand only found in clinics and some online retailers. I've written about the brand several times and had very good results with the products. Medik8 has two hyaluronic serums: Hydr8 B5 and an intensive version, I'm talking about the former today. They are on the pricier side, but their products are focused on results, efficacy and to my knowledge there is no fragrances or similar irritants in any of their products.

Depending on the country you live in, it might be difficult to get a hold of these products. Medik8 is sold on many clinics, but finding a local online retailer might be difficult. If you don't live in the US/Canada or countries where Cult Beauty delivers, you'll run into same issues with JSS – plus you can't really get samples very easily.

Using Hydrating Serums: Medik8 and Jordan Samuel Skin

I always apply my hydrating serums after my toner (and Vitamin C or retinol, depending on their texture): I take a couple of drops from the pipette on my clean hands and pat pat pat on my face. There is a little sticky feeling after both of these, but it's not noticeable once you layer with a moisturizer. Having something emollient on the top of your humectant is important to 'seal in' all the hydration. Using these serums alone might result in some feeling of tightness. Most hydrating serums, including Medik8 and Jordan Samuel Skin, come in a glass pipette bottle.

When I started using Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate I was a bit underwhelmed. I had waited for years to try this serum and it felt pretty standard, straightforward hydrating watery gel. Layering it with a light toner simply wasn't enough and I had to top it with an oil or a heavy moisturizer. What I didn't take into concentration is the price – it's only £26 or $29 for 30ml. It's almost unbeatable when it comes to many hydrating serums I've tried.

With Medik8 I was sure the Hydr8 B5 wouldn't be enough my dehydrated/dry skin and I would need the intense version, but I was wrong! Hydr8 B5 serum really holds hydration in my skin, making it soft and supple. Applying it feels like giving a drink to my skin, with JSS I felt like my skin was left a little thirsty. The price of Medik8 is significantly higher though: €57! And the ingredients list doesn't look very complex or expensive to formulate. Of course, it's worth pointing out I'm not a cosmetic chemist and I cannot verify the expenses of each ingredient or formula. I couldn't find out how many molecular weights of hyaluronic acid Hydr8 B5 serum has, but my guess is the variety of Sodium Hyaluronate makes Medik8's serum a bit more hydrating than Jordan Samuel Skin. More about ingredients next!

Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate Facial Serum

30ml for £26 / $29, available on Jordan Samuel Skin and Cult Beauty

INCI:

Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Gluconolactone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Tamarindus Indica Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Calcium Gluconate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-51 Amide, Sodium Benzoate, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Jordan Samuel Skin's serum has a longer (but not exceptionally long) INCI list compared to the Hydr8 B5 or hydrating serums in general. Hydrate Facial Serum is water based, followed by hydrating Glycerin, soothing Aloe Leaf Juice and humectant Butylene Glycol. After these ingredients is Sodium Hyaluronate, a salt version of hyaluronic acid. Jordan's site doesn't mention the molecular weight of this hyaluronic acid, in which case more hydrating ingredients may come in handy. There's some emollients and viscosity ingredients to make the serum a bit more gel-like instead of completely runny water. Finally, some preservatives, but no irritants, fragrance, essential oils or anything that raises concerns in me.

Gluconolactone is the 3rd ingredient, which I found fascinating. Gluconolactone is a polyhydroxy acid that both exfoliates and moisturizes the skin. Polyhydroxy acid gently lifts dead skin cells and makes surface of the skin nice and smooth. It's still very suitable for sensitive skin, but I think they must have chosen a proper concentration to focus on moisturizing properties instead of exfoliating as there's no descriptions of exfoliating or brightening benefits.

The bottles are practically the same performance-wise (left). Same with serum textures, both have little viscosity to them (right).

Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum

30ml for €57, available at selected clinics (such as REBEL Helsinki) and Skincity.fi

INCI:

Aqua (Water), Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Pantothenate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid.

This hydrating serum has one of the shortest INCI lists I've seen in a while. The first ingredient is water, followed by Panthenol, which is a precursor for Vitamin B5. This means body can convert Panthenol into Vitamin 5, which acts as a humectant by helping the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. There's also research showing that Panthenol can help the skin to produce more lipids (fats) that are important for healthy and strong skin barrier.

The third ingredient is Sodium Hyaluronate, which is a form of hyaluronic acid, very hyped molecyle that hydrates the skin. It can't be read from the INCI list, but Hydr8 B5 serum contains multi-molecular weights of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a very large water-binding sugar molecule naturally found in our bodies. Large molecule work as a surface hydrator and protector while the smaller sizes are able to penetrate deeper into the skin. Thanks to the added Vitamin B the serum has good moisture-retention capabilities.

The rest of the ingredients are preservatives (same as JSS Hydrate Serum's) and a buffering agent. There is no fragrance or known irritants in this formula either.

Final Thoughts

If money wasn't an obstacle, I'd go for Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum. It just seems to hold hydration better for my skin than the Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate Facial Serum. That being said, the price of Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate Facial Serum's unbeatable, ingredient list also very nice, and if you happen to layer your skincare you'll be just fine with this. For skincare routine minimalists and very dehydrated skins I'd still suggest Medik8, since you may omit extra essences and hydrating products, but perhaps wait for a sale. I think both are wonderful choices if you don't need bells and whistles, but crave just for good hydration.

Do you use a hydrating serum?

Jordan Samuel Vitamin C

Source: https://www.lauraloukola.net/blog/2020/medik8-hydr8-b5-and-jordan-samuel-skin-hydrate-serum-review

Jordan Samuel Vitamin C