Overview
Hydroderm bills itself as an anti-wrinkle solution that is an alternative to Botox. According to their website, more than 750,000 people have tried Hydroderm, but does it live up to this bold comparison? With Hydroderm's delivery process, the product claims to be the only anti-wrinkle skin care formula to deliver whole collagen molecules directly to your skin, as opposed to the crushed, partial collagen molecules ostensibly delivered by similar skin creams. While this is certainly is a unique proposition in the ever-growing world of anti-wrinkle products, we wish that there were some certifiable statistics or scientific research referenced on the website to substantiate the claims.
The Hydroderm anti-wrinkle cream is the company's flagship product, and the first product that their labs researched. It has been on the market since 2003. The idea for the product was inspired by researchers' desire to find a topical alternative to Botox. Their collagen infusion delivery system is paired with a protein concentrate called Vyo-serum. This Vyo-serum is the other key ingredient in Hydroderm, and it smoothes out and tightens the skin cells while also keeping them moisturized. Hydroderm is intended to be applied twice daily, and results should become apparent within 21 days of your first application. Today, Hydroderm has expanded their product line and the company also offers an exfoliant, a moisturizer, a skin-firmer and an under-eye serum.
The idea of formulating a process by which relatively large molecules of non-human collagen can pass through the skin and assimilate with the existing skin elements is certainly unique and we would be very eager to see clinical research data to support these claims made regarding Hydroderm.com. A more precedented and proven process would be to incorporate an active ingredient in the formula that stimulates the skin to synthesize its own collagen.
Product Details
The key active ingredient that Hydroderm bases all of its anti-wrinkle claims on is their whole collagen infusion system. The website states that the collagen in their anti-wrinkle cream comes from "natural marine sources." This is somewhat vague and we’d like to see more details about how collagen sources from the ocean are compatible with human skin. The collagen is formulated to work in conjunction with their Vyo-serum, which claims to help enhance and preserve the effects that new collagen has on your skin.
Other ingredients in Hydroderm's anti-wrinkle cream are: Distilled water, Cephene, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Synasol, Purified water, Sodium Methylparaben, Imidezolidinyl Urea, Trisodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid.
The Good
- Ingredients claim to enhance collagen levels, although we’d like more scientific evidence of the results.
- Free 30 day trial period.
The Bad
- We found no clinical research data that demonstrates the effectiveness of the product or supports the claims made on the website.
- Hydroderm contains several parabens – artificial preservatives – which have been linked to skin irritation and contact dermatitis for some individuals.
- Takes at least three weeks to show any visible results.
- Marine collagen could make this unsuitable for those allergic to shellfish or for those who wish to avoid it for religious reasons.
The Bottom Line
Hydroderm is an anti-wrinkle cream that makes a unique claim of delivering whole collagen molecules directly into the skin. While this is better than other creams that contain only herbs, vitamins and other ineffective ingredients, we’d like to see research data that backs up the claims. While we suspect that Hydroderm might be an effective product for some individuals, we were left with more questions than answers after trying to determine the viability of this approach to wrinkle fighting via Hydroderm's official website.