Review: Soft Q10 Cream with Vitamin E & Algae

You've probably noticed a “few” beauty products out there with marine extracts and I'm guessing that not many of you know why on Earth would anyone put slimy seaweed on their face or body? There are many gimmicky things used in cosmetics which aren't really as efficient as marketed but let me tell you that algae/ seaweed in cosmetics aren't just a fad. In fact, seaweed isn't anything new to be honest. It has been used for a long time in the form of carrageenan which is a thickener and stabilizer usually extracted from red algae (used in food mostly). Seaweed is a powerful ingredient as it draws an extraordinary wealth of mineral elements from the sea that can account for up to 36% of its dry mass. Recently, seaweed has emerged as a potent antioixidant and it can also reduce inflammation. There are various sea or marine plants – and although they are sometimes collectively grouped as algae – they all have various unique points, as well as a range of similarities. The more traditional green seaweed is the Laminaria digitata which is sometimes also referred to as Atlantic kelp. 

Vjerovatno ste primjetili barem “par” beauty proizvoda koji sadrze morske ekstrakte i pretpostaviti cu da mnogi ne znaju iz kojih bi razloga bilo tko stavljao sluzavu morsku travu na svoje lice ili tijelo? U kozmetickoj industriji se sluze mnogim trikovima koji nisu ni izbliza efikasni koliko ih reklamiraju sirokim masama ali znajte da alge/ morska trava kao sastojak u kozmetici uopste nisu prevara. Ustvari, alge nisu novitet jer se koriste vec jako dugo vremena kao “carrageenan” sto je u biti zgusnjivac i stabilizator koji se obicno dobije ekstrakcijom iz crvenih algi (najvise se koristi u hrani). Morska trava je mocan sastojak koji u sebi nosi nevjerovatnu kolicinu i bogatstvo minerala koje crpi iz mora i koji cine i do 36% njene suhe mase. Nedavno se potvrdilo da je i mocan antioksidant a takodjer moze ublaziti upale. Postoji mnogo vrsta morskog bilja – i iako se nekada kolektivno nazivaju algama – posjeduju razlicite pojedinosti kao i niz slicnosti. Tradicionalniji tip zelene morske trave jeste Laminaria digitata za koju se nerijetko koristi i izraz Atlantski pepeo od algi. 

It is rich in essential energizing minerals and trace elements. It contains amino acids and vitamin A, E, C and B. It helps to stimulate the production of collagen in the body and because of its purging, draining, metabolism accelerating and re mineralising properties, it is favourably used in Thalasso treatments. It strengthens the immune system, increases vitality and protects against damage from free radicals. Laminaria digitata is rich in compounds that are of specific use in the cosmetic industry, such as polyglucosides, fucose polymers and ursolic acid. Polyglucosides react with the protective outer surface of the skin to form a protective moisturizing complex, while the fucose polymers are hygroscopic and act as hydrating agents. The ursolic acid can help form a protective barrier on the skin. It also contains abundant non-essential and essential amino acids such as proline, glycine and lycine – all of these, which are found in the elastic fibers of the skin as well. The alginic acid or algin present in Laminaria has thickening and emulsifying properties, and these are also very useful in cosmetic industry. Antibacterial properties have also been attributed to this seaweed.

Bogata je esencijalnim mineralima i elementima u tragovima. Sadrzi amino kiseline te vitamine A, E, C i B. Pomaze u stimulisanju proizvodnje kolagena u tijelu te zbog svojih svojstava ciscenja, drenaze, ubrzavanja metabolizma te obogacivanja mineralima, pozeljno je koristiti u Thalasso tretmanima. Ocajava imuni sistem, povecava vitalnost te stiti od slobodnih radikala. Laminaria digitata je bogata komponentama koje su od posebne koristi kozmetickoj industriji, kao sto su poliglikozidi, polimeri fukoze i ursolicna kiselina. Poliglikozidi reaguju zajedno sa vanjskom zastitnom povrsinom koze i formiraju zastitni hidratizirajuci kompleks dok su polimeri fukoze higroskopni i ponasaju se kao hidratizirajuci agensi. Ursolicna kiselina takodjer moze pomoci da se formira zastitni sloj na kozi. Takodjer je ova morska trava bogata neesencijalnim i esencijalnim amino kiselinama poput prolina, glicina i licina – a sve ih mozete pronaci i u elasticnim vlaknima koze. Alginska kiselina ili algin koja je prisutna u Laminariji sadrzi svojstva zgusnjavanja i emulzifikacije sto je cini izuzetno korisnom za kozmeticku industriju. I antibakterijska svojstva se pripisuju ovoj vrsti morske trave.

Now, why am I writing all this? Because I wanted you to understand why this particular seaweed is good for our skin and because I have an affordable, fuss free cream that contains this exact algae. Soft Q10 Cream with Vitamin E & Algae is a terrific drugstore/ pharmacy face&body cream that I enjoy using and is a true little revelation for me. These Soft creams (remember that I've also reviewed their Soft Q10 cream with goat milk?) are products of Editt Cosmetics which is a Polish brand. They have a total of 24 hydrating face&body creams, each different but all contain Coenzyme Q10. I have this Soft Q10 Cream with Vitamin E & Algae which I have seen before but never had the opportunity to try out. It comes in this baby blue plastic lid-on jar which will be very useful after I've used this cream for storing jewelry or samples so it will be recycled in a way.

Eh sada, zasto sam vam sve ovo napisala? Iz razloga sto zelim da razumijete zasto je bas ova odredjena morska trava tako dobra za nasu kozu i zato sto imam jednu jednostavnu i pristupacnu kremu koja u sastavu ima ovu morsku travu. Soft Q10 Krema sa Vitaminom E i Algama je izvrsna drogerijska/ apotekarska krema za lice i tijelo koju mi je uzitak koristiti i pravo je malo otkrice. Ove Soft kreme (sjecate li se da sam recenzirala i njihovu (Soft Q10 kremu sa kozijim mlijekom?) proizvodi Editt Cosmetics a oni su brend iz Poljske. Ukupno imaju 24 razlicite hidratantne, njegujuce kreme za lice i tijelo. Svaka je posebna ali sve sadrze koenzim Q10. Ja imam ovu Soft Q10 kremu sa vitaminom E i algama koju sam vidjala u dm-u ali nisam prije imala priliku da je isprobam. Upakovana je u ovu plasticnu kutiju sa poklopcem na navrtanje bebi plave boje. Mislim da ce mi ova kutija biti korisna i kada istrosim kremu za drzanje nakita ili uzoraka proizvoda.

There on the lid you have a sticker which is ornamented with algae illustration but all the info is actually on Polish. Now, you know that it's enriched with Q10, Vitamin E and algae but everything else is a blurr to me. On the back, we have a sticker again which is in Polish again but fear not, the ingredients are universally printed and we can all see that you get 190ml of product. There is a protective foil on the jar, don't worry if you don't see it on my photos, I've removed it due to aesthetical reasons but do know that the packaging is sanitary and well protected.

Na poklopcu imate naljepnicu ukrasenu ilustracijom algi ali sve su informacije na poljskom jeziku. Sada znate da je obogacena sa Q10, vitaminom E i algama ali sve ostalo mi je nepoznanica. Na pozadini imamo jos jednu naljepnicu i opet, sve je napisano na poljskom jeziku ali nema razloga za brigu, sastojci su univerzalno pobrojani i svima je jasno da se dobije 190ml proizvoda. Kada skinete poklopac ugledati cete zastitnu foliju, nemojte brinuti sto je ne vidite na slikama jer sam je skinula iz estetskih razloga ali znajte da je pakovanje dobro zasticeno i higijensko.

This cream smells heavenly! It has this fresh marine scent which is completely inoffensive and mild. I really, really love how it reminds me of sea and sea breeze. Imagining a nice, warm walk on the beach while having a pleasant cooling feeling on your skin is inevitable with this cream. It's white and of an extremely light and hydrating texture. When I apply it on my skin, it feels like water. Very, very hydrating yet it isn't runny at all. It sinks in in senconds and leaves skin moisturized, supple and baby-smooth. It's probably one of the lightest creams I've tried. Now, I can attest to immediate results which I have mentioned (cooling, hydrating, soft, light) but I'll see if there will be anylong-term effects. You've probably noticed that it has the Laminaria Digitata Extract in the ingredients list and that brings me back to the beginning of this post. This algae has many useful properties and I will try to find more products with it inside, especially those cellulite busting ones because it's excellent for that as well. It seems like a very beneficial ingredient and I'm glad that we can use it in such a pleasant cream which doesn't cost much (I am guessing it costs approx 4$)

Ova kremica mirise predivno! Ima jako ugodan te uopste neopterecujuci, svjezi morski miris. Jako, jako mi se svidja sto me podsjeca na more i morski zrak. Uhvatiti se u zamisljanju tople, ljetne setnje uz plazu uz osjecaj hladece ugode je skoro pa neizbjezno sa ovom kremom. Bijele je boje i izuzetno je lagane i hidratantne teksture. Kada je nanesem na kozu, kao da sam je osvjezila vodom. Bas je intenzivno hidratantna ali uopste nije prevodenasta na neprijatan nacin. Upije se u kozu u sekundi i kozu ostavlja hidriranom, njeznom i mekom poput bebine. Vjerovatno je jedna od najnjeznijih i najlaganijih krema koje sam isprobala. Sto se rezultata tice, mogu prenijeti trenutacne koje sam spomenula (ugodno hladi i opusta, hidrira kozu, koza je meka, lagane je i neopterecujuce teksture) a jos trebam upratiti dugotrajne efekte. Vjerovatno ste primjetili da je Ekstrakt Laminarije Digitate naveden u sastojcima i to nas vraca na sami pocetak ovog posta. Ove alge imaju stvarno mnoga korisna svojstva i pokusati cu pronaci jos koji proizvod koji je sadrzi, posebno one koji su namijenjeni uklanjanju celulita jer je i za to izuzetno korisna. Generalno mi se cini kao jako, jako dobar sastojak i tako mi je drago da je mozemo koristiti putem ovako ugodne kreme koja ne kosta mnogo. Posto me krema od kozijeg mlijeka kostala 5,50KM u apoteci u Sarajevu na Bascarsiji, sigurno i ona toliko kosta. Ako ste iz BiH i zainteresovani ste za kremu sa algama, sa kozijim mlijekom ili neku drugu Soft Q10 kremu a ne znate gdje je kupiti, preporucila bih da se obratite izuzetno ljubaznoj Dzenani na slijedeci mail: vita_prodaja@yahoo.com. Dzenana ce vam dati sve informacije gdje u kojem gradu u BiH mozete kupiti ove kreme a vjerovatno i cijenu, ako je ja u medjuvremenu ne saznam.

* product sent to me for reviewing purposes