Review: Institut Esthederm Age Proteom™ Advanced Serum

This review of Age Proteom™ almost never saw the light of day. There have been so many twists and turns with my trial of this product, even though I was supposed to publish my review of it here…over a year ago!

Indeed, I had been lucky enough to receive it exclusively from the brand before its launch last year, and I’d also been able to discuss it with several people from Institut Esthederm, so it’s an understatement to say that I couldn’t wait to try it out!

But unfortunately, my first try went very badly. I had a very strange skin reaction, only on my neck (if you follow me on Instagram, you may remember this saga, with my neck covered in breakouts). The brand took it very seriously. They were super professional, and investigated with an independent dermatologist, who tried to understand with me whether the product was to blame or not.

The problem was that, at the time, I was also between medical treatments (I had stopped taking my first medical treatment several months earlier, but there can be long-term side-effects). In short and in conclusion, formally linking my skin reaction to the product was complicated.

In any case, what is certain is that I wasn’t able to try Age Proteom™ under good conditions, and that I had to stop my test after a few weeks without being able to form an opinion. The brand was quite understanding, and sent me another bottle, just in case I wanted to try it again later, once my skin had calmed down, if I felt like it.

And because I’m curious, that’s what I did a few months later, avoiding the neck just to be on the safe side. Then, as everything was going well after a few weeks, I was able to use it normally on my face and neck to see for myself.

And so I thought, given that this product was quite exceptional in terms of its anti-ageing claims, and that I’d completely missed the influencers launch campaign anyway (to say the least, it’s been over a year now), I might as well take my time and try it out properly, over the long run.

So I decided to test 3 bottles in total: the plan was to use 2 bottles of Age Proteom™ morning and night for 4 months to see the changes in my skin over a long enough time. Then to take a break for 2-3 months to see if my skin ‘missed’ it, and finally to use a third bottle after that to see how my skin reacted.

Throughout this time, I’ve kept my skincare routine fairly similar so as not to distort the results too much. I always use my vitamin C serum in the morning, and I also religiously apply a sunscreen at the end of my morning skincare routine every day, all year round. In the evening, I use my tretinoin 0.025% (doctor’s prescription) 3 times a week, which I generally alternate with retinal 2 or 3 times a week. I usually add copper peptides every night, and with all that, plenty of hydration morning and night! These are the basics of my anti-ageing routine.

I’ve followed my plan to a T, so after a few months now, I’ve just finished my third bottle of Age Proteom™ (I’m not counting the very first one, received before the product launch, which I wasn’t able to test properly). I’m finally ready to give you my review! In full transparency, the brand offered me most of the bottles, I only bought one myself.

So, is Institut Esthederm’s Age Proteom™ Advanced Serum as exceptional on me as promoted? First, I’ll explain why it’s a major innovation in anti-ageing, and then I’ll give you my thoughts on my experience with it!

Skincare The truth about my anti-aging skincare plan At the end of 2018, I turned 40. Which means that I will finally be able to try out a lot of anti-aging treatments in order to tell you more about them here! You know me, any situation I can use as a pretext to try as many products as I can is a good one, and of course, my motto in life ;) Read more

What is the proteome?

So let’s start by talking about the famous proteome, which according to Esthederm (and not just Esthederm!) is key to the anti-ageing of the future!

It all started with the study of certain organisms that literally defy the laws of ageing. A team of scientists led by Professor Miroslav Radman, who has been working on this topic for 40 years, made a major discovery when they carried out tests on certain bacteria that can regenerate indefinitely. These ‘extremophiles‘ bacteria can survive extreme conditions thanks to the robustness of their proteome, a set of proteins essential to their survival.

According to their research, contrary to what was previously thought, the longevity of a cell is not determined by its DNA, but by the quality of its proteome. In very simple terms, this means that by preserving the integrity of the proteins in our cells, we could slow down the skin ageing process and even potentially prevent age-related diseases.

What is certain is that this discovery is a real innovation in the world of beauty, and undoubtedly far beyond. The term proteome may seem complex, but I promise I’ll do my best to explain the principle and why it has the potential to revolutionise the way we think about anti-ageing.

First of all, I’d like to make an important reminder: the skin is made up of proteins, among other things, and these maintain its structure and integrity. They ensure its strength, flexibility and protection against damage.

A few examples of proteins found in the skin:

– Collagen: Think of collagen as the solid pillars that keep your skin firm and smooth. It gives skin its structure and elasticity.

– Elastin: Elastin is like the rubber that gives skin its suppleness and plumpness. It allows the skin to regain its shape after being stretched.

– Keratin: Keratin is like a brick in the wall; it strengthens skin, hair and nails. It protects them from damage and gives them strength.

– Transport proteins: Certain proteins act as messengers, transporting nutrients and important substances through our skin to maintain its balance and health.

So now imagine your skin as a construction crew working on a building site. Each worker represents a different protein, and together they build, repair and maintain the structure of your skin.

At the moment, there’s a lot of construction work going on around my house, and it’s probably inspired me to use this building site analogy! I promise, it will help you understand better! 😆

What is the proteome?

The proteome is like the team of workers on this building site. Each worker has a specific role to play, whether it’s strengthening the foundations (collagen), smoothing surfaces (elastin), or protecting it against intruders (antioxidant role). Together, they ensure that the building site (aka your skin) remains robust, supple and well protected.

Why is the proteome important in anti-ageing?

Over time, certain workers/proteins become less efficient or disappear (to continue the analogy, let’s imagine that there are budget cuts, with a reduction in the workforce for example, and unreplaced retirements). The site will inevitably be less well maintained. This can lead to cracks in the site structure, and even collapse and leakage. If we go back to the skin, this means that signs of ageing are beginning to appear: wrinkles are forming, and the skin is losing its firmness and radiance.

Age Proteom’s revolutionary approach: preserving the construction team

New anti-ageing products that consequently focus on the proteome, such as Age Proteom™, will focus on keeping the construction crew healthy and protecting it from harm. You can imagine Age Proteom as either a benevolent boss or even an union looking out for its workers (lol, I feel like I’m reaching the limit of this analogy 😆).
Making sure that every worker can do their job properly ensures that the site remains solid and well-maintained, even as the years go by!

In a nutshell:

Understanding the proteome is like understanding how a construction team works. By taking care of each member of the team, you ensure that the construction site remains solid and that the signs of age are postponed. It’s a different approach that promises a future where youthful skin is preserved from within.

Institut Esthederm’s Age Proteom™ Biotechnology Patent:

Let’s zoom in on the Age Proteom™ Biotechnology Patent, a major advance against skin ageing according to the brand Institut Esthederm. This unique concept tackles the root cause of ageing directly, helping skin to regain its vitality.

First, let’s talk about the super-power of snow bacteria, because they are the source of this innovation!

Imagine a bacteria, discovered in the eternal snows, capable of surviving in the most extreme conditions. Arthrobacter Agilis is the bacteria at the heart of this innovation from NAOS Laboratories; they own the Institut Esthederm brand. Thanks to its natural red pigments, bacterioruberins, this bacteria has extraordinary resistance and powerful antioxidant properties.

The scientific experts at NAOS have succeeded in capturing the essence of this bacterium to create a revolutionary technology: the first antioxidant chaperone capable of protecting and restoring our skin’s proteome. In other words, this technology reduces irreversible damage to our skin’s proteins, helping to stop ageing at its source.

Age Proteom™ technology, or biological shield action:

What makes Age Proteom™ truly unique is its dual action: not only does it physically protect the structure of our proteins (‘chaperone’ action), but it also acts as a shield against their deterioration (antioxidant action). According to Isabelle Benoît, a member of the NAOS Scientific Committee, this innovative approach could well make our proteins ‘rustproof’, paving the way for a new era in the fight against ageing.

In short, the Age Proteom™ Biotechnology Patent marks a turning point in the quest for youthful skin. And it’s a real innovation in the approach to skin anti-ageing treatment! A kind of super-protective prevention that works on all fronts! 😉

Institut Esthederm Age Proteom™ Advanced Serum, product presentation:

The Age Proteom™ serum is an anti-aging serum. Given its super-preventive action, it can be used at any age. The brand even recommends it from the age of 25 to slow down the effects of ageing as soon as it starts!

Its light emulsion texture makes it suitable for all skin types. You can use it alone under your moisturiser, or even alone under your sunscreen in the morning for a super-minimalist routine if you like.

If you have longer routines, don’t panic, it can easily be incorporated into any routine, as it doesn’t interact with other anti-ageing ingredients. You can use it with everything, which is very practical!

Since it’s an anti-ageing protection product with a +++ preventive effect, you can use it all year round, all the time. And if you follow the concept to its logical conclusion, it’s actually a lifelong treatment!

The brand recommends applying it morning and night for maximum results and efficacy. In any case, once opened, the bottle only lasts for two months. This is due to the preservation system chosen by the brand, which uses very few conventional preservatives, explaining the product’s short lifespan.

But if you use it morning and night, with the dose delivered automatically by the product’s pipette, the bottle will last about 2 months anyway. This dose is generally enough for the face and neck.

Its texture is a very liquid creamy texture, an emulsion, which leaves the skin hydrated and velvety, without leaving any greasy finish. It’s a very fresh texture, an effect that’s reinforced by the fresh, floral fragrance, which I quite like too!

As this is a premium product (with the price tag that goes with it), you can expect a pleasant user experience, and the formula is definitely sensorial!

The formula is quite simple because the most important thing here is the Age Proteom™ complex, which is what makes the product so effective! This complex is based on bacterioruberins, natural pigments derived from an extremophilic bacterium, which means it’s able to survive in the most extreme conditions. The experts at NAOS have captured the essence of this bacterium to create a revolutionary technology: the first antioxidant chaperone capable of protecting and restoring our skin’s proteome. In other words, this technology reduces irreversible damage to the skin’s proteins, stopping ageing at its source.

The rest of the formula mainly contains:
– antioxidant ingredients such as vitamin E, carnosine (a bio-mimetic anti-ageing peptide) and aminoethanesulfinic acid,
– moisturising glycerine and hyaluronic acid,
– anti-ageing adenosine,
– emollient Limnanthe oil,
– and mineral-rich cellular water, which moisturises, increases the skin’s resistance to everyday aggressions, prevents dehydration and strengthens the skin barrier.

Institut Esthederm Age Proteom™ Advanced Serum, my experience:

As you can imagine, when the brand introduced me to the concept of the Age Proteom™ serum in January 2023, I was quite impressed. I thought this anti-ageing new product was super interesting on paper, and really one of a kind.

But when I tried it, my experience with it was not exactly a smooth ride, to say the least….

I already talked earlier in my article about my reaction with my first bottle of Age Proteom™ serum on my neck. But given that it only happened with that intensity once, I can’t really say that it was the sole culprit.

And even, let’s say if I really did have an allergy to the product (which I didn’t here as I was able to use it again afterwards), I can’t do a product review based on that. In general, having an allergic reaction to a product doesn’t automatically mean that the product sucks, it just means that there are one or more ingredients in the product that your skin may not tolerate, and that’s a very personal thing. It’s not an indication of whether a product is good or not. I want to make that very clear.

And I was happy to be able to test the Age Proteom™ serum in better conditions afterwards. It allowed me to really give this product a chance, as I was very intrigued by the concept!

As I explained in my intro, I therefore used three bottles of Age Proteom™ serum. I first applied it morning and night over 4 months (so I emptied two bottles in a row) to see the changes in my skin over a fairly long period of time. Then I took a break for 2-3 months to see if my skin ‘missed’ it, and finally I used a third bottle for two months to see how my skin reacted.

To put things into context, I’m 45 years old, and I’ve been taking good care of my skin for probably 30 years (I suffered from acne as a teenager, so my skin was a concern and I paid a lot of attention to it). And I’ve been doing preventative anti-ageing since I was 25, with more diligent use of sunscreen products over the last 10-15 years. I’ve been using stronger anti-ageing active ingredients (retinoids, vitamin C, acids) for almost 10 years now. I’ve never had any cosmetic treatments (no lasers, no injections, no botox etc). But I do use preventive anti-ageing devices at home almost every day.

So that’s my starting point. I think it’s fair to say that my skin is very well cared for and that I have relatively little room for improvement, if I’m being honest.

However, I can still tell if a product is doing me good or not when I test it; I see a glow, brighter skin and a certain resilience. My skin reacts less, and is more soothed when it enjoys a product.

I’ve seen quite a few reviews of the Age Proteom™ serum since its launch last year, and the majority spoke of an effect on radiance, a reduction in wrinkles and also of skin being more resistant to external aggressors, more resilient. I’ve even often heard that using this serum makes it possible to use stronger retinoids, for example.

So what effect does Age Proteom™ have on me?

Well… not much! I can’t see any difference in my skin. No additional radiance or comfort. And I don’t find that my skin is any more resistant than usual. In fact, I’d say it’s quite the opposite. It’s more when I stop using the Age Proteom™ serum that it becomes more soothed.

Although I never had as intense a reaction again as I did when I used my first bottle, I still noticed that my neck would occasionally break out in little red pimples of inflammation when I used the Age Proteom™ serum. It remained mild, but still. Despite the fact that my acne has really cleared up since I started using tretinoin, these little pimples were still noticeable.

So clearly, this Age Proteom™ serum won’t become a staple in my skincare routine, I’m afraid.

But I’d like to temper this a little by pointing out that it’s still my own experience. In the vast majority of cases, I know that this product is very popular and has a huge following! I think it’s worth testing if you’re curious and have the budget. It’s not every day that there’s a true innovation in cosmetics, and that’s something to point out!🙂

In conclusion:

I think that after really giving it a chance, I can conclude that although I really consider it to be a truly innovative and unique anti-ageing product, the Age Proteom™ serum is probably not for me.

At first, with the popularity of this product in France, I really felt like I was missing out on something, but I’ll admit that given its price, it’s almost a relief after all! Not everyone can afford to invest more than a hundred dollars every two months for effective, long-lasting anti-ageing protection.

So I’ll stick with my trusted anti-ageing ingredients, which may not be as innovative, but have consistently delivered results on my skin.🙂

What about you, did you try the Age Proteom™ serum? Were you convinced?

The Institut Esthederm Age Proteom™ Advanced Serum retails between $105 and $115 depending on the retailers.