Beauty Skincare Review: Anti-aging serum: Dear,Klairs midnight blue youth drop or Kiehl’s midnight recovery concentrate?

If you’ve read my other skincare review (link here), you’ll have an idea how sensitive my skin is as well as the evening regimen I follow.

This writeup focuses on the serum part, anti-aging ones, to be exact. After all, I’m getting closer to the big 3-0 and it’s important to already incorporate these to combat the early signs of aging.

I try to be as objective as possible in this post and only give my comments on the Results and Rating section. Hope this convinces you to start your own beauty regimen, too! Hit me up for advice and comments.

PRODUCT (TEXTURE, CONSISTENCY, SCENT)

	Dear,Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop	Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate
Claim	+Adds radiance and luminosity to the skin +Improves complexion +Improves texture and elasticity of the skin +Reduces pigmentation and lessens appearance of lines and wrinkles +Best used at night	+Restores skin’s healthy appearance overnight +Gives smoother, more radiant complexion +Has essential oils to replenish the skin +Formula provides a boost of moisture to depleted skin +Best used at night
Product Texture	Water-based, non-oily, lightweight	Lightweight oil
Color	Blue	Colorless
Scent	No distinct scent	Has a distinct calming lavender and floral scent. True to their claims, the product is made of pure essential oils and enriched with lots of emollients and fragrances (source: cosdna)
Recommended for	All skin types	Dry and dull skin
Net weight	20 mL	30 mL

DRYING RATE

Both products are quickly absorbed by the skin. In a matter of seconds, you can already apply the next product.

Kiehl’s feels slightly thicker and heavier on the face due to the oil blends, but also dries up quickly regardless. Klairs appears as a dark blue watery liquid and is easily spread on the skin.

PACKAGING

• Kiehl’s comes in a nice royal blue glass bottle stamped with Kiehl’s signature apothecary look, with 30mL capacity
• Dear,Klairs tries a similar look but with a simpler, more practical and lightweight packaging with 20mL of product.
• Both products include a dropper.

KEY INGREDIENTS

Dear,Klairs

Klairs prides itself on developing functional products with only the simple and necessary ingredients meant for sensitive skin. “Simple but enough”

Even with this youth activating drop, the formulation only uses 10 ingredients, which is perfect for use by everyone regardless of age.

It’s really simple for Dear,Klairs. They took the substances that start to rapidly decrease as we age (due to UV light exposure), and bottled it up in this Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop.

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Kiehl’s

“A potent blend of squalane, lavender, and evening primrose oils work to soften skin, refine the look of texture, and enhance radiance to visibly improve the overall appearance of skin overnight”

–Sephora product description

Unlike Klairs, which is Korean-based, Kiehl’s midnight recovery concentrate from the USA uses more ingredients, and five times as many emollients and fragrances. However, from the cosdna product analyzer, Kiehl’s has more ingredients with high safety index (6 to 7). This means more chemical-based fragrances and may be harmful if used at higher concentration.

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RESULTS

It’s hard to compare the results by showing a photo since I’ve first tried Kiehl’s for over a year before deciding to try Klairs as a cheaper alternative. Also, a photo wouldn’t do justice to proving skin elasticity and plumpness, so allow me to describe with words instead.

I personally feel that Kiehl’s does it best when it comes to evening serums. The lavender scent and essential oils really sooth and calm my skin. I feel that it repairs and brightens my face more, giving me a natural glow after leaving it on overnight. When I started using Kiehl’s midnight recovery concentrate consistently for about a week, I saw the difference with reduced pigmentation and more supple skin. Even with the hefty price, I’d say I got my money’s worth with this product! After all, you gotta start early in your 20s to nourish your skin, right?

With Klairs, however, I did not quite see the evident change nor feel my skin’s elasticity restored, probably because I’ve been used to Kiehl’s signature fragrance and oily finish? I was not able to replicate that magical experience of using Kiehl’s with the midnight blue activating drop.

Also, looking at the ingredients list, Klairs’ sole use of castor oil and glycerin as main emollient seems lacking for my skin’s needs. However, I’d still say it is functional and reduces the appearance of fine lines; it just did not give me that radiant looking skin.

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HOW TO USE

Both products are best used as evening serums and left overnight, followed by a moisturizer to seal in the moisture. Again, different sites have varying recommendations on the sequence, but as a general rule of thumb, go from the lightest consistency to the thickest if using multiple products.

Dear,Klairs: After cleansing, apply 3-4 drops on to your palm, spread all over face and lightly press it into the skin for full absorption.

Kiehl’s: Place 2-3 drops of the product on to your palm then do a twist-turn motion and gently massage to the forehead, cheeks and chin. A little goes a long way!

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RATING

Overall, considering price point and overall value for money, I would still recommend Kiehl’s midnight recovery concentrate. But if you’re a skincare newbie, on a limited budget, or simply want to try out an anti-aging product, Dear,Klairs already does the trick.

	Dear,Klairs	Kiehl’s
Price	Php 1,290 (5 stars)	Php 2895 (4 stars)
Packaging	3	4
Performance (Effectiveness)	4	5
Overall	4	4.3