“Doc, have you gotten younger since the last time I saw you?”

That’s what one of my patients said after not seeing me for six months. And the crazy thing was, I’d only been using Elevate for three weeks!

“Wow! Your skin is glowing and looks incredibly soft… can I touch it?”

Believe me, that’s a question I’ve gotten more than once since I started using Elevate daily.

From day one, the compliments rolled in. Friends, family, and even my patients had started to notice how glowy and healthy my skin looked.

Within two weeks, I could both see and feel a real difference. And now, after using Elevate almost daily for over six months, I can confidently say: my skin has completely transformed.

It’s softer, brighter, and honestly looks years younger than it did before I started. Elevate is truly the gift that keeps on giving!

In this time, I’ve recommended Elevate to all my patients, and the feedback across the board has been amazing. They all love it, say it’s worth every penny, and not one person has had a single complaint.

Now, let me share my favorite story from a patient who tried Elevate:

At 62, Sarah had filled her medicine cabinet with every cream, serum, and moisturizer under the sun. Her skincare routine had ballooned into a 10-step process, and her skin was suffering because of it.

I’m talking about serious redness and irritation… And the fine lines she was trying to treat? They just kept getting deeper and deeper.

So I told her to stop everything, and try just Elevate for a few weeks.

When she came back, she was almost in tears. Not just because her skin had calmed down so dramatically, but because of how confident she felt in her own skin.

She’d started wearing less makeup, threw out most of her other products, and had even started getting compliments like:

“What’s your secret?”

“You’re glowing, you must have had something done!”

But Sarah didn’t have a secret, and she definitely didn’t have work done. The only change was using Inblair’s Elevate moisturizer daily.

So what’s actually inside Elevate that turns irritated, aging skin into a healthy, youthful glow, just like it did for Sarah?

First up, it's made with Collagen Peptides. Here's the thing about most "collagen" creams: they're basically useless because the collagen molecules are too big to actually get into your skin. Imagine trying to shove a basketball through a keyhole. But if you want skin that actually looks tighter and feels stronger, you need the tiny peptides that can actually get in there and do their job; that's what Elevate's collagen peptides are designed to do.

Then there's Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) – think of it as your skin's best friend. It calms redness, strengthens your skin's protective barrier, and fades those annoying dark spots all at the same time. Studies show Niacinamide works just as well as expensive prescription stuff for fixing irritated, blotchy skin... but here's the best part: Niacinamide is super gentle and won't make your face burn like some of those harsh treatments do.

They also put in Hyaluronic Acid, which is basically super-charged moisture that holds crazy amounts of water. You know how most moisturizers make your skin feel tight again by lunch? This stuff keeps you hydrated all day long, which is why my skin looks noticeably brighter and more radiant.

The thing I love the most is that it even has SPF 15 included in its formula. Let's be real, most of us skip sunscreen because it's gross and heavy, but when it's already mixed into your moisturizer? That's how you stop your skin from aging without any extra hassle.

Plus, Elevate feels really nice when you put it on! I get oily in my T-zone, so thick creams usually make me break out, but this works great on pretty much everyone.

Oh, and it doesn't smell like anything. I know some people love those flowery-smelling creams, but fragrances are actually one of the biggest reasons people get skin reactions!⁵ Elevate has zero scent, which might not sound exciting, but trust me, your skin will thank you for it!

You don't find a skincare product that does everything very often, but when you do, you stick with it! That's exactly how I feel about Elevate. It's honestly become my holy grail and I can't imagine using anything else.

So if you want your skin to feel amazing, look brighter, get rid of those fine lines, AND stay protected from the sun, all without buying a bunch of different products, then you seriously need to try Elevate!

The Regenerist Night Cream from Olay takes our second spot, and honestly, it's exactly what you'd expect from this drugstore favorite.

You can grab this at pretty much any Target or CVS, which is a huge plus. It's a no-nonsense moisturizer that'll hydrate your skin and give you some firming benefits without emptying your wallet. I really liked how it didn't feel heavy going on—it soaked in fast and didn't leave me feeling like I had a layer of gunk on my face.

The peptides are a nice touch too. These are basically building blocks that can help your skin look smoother and feel more plump over time.

So why isn't it higher up?

Look, it does what it says it'll do, but it's missing some key pieces of the puzzle. There's no niacinamide (Vitamin B3) to help with barrier repair and brightening, which means you're still going to need a separate product for evening out your skin tone and calming redness. And there's definitely no SPF, so you're back to layering on sunscreen every morning.

The peptides are basic compared to the more advanced collagen-supporting peptides you'll find in higher-end formulas. They'll give you some firming, but don't expect dramatic wrinkle reduction.

If you want something simple that you can pick up during your grocery run, this works. But if you're serious about replacing multiple steps in your routine and getting all the benefits we talked about earlier? You're going to need more firepower than this alone can give you.

This is probably one of the most talked-about creams out there – my patients bring it up all the time! It's a solid moisturizer, made by a very well established brand that knows what they're doing. The problem is, the price tag will make you wince. We're talking $100+ for a single jar.

When I used it, my skin definitely felt pampered and looked healthier. I love that they included ceramides and prebiotics—ceramides are something we dermatologists get excited about because research shows they really do help strengthen your skin's protective barrier. 

But, you can actually find ceramides in much cheaper products too, just without the fancy department store markup.

So why only third?

First, it smells very floral, which is a red flag for those with more sensitive skin. At this price point, you definitely want to choose something that won’t cause a negative reaction. Plus, it felt way too greasy for my liking. It's one of those creams that feels heavy enough that you know it's "working," but it never quite absorbs the way you want it to.

More importantly though, for all that money, you're still not getting the complete package we talked about earlier. There's no niacinamide for brightening and barrier support, no collagen-supporting peptides for wrinkle reduction, and no SPF protection. So even after dropping $100+, you're still going to need separate products for anti-aging and sun protection.

For the money, I expected a formula that could actually replace multiple steps in my routine. Instead, you're paying luxury prices for what's essentially just a very expensive moisturizer with barrier support.

It's hard to recommend when the texture, scent, and incomplete ingredient profile could be dealbreakers for so many people, especially when there are better options out there that do more for less.

This one's got the coolest packaging—two separate chambers that you mix together however you want. Some people might call it a gimmick, but I actually thought it was pretty clever. You get to control exactly how much of each formula you're using.

The ingredients have some real winners: hyaluronic acid is fantastic for deep hydration and plumping, and the neuropeptides do have research backing them up for firmer skin. It absorbed nicely and had a texture I could work with.

But here's my issue: for what they're charging, it's only hitting part of what you need. 

Yes, the hyaluronic acid gives you great hydration, but there's no niacinamide for barrier strengthening and brightening. No collagen-supporting peptides for serious wrinkle reduction. And definitely no SPF protection.

At this price point, I expected to see a little more. Right now it feels like you're paying extra just for the Clinique name and fancy packaging. One other thing – the ingredient list for each formula is insane. Both formulas contain over 60 ingredients! More isn't always better in skincare, sometimes it just means more chances for your skin to react badly.

Bottom line: even with excellent hydration from the hyaluronic acid, you're still going to need separate products for brightening, serious anti-aging, and sun protection. For a formula that's supposed to be "multi-dimensional," it's missing way too many dimensions.

Wrapping up with Drunk Elephant's Protini cream, a brand that's gotten a lot of buzz lately and has some seriously loyal fans.

The whole thing is built around peptides, which makes sense given how important they are for anti-aging. I was happy to see hyaluronic acid in there too, that's always a win for hydration and plumping. Plus they included an interesting soybean extract that's supposed to help with firmness. The ingredient story has some solid pieces.

So why is it at the bottom?

First, the texture just didn't work for me. At my age, my skin needs something with a bit more substance, and this felt too thin and watery. Maybe that's on me though, everything about their branding screams "young and trendy," so maybe I'm just not their target audience anymore.

But more importantly, even with all those peptides, it's missing some crucial ingredients we talked about earlier. There's no niacinamide for barrier repair and brightening, which means you're still going to need a separate product for evening out skin tone and calming redness. And there's definitely no SPF protection, so you're back to layering sunscreen every morning.

For a peptide-focused cream, it's really only doing half the job. You get some firming and hydration, but you're still stuck buying multiple products to get the complete benefits your skin actually needs.

If you're younger, this might be perfect for you. For mature skin that wants a true all-in-one solution? I'd look elsewhere.

1. Lintner K, Peschard O. Biologically active peptides: from a laboratory bench curiosity to a functional skin care product. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2000.

2. Papakonstantinou E, Roth M, Karakiulakis G. Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermato-Endocrinology, 2012.

3. Draelos ZD. The efficacy of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid in the anti-aging treatment of the skin. Dermatologic Surgery, 2013.

4. Randhawa M, Wang S, Leyden JJ. Daily use of a moisturizer with SPF 30 improves texture, clarity, and pigmentation over 12 months. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2016.

5. Warshaw EM, et al. Fragrance as a cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Dermatitis, 2008.