Drunk Elephant | Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides: Review

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I've tried pretty much every product from Drunk Elephant and one of my favorites was the Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer, a deeply nourishing face cream formulated with six rare African oils. Recently, the brand has reformulated the cream by adding three different types of ceramides, a waxy lipid molecule found naturally on the outermost layer of the skin. Creating a stronger moisture barrier, the new Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides ($79 CAD for 50 ml) promises an even more intense replenishment. I've been given this new formulation a test drive and wanted to share with you my review. To read on, click.......

Drunk Elephant | Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides

The new Lala Retro is housed in a press-to-dispense airless pump jar similar but not identical to that of the original. The pump portion is made of a cheaper plastic so it feels flimsy; however, it works just fine so the change doesn't pose any issues. In addition to the added ceramides, the formulation has been tweaked with the addition of a few minor ingredients bolded in the list below. Even though the base ingredient containing the six rare African oils (passion fruit, kalahari melon, baobab, mongongo, marula, ximenia) remains the same, the cream feels slightly different in texture. Whereas the original version had a rich but whipped texture, the new version has a smoother, more gel-like formulation similar to that of the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. Therefore, the cream doesn't feel as luxurious or decadent upon application but it still is instantly nourishing. The difference of the formulation update really comes through when I went for a jog on a summer evening. Whereas the older formulation was hydrating, it was still lightweight and breathable. However, with the ceramide reformulation, the cream creates a virtually impenetrable shield on my face, trapping sweat and interfering with its proper evaporation. 

Drunk Elephant | Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides

This isn't technically a dealbreaker as I would only wear the cream during the nighttime (I tested it out during the day as well for the sake of this review) but the formulation may be a bit heavy for those with very oily skin. Conversely, it would not work well for anyone living in a hot climate or have the tendency to sweat a lot on their face. The good news here, however, is that anyone with very dry skin will experience less water loss, thanks to the added ceramides. Overall, I'm conflicted about the reformulated Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides. Although the change is subtle, the texture feels noticeably different and because I have oily skin, the added ceramide limits the cream to only nighttime application. With the old formulation, the cream felt nice and breathable despite the rich texture. However, with the added ceramides, the cream can feel heavy depending on the time of the year. I really wish Drunk Elephant didn't take the older version off the market but if you have very dry skin, you may really enjoy the new formulation!

Ingredient: Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Isostearate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil/Glucose/Glycine Soja (Soybean) Meal/Malt Extract/Yeast Extract Ferment Filtrate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate, Cholesterol, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Ceteareth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.

Availability:
Drunk Elephant is available in stores and online at Sephora and www.drunkelephant.com.