OSEA Malibu – Advanced Protection Cream Review

CLEAN INGREDIENT SCORE

The Osea Malibu Advanced Protection Cream has earned a Clean Ingredient Score of an “A”. This organic moisturizer is cruelty-free, gluten-free, vegan, and made with natural and organic ingredients. Organic ingredients contained within this formula include safflower seed oil, glycerin, sunflower seed oil, aloe leaf juice, macadamia seed oil, lemon seed oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, calendula extract, chamomile extract, and Osea’s signature red algae gigartina skottsbergii. The Advanced Protection Cream uses lemon seed essential oil, which, although natural and generally considered safe, can be irritating to some sensitive skin types with aversions to citrus essential oils. Although the Advanced Protection Cream formula is clean and contains gentle ingredients–it did lose a few points in our stringent review system for its use of capryloyl glycine (a safe synthetic amino acid which functions as a conditioning agent or surfactant in cosmetic formulas).

PRODUCT DESIGN & EFFECTIVENESS

The Advanced Protection Cream claims to be a rich organic moisturizer that provides all day hydration, softens fine lines and wrinkles, and protects against moisture loss. We wanted to put this luxury seaweed moisturizer to the test and trialed the Advanced Protection Cream amongst a number of skin types for a little over two weeks. At the end of the trial, this organic moisturizer earned a Product Design & Effectiveness Score of an “A”. First impressions of the Advanced Protection Cream were positive: it has a surprisingly thin, yet rich consistency and a light, indistinguishable scent. We used this moisture on its own and with a serum, and the product absorbed well even when layered over a heavy serum or facial oil. Dry skin and mature skin reviewers rated the Advanced Protection Cream highly, while our sensitive skin reviewers had mixed reviews (one sensitive skin reviewer experienced very mild redness after a week of use). As for fine lines and wrinkles, the rich hydrating texture does actually do a good job at softening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by plumping the skin. We can’t speak to any long-term anti-aging benefits from using this cream as a two week trial is insufficient for those purposes.

ONLINE CUSTOMER REVIEW SCORE

We analyzed 358 customer reviews for the Osea Malibu Advanced Protection Cream from 10 different online retailers (including stores like Detox Market, Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Petit Vour, and Follain). Across all retailers, the Advanced Protection Cream earned an average customer review of 4.7/5 stars–earning a grade of “A” for our Online Customer Review Score. There seems to be a bit of a love/hate split amongst customers. While the majority of customers left 4 star and 5 star reviews, a small consistent minority left 1 star reviews for the product. On the positive side, dry skin and combination skin customers raved that this moisturizer richly hydrates their skin. Positive review notes include loving the texture of the cream, enjoying how fast it absorbs, and notes about how the Advanced Protection Cream is good for nighttime use. On the negative side, many sensitive skin and acne-prone skin types found trouble with this moisturizer. Negative comments included notes about experiencing breakouts with use, a lack of hydration, dry skin, and irritation for sensitive skin types. See Pros & Cons for more details.