Anti-aging never smelled so good. Kiehl’s Rosa Arctica ($60) cream treats dry facial skin and improves the appearance of fine lines, all the while smelling of what I’ve come to think of as Kiehl’s signature scent: classy icing. “Eau de a hint of cream and a pinch of sugar,” if you will. It gets me every time. I’ll unscrew the lid to a body butter or face cream and five whole minutes of my day will evaporate as I inhale the bliss that is Kiehl’s.
As for the anti-aging technology (it is sort of important, too,) Kiehl’s has tapped into the power of a plant nicknamed the Resurrection Flower. Dramatic, no? The Rosa Arctica deserves its drama. Hailing from the apparently arid Rhodopes Mountains of Bulgaria, the plant can dry out to the point of appearing dead. More impressively, the hardy little flower can spend up to thirty-one months in this state of waterless suspended animation, then with relatively little water, it can revive and return to a state of normal growth. It’s secret lies in the flower’s ability to hoard water within the cell. When used in the cream, the Rosa Arctica extract will hopefully lend a little of that cell-reviving power to parched skin.
Since Kiehl’s formed this cream with really dry skin in mind, I tried it on my hands. (My face is many things, but dry isn’t one of them.) My miserable winter-chapped hands found immediate relief with the Rosa Arctica, though surely vitamin E and cocoa and shea butter helped, too. I noticed that my scaly, creased skin plumped right away. I’ve never argued with instant gratification. It’s something I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend, especially to someone struggling with dry and mature skin, and next to some of the pricier skin treatments that have debuted lately, the price seems positively reasonable. All these benefits come packaged in a cream that smells better than amazing. I’ve already mentioned that, but it bears mentioning twice. That’s the power of classy icing.
Have you tried this yet? If so, leave a comment below to let us know how you liked it.
And check out our round-up of the Best Skincare Products of the Year that includes Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate as well as other high-performing skincare treatments.
– Katharine McKenzie
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