July marks the second month of From The Lab subscription service. What I especially like about them is the element of surprise. I truly enjoy trying new formulas without any bias toward one brand or another, and that lets me form a fairly objective opinion about the products. I think From The Lab had a pretty successful inaugural box, and I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for July.  From the spoilers back in June we knew that we’d get “Two Products. Skin care. From Switzerland”, so I kind of knew what to expect.

“These light, silky-smooth creams minimize the appearance of premature aging and provide powerful, unprecedented protection from the invisible, inevitable, environmental damage caused by heavy metal deposits on your skin.”

About From The Lab:
From The Lab is a new subscription service that offers its members a sneak peek into the future of the beauty industry by sending up to three full-sized “revolutionary” products every month, straight from the world’s top beauty laboratories. Right now they offer an introductory Charter Membership special for $19.95/month + $5.95 S&H (reg. $29.95). All of the products sent out are paraben-free.
Click here to subscribe.

24-hour Face Cream #578
The face moisturizer was the first product I tried from my box. The product description mentioned that it contains tomato stem cell cultures to bind heavy metals to protect skin from pollution and free radicals. In human language that means that this tomato stem cell extract actually assembles free radicals back into harmless molecules, so they can’t cause permanent damage to your skin. Considering, that sometimes free radicals can even cause mutations bad enough to form tumors, I sure hope that this extract proves to be as effective as it claims, and is not yet just another snake oil. Other ingredients worth mentioning are moringa seed extract to protect the skin from environmental aggressors and heavy metal micro-particles; para rhatany root extract to provide anti-inflammatory properties and minimizing the appearance of premature aging; Vitamins B5 and E to maintain moisture in the skin; and shea butter for softening and moisturizing properties.

The texture is smooth and very pleasant to touch, and I actually recognize the fragrance. I believe it smells exactly like Chanel Hydramax that I used a couple years ago when my skin suddenly decided to become dry for one season before going back to combination. I actually feel like it does stay all day on my skin without oxidizing or feeling heavy, so this moisturizer is definitely a high quality product.

As for the negatives, first of all I didn’t like that it came in a jar. I feel like companies should switch to pump bottles, because it’s safer and keeps the product fresh for longer by keeping off the bacteria and preserving the plant-derived ingredients. Another negative, which is probably just a personal opinion more than anything, is that this moisturizer doesn’t contain SPF. Sure, you could say that I will just use one under or over the moisturizer, but nobody wants to apply that many products to their face in the middle of July. Just my two cents. So for now, I will only use it at night.
Overall: 4/5
Purchase: Yes

Eye Cream #579
Same deal as the face moisturizer, this eye cream contains tomato stem cell extract that binds free radicals. It also has a few other ingredients which all seem to have come from one region – Asia. Ginseng and Gynostemma extracts help protect and nourish dry skin by improving circulation, and improved circulation means reduced under-eye puffiness and less toxins; Japanese Pagoda Flower Extract provides antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties and minimizes environmental damage; Bamboo Extract tones, cools, and strengthens; Rice and Pomegranate Extracts moisturize and boost collagen production. Based on this list, I’m thinking that this eye cream belongs to an Asian luxury skin care brand which has their formulas developed in Switzerland (I know Kanebo-Sensai labs are in Switzerland, for example). After all, they didn’t really say that the products are necessarily from Swiss brands, they just said that the lab is in Switzerland.

Now, it’s actually hard for me to evaluate the effectiveness of this eye cream because I generally take good care of my eye area, so I don’t have any noticeable fine lines or dryness to take care of. I don’t remember how long I’ve been using this cream at this point, but I think it was at least a week. It does absorb really fast, and doesn’t seem to flake off when I put a concealer on top of it. My skin feels nice and tight, and the morning under-eye puffiness is under control. Also, some of you will be delighted to know that this cream is fragrance-free, so if like me you can’t stand strong scents, you will most likely enjoy this one.

The negatives are pretty much the same as the face cream: jar that is easy to contaminate, and lack of SPF. But at least I wear sunglasses every time I’m out, so this won’t bother me nearly as much.
Overall: 4.5/5
Purchase: Yes

The verdict: Both of these are pretty good products with nice formulas, but sun-protection lovers won’t appreciate the lack of SPF. However, these moisturizers are definitely effective, and seem to live up to the claims, so I think this was a good $25 purchase. I especially liked the eye cream, it does seem to slightly tighten the under eye area for a more “awake” appearance.

What do you think about this new subscription?