This Plant-Based ‘Dream Cream’ Uses Powerful Ingredients To Enhance Your Skin Barrier

We’re all used to putting lots of products on our faces—moisturizers, serums, masks—and more often than not, we don’t always look at what’s actually in them. Sure, you’ve heard of clean beauty, but Three Ships is aiming to be the most transparent brand on the market.

Dream Bio-Retinol + Shorea Butter Night Cream — $28.00

Originally $35, now $28

Launched in 2017, Three Ships plant-based skin-care products are made only with vegan, sustainably-sourced, and allergy-tested ingredients. You won’t find artificial scents in them, and you’ll know exactly in the world where the key ingredients in every product come from, whether it’s an essential oil from Morocco or a plant extract from Brazil. And lucky for all of us, Three Ships currently has a site-wide sale going on—everything is 20 percent off with the code HOWL20. The sales event starts today (July 8) and goes until July 15.

One glance at the skin-care progress photos on their website will make you a believer, but we also talked to a dermatologist to verify that what you see is really what you get. “I highly recommend Dream Bio-Retinol + Shorea Butter Night Cream ($35) from Three Ships,” says Jeannette Graf, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “As we age and develop fine lines, it is key to use retinol as well as keep the skin moisturized. This smooth night cream is ideal for nightly use to keep the skin hydrated and encourage skin cell turnover. Retinol is a product that everyone should include in their skin-care routine.”

The night cream is suitable for all skin types and its main ingredients include a plant-based bio-retinol from Picão Preto, a herb native to Brazil. Dr. Graf says not only is it vegan and eco-friendly, but it’s also a well-tolerated form of retinol with anti-inflammatory properties. Retinol works in a few ways to smooth and plump skin. First, it penetrates and helps to flip on the collagen pumps within the skin that provide structure to your complexion and keep it plump. It also helps to speed up cell turnover so that dead skin cells that cause your complexion to look dull are ushered away and fresh ones can take their place. The result after using it regularly? Even-toned, plump skin.

Squalane, another major player in this cream, is made from GMO-free sugar cane and is an emollient and antioxidant for the skin. Particularly in the winter, utilizing an ingredient such as squalane is important because harsh irritants—think: the heater, cold air, wood-burning fireplaces, etc.—can stress out skin and dry it out even more than it would be otherwise. “Squalane is an excellent natural moisturizer that enhances your skin barrier; this means that it seals in the moisture and blocks outside irritants,” says Dr. Graf.

A night cream that’s plant-based as well as effective in helping with anti-aging and hydrating? Dream cream, indeed.

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