Buongiorno!
IDI Italy 1858 is a new player in the market even if they look like they have been around 151 years. 1858 indicates they have been around since then and yes the IDI (Italian Dermatology Institute) the leading dermatological research Institute in Italy has been around that long, but their results were not readily available to people like you and me (unless maybe if you have a truckload of lira or Euro).
So, with the launch of IDI Italy 1858, these dermatological products are now available as a brand with mass distribution to the public. Turns out IDI Italy 1858 is a Malaysian-Italian collaborative brand so they have launched this new brand right here in Malaysia before taking it elsewhere. I believe they are already in Singapore by now.
The skincare products are divided into 4 ranges depicted by numbers:-
- 1.0 – Oily Acne Prone skin
- 2.0 – Normal Combination skin
- 3.0 – Dry Skin
- 6.0 – Sensitive skin
- Lab – All skin types
Do the numbers remind you of any other skincare brand? No prizes for guessing which 😛 Anyway, history and background aside, I test drove 3 products from the Lab range and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on them below.
Let me just say by way of preamble that 2 of them are notable by themselves and one is a straight out dud. An expensive DUD at that! 😛
IDI Italy 1858 Lab 0.20 Pro TriAction Age Defender Cream
IDI Italy 1858 is proud of this cream that is supposed to help with anti-aging concerns, hydrate skin, restore suppleness and on top of it all, protect against the sun with SPF15 and titanium dioxide. I won’t go into SPF but I always use a higher dedicated sunblock on top of everything anyway so that’s what I did.
One gripe – nowhere on the box does it say it is only to be used in the day. It was only when I read the ingredient list, saw Titanium Dioxide and checked the website did I know that this is only a cream for day use. Information on the box to say that this is a day cream, or recommended to be used in the day would be helpful.
The cream reminds me of a mud mask – it has the same earth colour and texture. Applied on the skin, you have to really massage it in so it takes a while to apply. I found that it helps prime my skin so my foundation seems to glide on more easily and I really like the effect on my makeup. It helps it last longer and look smoother.
It did not dry me out although I cannot say that it gives my skin that “toing toing” bouncy feel. It does not make me oily too which is another thumbs up. I’d expect the anti-aging lifting effects to show with prolonged use so 1 month use only in the day did not yield much results. My facial skin did feel a mite firmer though. The titanium dioxide does leave a slight white cast on the skin which might bug you – it bugged me a little but I got over it. Not so much much the following product.