I’ve been using the Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream for a while now, and I am so glad that I had it for the end of winter! This is a medium to heavy cream, and it really did a great job of keeping moisture where it should be, which is in my skin, rather than leaving it. Somehow, it did this without feeling heavy or greasy at all, which is even better!

Extra-Firming Day Cream has a light pinky-beige color and has a faint floral perfumed scent, which I couldn’t smell once I applied it. The cream sinks in quickly and left no residue behind on my combination skin. I found that I could easily apply makeup over it without any issues.

Extra-Firming Day Cream Ingredients

Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Corn Starch Modified, Cetearyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Carbomer, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Butylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Diethylhexyl Adipate, Disodium Edta, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Thymus Citriodorus Flower/Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl, Methylisothiazolinone, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Bocoa Prouacensis Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Ci 15985/Yellow 6.

So, what is in this stuff? Well, Clarins lists a ton of botanicals with anti-aging properties. Note that a lot of these claims are made by many skin care companies, though I can’t verify all of it in PubMed. That doesn’t mean it isn’t true, it just means that no one has bothered to publish it in the American Medical Literature.

Green Bananas: Encourages collagen synthesis and helps keep the dermis strong and well organized. I found evidence in the literature for ulcer and wound healing as well.

Lemon Thyme: Helps to keep the skin firm.

Oats: You’ve seen this one used by many skin care companies, but Avena sativa has been in use for over 2000 years for a reason! It has anti-oxidant capacities, acts as a protectant, helps decrease inflammation and even helps to cleanse the skin. The sugars in the oats help to have a temporary tightening effect as well.

Bocoa: Encourages collagen synthesis and helps prevent it from breaking down.

Hops: Helps to stimulate fibroblasts (which I assume in turn make more collagen).

Lotus Zymbiosome: Helps to brighten the skin.

Beyond the botanicals, you’ll also find Vitamin C, Vitamin E (which both act as antioxidants), and sodium hyaluronate to hold on to a ton of moisture.

So, how did Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream work for me? I really liked it. It was enough moisture for me without being too much, it made my skin glowy and the added moisture definitely helped my makeup go on more smoothly. I can’t really comment on any anti-aging effects since I don’t really have wrinkles, but the added moisture and glowiness definitely would help there.

You can buy Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream at Sephora or ULTA
PR Product, Affiliate Link