Our review of ESK's Ultimate A+ night cream

When it comes to skin care, retinol has earned royal status.
And deservedly so, considering it evens skin tone, fights acne, reduces wrinkles and increases cell turnover in a single dose.
So you can imagine that when we heard about a product that's supposedly '20 times more superior' than retinol, we had to give it a spin.
bh's Eleni, (who was already a retinol user) put her hand up for the job, trialling E.S.K's Ultimate A + over eight weeks.
Here's her verdict...
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THE PRODUCT: E.S.K Ultimate A+
E.S.K's Ultimate A+ is a Vitamin A (retinal - not retinol) and B3 (Niacinamide) based night cream. The cream utilises retinal, a form of vitamin A1, which the cosmeceutical brand says is more effective and less irritating than retinol. It's formulated to help reduce the appearance of lines and pigmentation, increase skin elasticity and help manage acne. It retails for $115 and is available at www.eskcare.com.
Eleni's skin and routine before trial
Describing her skin before using the product, Eleni says it was 'quite oily in the t-zone.'
"It was flat, dull and quite textured due to acne scarring, as well as prone to the occasional random break out. I feel like looking back my pores and fine lines were also far more noticeable as well."
Before trying Ultimate A+, Eleni was using The Ordinary's Retinol 0.2% in Squalane. "I wasn’t as consistent with it, but I’d say I definitely used it at least once a week or prior to an event when I wanted my skin to look its best."
The biggest thing Eleni was looking for by trying this new product was 'less texture'.
"Having had severe acne growing up and being on Roaccutane back in the day, I am super proud of my progress, but always still striving for that smooth and gorgeous skin!"
Eleni's E.S.K Ultimate A+ Review
"I applied the Ultimate A+ cream (almost) every night for eight weeks (and yes I'm now running low on my supply!).
The cream itself is baby yellow in colour, and has no chemically smell. In fact, I think I read that it's free from perfumes as well as cruelty-free.
I would apply 2-3 pumps as the last step in my skin care routine (after cleansing and serums) and I actually noticed my skin to be plumper the first day after use, with a slight change in texture.
But it was at the 2-3 week mark that I noticed a complete change in texture. The information with the product said skin rejuvenates every 21 days, so boom there’s the cold hard facts and probably why it changed so much around then!"
Eleni's skin after trial
At the end of the eight weeks, Eleni says her skin is "super supple, glowy and plump."
"I feel like my forehead lines have decreased in depth and my pores are a lot less obvious. The biggest change, which I think is hard to see in pics, is the change in texture! I've also had a lot of my friends ask me what I’ve been using."
Who Eleni would recommend this product to
While vitamin A products aren't for everyone, Eleni says she would "definitely recommend [Ultimate A+] to those with more textured and pigmented skin."
"Those who have suffered from acne, skin damage and are wanting a new refresh on their skin. Those who wish to reverse the signs of aging and promote collagen production."
Did you enjoy reading Eleni's review? Had you heard of retinal before and how it's differs?
64 Member Comments
It sounds so amazing that I just have to try!
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Looks very interesting
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sounds like a great product to try!! great review Eleni
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Sounds good and a fair assessment - very interesting!
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The difference in lighting makes it very hard to tell the results for me, but Eleni you look fabulous before the trial anyway.
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Beautiful results! Just what I want - but don't we all.
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Eleni, thanks for the great review!
I've reported Elisa01's post below on the "SERIAL SPAM MEMBER ON BH" thread.
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Great results but you'd expect that with the price of the product.
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Your skin looks amazing Elini. Will love to see more articles like this.
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Wow amazing results! Hefty price tag but it seems it's worth it (and cheaper than getting facials done professionally!)
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Looks like good results, retinal and Vitamin A always works.
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Great results from Eleni - her skin looks wonderful!
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Wow!! Amazing review and results!! Definitely keen to try!!
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Her skin looks so smooth and glowy in both pics. I love the packaging of the product.
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your skin looked great before, but it just looks happier in the "after" photo. Glad to learn of a new brand! I'll be checking it out :)
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You CAN see the difference in the before and after photos
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Amazing results! Currently using retinol but wanting to step it up a notch and this looks like it might just do the job.
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Amazing results!!!
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Looking gorgeous Eleni!
Wow I would love to get my hands on this!!
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Interesting article, but I would love to see proof of the "20 times more superior" to retinol.
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damn is it me or is the oiliness gone?
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I can certainly see the difference in the texture of your skin after using this product Eleni :). Your skin looks very smooth !
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