How Does Estee Lauder Idealist Work?

Rosabella’s request…A friend of mine swears by Estée Lauder’s Idealist to make her pores look smaller. So do a lot of people online whose reactions and reviews I’ve read, but a lot of them can’t get over the price. Neither can I! Do you know what’s so special about the formula? Do you reckon it works?

The Right Brain responds:

According to Lauder’s website Idealist contains “Pore Diminishing Technology” that “makes enlarged pores look virtually invisible by treating their appearance from the inside out…to dissolve away pore-clogging debris.” The website goes on to site three specific ingredients that make up this technology:

How Idealist works

1. The powerful anti-oxidant NDGA helps shrink the look of enlarged pores by helping reduce the visible irritation that can lead to a build-up of excess oil deep within pores.

2. Gentle-acting Chestnut Extract helps free your skin from dry, dulling, flaky skin cells.

3. Glucosamine (a sugar-derived, non-acid refinisher)… loosens the bonds that bind dead, dulling and flaky cells to your skins surface.

For the sake of thoroughness we’ll include the complete ingredient listing:

Idealist Ingredients

Purified Water, Dimethicone, Polysilocone-11, Cyclomethicone, Sodium Lactobionate, Isopentyldiol, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldie-thyltaurate Copolymer, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Germ Extract, Barely (Hordeum Vulgare) Extract, Sodium Glycyrrhetinate, Modified Polysaccharides, Sclareolide, Whey Protein (Lactis Proteinum), Saxifraga Sarmentose Extract, Grape (Vitis Vinifera) Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mulberry (Morus Nigra) Root Extract, Cholesterol, Caffeine, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Glycosamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pantethine, Acryldimethyltauramide Copolymer, Phenyl Trimethicone, Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), Glycerin, Soidum Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Grapefruit California (Citrus Grandis), Polyethylene, Polysorbate 20, Soidum Acrylodimethyl Taurate, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Floralozone, Polysorbate 80, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Isohexadecane, Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum), Phenoxyethanol, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, MICA, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499) {ILN17378}.

How does Idealist work?

At least one of these key ingredients, Glucosamine, has been shown to have efficacy in testing published in a peer reviewed journal. (See Pubmed reference.) Researchers (from Estee Lauder) found that this sugary material can help keep pores clean because it has similar effects to alpha hydroxy acids. Since debris from skin cells is one of the causes of enlarged pores, it makes sense that loosening dead skin cells could help diminish how big they appear.

I’m still skeptical, but at least there is some real science behind what the product says it will do. However, the degree to which the product delivers what it promises is highly subjective.  Idealist claims to make “pores appear 1/3 smaller—instantly” and that you’ll  “see a 69% reduction in the look of pores in just 4 weeks.” You’ll notice that these claims are all about the “look” of the pores. That means Lauder has some kind of perception data – they had women used the product and they asked them to rate the appearance of their pores. Just because they noticed a statistical difference doesn’t mean you’ll be satisfied with the degree of improvement. And unfortunately, it will cost you $46 for 1 ounce of product to find out for sure.

Have YOU tried Idealist? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community and share your Idealist ideas.