I'm the first to admit the joys of sampling an expensive, luxurious moisturiser but I have to admit that I've rarely seen the 'decadent luminosity' or 'dramatically decreased frown lines' as advertised on the packet.
The only affect I consistently notice is on my bank account.Furthermore, a visit to a beauty department will reveal moisturisers with ingredients from 'ATP Stimuline' and 'Regenium XY' to RoC Retino Corexion': What is that?!?
As Ben Goldacre divulges in his excellent book titled Bad Science, the skin is generally very impermeable and as such, the spectacularly named substances in many of these creams would simply not penetrate the organ.
To demonstrate this point, when you sit in a bath of baked beans for charity, you do not get flatulent: the beans do not penetrate the skin no matter how long you devote yourself to a good cause. Likewise the 'Valmont Cellular DNA Complex' contained in a certain cream, is made from Salmon roe DNA: a large molecule that is highly unlikely to penetrate the skin. Furthermore, it's very unlikely that you are short of DNA in your body to start with!
My advice: save your pennies. The main effect that anybody wants from a moisturiser is hydration which can be easily sourced from substances such as Olive Oil or if you are opposed to greasiness, Hydrobase from a pharmacy.
