My Facialist Recommends This $80 Active but Gentle Serum to Everyone and Now I'm Hooked

To me, facials are therapy - very expensive, very glowy therapy. 

Just like getting your car serviced regularly and going to the dentist, I see facials as a great way to give your skin a professional once-over a few times a year. That way, you know the routine you’re implementing at home is the right one for you and your skin type. 

During my most recent biannual tune-up, my facialist got me onto an awesome one-size-fits-all 'miracle' serum that basically addresses every single one of my skin concerns: congestion, lack of radiance, dryness and my eternal desire to age in reverse. 

This serum is super active (so you know it's actually going to do something for your skin), yet gentle enough that it won't burn your whole face off. And the best bit? It's not ridiculously expensive.

Want to know more? Keep on scrolling for all the deets. 

What Is the Beauté Pacifique Defy Damage Serum?

Beauté Pacifique (pronounced Beau-tay Pasif-eek) is a Danish skincare brand that’s been around since 1997. It’s only just taken off here in Australia because until they launched on Adore Beauty in 2019, you could only buy these products from beauty salons and facialists. 

All of the Beauté Pacifique products focus on reversing sun damage and the natural ageing process; the two biggest factors that can impact the look of our skin. 

One of the brand's hero products and my new favourite serum - Beauté Pacifique Defy Damage Skin Repair Serum 40ml - does exactly that. 

For years, this serum has been a bit of an underground beauty editor cult product thanks to Sydney facialist Carina Gross, owner and head skin specialist at Belameres Clinic in Double Bay. 

And also because, well, the packaging is a bit naff, but that's because the brand spends all their money on formulating what goes inside the bottle.

Carina tends to the faces of many high profile beauty editors - including Adore Beauty's very own Amy Clark - and only uses Beauté Pacifique products on her clients. She won’t touch any other brand. 

She made the call to only stock this one beauty line years ago after seeing the results first hand on herself in just one month. The amazing results - and the price point - got her over the line.

“I repaired nearly 20 years of sun damage, and my epidermis had completely recovered. I felt that my rosacea was calming down and I loved how healthy and hydrated my skin looked, especially after applying makeup,” Carina says of first using this serum. 

"Beauté Pacifique was about half the price of all the products I had been trialling, so I definitely knew it was going to be the brand I wanted to align myself and my company with."

Beauté Pacifique Serum Ingredients.

OK, back to the serum. Carina says her clients are obsessed with the Beauté Pacifique Defy Damage Skin Repair Serum 40ml and it’s one of Belameres’ top-selling products. 

“It's one of our absolute best-sellers, and one of my personal most-loved products. It's crazy how much I miss it if I stop using it, even for a couple of days."

"I love how lightweight it is, and how it instantly hydrates and calms even the most sensitive skin types.”

But what's actually in this magic serum that makes it so damn good? Here’s a breakdown of all the active ingredients in the product, and how they specifically help the skin.

1. Vitamin A.

This serum contains a couple of really gentle, stable but highly potent forms of vitamin A that penetrate deep into the cells to help rebuild lost collagen and work to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. 

2. Vitamin C.

This antioxidant powerhouse comes in the form of citrus lemon fruit extract, a natural source of vitamin C that fights free radicals, stimulates collagen, recreates the skin’s ceramides and gently exfoliates dead skin cells to help reduce excessive oiliness. 

3. Hyaluronic Acid.

Sodium hyaluronate is one of the most popular types of hyaluronic acid because it penetrates deep into the skin to give that plump, hydrating effect. 

Learn more about the hydrating power of hyaluronic acid in this Skincare Nerds YouTube video below!

4. Squalane.

Squalane is an awesome hydrating ingredient/oil that occurs naturally in our skin, but depletes as we get older. Sun damaged and aged skin loves squalane, soaking it all up to repair dry skin that has lost some of its elasticity. 

5. Vitamin E.

Another powerful antioxidant that works exceptionally well when paired with vitamin C, as both of these ingredients are more effective when included together. The vitamin E in this serum comes from peach fruit extract, which helps the skin repair itself and improves the skin barrier. 

6. Ursolic Acid.

An under-the-radar but powerful ingredient that can repair ageing and sun-damaged skin by rebuilding our natural collagen fibres and ceramides. 

My Beauté Pacifique Defy Damage Serum Review.

Every time I stop using this serum, I instantly regret it. 

And it's not just me - Amy Clark says the same thing in this article about her favourite ever beauty products.

The Beauté Pacifique Defy Damage Skin Repair Serum 40ml calms my breakouts and reduces any redness, scarring and irritation from when I’ve picked at my pimples, as well as reducing any pigmentation, freckles and sunspots to increase overall radiance and brightness. 

My skin just looks lifted. I look less tired, less haggard and just… better. 

The serum has a silky lotion texture that sinks into the skin like a very lightweight moisturiser. And a little goes a long way.

I was initially worried about using a vitamin A serum at all, let alone during the day, because retinol can sometimes be too intense for my skin to handle. But the formula is so gentle that I never have any irritation.

Carina says that’s because there are no retinoids in the serum (aka the more intense version of vitamin A). Also, all of those other nourishing and hydrating ingredients ensure the vitamin A doesn’t leave you feeling red or dry. 

“It's safe as it doesn't use retinoids, which thin the epidermis and make you photo-sensitive. The vitamin A in this serum is also encapsulated in an olive oil squalane, which means we can repair and strengthen the skin barrier while keeping the epidermis intact.”

This serum can be used by all skin types, but of course, Carina recommends a skin consult with a professional like herself (which includes a very cool, science-y skin scan to determine the true state of your skin) to avoid wasting money on products that aren't right for your skin.

That's exactly what I did and my face and I are very happy to have met this serum. Only downside is now, I'll have to keep repurchasing it forever...

It's worth it for the great skin, though.

You can book an appointment at Belameres and find out more about the salon here.

Want more great skincare product recommendations? Check out these stories from our Adore Beauty staff below!

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