Man-Fountain of Youth

ManPossible goes back to an old friend today – Kiehl’s, whose products I’ve written up perhaps more than those of any other company.  But let’s pause for a disclaimer before I tell you about yet another strong product from this leading company that continues to make a strong push into the (men’s) skin care market.

The disclaimer?  This is the worst product name ever.  Ever, you ask?  Oh yes.  In fact, to quote the inimitable Taylor Swift, “Like ever.”  I mean, gimme a break – can’t we do better than “Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate?”  It’s not concise, but that’s the least of the problems.  “Hydro-Plumping” sounds like a vaguely sexual injection process to which a degenerate robot subjects a hapless frozen French fry on an assembly line from hell.  “Re-Texturizing” makes me think the robot’s next move is to sand down my face and spackle it with reconstituted French fry innards.  And “Serum Concentrate” sounds like whatever’s left over at the end of the whole process.  Yuck, in a word.

The good news outweighs the bad, though.  This is a fantastic product that you can use twice daily – in the morning before applying facial moisturizer and/or sunblock; and in the pm before applying face cream before bed.  Just press the pump mechanism of the standing plastic canister and rub a very small amount of the translucent product into your skin.  (I apply it to my forehead, cheeks and nose.)  Its immediate impact is soothing and slightly cooling, and it’s hyper-moisturized, so let it dry for a couple minutes before moving on to the next step in your grooming routine.  The scent is mild and pleasant, with aromatics more neutral than floral.

I’ve been using it for just over a month, and can see a difference already.  The product has re-hydrated my face.  It’s also begun to halt and maybe even reverse the march of my smile lines and forehead wrinkles.  Unlike many other Kiehl’s products, this one contains more chemicals than natural ingredients, but it’s not tested on animals, so that’s good enough for me.

The product, which contains glycerin and Shiso leaf extract, comes in a simple plastic container with a white cap that prevents the pump mechanism from being triggered accidentally.  Brown is used for the (mostly) serif font lettering; with light blue deployed for lines to accentuate the company’s name.  The logo for the Kiehl’s “Dermatologist Solutions” line, where this product lives, is a funky, chunky letter “K” whose left side has been made to look like a mortar holding a pestle.  The slim, compact container fits well in the medicine cabinet or on the bathroom sink.

Bottom line:  Get past the unfortunate name and go get yourself some ultra-manly Kiehl’s Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate at a standalone company store, a department store, an independent boutique, or online.  A 1.7-oz container retails for $58 on the company’s website.  Pricey but worth it!  And this amount should last several months if you’re applying it twice a day.

by ManPossible