Peter Thomas Roth has been mentioned in quite a few magazines lately, so naturally many of you were interested in the Cosmetic Connection perspective :) PTR has a large selection of products for conditions like acne and sensitive skin, as well as vitamin creams, lightening lotions, and sunscreens. I selected several that sounded interesting and relevant to me.

Let me preface the following reviews with one overall comment: These products are too expensive! There, I said it. While there were several that I liked, I have hard time justifying spending this kind of money, especially if I were to buy the products again and again. I don't know about you, but I don't have a money tree in my backyard :)

Medicated BPO 5% Acne Wash ($22 for 8 oz.)
I chose this acne wash at the height of a recently pimple-y period (gotta love hormones!), and although it didn't help my acne, it did help me realize once and for all that my skin is definitely, without a doubt, sensitive to benzoyl peroxide. Thanks to this cleanser, I now know I can't use this cleanser! If BPO works well for you, this is a mild cleanser that can treat and help prevent acne on your whole face (just be sure not to get it near your eyes).

Oxygen Mist ($35 for 8 oz.)
This is a spray toner with oxygen, electrolytes, aloe vera, zinc, vitamin C, and bioflavanoids. I honestly have no idea how much good any part but the aloe will have on the skin, but I can say that it made my skin less red and any blemishes I had less inflamed. Oxygen Mist is fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and dye-free, which makes it nice for sensitive skin. The label says you can also use it to soothe sunburn, shaving irritation, insect bites, heat rash, itching and other minor skin irritations.

Silica Strawberry Scrub ($30 for 8 oz.)
The main ingredients in this scrub are polyethylene granules, almond meal and silica, with a tiny amount of strawberry thrown in so they can make the product's name sound more attractive. Strawberry or no strawberry, I found this scrub to be too abrasive even when I used just a tiny amount. I can think of several scrubs that I like better, like BeneFit Honey Snap Out Of It Scrub, Sage Corrective Grains, Youngblood Papaya Enzyme Scrub, and even Biore Mild Daily Cleansing Scrub.

Glycolic Acid 10% Moisturizer ($40 for 2 oz.)
If you like a strong AHA, this one may be for you. Glycolic acid, whole leaf aloe vera, and vitamin C are the main powerhouses in this light but effective lotion. Thankfully at this price you only need a small amount to cover your whole face. I liked this product but couldn't continue using it because it was actually too strong and ended up irritating my skin. Too bad since I liked the lightweight texture and non greasy feel.

Ceramide Moisture Renewal ($45 for 2.3 oz.)
If you have normal to dry skin and are not prone to breakouts at all, this is a nice medium weight nighttime moisturizer with safflower oil and shea butter. I really wanted to like it but had to stop using it when I kept seeing new tiny superficial blackheads popping up on my cheeks.

Daily Defense Moisture Cream SPF 20 ($35 for 2.3 oz.)
This is one of my favorite PTR products. Don't let the name "cream" fool you - this oil-free sunblock moisturizer is lightweight and excellent for all skin types. It's greaseless, absorbs instantly, doesn't leave a white cast on the skin, and blocks out the sun's UVA/UVB rays with octylmethoxycinnamate, titanium dioxide, octyl salicylate, and benzophenone-3.

Power C 20 Anti-Oxidant Serum Gel ($85 for 1 fluid ounce)
I started using this oil-free liquid/gel serum about two weeks ago and only notice a subtle difference right after I apply it - my skin looks rosy and feels firmer. The label claims the vitamin C (20% L-ascorbic acid) will "help increase collagen production," "help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles," "help facial contours look and feel smoother, firmer and more youthful," and "help protect against future free radical damage." But, since I can't really measure any of that, I can't tell if it's working or not! I do like the tightening feel when I put it on in the morning, so I will probably continue using it (but won't get more at over $80 a bottle!). Power C also has ginkgo boloba, hyaluronic acid, green tea extract, superoxide dismutase and beta-glucan, and should work for all skin types except very sensitive.

I think if I had to choose my PTR products over again, I would have gotten Sensitive Skin Cleansing Gel (which I actually just ordered from Beautydoor.com), Glycolic Acid Clarifying Tonic, Botanical Buffing Beads, and Tinted Protective Day Cream. These products seem more in line with my skintype, so I hope to have reviews of them soon.

review: 7/10/99

After my first review of PTR, I wanted to explore a few other products. I found this great little kit at Beauty Habit that I couldn't resist. For $52 you get a black travel bag filled with 2 ounce sizes of:

• Chamomile Cleansing Lotion
• Aloe Tonic
• Botanical Buffing Beads
• Cucumber Gel Mask
• Ceramide Moisturizing Body Lotion
• Titanium Dioxide Sunblock SPF 30 (one ounce)
• Oil Free Moisturizer (foil packet)

Chamomile Cleansing Lotion ($30 for 8 ounces)
I thought for sure with a name like "cleansing lotion" that this would be a creamy, milky sort of cleanser, but was I ever wrong! It's really a lightly foaming cream with a hint of chamomile. It does a good job of cleansing, removes all makeup, and leaves the skin feeling really soft and supple, which is nice. You also only need a pea sized dab to clean your whole face, but I still think for what you get (a fairly basic cleanser), $30 is pretty steep.

Aloe Tonic ($30 for 8 ounces)
This is another fairly basic product, but in the case of a toner, I think basic is good. I like the very short ingredient list here (water, whole leaf aloe vera, vitamins, preservative), and I found the aloe to be very soothing. With no alcohol, no fragrance, and no colors, this is a decent, but spendy choice if you have sensitive skin.

Botanical Buffing Beads ($30 for 8 ounces)
I first tried the Silica Strawberry Scrub from PTR and really didn't like how rough it is. The Botanical Buffing Beads scrub is legions better - gel base, lightly foaming, with tiny spherical jojoba exfoliating beads. It's super gentle, great for any skin type, and has whole leaf aloe vera so it's soothing. You also need the tiniest amount for your whole face, so an 8 ounce bottle will last a long time.

review: 10/99

Environmental Repair Hydrating Gel ($35)
While the rain sometimes bothers me here in Oregon, the one nice thing about it is that my skin stays fairly hydrated. All it took was four days in Las Vegas to turn my face into the flakiest, most irritated mess you have ever seen. I practically ran to Sephora looking for some relief! This lightweight gel with whole leaf aloe vera, one of Peter Thomas Roth's most commonly used ingredients, was calling my name. Just a few pumps applied thickly to the driest areas of my face made all the difference in the world - the flakiness and redness disappeared overnight. I layered this gel under my regular moisturizer and sunscreen, but you could easily use it alone on dry areas or all over your face if you like a lighter feeling product. I love this gel because it works but it's not sticky, gooey, oily, or greasy.

review: 1/00

AHA/Kojic Under Eye Brightener ($48)
Although many of us are resigned to the fact that a good concealer is about as close as we'll come to ridding ourselves of dark under eye circles, there are plenty of creams claiming to eliminate them for good. The Peter Thomas Roth line has quite an assortment of skin lighteners, and this one for the eye area is actually worth a look. This medium-weight cream contains glycolic acid (in a low enough concentration so it doesn't irritate), kojic acid (a skin lightener), and azelaic acid (a naturally occurring acid that helps the skin renew itself more quickly) to work on those dark circles, and safflower oil and shea butter to moisturize and make fine lines less noticeable. After using Under Eye Brightener twice daily for about a month, I do think my eyes look less tired and the darkness I've had in the corners and just under my eyes has diminished. Considering that you can choose from many department store and boutique eye creams that sell for much more and do much less, I think this one is a good choice at a decent price.

review: 2/00

You can find Peter Thomas Roth products online at Beauty Habit, Bliss Spa, Beautydoor.com and Sephora.com.

Oil Free Moisturizer ($40 for 1.7 ounces)
If you have oily or normal-to-oily skin, you will love this lightweight gel moisturizer. It feels very cool and refreshing on the skin, and it's perfect for any dry patches that need some extra attention (like from acne treatments) but not extra oil or greasiness. It's also not sticky or tacky and doesn't interfere with your makeup.

Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30 ($37 for 1.7 ounces)
This was of my favorite products of the summer, so much so that I have none left to take me into fall! If you are tired of sunscreens that are thick, smelly and stark white, give this one a try. It's light, absorbs quickly, and works for any skin type (drier skins can just layer it over their favorite moisturizer). I had no sensitivity problems with this, nor any acne flare-ups.

The active sunscreen ingredients in Max Sheer are octyl methoxycinnamate, avobenzone (Parsol 1789), octyl salicylate, and benzophenone-3.

You can find Peter Thomas Roth products online at Beautydoor.com, Beauty Habit, blissworld.com and Sephora.com.

review: 8/00