Cipher 88mph is one of the most surprising products I’ve ever tried
Actives:
- liposomal retinal 0,2%
- salicylic acid
- xymenynic acid, ectoin, panthenol, glycyrrhetinic acid esters, madecassoside, bisabolol (soothing)
- ceramides, vegan cholesterol
- PAD, undecyloyl phenylalanine (depigmentation)
- vitamin C, oryzanol, hyperforin-standardized St John’s wort extract (antioxidants)
- signal peptide
- biotech-derived vegan collagen, GAGs, hyaluronic acid (humectants)
On application:
A lipid, non-absorbing concentrate/wash-off mask that’s beautifully amber-orange in colour. Fragrance-free. Easy to spread around. The brand recommends starting from 2 minutes of exposure to 2-4pumps, while as an advanced user I’m easily at a 15 minutes mark with no irritation. Washing it off is easy, because it emulsifies a bit and comes right off. The skin feels quite soft afterwards.
My thoughts:
While I constantly eye-roll at influencers absolutely overselling their fave products it’s my turn to absolutely gush over a product. It’s so innovative, so unexpected, so subversive, so perfected! Thankfully I have a few arguments to back it up.
First of all – the texture??? A lipid-rich microemulsion in which the lipid phase is actually made of lipid-rich ingredients, and not some cheap emollients that don’t really offer the same lipid compositions as this one. And you can feel that from the first application. Then you notice the INCI which is absolutely, criminally, eye-wateringly stacked. It’s the Henry Cavill of INCI lists.
And the most impressive part is that it’s such an unashamedly niche product it’s genius. As most mainstream trends focus on overstimulation of the skin with increasingly active products (taking quite a few skins as victims), this product delivers power in a smart, non-aggressive way. Wash-off method of short contact retinoid therapy is effective and can help with tolerance, especially in skins that won’t respond to leave-on retinoids well.
As you may know, I didn’t have the best response to my previous retinoid, the Medik8 R-retinoate Intense. My skin really didn’t enjoy it, and when I switched to 88mph… it was back at its best state, more resilient, less irritated! This doesn’t induce any irritation, as I used it for 10-15 minutes on shaving days. And being wash-off – this can be combined with other active products so easily!
For you, if: you have problems with tolerating retinoids, like wash-off masks, or want a very multitasking retinal.
Not for you, if: you don’t like to use wash-off products, or don’t have problems with leave-on retinoids.
Buy it here: https://cipherskincare.com/product/88mph/
