Cosmetics Cage Match: Boots Botanics VS Dr. Brandt
By Glinda
In this corner: Boots Botanics Intensive Wrinkle Reduction Serum
In the other corner: Dr. Brandt Collagen Booster
Both of these serums, meant to be worn every day under regular moisturizer, purport to boost collagen production, firm skin, and reduce wrinkles.
I’ll be using three criteria to declare a winner.
The winner will be the serum that 1) Feels best on the skin. 2) Produces a noticeable difference in skin appearance, anywhere from reduction in fine lines to plain old “healthier looking.” This, of course, is highly subjective. 3) Value for the money.
First up we have Boots Botanics. In the beginning of this blog, I was surprised by a bunch of Boots No. 7 love that was being thrown out there by readers. Impressed with the praise but unfamiliar with the brand, it wasn’t until I got back home from the store that I realized I had bought the Botanics line and not the No. 7 line, but I was too lazy to take it back.
Both products were used for three weeks, with a two week “breather” period in between to make sure that I wasn’t attributing the effects of the first serum onto the second.
So, on to the fight!
The Boots Botanic serum felt lovely on my skin. It has a very velvety texture that I liked a lot. It seemed to absorb well into the skin, although I certainly wouldn’t use it in place of a moisturizer.
Dr. Brandt Collagen Booster has a more gel-like texture, but it also absorbed well. To be honest, it seemed like I could feel it on my skin during the day, as opposed to the Boots, which does a nice disappearing act once applied. It also felt a bit tingly the first few applications, but that wore off after about two days.
Point to Boots!
Boots Botanic has somewhat reduced the two fairly prominent (to me, anyway) vertical frown lines on my forehead that I am using as a performance barometer. It seemed like they went away to a point, and then the serum just sort of threw its hands up in defeat. My skin doesn’t look very bright, but I would have to say it looks better than before I began using it.
Dr. Brandt’s Collagen Booster made a rather shocking impact on those stubborn wrinkles. They all but disappeared. I had to really get close to the mirror to see them. It was this short of amazing.
It also seemed like my skin was brighter and younger looking.
Point to Dr. Brandt’s!
Now, value for the money.
This is where the opponents are both getting dizzy and it looks like they are both ready to pass out from sheer exhuastion.
Because although the Boots Botanics did not perform as well overall in affecting the actual look of my skin, it only costs about fourteen bucks for one fluid ounce.
The Dr. Brandt Collagen Booster costs $75.00 for one fluid ounce.
Is the Dr. Brandt really worth $61.oo more a pop?
Even though I have say that the Dr. Brandt is a better product than the Boots Botanics, (as well it should be for that much money!) I have a truly hard time heartily recommending a product that is so very pricey. At this stage in my personal wrinkle game, I am loathe to spend that amount. I can’t say that at some point a few years down the road that I won’t change my tune, though.
Ding, ding, ding…
A draw!
March 10th, 2011 at 8:59 am
I love the Boots lines because they are meant to be a “house brand” that competes with the far more pricey lines on the market. And usually, they are very good–as you’ve found out for yourself (my latest Boots love affair is with their version of Coup d’Eclat–the YSL “concealer” that works brilliantly but costs quite a lot of money. The Boots No 7 version, which I picked up for $4 on sale, does exactly the same job and means money to have a spendy lunch with a girlfriend too!). So thank you for the comparison and the links to product photos.
Which brings me to my concern–both of these products contain parabens, and we know these are carcinogenic. I take this information with a grain of salt, because they’re ubiquitous, and they have been for ever, and worse ingredients are used in make up all the time (like the bismuth previously mentioned). But when I see one product full of them promoting itself as a product whose proceeds benefit the Cancer and Careers Foundation (really? What percentage of the sales? What does that money directly fund? Why that foundation, who runs it? etc. etc), and that product sells for $75 an ounce, my hackles rise. I’d want to avoid the Dr. Brandt just for that marketing ploy.
March 10th, 2011 at 11:50 am
As I’m of a Certain Age where I need more than just a pick me up, I’ve ordered the Dr. Brandt for my own research! And at spalook.com, it’s on for 60 bucks…not a lot to pay in the hardcore wrinkle minimizer line.
March 13th, 2011 at 6:21 am
I don’t know if the US has Aldi supermarkets like the UK, Europe and Australia but I can highly recommend their Q10 day and night creams, each sell for less than $10 in Australia and less than two-quid in the UK.
Here’s a UK Daily Mail piece on the product from back in 2008. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-512340/Forget-Botox-try-award-winning-1-89-anti-ageing-cream-thats-flying-supermarket-shelves.html
March 13th, 2011 at 6:31 am
Oh, the wonders of teh interwebs. The US does have Aldi – but why are your face creams half the price of ours. Hmmmm.