Review: Murad Intense Recovery Cream
The skincare world has really shifted its focus in recent times and the number of product campaigns shouting about being ‘anti-aging’ has seriously dwindled. It’s almost like going through a global pandemic has really reminded people that getting older isn’t really the worst thing that could happen to you… who’d have thought? There’s now a renewed focus on stress and the number of products beginning to focus on ‘stressed’ skin has really spiked. Whether that be from lifestyle, climate, diet, hormonal changes, overuse of strong products, wearing PPE, whatever the cause, rectifying the issue has become the new focus for marketing teams. Ordinarily, when campaigns sell us solutions to problems we didn’t even know we had, it gives me the irrits, but I’m one of the many people whose skin really benefits from soothing, nourishing and comforting ‘non-active’ skincare. Don’t get me wrong, actives definitely have their places, but this ‘gentler’ approach to skincare is providing me with some consistent MVPs in my routine, and I think the Murad Intense Recovery Cream is something I’ll be reaching for regularly.
What Makes It Special:
This is a really unique product, it has a consistency almost like a cleansing balm, but it’s actually a moisturiser so it’s used at the end of your routine. It’s thick and solid, but it warms immediately on contact and melts into a slippery, but not oily, indulgent and fluid consistency. The formula is a pale minty blue colour and contains Shea Butter and Macadamia Oil to hydrate and nourish, Microalgae to combat visible signs of stress in the skin and Mirabilis Jalapa Plant Extract to reduce redness and irritation. It also includes a long list of botanical inclusions such as Apple Fruit Extract, Basil Leaf Extract, Spearmint Leaf Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Turmeric Root Extract and Aloe Vera Flower Extract. And the smell! The scent of this product is incredible! Lush and herbal and watery and fresh, but it doesn’t linger on the skin at all. If anyone knows of any candles that smell like this then please let me know because I want my whole house to smell exactly like this!
Why I Like It:
It’s an incredibly nourishing and soothing balm, I’ve used this on irritated skin (dry and overheated skin from spending all day inside, but also during spouts of hay fever when my skin is angry and tight) and it works wonders on hydrating and nourishing without irritation. But I’ve also used this on regular days and it just gives a really hydrating and calming final layer. I use the Murad Intense Recovery Cream one of two ways, in the evening I use a small amount warmed between my fingers and press/rub it in place of moisturiser, or in the morning I use the tiniest scraping and add it into my daytime cream to give my skin that extra layer of nourishment. Because of the thickness and the finish, I tend to use this mostly at night; it means I wake up with really hydrated, plump and happy skin.
What I Don’t Like About It:
Nothing. I do wish it came in a travel-sized/deluxe sample-sized to test out first because it’s a pricey product to invest in without trialling first, but as for the product itself, it’s top tier.
Application:
I warm a pea-sized amount of Murad Intense Recovery Cream between my fingers for a few seconds and either press into my skin or gently rub it in like you would a moisturiser cream. You can also add a scraping of this to a ‘regular’ moisturiser to add a little oomph to lighter lotions. I think this would work best for dry to normal, and combination skins, but straight-up oily would probably need to apply this very sparingly because it does leave an indulgent slick on the skin. My skin drinks it up, but oily skin might not be quite so thirsty.
Product Claims:
Soothes the visible signs of skin stress, whether environmental or triggered by lifestyle – agree
Boost skin’s resilience so it comes back stronger – agree
Ingredients:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Betaine, Cetearyl Methicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Myristate, Stearyl Dimethicone, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Dimethicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycol Distearate, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Chlorella Emersonii Extract, Mirabilis Jalapa Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Xanthan Gum, Propanediol, Octadecene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Linalool
Available From:
Adore Beauty
Cult Beauty
Details:
50ml – $125 / £68
Repurchase:
Absolutely. I think the Murad Intense Recovery Cream is the kind of product that really shines in Winter when your skin is at its most parched but because this is so focused on calming irritation and signs of stress on the skin, it really is the kind of product you can use year-round. I’ve been using mine almost every day for over three months and I’m not even close to reaching the halfway point of the pot. A little really does go a very long way.
