PRODUCT REVIEW
Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer
A $75 moisturizer built on DMAE — whose main advocate is the man selling it, and whose firming is temporary tightening.
Key facts
Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer at a glance.
DMAE + tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate + vitamin E
Key active
Lightweight cream
Texture
$75 list (often discounted)
Approximate price
2 oz
Size
$75.00
Price
Moisturizer
Type
What is it?
Top things to know about Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer
- Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer is a light face cream sold in a jar, listed at $75 for 2 ounces and discounted almost everywhere. It is a moisturizer with a firming claim, and nothing in it resurfaces skin.
- The formula is built around dimethyl MEA, listed as DMAE, the ingredient the brand is known for. Behind it sit kukui nut oil and ethylhexyl palmitate as emollients, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, a stable oil-soluble vitamin C derivative, and vitamin E. It also contains fragrance and four declared allergens: citronellol, geraniol, eugenol and hydroxycitronellal.
A decent light cream built on an ingredient I would not pay for. The evidence that DMAE firms skin is thin and tied to the brand selling it, and the tightening people feel is temporary, not structural. Buy it as a moisturizer if you like the texture. For firmness with evidence, use a retinoid.
— Dr. Schwarz
Skin fit
Is it right for your skin?
Normal Skin
As a plain daily moisturizer it is pleasant, light and quick to absorb. That is what you are buying.
Dry Skin
Kukui nut oil and ethylhexyl palmitate fill the gaps between surface cells so skin feels smooth. Nothing seals strongly, so very dry skin will want something heavier at night.
Sun Damage
People do report skin looking tighter, and they are not imagining it. The tightening is a surface effect that wears off, not a change in the collagen underneath. For photoaging that lasts, sunscreen and a retinoid are the two with real evidence.
Texture
What it feels like on skin.
Cream
It is a light cream that absorbs quickly and leaves a smooth finish rather than a dewy one. The tightened feeling comes on within minutes and then wears off. That sensation is the product's whole reputation, and it is temporary. It is scented, and it carries citronellol, geraniol, eugenol and hydroxycitronellal, declared because they are common allergens. It comes in a jar, so scoop with clean hands.
Alternatives
If this isn’t the right product for you
Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Moisturizer
Fragrance-free with niacinamide third in the list, $25 to $29. Better evidenced, far cheaper, safer if you react to scent.
Naturium Multi-Peptide Moisturizer
About $20, fragrance-free, with a comfortable jojoba base. Neither firms skin lastingly, but this one costs a fraction and has no fragrance.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Also expensive at $68 for 50 ml, but fragrance-free and essential-oil-free. Recalled in 2024 for contamination, which the company disclosed itself.
Ingredients · Interactive
What’s in it, and where each ingredient works.
Full ingredient list · 32 ingredients, in label order. Click one.
The base the other ingredients are dissolved in. Most of it evaporates soon after the product goes on.
A small humectant. It moves into the outer layer of skin and holds water there.
A fatty alcohol that softens skin and thickens the product. Despite the name, it is not drying.
A silicone that smooths the surface and adds to the protective film.
The preservative. It stops bacteria and mold from growing in the product.
Vitamin E, an antioxidant. Here it mainly keeps the oils in the product from going rancid.
How to use it
How to use it.
How to apply it
- How muchA pea-sized amount for the face and neck. It spreads a long way.
- CarefulCheck the box. There are three near-identical versions — the plain one, an SPF 30 and a tinted SPF 30 — and only the SPF ones protect you from the sun.
What to expect
- What to expectA tighter, smoother look within an hour, which fades. Anything lasting longer is the moisturizing, not firming.
Questions
Common questions.
Does Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer contain fragrance?
Yes. Parfum plus citronellol, geraniol and eugenol — declared allergens.
Does the DMAE in Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer firm skin long term?
The evidence is thin. The tightening you feel is temporary.
Does Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer contain peptides?
No. The chip mentions them, but they are not on the ingredient list.
Why is the price of Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer confusing?
The $75 list price is often discounted, so most people pay less.
Are there different versions of Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer?
Yes. A plain version, an SPF 30, and a tinted SPF 30. Check the box.
References
Sources.
- 1. Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDC) Degrades Rapidly under Oxidative Stress but Can Be Stabilized by Acetyl Zingerone to Enhance Collagen Production and Antioxidant Effects (https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/16/8756) — Confirms tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is an oil-soluble (lipid-soluble) ascorbic acid precursor with improved stability and ability to penetrate the lipophilic stratum corneum, backing the page's description of it as a legitimate, oil-soluble, comparatively stable vitamin C derivative. Link
- 2. Hydroquinone-Free, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate Antioxidant Serum for Hyperpigmented and Photodamaged Skin to Achieve Skin Health (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13058394/) — A randomized double-blind controlled trial describing THD ascorbate as a lipid-soluble derivative of ascorbic acid with superior stability and demonstrating antioxidant and anti-aging efficacy, supporting the claim that THDA is one of the better-evidenced vitamin C derivatives. Link
- 3. The Role of Dimethylaminoethanol in Cosmetic Dermatology (https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00128071-200506010-00005) — An industry-authored review (author affiliated with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products) that rests DMAE's skin-firming case largely on a single placebo-controlled trial, supporting the page's point that the DMAE firming evidence is thin and largely brand/industry-associated. Link
- 4. Split face study on the cutaneous tensile effect of 2-dimethylaminoethanol (deanol) gel (https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0846.2002.10295.x) — A small (30-volunteer) randomized double-blind split-face study finding that a 3% DMAE gel produced a measurable increase in skin firmness, supporting that the tightening effect users report is real and measurable while illustrating the limited scale of the independent evidence. Link