Perricone MD ~ OVM Review

I was excited and conflicted when Perricone MD offered to send me a sample of their latest cream, OVM to try. I’d wanted to try Perricone products, but the price point is a bit out of my comfort zone. As you may or may not know, my anti-aging philosophy is to use lower cost topicals (creams & serums) and save my pennies for the expensive treatments that really work (like botox or lasers)! But, since they offered, I figured, why not review the doctor’s new product?

The Product: Perricone MD OVM ~ $165 for 2 oz.

The cream is called OVM (pronounced Ohm), and it’s an eggshell membrane anti-aging treatment that promises plumper, firmer, less wrinkled skin without any irritation, redness or flaking. It comes in a very basic matte white jar. The product itself is a pale yellow, fluffy cream that has a distinctive scent that I can only really describe as “funky”, but the scent dissipates quickly and after the first week, it didn’t bother me anymore. Consistency wise, it’s a light fluffy cream that becomes very liquidy when applied to the skin, so a little bit goes a long way.

Before you laugh at the idea of eggshell membrane in skincare, let me just say that eggshell membrane is made up mostly of collagen, glucosamine, condroitin, and protein. . . all things our bodies use for plumping skin and conditioning joints. But don’t worry, the retrieval of eggshell membrane is a recycling process that uses parts of the egg that would otherwise be thrown away.

The Claims:

According to their marketing, “OVM helps to reduce the appearance of dry, fine lines, wrinkles, and pores. In a consumer use study after four weeks of use, 88% reported their skin appeared firmer, 84% noticed improved texture, 84% saw renewed radiance, and 95% agreed that their skin was smoother and softer.”

Dr. Perricone recommends smoothing liberally on cleansed skin in the morning. Wait a few moments and follow with an SPF moisturizer.

First Impressions:

I used OVM on my face and neck in the morning every day for 30 days. It spreads easily, but it stays tacky and a bit sticky for about a minute after applying. But, once it’s dried down it feels smooth to the touch, but it’s very shiny. If their definition of “radiance” is shine, then I can see why 84% say they saw renewed “radiance”. Unfortunately, I’m not into anything that leaves my face shiny, and the shine in this product somehow penetrates through everything I put on over it including foundation, so I had to add a step of mattifying powder every day to tone down the shine.

30 Day Results:

I’m going to break down the results into two areas, face and neck because I had different results on each.

Face: I didn’t really notice any improvement in wrinkles, texture, or firmness on my face and I actually think all that shine works against seeing improvement because for me the shine accentuates every wrinkle and pore. Plus, I’m already using retin-a, vitamin c, and glycolic acid on my face so I don’t think it improved or enhanced the results I’m getting from those.

Neck: I feel like my neck is the better barometer of how well this cream works because I’ve had to stop using retin-a, vitamin c, and glycolic acid on my neck since I developed a sensitivity to them and my neck became red, itchy, dry, and irritated. So, this is the area where I was pretty pleased with the results and felt the product lived up to its claims! First, and most impressive was the total lack of irritation. I was able to use this cream daily without any sensitivity so the redness and itchiness went away. It also reduced the surface wrinkles and seemed to plump the skin a bit.

Before & After Pictures:

So, while I’m not totally in love with it because of the shine and the smell, I do see some results (on my neck at least). If you’re unable to use retin-a because of irritation and you like that “dewey” look, this could be a good product for you (providing you’re good with the hefty price tag)!