The research behind our Anti-Ageing Collection Box
How a three-step routine for face and eyes works, the research behind each product in the box, and what none of it proves.
A good anti-ageing routine doesn't need seven steps. It needs the right three, in the right order, used every day. That's the idea behind the Anti-Ageing Collection Box: a serum, an eye cream and a day cream, designed to layer.
This guide explains how the three work together and goes through the research behind each product. If you only want the set, the collection page has everything in one place.
01Why three steps
Each product in the box has one clear job. The Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum carries the actives in a light texture that reaches clean skin first. The Smoothing Eye Cream looks after the thinnest skin on your face with ingredients chosen for it. The Anti-Age Day Cream seals everything in with hyaluronic acid, butters and oils, and leaves a smooth base for sunscreen.
Three steps is enough to cover treatment, the eye area and hydration, and few enough that most people keep doing it every morning. Consistency is what turns products into results.
02Why the eye area gets its own product
The skin around the eyes is among the thinnest on the body, with fewer oil glands, and it moves thousands of times a day. It shows dryness and fine lines first, and it's more reactive to strong ingredients and heavy textures. A dedicated eye cream uses a lighter texture and ingredients chosen for that area. Eye cream or eye serum? goes into the options.
03The order, and why
| Step | Product | Why here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum | Thinnest texture, goes on clean skin |
| 2 | Smoothing Eye Cream | Before the richer cream, so it stays where you put it |
| 3 | Anti-Age Day Cream | Seals in hydration; smooth base for SPF |
| 4 | SPF 30 or higher | Always last in the morning |
04How we rate the evidence
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Human trial | People used it and it was measured, ideally against a comparison. |
| Small human test | A short test on a few volunteers, often inside a larger study. |
| Review | A summary of earlier studies. |
| Lab | Cells in a dish. Mechanism, not results on a face. |
| Maker's data | Tests run or paid for by the company that sells the ingredient. |
None of these studies tested the collection. It doesn't have its own consumer testing yet, so we don't show results for it.
05Hexapeptide-11
Hexapeptide-11
Evidence: lab + small human testHexapeptide-11 is a six-amino-acid peptide (phenylalanine, valine, alanine, proline, phenylalanine, proline) first isolated from yeast and now made to high purity. It's the hero of the serum in the box.
- Sklirou A.D. et al. Hexapeptide-11 is a novel modulator of the proteostasis network in human diploid fibroblasts. Redox Biol 5:205–215, 2015. Read the source
06Horse chestnut, around the eyes
Horse chestnut seed extract and escin
Evidence: small human studyMore in the research behind our Smoothing Eye Cream.
- Fujimura T. et al. A horse chestnut extract, which induces contraction forces in fibroblasts, is a potent anti-aging ingredient. J Cosmet Sci 57(5):369–376, 2006. Read the source
07Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid
Evidence: human trial- Pavicic T. et al. Efficacy of cream-based novel formulations of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights in anti-wrinkle treatment. J Drugs Dermatol 10(9):990–1000, 2011.
The Pavicic trial was done around the eye, which makes it directly relevant to the eye cream, and hyaluronic acid appears in the serum and day cream too. It's the thread that runs through the whole routine.
08Sodium PCA
Sodium PCA
Evidence: reviewPCA is the largest single part of the skin's natural moisturising factor, the mix of small molecules that holds water in the outer layer. A 1981 review (Clar and Fourtanier) found creams with at least 2% PCA or PCA salt improved dry skin in short and long-term use. It is an older review, much of it the authors' own work, and our percentage isn't published. There's more in the research behind our moisturiser.
- Clar E.J., Fourtanier A. Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and the skin. Int J Cosmet Sci 3(3):101–113, 1981.
09The marine ferment
Alteromonas ferment extract
Evidence: lab + maker's volunteer test- Borel M., Lamarque E., Loing E. Unique natural exopolysaccharides for biomimetic protective effect against urban pollution. J Cosmet Sci 68(1):126–132, 2017. Read the source
10Aloe, the base
Organic aloe leaf juice
Evidence: small human trialAloe leaf juice is the first ingredient, so it's the largest single part of the formula; it replaces plain water as the base. In a two-week study of 20 women (Dal'Belo et al., 2006), creams containing freeze-dried aloe raised the water content of the skin's outer layer. It was a small forearm study and says nothing about lines.
- Dal'Belo S.E. et al. Moisturizing effect of cosmetic formulations containing Aloe vera extract in different concentrations. Skin Res Technol 12(4):241–246, 2006.
11The supporting ingredients
The serum adds 1% ginkgo biloba extract and dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline; the eye cream adds plant lipids related to ceramides and black tea extract; the day cream adds betaine, shea butter, avocado oil and organic berry and flower extracts. Their evidence ranges from lab studies to makers' own data, and we describe each in full in the research articles for the individual products.
Read more: the serum research, the eye cream research and the day cream research.
12The mineral pigments
The serum has a soft peach tint from iron oxides; the day cream contains mica, titanium dioxide and tin oxide for a soft, radiant finish. Those effects are optical and instant. The lasting benefits of the routine come from hydration built up over weeks.
13As a gift
All three products arrive together in one box, so the collection is ready to give without extra wrapping. It suits anyone who wants a gentle routine without vitamin A. Because all three are scented, check whether the person you're buying for prefers fragrance-free skincare.
If you're not sure of someone's skin, the collection is a safer gift than a single strong active: everything in it is gentle and designed for daily use.
14Collection or duo?
| Performance Duo | Collection Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Serum + day cream | Serum + eye cream + day cream |
| Eye area | Not included | Smoothing Eye Cream |
| Best for | The essentials | A complete morning routine |
If you already have an eye cream you like, the Anti-Ageing Performance Duo covers the essentials. For evenings, our Collagen Anti-Age Night Cream completes the routine.
15Building a full day around the box
The collection covers your morning. In the evening, use the serum and eye cream again, then a richer cream: our Collagen Anti-Age Night Cream is designed for that, or keep using the day cream if your skin isn't dry. If you want a retinol alternative at night, press in a few drops of our Natural Retinol Alternative Oil Serum as the last step. Once a week, a gentle scrub helps everything spread more evenly.
16What each product does on its own
| Product | Used alone | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum | Works under any moisturiser | The day cream on top |
| Smoothing Eye Cream | A complete eye step | After the serum, before cream |
| Anti-Age Day Cream | A complete moisturiser | Over the serum, under SPF |
None of the three depends on the others, which makes the set flexible: if you run out of one, the other two still work. They're simply designed to be best together.
That flexibility is also useful when you travel or change seasons. In summer, some people drop the day cream to a thinner layer and rely more on the serum; in winter, they add a night cream and a face oil around the same three steps. The core routine stays the same, which is exactly what makes it easy to keep. And because every product is full size, you won't run out of one step weeks before the others, the way you often do with sets of minis.
17If your skin is sensitive
All three products are scented, each differently. The serum declares Linalool, Geraniol and Citronellol; the eye cream declares Limonene, Linalool, Coumarin and Geraniol; the day cream declares Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Citral and Linalool. If your skin is reactive, introduce one product at a time, a week apart, and patch test each on your inner forearm for five days first. That way, if something doesn't suit you, you'll know which one.
18How long it lasts
Used every morning and evening, the serum and day cream last around two months; the eye cream, at a rice grain per use, may last a little longer. If you subscribe, the collection arrives on your chosen interval at 10% off with free delivery, and you can skip or change it at any time.
19How to use it
| Step | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleanse | Cleanse |
| 2 | Serum, two pumps | Serum, two pumps |
| 3 | Eye cream, a rice grain | Eye cream, a rice grain |
| 4 | Day cream | Night cream or day cream |
| 5 | SPF 30 or higher | Nothing else needed |
Give each layer a moment to settle. The set lasts around two months with daily use; the eye cream may last a little longer. Judge the results at eight to twelve weeks.
20What to expect, week by week
| When | What you're likely to notice |
|---|---|
| Day one | Softer, more comfortable skin and a radiant finish |
| Weeks 1–2 | Hydration builds across face and eyes |
| Weeks 4–8 | A smoother, more even look with daily use |
| Week 12 | A fair test for the look of fine lines |
These are typical timelines for a hydrating peptide routine, not results from testing on the collection.
21How to choose an anti-ageing set
22For men
Nothing in the collection is gendered. The serum is light, the eye cream sits well under nothing at all, and the day cream's radiant finish is subtle. All three suit anyone who wants a simple, gentle routine.
23Who it suits
It suits you if you want a complete morning routine for face and eyes; retinol irritated you; you want products designed to layer; or you're buying a gift. Skip it, or check first, if you need fragrance-free products; your skin is very oily; you're pregnant and haven't asked your doctor; or you want the best-evidenced option for lines, which is retinol.
24Routine myths
25What it adds up to
The Collection Box is a complete, gentle morning routine for face and eyes. Hyaluronic acid runs through all three products, the eye cream brings an eye-area study, and the serum's peptide adds an early but plausible active. We've been clear about which effects are optical and which build over time, and about which products are certified.
If you want the simplest complete routine you'll actually keep, this is the set we'd point you to.
It also takes the guesswork out of buying. Instead of matching three products from different ranges and hoping the textures and scents get along, you get a routine that was designed as one, with every ingredient published and every claim explained.
Start with all three for two weeks in the same order every morning, then add a night cream in the evening if your skin is dry. Keep the routine unchanged and judge it at twelve weeks, the point at which texture and fine lines have had a fair chance to respond.
26Your questions, answered
What's in the Anti-Ageing Collection Box?
A 30 ml Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum, a 15 ml Smoothing Eye Cream and a 50 ml Anti-Age Day Cream, all full size.
What order do I use them in?
Serum, eye cream, day cream, then SPF in the morning.
Is it a good gift?
Yes. All three arrive together in one box.
Is the whole set certified?
The serum and eye cream are COSMOS Natural. The day cream's certification hasn't been stated to us.
Collection or duo?
The duo is the serum and day cream; the collection adds the eye cream.
Does the 60-Day Promise apply?
Yes, on your first order, conditions apply, one set per claim.
This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. Cosmetic product: all claims describe the appearance of skin.