Meaningful Beauty is Cindy Crawford’s line of skin and hair care products that feature a “rare melon extract” from the South of France that’s claimed to be the secret to her youthful, radiant skin.
Crawford was introduced to this melon extract by Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh, a French anti-aging specialist. Over 10 years ago, Cindy and Dr. Sebagh began collaborating to bring his anti-aging formulas to women all over the world. And that’s how Meaningful Beauty was born.
OUR TOP SKINCARE PICKS
| Rank | Brand | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrot & Stick | Review | |||||
| 2 | Formulyst | Review | |||||
| 3 | Skinceuticals | Review | |||||
| – | Meaningful Beauty |
But is there any research to support the benefits of this melon extract, or are these just marketing claims? Do Meaningful Beauty products contain any harmful ingredients? And what are customers saying about these products?
In this review, we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we evaluate the Meaningful Beauty ingredients based on research to give our take on whether or not these products are worth trying.
We’ll also share some Meaningful Beauty reviews from real customers to see what their feedback is on the results of these products.
What Are The Top 10 Best Meaningful Beauty Products?
The Meaningful Beauty product collection provides everything you need to build a skin care routine, including cleansers, toners, exfoliators, masks, eye creams, moisturizers, sunscreens, and serums. Here’s the details on the best-selling products:
Meaningful Beauty Youth Activating Melon Serum
One of the brand’s most popular products is the Youth Activating Melon Serum. Applying this serum is said to visibly increase firmness and elasticity while helping to protect the skin from future environmental damage.
Inside this serum you’ll find “encapsulated melon leaf stem cells” as a key ingredient. It’s theorized that plant-based stem cell factors can mimic the action of human stem cells, secreting the same growth factors to repair and regenerate the skin.
Another unique ingredient in this Meaningful Beauty serum is sea daffodil extract, which helps to even skin tone and enhance clarity by addressing the signs of age and sun-related pigmentation.
Meaningful Beauty Creme De Serum
Creme De Serum was formulated to combine the potency of a serum with the moisturizing effect of a cream. The formula combines the antioxidant benefits of a French melon extract with supporting ingredients like vitamin E, sodium hyaluronate, and peptides. You’ll notice that Creme De Serum has a very silky, soft feel upon application thanks to the high concentrations of silicones and emollients.
Meaningful Beauty Dark Spot Correcting Treatment
Like many dark spot treatments on the market, this Meaningful Beauty treatment features hydroquinone as the key ingredient. Hydroquinone fades dark spots by interfering with melanin production by the melanocytes.
Additional brightening ingredients in this treatment include glycolic acid (a type of alpha hydroxy acid), ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C derivative), and retinyl palmitate (vitamin A derivative).
This would be an ideal formulation for fading dark spots, however, we cannot recommend it because the formula contains two parabens and a synthetic fragrance blend.
Meaningful Beauty Skin Softening Cleanser
This mild, soap-free cleanser is formulated to maintain the skin’s natural pH balance while gently removing excess oil, impurities, makeup, and mascara. The formula contains sodium laureth sulfate as the key cleansing ingredient.
Despite the name’s similarity, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is known to cause skin irritation. Rather, SLES is a mild cleansing agent that can clean the skin without causing dryness, tightness, or irritation.
Overall, this is a basic cleanser that should get the job done, but there’s nothing particularly special about the formula.
Meaningful Beauty Ultra Lifting and Filling Treatment
The Ultra Lifting and Filling Treatment is a dual-action serum that promises to give skin a “visible lift”. Sound too good to be true? It might be, but there is one ingredient in this serum that should provide relatively fast results, and that’s Neodermyl.
Neodermyl consists of a blend of glycerin, copper lysinate/prolinate, and methylglucoside phosphate. After being absorbed into the skin, Neodermyl targets fibroblasts (cells that secrete collagen). Ultimately, Neodermyl triggers the essential elements needed to reactivate collagen and elastin.
Plus, Neodermyl works fast, demonstrating high clinical efficacy within 15 days, resulting in visible reduction of deep wrinkles and improvement of skin firmness.
Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum
The Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum contains a high concentration of hydrolyzed soy protein, which is a rich source of isoflavones. Isoflavones have a weak estrogenic effect and therefore may be able to increase skin thickness. Additional key ingredients in this serum include ascorbyl methylsilanol pectinate (a vitamin C derivative), kelp extract, pumpkin fruit extract, and vitamin E.
While these are all beneficial ingredients, we have to point out that the formula contains one paraben as the preservative and synthetic fragrance ingredients. In fact, this formula contains over 10 different synthetic fragrance ingredients, which have the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity.
Meaningful Beauty Lifting Eye Cream
The Meaningful Beauty Lifting Eye Cream has a very light, silky feel and applies smoothly without feeling greasy.
The fragrance-free formula features melon fruit extract as a key ingredient, as well as hydrating ingredients like glycerin, aloe vera leaf juice, bisabolol, and sodium hyaluronate.
There are also plenty of emollients and cholesterol in the formula to support the skin barrier, thereby keeping skin moisturized and healthy.
Meaningful Beauty Eye Enhancing Serum
The brand recommends using this Eye Enhancing Serum together with the Lifting Eye Cream. Two eye care products in one routine? Seems a little complicated to us.
We don’t think adding in this extra serum is necessary, especially since there’s nothing special about the formula. You’ll find key ingredients like silicones, synthetic emollients, melon fruit extract, and botanical hyaluronic acid in this serum.
Like we said, nothing particularly special that would justify purchasing a second eye care product.
Meaningful Beauty Anti-Aging Day Creme
Anyone who’s even a little bit interested in skin care knows the importance of a day cream that provides protection against the sun’s UV rays. It’s the best way to prevent the formation of lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.
You can protect your skin with the Meaningful Beauty Anti-Aging Day Creme, which provides broad spectrum SPF 30 protection thanks to chemical sunscreen ingredients (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, oxybenzone).
While these chemical sunscreen ingredients won’t leave a white cast like mineral sunscreens, research has shown that they are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream.
The verdict is still out on what effects these chemicals cause once in the bloodstream, however, if you want to avoid unnecessary chemicals in your body, you may want to skip this Meaningful Beauty product.
Meaningful Beauty Age Recovery Night Cream
If you’re trying to prevent or reduce signs of skin aging, then you’ve probably heard that it’s a good idea to add a retinol cream into your nightly routine.
Retinol is clinically proven to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve uneven skin tone, restore skin firmness, and shrink the appearance of enlarged pores.
If you want to reap these benefits, then the Meaningful Beauty Age Recovery Night Cream may be a good option for you. The formula not only contains retinol, but also antioxidant vitamins C and E. And of course the brand’s #1 key ingredient, French melon extract.
The only downside of retinol is that it can often lead to side effects like skin dryness, peeling, and irritation.
That’s why we recommend this Carrot & Stick The Retinoid Oil. It contains Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, an ingredient that provides similar benefits with less irritation.
What Are The Ingredients in Meaningful Beauty Products?
There’s one key ingredient that’s used throughout the entire collection of Meaningful Beauty products, and that’s melon fruit extract. So is there any research to back up the benefits of this ingredient? We’ll answer that question below.
French Melon Extract
On the Meaningful Beauty website, the brand shares that the secret to Cindy Crawford’s healthy beautiful skin and hair is a rare melon extract from the South of France that contains Superoxide Dismutase (SOD).
SOD is an antioxidant enzyme found in all living cells. Antioxidants limit oxidative damage caused by free radicals, the unstable molecules that contribute to the formation of premature wrinkles and fine lines on the skin.
Specifically, SOD catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide free radical into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.
When SOD is applied to the skin, it has been shown to protect cell membranes and type I collagen from free radical damage. Ultimately, this helps to prevent fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots.
Research also indicates that superoxide dismutase may help with wound healing, soften scar tissue, and protect against UV rays.
A 2018 controlled clinical study published in the journal Nutrients investigated the potential skin photoprotective effects of a food supplementation and a topical administration of a melon concentrate alone or in combination.
The study was conducted with four test groups including the placebo group, the active cream group, the active supplement group, and the double active group.
Results from this study demonstrated a significant increase of minimal erythema dose (MED) after melon concentrate application and supplementation compared to the placebo group. This means the melon concentrate had a photoprotective effect due to the antioxidant superoxide dismutase.
Overall, there is evidence to support the benefits of the French melon extract in the Meaningful Beauty products.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is another key ingredient that you’ll find used in several Meaningful Beauty products, including the Dark Spot Correcting Treatment and the Glowing Serum.
In our opinion, vitamin C is one of the best ingredients for your skin because it’s a true multi-tasker, functioning as an antioxidant, a skin-brightening ingredient, and a key player in collagen synthesis.
As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules generated by sun exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors. By combating free radicals, vitamin C helps protect the skin from oxidative stress and premature aging.
Furthermore, recent research published in the journal Nutrients suggests that when vitamin C is applied to the skin, it significantly reverses aging-related structural changes by influencing collagen synthesis.
Lastly, vitamin C helps to promote a brighter complexion with fewer dark spots and a more even skin tone by inhibiting melanin synthesis. Melanin is a pigment that gives our skin color, but too much of this pigment can lead to undesirable dark spots called hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C decreases melanin formation by inhibiting tyrosinase, an enzyme that is required for melanin synthesis.
Our favorite Vitamin C serum is Carrot & Stick The Defence Serum. It contains 3 distinct types of Vitamin C that work together to help fight free radical damage. We recommend using it every morning.
Botanical Extracts
Aside from the French melon extract, the Meaningful Beauty skin care products include plenty of other botanical extracts.
The brand uses oils like jojoba oil and sweet almond oil, which function as excellent emollients to soften and moisturize skin.
Plus, jojoba oil is also great for balancing your skin’s oil production, whether you have dry or oily skin. That’s because jojoba oil mimics the skin’s natural sebum more closely than any other oil!
There’s also extracts that offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, such as orchid, pumpkin, aloe vera, sea daffodil, and more.
The anti-inflammatory properties of these extracts not only help to calm and soothe skin, but also help promote more youthful skin because chronic inflammation is linked to signs of premature aging.
Synthetic Fragrance
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that nearly all of the Meaning Beauty products contain synthetic fragrance ingredients.
We aren’t fans of any type of fragrance because whether the fragrance is natural or synthetic it has the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity reactions.
Another problem is that the brand can use a proprietary blend of chemicals to create the synthetic fragrance, and they do not have to disclose which chemicals they use on the label. They are allowed to list this blend as “Fragrance (Parfum)” on the ingredient list.
A 2018 study by Women’s Voices for the Earth discovered that in over 3,000 chemicals reportedly used for fragrances, 1,242 were chemicals of concern – and that included at least 7 possible carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents.
Overall, we are disappointed that the Meaningful Beauty skincare products contain fragrance.
Where to Buy Meaningful Beauty Products?
Meaningful Beauty products are sold on the brand’s website (meaningfulbeauty.com), as well as several third party online retailers such as Ulta, QVC, and Amazon.
What is The Meaningful Beauty Return Policy?
Meaningful Beauty offers a 60-day money back guarantee. The policy states, “If for any reason you’re not completely satisfied, just return the containers within 60 days of receipt, and you’ll get a full refund of the purchase price (minus shipping and handling), even if the bottles are empty.”
Is Meaningful Beauty Cruelty Free?
Yes, Meaningful Beauty is Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free.
Meaningful Beauty Reviews
We went over to Amazon.com to read Meaningful Beauty reviews because, in our opinion, Amazon provides a more reliable source for genuine customer reviews compared to a brand’s official website.
On Amazon.com, the Youth Activating Melon Serum has received over 2,600 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
There’s plenty of 5-star Meaningful Beauty reviews that mention how the serum helps to tighten, firm, and brighten skin.
For example, one review says, “It seems to be working, I didn’t have wrinkles on my face but turkey neck, and it has tightened the skin there.”
Another 5-star review says, “Love love love this product! Skin looks so youthful and bright.”
Click on the 1-star Meaningful Beauty reviews and the complaints are due to the pricing, subscription delivery method, and the general effectiveness of the product.
Some reviewers say they broke out in a rash or hives, while others felt the products did nothing for their skin.
For example, one review says “Honestly? I expected something a little better. But it was no different than anything I would get at a drugstore. I would not buy it again, total waste of money.”
Despite Crawford’s endorsement, skeptics among the users doubted that Meaningful Beauty alone was responsible for her ageless appearance.
For example, one review says, “I think Cindy Crawford has beautiful skin to begin with. That makes it much easier.”
Does Meaningful Beauty Really Work?
Based on the product formulations, it seems that these products work to lessen the appearance of lines and wrinkles thanks to the antioxidant SOD in the French melon extract that’s used throughout the product line.
However, based on the Meaningful Beauty reviews that we read, it’s clear that these products don’t work for everyone.
Our Verdict
Overall, we don’t recommend Meaningful Beauty products because the formulations contain synthetic fragrances and dyes, parabens, and low concentrations of key ingredients.
Pros
- Research supports the antioxidant properties of melon fruit extract
- Many positive Meaningful Beauty reviews
- 60-day money back guarantee
- Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free
Cons
- Some products contain synthetic fragrances and dyes
- Some products contain parabens
- Some products contain low concentrations of key ingredients
What Are Some Alternatives to Meaningful Beauty Products?
If you’re looking for skincare products to address the signs of aging, we recommend Carrot & Stick. Carrot & Stick maximizes the use of powerful ingredients and minimizes the use of superficial ones, resulting in advanced skincare solutions that help promote healthy, more youthful-looking skin.
One serum we recommend is Carrot & Stick The Repair Serum. The formula contains a proprietary blend of plant-based peptides and neuropeptides that work together to promote smoother, more radiant-looking skin while soothing and brightening botanicals impart an ageless glow.
Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B9 deliver an instant boost of hydration as a blend of synthesized, natural plant growth factors that encourage natural cell turnover and nutrient absorption to nourish and transform dull, uneven-looking skin.
References:
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology “Hydroquinone”
JAMA. 2019;321(21):2082-2091.
Nutrients. 2018 Apr; 10(4): 437.
Nutrients. 2017 Aug; 9(8): 866.
