UPDATE Jan 2020: Read more about the Old LaLa vs the New LaLa and the new moisturizer I love better than both LaLa Retro or Protini 🙂 

I’m a huge fan of Drunk Elephant skin care for my sensitive skin. This is a great brand that truly understands skin sensitivity. I so appreciate that they don’t use ingredients like petrolatum, FRAGRANCE :), BHT, hydroquinone, PEGs, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicones and even essential oils. Yes. even essential oils can irritate those of us with sensitive skin and scent sensitivities.

I can totally relate to their mission and while I love when I can use only organic ingredients to accomplish a huge skin care endeavor, I really appreciate their perspective (and that they also focus on pH balance)

Drunk Elephant is committed to using only clean ingredients that either directly benefit the skin’s health or support the integrity and effectiveness of our formulations. We never take into account an ingredient’s synthetic or natural status, but instead choose based on biocompatibility

Drunk Elephant Protini™ Polypeptide Cream vs LaLa Retro™ Whipped Cream Review

DE Lala Retro cream was my top 3 moisturizers of 2017 so of course, I jumped at the chance to try the newest member of the Drunk Elephant family, Protini Polypeptide Cream.

Commonalities between Drunk Elephant Protini and LaLa Retro Cream

• Both are contained in a unique but sometimes awkward dispenser. Great for having on your vanity but difficult to travel with or dispense into other containers for easy travel.
• Both supposedly help to brighten skin and lighten age and sunspots (per the packaging and website copy). TBD effectiveness of this claim for Protini for me; I don’t think LaLa Retro particularly helped in this department.
• Both have no smell. #praisebe!!!!
• Both creams are excellent for sensitive skin like mine
• Both products are cruelty free and support the International Elephant Fund
• Both claim to improve skin’s firmness
• Both clean beauty creams are white and blend in well into the skin

Unique Qualities of Drunk Elephant Protini and LaLa Retro Moisturizers

These clean moisturizers both feel great but contain significantly varied ingredients.

LaLa retro formulation is based on a blend of 6 African oils: marula oil, mongogo oil, ximenia oil, baobob oil, kalahari melon oil and passion fruit (more on these oils in a later post!). Augment these restorative oils with green tea seed, plantain extract and a small molecular salt of hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer) and you’ve got one majorly protective cream! I use Drunk Elephant LaLa Retro at night to lock in moisture and all my yummy serums.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide cream is thinner and more emollient; I’m more likely to use this instead of LaLa Retro during the day under my favorite non-toxic SPF sunscreen. DE Protini is better suited for mixing with serums or other skin care as well. Protini focuses on many (9!) peptides and amino acids to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. I wish I remembered from chemistry in high school…then I might remember what a peptide is!

The plumping and restorative Protini cream definitely leaves a soft pillowy feeling on my skin. It’s infused with pygmy waterlilly extract (I’ll have to keep a lookout for this ingredient in the future) and a special amino acid that I’m really excited about! According to DrunkElephant.com acetyl glutamine is  “an amino acid that is a skin-identical and skin-repairing ingredient that can be effective for reversing past damage; has an inhibitory effect on melanin production”. My melasma and dark spots have been significantly reduced lately; maybe Protini is playing a bigger role than I thought!

Do you need to own both LaLa Retro and Drunk Elephant Protini?

From a budget standpoint, you probably don’t want to buy both 🙂 After a few weeks of using Protini, with my experience I would suggest buying Protini and spending money on Drunk Elephants Marula oil over the LaLa Retro. You could then mix the marula oil into the Protini or layer the oil on top to lock in moisture on your face.

I have been focusing more on supporting collagen production lately so from that perspective Protini would be choice as well if I could only choose one.