Google Searches For This Moisturizer Are Up 1000% — But Does It Work?

'Tis the season for toggling between the internet's best pie recipes and Black Friday deals on your favorite device, so we weren't exactly surprised when Google reported electronics among the most searched products online this month. But among it is a more puzzling one: Dr. Brandt Do Not Age (DNA) With Dr. Brandt Time Reversing Cream, a $132 moisturizer that saw a 1000% surge in search as of late with those in D.C., New York, California, New Jersey, and Minnesota driving the spike. We’ve already raved about the brand’s Do Not Age Neck Cream from the line, but of all the covetable beauty products on the market, why was this cream (launched in 2013, no less) one of the hottest products on the internet all of a sudden? We got our hands on a jar to find out.

Like its sudden spike in online popularity, this cream itself is full of surprises. To start, the scent is derived from essential oils (not perfume-y fragrances found in many other pricey moisturizers), with a botanically true lavender that aligns more with the “clean” beauty products on our shelf.

Then, another unexpected twist discovered upon application: though its texture feels mega-rich — almost like an overnight mask — the formula melted into our combination skin like a lightweight serum might. That is, it left no greasy residue and no extra effort was required to work it into the skin. Somehow, the cream didn’t prove too robust for our never-not-oily T-zone (perhaps due to the light exfoliating properties of glycolic acid inside?). Instead, we noticed a boost in hydration and bounce immediately after applying thanks to ingredients like ceramides, triglycerides, shea butter, and macadamia seed oil.

But a day cream’s worth isn’t proven on its ability to hydrate and plump the skin alone. For our money, it must allow an additional sunscreen to easily soak into skin and for makeup to be applied without piling or flaking throughout the day. This one passed both tests without a hiccup.

One of DNA’s big calling cards is a proprietary, algae-derived complex, which is thought to hinder the natural production of skin cell proteins associated with aging skin. Is this moisturizer actually working to reduce fine lines that appear when we smile? Hard to say. But for now, as our suddenly softer, happier skin faces the dead of winter, we certainly see what the hype is about.