Nurse Jamie has a reputation for using only the latest medical devices on her exclusive celebrity clientele. It’s no surprise that when it came time to launch her brand, she applied the same philosophy to her skincare products.
Nurse Jamie Healthy Skin Solutions only features the latest breakthrough ingredients in skincare, like stem cells and EGF.
But just because something is new, it doesn’t mean it does anything special for your skin. New and effective aren’t synonyms, ya know.
Here’s why I’m not impressed by Nurse Jamie’s skincare line:
Nurse Jamie One Step Age Delay Cleanser ($42.00)
FYI, a cleanser can’t delay the signs of aging. That’s wishful thinking. Or false advertising. It’s true that Nurse Jamie One Step Age Daily Cleanser has its fair share of antioxidants and peptides – ingredients that can slow down the aging process. But they’re totally useless in a cleanser. Why? They can’t do their job when you rinse them down the drain. But does it cleanse skin? Yep. It uses a combination of fractioned coconut oil and mineral oil to melt away grease and makeup, leaving skin both clean and soft. You’ve guessed it, it’s a more moisturising formula best suited to dry skin.
VERDICT: A good, if a little pricey, makeup remover for dry and sensitive skin. But it can’t prevent premature aging.
Available at: Cult Beauty, Revolve, and Nordstrom
Related: Do Anti-Aging Cleansers Really Work?
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Nurse Jamie Calming Relief Soothing Moisturizer ($48.00)
Nurse Jamie Calming Relief Soothing Moisturiser promises to bring some much needed relief to sensitive and acne-prone skin. For starters, emollients derived from coconut and sunflower oils create a protective barrier on the skin that keep it safe from harsh weather, germs, and other environmental aggressors that try to hurt it. Plus, it has a few drops of chamomile and calendula extracts, two plants with anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce redness and irritation. Plus, a few humectants like glycerin to attract and bind moisture to the skin. All in all, a very moisturising cream. But there’s nothing cutting edge or special about it.
VERDICT: A moisturizing cream for sensitive skin that may have some calming properties.
Available at: Harrods and Revolve
Related: Sensitive Skin? 9 Ways To Keep It Beautiful And `Calm
Nurse Jamie EGFStem Cell Complex ($125.00)
Nurse Jamie EGFStem Cell Complex features the hottest new ingredients in skincare: Epidermal Growth Factors, plant stem cells and peptides. But are they the most effective too? Not really. Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is said to boost collagen and fight wrinkles, but the only evidence it works comes from the manufacturer (not exactly the most reliable of sources). Plant stem cells are just glorified antioxidants. But there’s no way apple or grape stem cells can turn into human cells and regenerate skin like they promise.
What about Epidermal Growth Factors? They’re very controversial. Here’s why: EGF increase the division of cells within the skin, which helps wounds heal faster and possibly even speed up the regeneration process of new skin cells. But in the unlikely eventuality the cells you’re regenerating are carcinogenic, they could do more harm than good. The rest of the formula is just a blend of silicones that temporarily fill in fine lines and wrinkles and antioxidants that help keep premature aging at bay. You know, the regular stuff you find in most moisturizers.
VERDICT: It’s a promising serum, but it has too many as yet unproven actives. I’ll stick to retinol for now.
Available at: Cult Beauty, Dermstore, Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom, and Revolve
Related: 4 Anti-Aging Ingredients That DON’T Work
Nurse Jamoe EGF Platinum 3 Restorative Facial Elixir ($198.00)
Wait, what?! There’s platinum in my skincare? My friends will die of envy! And your wallet of despair… Platinum may add the cool factor, but there’s no proof it does much of anything for your skin. Ok, there’s some evidence that nano-sized platinum can have a protective effect against UV-induced inflammation, but it’s still a heavy metal and could cause trouble if it accumulates in the body. Not that that’s a risk here. AT $1500 an ounce, I doubt Nurse Jamie put more than a couple of drops of platinum in Nurse Jaime EGF Platinum 3 Restorative Facial Elixir. In any case, there are cheaper options to protect yourself against UV damage. Like sunscreen. Just saying… The rest of the formula is made up by a bunch of moisturising oils, like jojoba oil, that strengthen the skin’s barrier and keep skin softer and smoother for hours.
VERDICT: An outrageously overpriced oil for dry skin.
Available at: Cult Beauty, Dermstore, Net-A-Porter, and Revolve
Related: The Complete Guide To Facial Oils
The Bottom Line
Nurse Jamie products work – just not necessarily how they claim. The cutting-edge ingredients are so new, they haven’t been proven to do much of anything yet. The rest is just standard oils and emollients you can find anywhere else – often for a fraction of the cost.
Have you ever tried anything from Nurse Jamie skincare? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
And what about the jar packaging? And added perfume? 🙂
When products are this expensive, you pay for nothing more than marketing and Harrods shopping bag. There are so many good products which are far more reasonably priced and includes safe and valuable ingredients.
Anete, great points. There are just so many problems with this line, aren’t there? At least some of the ingredients she uses are expensive, so that can help justify the prices a little, but yeah, you are paying mostly for marketing.
I hadn’t heard of this line. Sounds like I haven’t missed much 😉
Jean, I have just discovered it. I think a few of the products are quite nice, but way, way overpriced, especially for what they can really do.
I can tell you just by looking at ‘Nurse Jamie’ that I wouldn’t buy a cotton bud from her. She is the typical over the top American Barbie personality who has no doubt had plastic surgery yet she’s hawking her expensive products to willing participants. Anything on TLC is America at it’s worst!
Annette, I had never heard of her before but I admit that, judging from all the years she has worked in skincare and her Tv appearances, I expected much, much better. I wouldn’t call the line bad, but it is certainly very, very overpriced and not as miraculous as claimed.
Has anyone tried the EGF eye complex cream for firming and brightening? That was the only product I was somewhat interested. But for the price, it better work!
SD, judging from the ingredients, it’s very hydrating. It contains some antioxidants too, so it may help prevent premature aging as well. But that’s pretty much all it does.
The products are worth the money. Don’t judge a book by its cover just try her products out they have changed my life. She is highly knowledgable in skincare and I have been using her products forever and don’t plan to change it up. Looks like I went back in time 10 years thank you Nurse Jamie!
Gabby, I’m glad these products work well for you. I just think they’re terribly overpriced for what you’re getting. I’d also like to see some independent studies backing up the revolutionary ingredients she uses. That’s all.
Im really wondering about that tourmaline wand, it seems like it would do nothing at all but i see a lot of raving reviews on youtube. What do you think?
Sheney, I don’t think there’s anything special about tourmaline. You can check out this link for more info: http://thebeautybrains.com/2009/04/is-a-tourmaline-ceramic-flat-iron-better-for-your-hair/