Pros
- Easy to use
- Fragrance-free
- Nongreasy
Cons
- Retinol cream isn’t travel-friendly
I have a beauty confession to make: I’m not typically a hand cream person. Sure, I can understand the benefits of keeping a travel-size tube at the ready (especially in colder months), but I’ve never felt particularly compelled to add one to my personal rotation—that is, until trialing the Hand Duo from Nécessaire.
One part traditional cream used during the day, one part retinol used at night, the set combines their forces to leave your hands and cuticles softer than ever. The Hand Cream uses a blend of five ceramides and peptides, marula oil and butter, and niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier treatment, while minimizing dryness and treating loss of volume. The brand’s anti-aging retinol, on the other hand, contains 0.25 percent pure retinol, 5 percent alpha-hydroxy acid, 10 types of peptides, glycerin, and more, to treat and prevent crepiness, spots, and wrinkles overtime.
While I’m all for using a retinol cream or serum on my face before bed, I’d never extended the same skincare practice to the rest of my body, which made me extra curious about testing the Hand Duo. “The hands experience skin aging in the same way that our face, neck, and décolleté do, and in fact, it is often said that you can tell someone’s age just by looking at their hands,” board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick told Bazaar earlier this year.
For a cold-weather moisture boost—and to avoid the dreaded dry patch that shows up between your thumb and pointer finger—three Bazaar beauty editors road tested the set for over two weeks to see how it holds up against other lotions and creams we’ve tried. Here, read on for our honest thoughts.
Jenna Rosenstein, beauty director
How I Tested
I kept both tubes in my backpack and applied them throughout the workday—on the train to the office, during the day, on the train back, and before bed. To be totally transparent, I loathe the feeling of greasy hands, so I never use hand cream. But I found these to be hydrating and softening without feeling too thick—the retinol serum in particular.
Ease of Use
Both the hand cream and the retinol are so easy to use. It’s nice to carry them together so I don’t forget to use one or the other. I would probably buy second tubes so I could always have a set on the go and then one that stays in my bathroom.
Price/Value
Considering the blend of skincare actives, I think $35 is a pretty fair price for the serum—it’s less expensive than a comparable face serum with similar ingredients. At $25, the hand cream is more affordable and would make a great stocking stuffer. Of course, those are the prices when you purchase them separately—at $50 for both, the Hand Duo gives you plenty of bang for your buck.
Verdict
Both the hand cream and the serum are so chic, so easy to use, and—most importantly—so effective. After testing these (with the baseline being never ever using any kind of hand moisturizer), I noticed a dramatic increase in the skin quality and plumpness of my hands. Even my cuticles and nails look less scraggly.
Katie Intner, associate beauty editor
How I Tested
I have a million hand creams, so to ensure I’d use the Nécessaire duo consistently, I put it on my desk for easy access. Between washing my hands, swatching products (the life of a beauty editor), and the general effects of winter weather, my hands get cracked and dry. I applied the duo once a day as a set, first slathering my hands with a pea-size amount of the retinol and then sealing it in with a dime-size drop of the hand cream. Then, I would apply more hand cream throughout the day as my hands started to feel parched. While the instructions say to start by applying the retinol once a week, I’m an avid user of products that contain it, so I knew my skin could tolerate the 0.25 percent of retinol in the formula.
Ease of Use
Starting with the hand cream: Unlike most formulas, this one didn’t leave a slippery film behind. Instead, it provides just the right touch of nourishment with ceramides, marula butter and oil, and niacinamide. I love that this formula contains peptides to plump, since hands usually show the first signs of aging and typically lose volume and look crepey before the face does. I use retinol on my body one to two times per week, so I was expecting the retinol step to tingle, like some retinols do when applied to the body, and sometimes even the face. However, there was no reaction with the Hand Retinol. It felt like a lighter version of the cream. I love how the two products layer so well together, too.
Price/Value
Quality retinol can be pricey, so I think $50 for retinol on the hand is reasonable. While you may think you can just add your face or body retinol to you hands, the skin on your hands is thinner and more delicate. Plus, this version has other good-for-your-skin ingredients like mandelic acid and glycolic acid to resurface, so it’s a true all-in-one product.
Verdict
I will definitely keep this at hand all winter long, to keep my hands looking smooth and hydrated, because we all know that is a difficult task once the temperature drops.
Tiffany Dodson, associate beauty commerce editor
How I Tested
While I kept the Hand Cream in my tote bag to use after washing my hands at work (the soap there can be super drying) and for just-because touch-ups, I left the Hand Retinol on my nightstand as I tested the set, so I’d remember to apply it before falling asleep. Although the usage directions say you’re supposed to use the cream during the day and the retinol at night, I actually applied both before bed for supreme hydration.
Ease of Use
The Hand Duo’s contrasting packaging made it clear when to use which product, and both are as easy to dispense as the contents of a fresh tube of toothpaste. Both formulas were extremely lightweight and sunk immediately into my skin. And since I needed only about a nickel-size amount of product to cover both hands, using the set consistently truly was a no-brainer.
Price/Value
At first, paying $50 for a hand care set seemed a little pricey to me. But one look at the quality of ingredients—and the fact that you don’t have to use a ton of product for each application—makes its price tag well worth it.
Verdict
The Hand Duo’s formulas are effective enough to sway me into becoming a convert. My hands never felt overly greasy as I used the set, and my formerly rough cuticles have never felt better without the help of an oil.
Final rating: 4.0/5
Our editors agree: Nécessaire’s Hand Duo deserves a spot in any body care rotation. While using a dedicated retinol for your hands may seem intimidating at first, its mild formulation is hypoallergenic and non-irritating to even the most sensitive skin types. And since a little of each product goes a long way, customers will definitely get their money’s worth—not to mention baby-soft hands—with this dermatologist-tested set.
The Hand Duo is available from Nécessaire for $50 at necessaire.com.
