Is Brickell Men’s anti-aging cream worth it? What are the ingredients in Brickell anti-aging cream? Is Brickell good for sensitive skin? Is Brickell anti-aging cream good for oily skin?
I’m sure you’ve seen Brickell’s free sample kit ads over the years, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably ordered it at some point.
Brickell markets itself as a natural men’s skincare brand, and honestly, that pitch works. It sounds clean, safe, and like it was made with some actual thought behind it. But as someone who’s spent way too much money going down this rabbit hole, I’ve learned that “natural” is often more of a marketing angle than a meaningful quality signal. More on that another time.
What I actually care about here is whether the Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream does what it says it does. It shows up constantly in GQ, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal roundups. It’s $45 for 2 oz. And when I went through the ingredient list properly, a few things didn’t add up — starting with the fact that DMAE, one of their headline marketing ingredients, isn’t actually in the formula.
Key Takeaways:
- Heavy oil-and-butter base — great for dry skin, bad news for oily or acne-prone skin regardless of the “all skin types” label.
- Scented version has eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemongrass — common irritants that have no business being near sensitive skin.
- DMAE is all over the marketing. It’s not in the formula.
- Sodium hyaluronate is at position 25 out of 29 — it’s basically just on the label.
- No niacinamide, ceramides, peptides, or retinol anywhere in the ingredient list.
- Hard to justify $45 when none of the actives that actually move the needle on aging are present.
1. What is the Brickell Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream?
Brickell positions this as their hero nighttime moisturizer — designed for men of any age, any skin type, built around DMAE, MSM, hyaluronic acid, and green tea. The organic certification is real; I’ll give them that. But certified and effective are two different things, and when I actually sat down with the ingredient list, what I found was a formula that’s genuinely good at one thing — hydrating dry skin — and not much else.
Available in scented and unscented at $45 for 2 oz.
2. Full Ingredient Breakdown
Full INCI list:
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe), Aqua (Deionized Water), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter (Shea Butter), Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder (Arrowroot Powder), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa), Beeswax, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Phenoxyethanol, Dimethyl Sulfone (MSM), Sodium Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Oenothera Biennis Oil (Evening Primrose), Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Rosehip Seed), Salix Alba Bark Extract (Willow Bark), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Usnea Barbata Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Flexuosus Oil (Lemongrass).
The formula opens with aloe instead of plain water, which is a decent call — some real soothing benefit there. Sunflower oil at position three is one of the lighter, better-tolerated oils so no complaints. Glycerin at five is solid humectant work.
Then coconut oil at seven and cocoa butter at ten. Both have a comedogenicity rating of 4 out of 5, and that’s where the “all skin types” claim starts falling apart. If your skin already leans oily, two high-comedogenicity ingredients in the top ten is a problem regardless of how natural the formula is.
Panthenol at 19 and the evening primrose and rosehip oils at 20 and 21 are honestly the most underrated parts of this formula — real barrier support ingredients that don’t get enough credit in how Brickell talks about this product.
Alcohol at position 23 genuinely surprised me. In a night cream that’s supposed to be deeply moisturizing, that’s a weird inclusion. It’s probably being used as a solvent but it doesn’t belong in a product positioned around skin recovery.
Sodium hyaluronate at position 25 out of 29 is essentially just on the label. The hydration in this cream comes from the oils and butters — the hyaluronic acid isn’t doing meaningful work at that depth in the formula.
And the biggest gap: no niacinamide, no ceramides, no peptides, no retinol. Those are the ingredients with actual clinical backing for anti-aging. None of them are here.
3. The “All Skin Types” Problem
This is the claim that bothered me most when I looked at the formula.
Coconut oil and cocoa butter — both rated 4/5 for comedogenicity — sitting in the top ten ingredients is a real issue for anyone who isn’t dry-skinned. The arrowroot powder gives a slightly less greasy feel on application, but that doesn’t change what this formula fundamentally is underneath. It’s a rich, heavy cream built for dry skin, and calling it suitable for all skin types is a stretch.
4. Is the Scented Version Safe for Sensitive Skin?
Brickell recommends this for sensitive skin. The scented version ends with eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemongrass as the last three ingredients.
Those three essential oils are among the most common contact dermatitis triggers in skincare. That tingle people describe when they first use the scented version — the “I can feel it working” sensation — is irritation. That’s what that is. For anyone with reactive or rosacea-prone skin, that’s not a good sign. The unscented version is a cleaner product across the board, and if sensitive skin is a factor, the scented one isn’t worth the risk.
5. The DMAE and MSM Claims
DMAE is listed as a key active across Brickell’s website and marketing materials. It is not in the INCI list. That’s a pretty straightforward problem and worth knowing upfront.
MSM does appear at position 16. It’s a sulfur-based compound used in some topicals and supplements. I went looking for solid research on topical MSM at cosmetic concentrations and it’s thin. It’s not a harmful ingredient — it just isn’t doing what the marketing implies.
6. How Does It Actually Feel?
On dry skin, honestly, this cream feels good. It’s rich and balm-like, absorbs within a few minutes, and skin genuinely feels softer by morning. The arrowroot powder keeps it from feeling too heavy going on. If deep hydration for dry skin is the goal, it delivers that.
The scented version produces an immediate tingle from the peppermint and eucalyptus. Some people take that as a sign it’s working. Based on the ingredient list, I’d take it as a sign your skin is reacting.
In terms of actual anti-aging results — hydration temporarily plumps fine lines, so you’ll see some improvement there. But without retinol or peptides, this isn’t treating anything. It’s maintaining.
7. Is It Worth $45?
At $45 for 2 oz, I’d want to see at least one clinical anti-aging active in the formula — niacinamide, a peptide, ceramides, something. What’s here is a well-made natural moisturizer that’s genuinely effective for dry skin. The organic sourcing is real. But the anti-aging positioning makes the price harder to justify when you look at what’s actually in the jar versus what’s on the label.
8. Pros & Cons
What works: Aloe base, solid emollient structure, genuinely effective hydration for dry skin. Real organic certification. Panthenol, evening primrose, and rosehip oil are quality additions. Unscented version is the cleaner choice overall.
What doesn’t: Coconut oil and cocoa butter at comedogenicity 4 in the top ten — the “all skin types” claim doesn’t hold up. Essential oils in the scented version are common sensitizers that conflict with the sensitive skin recommendation. DMAE is marketed as a key active and isn’t in the formula. Sodium hyaluronate at position 25 isn’t contributing meaningfully. No niacinamide, ceramides, peptides, or retinol.
SHOP: Brickell Men’s Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream — $45 for 2 oz at brickellmensproducts.com
The Bottom Line
Brickell isn’t a bad brand. They do what they say they do on the natural and organic side, and for dry skin that just needs a solid night moisturizer, this works.
But the anti-aging marketing is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a formula that doesn’t have the actives to back it up. DMAE isn’t in the jar. The hyaluronic acid is barely there. And the “all skin types” and “sensitive skin” claims don’t survive a close look at the ingredient list.
Overall Rating: 5.2/10
