Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Via one promotion or another I got my hands on 2 of these 7mL sample bottles of Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate. Please note this is the older version, slowly being replaced with a newer, "Advanced Genifique" ^.^

This is a serum, which means it is to be layered over toner but underneath moisturizer as a skin supplement. The moment I apply this, I immediately thought of L'Oreal Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Advanced Skin Repair Daily Serum. I thought it was odd that these two serums feel almost identical in my palm as well as on my face, until I remember that L'Oreal also owns Lancome, at which point everything makes sense, sort of. Hell, even their packaging are similar - both full sizes are in a glass bottle with a dropper dispenser! I'm sure the cynics out there will argue that these two serums are essentially the same, but here's to the optimist in me in thinking perhaps slightly better ingredients were used in the Lancome serum. Just slightly, since they're charging an arm and a leg for it and all :P 

Anyway, both serums are light, with slightly viscous texture. Both go on slightly cooling as well - note alcohol is the 3rd listed ingredient for the L'Oreal serum and the 4th for the Lancome serum. After application, both absorbs almost instantly and disappears completely, leaving my skin very soft and supple. I haven't experienced any clogging or breaking out with either, which is to say I am pleased with both. I would say two [very] noticeable differences between these two serums are the scent and the price. The L'Oreal one is very strongly perfumed and the Lancome much more mildly scented, which is rather surprising since most Lancome skincare products I've used are thoroughly, if overpoweringly, fragranced. The L'Oreal one is much more affordable at $20 a piece and the Lancome, well, $82. Sigh. 

In the end, I think I like the Lancome serum better, because it's less perfumy, not that I mind the fragrance of the L'Oreal one so much. Really, other than the scent and the glaring price tag I cannot tell the difference between them, or the effect they have on my skin. I already have a full size bottle of the L'Oreal serum. As for the Lancome serum, the first 7mL sample bottle took me 3 weeks of daily liberal use in the mornings (1-2 full squeezes of the dropper) to use up, so after the second sample bottle I'll probably be ready to move on ^.^