Youth to the People slaps “clean” on their Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream like a badge of honor. A new class-action lawsuit says that badge is bullshit.
The suit claims the formula contains PFAS — aka “forever chemicals” — which is about as far from clean as slathering your face in motor oil. The brand denies it, but the fact that we’re even having this conversation matters.
It’s a $52 moisturizer ($42 for the mini) packed with adaptogens, peptides, and a promise that your stressed-out skin will finally chill. I bought it because the glass bottle looks good on my bathroom shelf and everyone on TikTok said it was “hydration in a jar.”
Adaptogen blend
Reishi, ashwagandha, and holy basil — sounds like a wellness smoothie, but they’re meant to calm redness and inflammation.
Peptide complex
Signals your skin to plump up without feeling like you’re wearing spackle.
Squalane + glycerin
The real heavy lifters for moisture — not fancy, but they work.
Photo: Element5 Digital / Unsplash
Here’s where it gets sticky. The hero ingredients are fine — reishi is genuinely anti-inflammatory, squalane is a solid humectant. But the lawsuit flags something called “organic fluorine” as a potential PFAS marker. Youth to the People says it’s from the reishi extract itself, not added chemicals.
- Reishi mushroom extract: Calms redness, might be the PFAS source
- Squalane (plant-derived): Locks in moisture without greasiness
- Ashwagandha: Reduces cortisol-related breakouts
- Glycerin: Classic humectant, nothing sexy
Photo: Ali Pazani / Unsplash
First pump — it’s a thick, almost bouncy cream that melts into butter. Absorbs in about 15 seconds, leaves zero film. My combination skin actually sighed with relief.
Week two: my cheeks felt softer, less reactive. But I also started wondering if “clean” was just marketing fluff — because the texture is lovely, but I’ve had the same results from $20 drugstore creams with fewer legal question marks.
Photo: Fleur Kaan / Unsplash
Redness? Slightly less. Dry patches? Gone by day 4. But my fine lines looked exactly the same, and my T-zone got a little shinier by midday. Not a miracle, not a scam — just a solid moisturizer with a PR problem.
Photo: Valerie Elash / Unsplash
I’d use it if someone gave it to me. I wouldn’t repurchase — not because it’s bad, but because I don’t trust the “clean” label anymore, and that’s the whole reason I bought it in the first place.