Collistar vs Dr. Althea

Collistar

Collistar is what happens when Italian fashion-house sensibility meets genuine cosmetic chemistry. Founded in 1983 in Milan, the brand has spent four decades dominating Italy's pharmacy and perfumery counters with a range that spans skincare, sun care, and body care — all at a price point that makes French pharmacy brands look expensive. The Pure Actives line is the workhorse: a Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lifting cream that genuinely plumps, a Collagen + Malachite anti-wrinkle cream-balm with copper-peptide-adjacent mineral actives, and a Vitamin C + Alpha-Arbutin brightening cream that competes with The Ordinary at twice the elegance. The Attivi Puri serums are the real hero tier — concentrated single-active ampoules and dropper serums that deliver clinical doses in sensorial Italian textures. What separates Collistar from mass-market competitors is the texture game: every cream, every serum, every SPF feels like it was designed by someone who cares about the five seconds between application and absorption. Distribution is broad across Italy and EU (Douglas, pharmacies, Sephora IT), with growing online international availability.