Previously when I do reviews for skincare products, I would focus alot on testing its ability and suitability on my skin. Although I was eating consciously, I wasn’t very discerning about the personal care products I’ve been using. I knew that a better option was naturally-derived skincare products that are chemical-free but I often found that some of these products that branded themselves as ‘natural’ aren’t quite natural to begin with. Their product ingredient lists contains traces of artificial chemicals. It does seems that it is so much easier to manufacture a chemical-ladden product than a natural chemical-free product.
It’s not difficult to understand why this is so. Natural products doesn’t have a long shelf life as its natural compounds will get broken down over time. While brands proclaimed that artificial chemicals found in their products are in lower concentrations that doesn’t cause much harm to our skin, it wouldn’t seem to be that case for our environment. When we use chemical-ladden products, artificial chemicals get introduced into the environment and that per se, shouldn’t we be more canny about the products we used?
It has got me thinking about relooking at the ingredient list of products and examining its environment impacts and at the same time, rediscovering the beauty of natural ingredients where the genes to looking beautiful were embedded in plants and flower extracts. The only way to unlock these goodness is to tap on technological advances which could benefit both us and our environment.
A recently product which I’ve discovered that harbours such goodness is the Chamomile facial cleanser by Winter Organics.
About the Product
It is labelled as a cruelty-free and chemical-free product that contains 100% naturally-derived ingredients. It is 85% certified organic by Asutralian Certified Organic. Both the ingredients and packagings are biodegrable.
A glance at its ingredient list, there are alot of plant and flower oils and extracts used. The only ingredients that stood out are decyl glucoside, coco glucoside, glyceryl oleate, glycerine and xanthum gum.
The Ingredients
When I looked up these ingredients online, it is interesting to know that such ingredients are found commonly in natural and organic products. Decyl glucoside, like coco glucoside are natural and mild surfactants which are made through a combination of plant alcohols and glucose. Such substances are biodegrable and helps to maintain skin balance without much dryness.
Glyceryl oleate is a natural emulsifier which is extracted from vegetable fats. While xanthum gum, which is also found in several organic food products, is a thicken agent and stabilizer. It is actually a type of sugar that is secreted from a type of bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris. This is perhaps the only ingredient in the list that is not plant-based.
The glycerine used in this product is a certified organic ingredients which is probably derived organically from plants. Glycerine (a.k.a glycerol) can also be derived from animals too so knowing its source of it is crucial in determining if the product itself is really vegan-friendly.
I am not too strict with this as I am not a vegan myself but it is good to be discern and conscious about the sources of each ingredient and from there, you can make a wiser choice for yourself.
Benefits
Aloe barbadensis Leaf Juice which is contains one of the main ingredients has anti-inflammatory, soothing, hydrating and toning effects.
The second ingredient that the product contains the most is Chamomile Flower Extract. It also has anti-inflammatory and soothing effects which are beneficial for allergy prone and sensitive skin.
The other active ingredient is the Seabuckthorn which has a high level of anti-oxidants, vitamins A, C, E & K and fatty omega to counteract the effects of premature aging.
It is certainly suitable for all skin types especially those with skin conditions.
Verdict
The cleansing ability is quite good as it does leaves a ‘cleaned’ feeling. It also does foams up quite easily (if you used enough product) as compared to other natural facial cleansers which I’ve used before.
I would usually use about a 20-cent coin sized amount of product to cleanse my skin. It smells lovely and works great as a morning cleanser when you just want to cleanse your face gently without stripping any moisture from your skin.
As the product is quite watery, it would actually be better to store in a bottle with a pump for easy dispensation of the product. But the consistency is not too thin that it leaks out easily when squeezed which I thought it would. You are still somewhat able to control the amount of it to be dispensed if you are careful enough.
Neverthess, it’s a good cleanser and for all you vegans out there, this is one product to try.
Good news! There’s a 1 for 1 sale from now 22 May Sunday til 19 June 2016. There’s free deliveries within Singapore.
Visit www.winterorganics.com for more information.
