Discover your skincare best friend
Finding your skincare BFF’s is much easier said than done. Take it from the girl who has quite literally tried it ALL; from cult followed Cerave’s $12.99 Cream and Cetaphil’s $7.95 gentle cleanser all the way to Rationale’s $174 serums. I’ve really broke the bank and had some total fails along the way, so wanted to make this article to save you both time and money.
If you have any kind of skin condition, then you know it’s so easy to fall into the hype of a brand’s marketing. There’s nothing like a fake before and after to seduce you into a purchase. So I’m here to share what I have given a REAL go (at least a month’s use) and tell you what worked and what didn’t.
II’ll also be comparing cost, sustainability and purity (free of nasties) - because these are all super important factors for me.
Brand #1 Cetaphil
Okay, so let’s start with both an easily accessible (in most chemists) and reasonably priced brand, Cetaphil.
Products I’ve tried:
Oil free daily hydrating lotion
I first tried Cetaphil in the USA when my skin situation started to take hold. I had no idea what was going on but knew that what I had been using was no longer working. The current regime I had was a full Rationale Skin protocol totalling about $700 a month and it felt like overnight my skin had decided to completely reject it. So, I went to the chemist and bought the simplest thing I could find.
I will say, if your skin is incredibly reactive and intolerant of most products, then Cetaphil is a fantastic option. However it does have a few ingredients that I wouldn’t trust longer term. One of these is Propylene Glycol, which is a humectant meaning it penetrates the skin to increase moisture retention but that same penetrating effects means it can also drag in other nasty ingredients and toxins from the environment and eventually cause irritation. The other being Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) which is the chemical that gives you that “foamy and clean” feeling. Sadly it also interferes with the barrier of our skin leading to dryness, impaired barrier function and irritation. Not to forget that everything we put on our face has to also be filtered through our kidneys, chemicals included.
Rating
Cost: $7-20 AUD per product
Sustainability: *I couldn’t find any information on this so I’m guessing it’s a 1/10
Purity: 2/10
Recommended for: Pre your skincare best friend.
My Opinion
If your skin is reacting to everything then it’s a great in between solution, until you find a longer term fix. The main benefit of these products is that there aren’t very many ingredients in the products, which makes it a safer option for reactive skin types. It’s also an accessibly priced range if you just want to try something new.
Brand #2 DMK – Danne-Montague King
I got onto DMK after going from clinic to clinic; taking more antibiotics for my skin and trying pharmaceutical topical creams that all made my skin worse. I had been living alone in LA, couldn’t work and was pretty desperate for a solution, when I came across DMK on Instagram. Sold by their before and after’s I found a DMK specialist nearby (her name was Sandra Pacheco and you can find her here). Sandra became like a mother to me and still is, helping me to nurture my skin from the inside out. Together, we started enzyme treatments as well as a home care protocol, and my skin really did start to improve. I think that the result post-DMK was about 70% internal herbs and nutrition and 30% Sandra. On top of helping to clear the Acne and repair my barrier, I honestly believe that without her I never would have healed so fast, with such minimal scarring and noticeably smooth skin texture.
Why I stopped DMK
After two years of being a loyal DMK fan, I came to Australia and my skin plateaued. It wasn’t worse or better, but it just seemed flat. I had also developed my holistic healing knowledge by this point, and realised that the parabens found in DMK weren’t conducive to the work I was doing balancing my hormones. You can read about Parabens, the environment and our hormones here.
I also felt that my skin no longer needed such powerful, active ingredients and I was ready to try something new. It is worth noting that a year later DMK removed the parabens from many of their products and I’m back integrating one of my favourites back into my routine, the Seba E Oil.
My Opinion
If you have serious skin concerns such as Acne, Rosacea, Eczema, Psoriasis, etc, it’s definitely worth a go as I would say it is the #1 brand for hyper-reactive skin. That that been said, they aren’t particularly kind to the planet and that really annoys me. For that reason I won’t go back to a full regime unless they clean up their act. Also, be mindful which products you’re using, the strength of the ingredients and be sure to find a qualified skin specialist you trust.
Rating
Cost: $30-120 per product
Sustainability: 2/10 *this makes me really sad but it’s true.
Purity: 5/10 *Somewhat nasties free, pending which product.
Recommended for: Acne, active inflammatory skin conditions.
Brand #3 Avene
Onto a brand that my family has used for years, from my grandmother to my mother and all the way to me. So, what makes it so special?
Avene pride themselves on Hydrotherapy, the research of water and its ability to sooth and support healthy skin. My grandmother always used their Thermal mineral spray, and I was reintroduced to them when looking for something unscented to soothe my skin on long haul flights. The benefit of these products is how gentle the formulas are. Almost anyone could use them but they are especially handy for my sensitive skin sisters and in a more reasonable price bracket than other brands or Cosmeceuticals.
However, while I do find them supportive to inflammatory conditions such as Rosacea and Eczema, I am unsure if these products alone would have been able to heal my skin when it was at its worst as I never relied on them at that time. All I can say is they’re pretty fab now!
Products I loved
Results
Cost: $15-$27 per product
Sustainability: 6/10 *they have implemented an energy saving program so hopefully soon this will be a 10/10! Read more here.
Purity: 7/10 *Making an effort to create more without nasties, a significant amount are clean.
Recommended for: Sensitive Skin
Brand #4 Derma Visuals
Derma Visuals pride themselves on their skin delivery system utilising Corneotherapy which basically prioritises the healing of the skin barrier above all else. This I found really great! They are also Fragrance, Paraben, Preservative, Silicone, Emulsifier and colour free making them a great choice for hypersensitive/reactive skin types.
I found my favourite thing about DV was their Cleansing Milk which is so gentle and doesn’t strip or dry the skin out. I also really enjoy their Oleogel R which works to restore the lipid bilayer of the skin with essential fatty acids. I would definitely recommend this to anyone experiencing Rosacea or just general skin redness.
The only downside I found with Derma Visuals was the actives. My skin personally just didn’t get on with them, but I have friends that love them, so again everyone is different. Also want to note that I found the products very expensive but do recognize this is probably due to their high quality packaging and no nasty filler ingredients.
My Opinion
DV is a great choice for clean ingredients (free of nasties, but not natural). They’re also a great choice for anyone experiencing irritation or impaired barrier function.
Results
Cost: $50-170 per product
Sustainability: 8/10 you can read more about their actions towards our planet here.
Purity: 9/10 wahooooo!
Recommended for: Impaired barrier function, reactive skin types, Rosacea.
Brand #5 Alo Glow System
It’s no secret that I’ve worked for Alo and their lifestyle brand for years now out of pure love for the brand. When they launched skincare, I was super excited for them, however I did see 100% natural and freak out a little because my skin has a dislike for essential oils or anything fragranced. That being said, I really wanted to give it a try as I would love to be able to just walk around smothered in mother nature’s 100% organic goodness. I’ll get there, but in time.
I want to also add that I am not paid to talk about or endorse the Alo glow system or any of this content. It’s just love for the products.
Alo’s secret ingredient is Amla, also known as the Indian Gooseberry. It is known as a superberry for its Vitamin C and E content (50x more than blueberries and the equivalent of 20 oranges per 100 grams). I personally take Amla orally in the winter or when I feel my immune system needs a little extra pep in its step. Vitamin C serums are always hailed for their ability to clear scarring and brighten the complexion but in my experience they can either be game changing or really damaging depending on the way they’re formulated. I had assumed the natural vitamin C content of Amla would be gentler and I was right! I found that their Radiance serum comprising of Amla and Hyaluronic acid really gentle and super quenching for dull dehydrated skin. They also created a body range, the Magnesium Reset Spray and Mega C Body Cleanser have become cult favourites. I use the Magnesium Spray before bed and find the Valarian content helps encourage a peaceful sleep while the body cleanser has really helped to clear any body break outs that I get from working out, leaving my skin hydrated and happy. The only thing I would mention about Alo’s skincare is to try with care to see how your skin reacts to all the antioxidants. I also can’t comment on it’s ability to relieve skin conditions or treat acne as mine had cleared by the time I tried it.
All products are Vegan, Paraben, Phthalate, Gluten, Sulfate, Mineral Oil colour and synthetic fragrance free!
Results
Cost: $40-80 AUD per product
Sustainability: 9/10 *Made in California using sustainable ingredients and recyclable packaging.
Purity: 9/10 *free from nasties, natural/organic if possible*
Recommended for: Vegan, clean beauty enthusiasts, people looking to move over to clean beauty. *I’m with you!
Brand #6 Evan Healy
Evan Healy is the brand for the person that wants 100% clean, natural & organic or even better wildcrafted skincare. (That person being me) I fell head over heels for Evan Healy when I tried her Immortale a whole plant botanical copper distilled Helichrysum hydrosol. I finally found something with a strong fragrance my skin absolutely loves. I pair this with a nourishing oil and it is oh, so, perfect. You can also shop EH at whole foods which makes it so handy but, they don’t always have the entire collection.
My favourite product:
Results
Cost: $25-$60 USD per product
Sustainability: 100% sustainable, organic, wild crafted goodness.
Purity: 10/10
Recommended for: Sensitive skin, dry dehydrated or mature skin
I hope you enjoyed that honest break down of products I have well and truly tried and tested.
With love,
