This edition of Beauty Finds features oil cleansers, a toner and a sheet mask. As usual all products are cruelty free! It’s also the edition where I learnt a lesson reading ingredient lists.
When it comes to Beauty Finds I have a few requirements. Cruelty free, contain no animal ingredients (honey I’m okay with. I’m a bad vegan I eat honey but draw the line at bee venom, snail slime), contain no petroleum derived ingredients if I can help it. I’m okay with maybe 4th or 5th generation derived. This also covers silcone, PEGS. I also try to avoid SLS, parabens and other nasties if I can. With skincare it’s little easier to find more natural ingredients however make up I usually have to go with cruelty free options. I also try to avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. I’m also trying to reduce my coconut derived products as coconut plantations can be just as destructive as palm oil ones. I also tried to keep reviews short, so it might be a slightly longer read. All products featured are Korean. I have this year started using a few Australian skincare brands. Could my beloved Korean products be replaced this year? Time and pennies will tell.
Benton Cacao Moist and Mild Toner
Benton’s Cacao Moist and Mild Toner is a lightweight and hydrating toner. With Cacao Extracts and Hyaluronic Acid this toner replenishes moisture to skin. Various botanical extracts in the toner further help to keep skin smooth.
I liked this toner. It was hydrating enough not to feel I had to put more on. It sunk into my skin quickly and was a good base for essence, serums and moisturisers. A little goes a long way due to its watery like consistency. Sadly it doesn’t have a cacao fragrance so no chocolate hints on application. It left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated. Thanks to it’s lightweight consistency it worked well with my oily skin. All ingredients are listed low on ewg.org, however the 3rd ingredient, butylene glycol is petroleum derived which made me hesitant to buy. That it’s listed low on ewg.org score rating, the toner’s price point and that it’s longer list of natural ingredients I went with it. High in antioxidants, promoting blood flow to the skin (glow!) and great anti inflammatory properties are just a few of cacao’s skincare benefits.
I also have an issue with 1, 2 hexandiol. I recently found out the patent was filed by Proctor and Gamble, one of the biggest animal testing companies. I believe it’s synthetic, can cause dermatitis and irritant eyes after a little research as can butylene glycol. Looking back, I had eczema or rather my left eyelid was always a little swollen around the outer corner. I knew it wasn’t normal puffy eyes due to it also being red and a little dry. Maybe this ingredient caused it, maybe not. However after stopping using it for a few weeks, my eyelid returned to normal. Maybe constant use of the this ingredient my skin complains.
Would I use it again? If I couldn’t find another natural toner I liked. Which I think I have, Kora Organics Balancing Rose Mist. However the price point of Benton’s Cacao toner’s much kinder!
Goodal Black Salt Deep Cleansing Oil
A deep cleansing oil with black salt which thoroughly dissolves and removes heavy makeup as well as fine dust and impurities. The black salt effectively cleanses off skin impurities and gathers moisture for a deep cleanse. The light watery oil helps adsorb and remove impurities, giving a fresh and clean finish with no residue.
Scrolling yesstyle.com cruelty free page I came across Goodal. The name reminds of Jane Goodall the chimpanzee expert with curiosity getting the better of me. I like their sunscreens so decided to try out one of their oil cleansers, the black salt deep cleansing oil.
Unfortunately the website didn’t list the full ingredient list and neither did other sites. That should have been a red flag but the how it works blurb swayed me. Sadly the first ingredient is mineral oil another name of petroluoem, the 2nd ethylhexyl palmitate partly derived from palm oil! Plus a load of other petroleum derived ingredients! Ingredients are printed on the bottle on a plastic sleeve. It gets a brownie point for no additional cardboard box. Not wanting got waste money and a product I saw my way through all 150ml. It’s slightly dark grey colour is due black salt hence its name. For travelling it has a twist lock to stop any leaks. Twist back the arrow back on itself it lock, however it could easily be bumped to unlock.
As a cleanser it worked okay, thanks to all the petroleum. Removed eye makeup a treat. Due to it’s formula it’s a non repeat buy.
Nacific Fresh Herb Origin Cleansing Oil. Jasmine
Deep cleansing without the need to wash several times. Watery oil formula for refreshing feeling. Hydrated finish after washing the face without tugging.
I should know by now palm oil alias. The first ingredient is ethylhexyl palmitate, palm oil! It also contains other palm oil derived ingredients and one peg petroleum derived ingredeint. Jasmine extract is one of the last ingredients! Why didn’t I check? I did but I wasn’t as savvy to ingredients as I am now. The list of natural oils made seem okay.
As cleanser it did okay. Wasn’t tough enough on stubborn eyeliner. I did notice I had more blackheads so I’m not sure it’s as deep cleansing as it says it is. I did like it had a pump stopper for travelling. Would I repurchase? No.
A-true Pure Balancing Cleansing Oil*
Thankfully I’ve found an oil cleaner that doesn’t contain any nasties. This one isn’t it. Part of the second ingredient Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate is petroleum derived. Sadly again is didn’t shift eyeliner and it wasn’t a cleanser I was excited about. I did like it had more natural oils than the others and fewer ingredients in total. I also liked it too had a pump stopper. I would probably buy it again if I couldn’t find a cleaner cleanser as it did an okay job removing makeup. Again all ingredients are listed low in ewg.org. I’m considering once my stash of oil cleansers is used up to use olive oil. Cheaper, I know what’s in the bottle and glass bottles are easy to recycle. It’s just the smell. Or maybe sweet almond oil. Or I just mix all my oils and see what works!
*Initially purchased from stylekorean.com
Happy Vegan Vegan Mask Madecassoside
Happy Vegan mask is a vegan-friendly mask that contains naturally-derived botanical ingredients and pure cupra sheet to take care of the skin. Vegan friendly. Formulated without harmful ingredients such as mineral oil, avobenzone, oxybenzone, SLS, parabens, triethanolamine, triclosan, phenoxyethanol. BHT, sorbic acid, artificial colourants, artificial fragrance etc. This soothing and moisturising sheet mask contains 27ml of essence enriched with madacassoside extracted from centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, celery complex, aloe vera juice powder and rosemary oil to deliver deep hydration to skin while providing soothing relief to fatigued, dry skin. 100% cupra sheet perfectly adheres to the skin and has excellent breathability.
Madecassoside is neither a nut or an Aussie bird! It’s devised from centella asiatica an amazing plant boosting and promoting healthy skin. Once again I over looked a few ingredients as the natural ones outweighed the nasty ones which are low on ewg.org. Can’t be perfect all the time. I really did enjoy this mask. My skin looked vibrant and healthy afterwards any redness calmed.
I liked how it contoured to my face, was easy to cut around the nose bridge for a snugger fit and was big enough to cover my face. I also liked it didn’t come loose around the chin. It’s herbal scent wasn’t too unpleasant. The cupra sheet is rayon, a wood based cellulose material. More environmentally friendly than microfibre sheets. The pack contains a generous amount of essence. More than enough to pat extra on the mask and décolletage. Would I purchase again? For sure!
Have you tried any of these products or products by the same brands? All photos were taken on the same day. The sun was in and out the clouds and all empties have been recycled since. No retakes!