AHAVA: no parabens but lots of silicones in their products

         Two days ago, I went to a Sephora evening event. While I was browsing around, one of the employees approached me and started recommending me some products. I was off guard, just enjoying the nice atmosphere at the shop, and somehow I let her advice get to me without reluctance, not even reading the list of ingredients of the products or looking at their price. So, I ended up buying a bunch of very promising products that I will be returning after having read their list of ingredients.

The brand that the employee recommended me was AHAVA: a paraben-free natural cosmetics brand that has Dead Sea water in all its products and packs its lotions and potions in plastic containers and jars that are supposedly 100% recyclable. 

Here are the products I bought at Sephora and their retail prices:

Dead Mud Purifying Mud Soap. 100gr. 8€.

Ingredients

Potassium Lauryl Sulfate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Corn (Zea Mays) Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Purified Water, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Water), Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Dioctyldodecyl Fluoroheptyl Citrate, Titanium Dioxide, Phosphoric Acid, Parfum (Fragrance).

Time to Hydrate Active Moisture Gel Cream. 50ml. 38,75€.

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Glycereth-26, Cyclomethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propanediol (Corn derived Glycol), Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG/PPG-19/19 Dimethicone, Squalene (Phytosqualene), Sodium Lactate, Trehalose, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Methicone, Propylene Carbonate, Quaternium-18 Hectorite, Chitosan Succinamide, Maris Aqua (Dead Sea Water), Dimethiconol, Alanine, Creatine, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glycine, Magnesium Aspartate, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Urea, Isodecyl Isononanoate, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Water, Allantoin, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl p-Cresol, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, PEG-12 Dimethicone/PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Geraniol.

Time to Hydrate Gentle Eye Cream. 15ml. 30,50€.

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Cyclopentasiloxane & PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone & Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Isostearyl Isostearate, Glycerin, Propylene Carbonate & Quaternium-18 Hectorite, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol & Ruscus Aculeatus Root (Butcherbroom) Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract & Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol & Ethylhexylglycerin, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Water), Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Saccharide Isomerate, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Allantoin, Bisabolol, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob Bean) Gum, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Oblipicha) Fruit Oil.

 Dead Sea Osmoter™ Concentrate. 30ml. 52,50€.

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), PVP, Maris Aqua (Dead Sea Water), Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Isodecyl Isononanoate, Diisobutyl Adipate, Caprylyl Methicone, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Trehalose, Dimethiconol, PEG-12 Dimethicone/PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Aurantium Amara Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Squalene (Phytosqualene), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate\Sodium Acryloydimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Rabdosia Rubescens Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl p-Cresol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower ) Seed Oil, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 polyricinoleate, Citrus Reticulata Fruit Extract, Tris (Tetramethyl Hydroxypiperidinol) Citrate, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Glucosyl Hesperidin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Fructose, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Phosphatidylcholine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocin.

Dead Sea Osmoter™ Eye Concentrate. 15ml. 43€.

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maris Aqua (Dead Sea Water), PVP, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-12 Dimethicone/PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Darutoside, Strelitzia Nicolai Seed Aril Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Caffeine, Lecithin, Palmitoyl Carnitine, Propylene Glycol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Alanine, Creatine, Glycine, Magnesium Aspartate, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Urea, Sodium Lactate, Isohexadecane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Bisabolol, Chrysin, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Steareth-20, Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Allantoin, Titanium Dioxide, Silica, Tin Oxide, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Extract, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl p-Cresol, Aminomethyl Propanediol.

I had a 20% off so, I ended up paying 34,55€ less for the whole lot of products.

The AHAVA samples I was given with my purchase were:

Time to Clear Facial Mud Exfoliator

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Cocamide MEA & DMDM Hydantoin &Sodium Chloride & Sodium Lauroamphoacetate & Sodium Trideceth Sulfate & Aqua (Water), Ceteareth-20 & Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate & Hexylene Glycol & Isopropyl Alcohol, Nylon 6, Propanediol (Corn derived Glycol), Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Glycol Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lactic Acid, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate & Methylisothiazolinone, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Maris Sal (Dead Sea Salt).

Time to Clear All-In-One Toning Cleanser

Ingredients

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Isohexadecane, Cyclomethicone, Propanediol(Corn derived Glycol), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) flower Water, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil & Propylene Glycol & Trideceth-9 & Aqua (Water), Acrylates\C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Allantoin, Parfum (Fragrance), Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate & PEG-4 Laurate & PEG-4 Dilaurate & PEG-4, Methylisothiazolinone, Maris Aqua (Dead Sea Water), Dunaliella Salina Extract & Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycerin & Phoenix Dactylifera (DATE) Fruit Extract.

 
Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask

Ingredients

Kaolin, Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Cocamide MEA & DMDM Hydantoin & Sodium Lauroamphoacetate & Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Propanediol (Corn derived Glycol), Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract & Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ceteareth-30 & Cetearyl Alcohol, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Water), Sodium Lactate, Zinc Oxide, Caprylyl Glycol & Chlorphenesin & Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5) , Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Peg-40 Stearate, Allantoin, Lactic Acid, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Tristearate, Xanthan Gum, PEG-5 Cocoate & PEG-8 Dicocoate & PEG-9 & Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Triclosan, Methylisothiazolinone, BHA, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

I tested a couple of the products in the store before buying them and, by the way they left my skin, I should have known that one of their main ingredients was some sort of silicone.

There’s nothing wrong with silicones generally speaking, it’s just that -in high amounts- they don’t get along with my skin. What silicones do is that they form a non-soluble barrier on the skin, giving it a temporary “plump” look. In my case, when I apply a product that has silicone among its first five ingredients, my skin suffocates and starts getting bumpy around the sixth day of using that product.

When looking at the list of ingredients of all the products (something I usually do before buying a product), I sadly discovered that both the creams and the serums contain a high amount of silicones among its main ingredients. In addition to the silicones, the serums also have PVP, which is another barrier-forming (and fixing) ingredient, also amongst the first ingredients on the list. With such an amount of silicones I wonder if the good ingredients in the products will penetrate in the outer layer of the skin or if they will just sit on top of the skin doing nothing.

Comparing the ingredients from both the creams and the serums, I also noticed that while the Dead Sea water is one of the main ingredients in the serums, it is halfway through the list of ingredients in both creams.

Browsing through the internet (Paula’s Choice website and other sites), I also learned that the minerals in the Dead Sea water have not been proven to have any antiaging/wrinkle or dark spots-fighting properties, as the Sephora’s sales lady told me. So, all and all, the “plump” skin effect that that woman was raving so much about actually comes from all the silicones in the products and not from the minerals in the Dead Sea water. Since these products don’t come cheap, I feel scammed!

These products also have phenoxyethanol quite high up on the list of ingredients (higher than the Dead Sea water in both creams). Phenoxyethanol is one of the least irritating preservatives in cosmetics and it’s usually used as an alternative to parabens. “Phenoxyethanol is approved for worldwide use in all types of water-based cosmetics, up to a 1% concentration” (Paula’s Choice website). Now, if that ingredient is high up in the list of ingredients, either its concentration is higher than 1% in these creams and serums or, if it is 1%, you are basically just lathering mineral spring water, silicones and aloe juice on your face (add Dead Sea water for the serums).

I’m thinking about keeping the soap because it’s only got a couple of ingredients that are tagged as low health concern ingredients, because they might be irritating. But for 8€, it’d better be an amazing damn soap. 

As for the rest of the products: I will be returning them. I feel so stupid for not reading the list of ingredients before buying the products. I always do! Well, I guess I got caught up in the moment.

Regarding the samples I was given, I think I’m only going to use the scrub and the mud mask. The cleanser is one of those cleansers that don’t need to be rinsed off, which I’m not very fond of, and silicone is its third ingredient so, I don’t think I’m going to be using that sample.

Also if you are concerned about politics, then you probably would like to know that there is an international boycott campaign against AHAVA because, quoting Code Pink, “its products come from stolen Palestinian natural resources in the Occupied Territory of the Palestinian West Bank, and are produced in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem.” For more information about this campaign click here.

Have you ever been in a similar situation where you let the sales lady advice you on what to buy just to find out you have to return what you bought because it doesn't suit you?

Take care!

S

Empties #1: April to July 2013

Hi, there!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while but, being a stand in for three people on their summer holidays, I have been so stressed since July 1st that the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was sitting in front of a computer, even though it meant doing something I like. I hope things will get better from next week on, because those 3 people are gonna gradually come back and that means I'm gonna gradually go back to my usual workload.

Anyways, here's a post I've been meaning to write for about a month, and it's my first empties post. I have decided to jump in the wagon of these posts since I find them to be quite informative.

Now, I have to say that even if I don't like a product, I hate wasting money so, I try to use products up to their last drop. Which means I will include products I liked and products I didn't like much in my empties posts.

Lets see... I think I will start with the serums, which are also the most expensive items in the lot.

Shiseido's Intensive Anti-Spot Serum

I bought this for Christmas, on a crazy shopping spree at Sephora. Even with a 20% discount, this thing was insanely expensive. I applied it day and night only on the areas where I suffer from hyperpigmentation an the 30ml in this bottle lasted me for a good three months. The texture of this serum is quite runny and I didn't find it to be sticky at all. Unfortunately, I don't have the box with me anymore so, I cannot tell you the ingredients on the serum. This product worked well on the new spots, caused by the occasional pimples I get at that time of the month (touch them or not, they tend to leave a pigmentation mark after them) and it made some old pigmentation spots fade away but it didn't get rid of all them.
Conclusion: I've tried other products in the market that are less expensive and work just as well for me so, I will not be repurchasing this serum.

Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair

Same shopping spree at Sephora and also on the pricey side.
Also 30ml that lasted me for a couple of months, applying 2 to 3 drops every night in the palm of my hand, rubbing my hands together and patting the product on my face. This serum is orangey (though it is difficult to appreciate it in the picture because of the flash), the texture is not as runny as the Shisheido's Intensive Anti-Spot Serum, and it is sticky so you need to pat and hold your hands on your face for better absortion.
I did not notice any change in my skin while using this serum. Maybe it takes more than two months to see how it protects your skin from harmful environments and helps your skin renew itself.
Conclusion: I might by this serum again, but I will first try its copycats from Missha or the one Mizon came up with, which also has whitening effects. Of course, the Korean copycats are a fraction of Estee Lauder's price.

Moving on to lip products...

Extravolume Lipgloss by KIKO Makeup Milano

This little guy did what it promissed: it made my lips plumper and soft from the first use, but what's interesting about its formula is that the more you use it, the more moisturized and plumper your lips become. There's still a bit left (and whatever product that got stuck to the walls of the tube) but I can't use it anymore because now I can feel the shimmers on my lips like they were white thin sand: not pleasant. The other downside of the formula was that it was really sticky. By the way, this was color 18 Pearly Pastel Pink and it  costed 6,90€.
Conclusion: I liked the effect this product had on my lips, but I did not like how it felt on my lips. If you wanna try this, I would go for a color without shimmers in it.

Tint it! Colour changing lipgloss by Essence

I bought colour 02 Turn to Lucky. It stayed mostly orange on my lips, though a couple of times it got a dark pinkish hue, and the glossiness disapeared after a cup of tea, but the colour stayed for hours. As you can see in the picture (the last squeeze) it came out orange, but when you applied it to the lips, the color became much clear, almost see through on the edges until the color developed so, if you were not careful, you ended up staining were you didn't want to and you found that out a couple of minutes later, when you were out the door and checked your reflection on the mirror of the elevator. As I mention, the color stays for hours and it's hard to rubb it away.
Conclusion: for less than 3€ it is a very decent product. There are other lip tints that I want to try but I wouldn't mind buying this one again.
Here's the swatch of both lip products mentioned in this post.

Let's talk about paper masks now.

Dead Sea Face Spa by Montagne Jeunesse

I bought this at Claire's for about 2€. I put it on my clean face, left in on for 15 minutes (though the package says to leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes), took the paper mask off and patted the remaining essence on my face. Here, the package also says you have to rinse your face ? I think they copy-pasted the instructions from a face mask in a cream/paste form. Anyways, I did not rinse my face, because there was nothing to be rinsed off. My oh my! My skin felt so clean and smooth after using this mask! And more, it left a cool feeling on my skin that lasted for hours, even in the hot humid summer weather in Barcelona.
I couldn't take a reasonably clear picture of the packaging showing the ingredients so, I'm listing them here:  Aqua (water), Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Oats, PPG-1- PEG-9- Lauryl Glycol Ether, Glucose Sodium Citrate, Parfum (Fragrance), Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Maris Salt (Sea Salt), Menthyl PCA, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Citric Acid, Sorbitol, Menthol, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase, Propylene Glycol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Laminaria Digilata Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid.
Conclusion: I loved this mask and there's no doubt I will buy it again.

Favicoco's Everyday Facial Mask Pack (Aloe)

This Korean paper mask left my skin feeling soft and moisturized. I like that it has cuts to better fit the shappe of your face and I love that the eye wholes are not totally wasted because they double up under the eyes.
There's a caution sentence, as you'll see in the picture below, telling you to avoid using this mask on blemishes, pimples and irritated or sunburned skin. Isn't aloe vera supposed to be good for all those things? Must be some other ingredient that might irritate the skin.

There's essence enough for a couple of masks so, what I do after using the mask is that I keep the package (trying to close it as well as possible)and, two days after, I peel a cotton pad into three or four layers, dip the the pieces in the remaining essence and voilà: I have another mask ready to be applied to my face!
Conclusion: These masks are sold in packs of 10 so I still have 9 to go. I like them but there are a lot of other paper masks out there I want to try out. I might buy other Favicoco masks again, but I'd rather try a different ingredient, like collagen or pearl.

There are also three moisturizers that I've finished between early April and the end of July. Let's start by the one I've used up first:

Skin79's Super Defense Moisturizing Gel

50ml that costed me about 10€ on eBay and lasted for a good two months, using it morning and night. Being it a gel-cream consistency, it was not moisturizing enough for my dry skin, even though I used it in winter/spring time. It could also double up as a night pack just by applying a bit more of the product on the face and leaving it overnight, and I used it as such twice a week so, that's why I run out of it so quickly.
If you look at the list of ingredients, you'll see that alcohol denat is in the fourth place so, don't be surprised if you smell of alcohol when you're applying the cream. The smell fades away after a few seconds.
In the mornings, I used to mix this cream with my BB cream. It blended nicely with both of the BB creams I used at that time (Holika Holika's Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream and Peripera's I Love BB Cream). Both have really good coverage and I mixed the moisturizer to achieve that no makeup makeup look.

Here's a picture of the cream whithout being used yet, so you can appreciate the texture of it. (Yes, this gel-cream is baby pink, ain't that cute?)

Conclusion: This moisturizer might work on combination to oily skin, but it was not moisturizing enough for my dry skin.






Mizon's Snail Recovery Gel Cream

I bought it on eBay for about 5€. Being a gel cream, I knew it would not be moisturizng enough for my skin (and it wasn't) so, I used it mainly as a night pack. The texture is a bit runnier than that of a gel so, it glides beautifully on the skin. It takes a while and a lot of patting for this product to be absorbed.
I also applied it on a wound I got from some ill-fitting shoes and the wound healed nicely and fast without leaving a scar.

The tube only carries 45ml of product, 74% of which is snail slime. It is not sticky, by the way.

Conclusion: I have another tube that I bought on offer, which means that i liked it as a night pack.










Mizon's Returning Starfish Cream

I bought it out of curiosity, and it costed only 9€ on eBay. That bling bling pink tin carried 60ml of product that lasted me for three months, applied morning and night.
One of the main claims of these cream is its shape memory: when you take some cream with the spatula, the dent you leave behind disapears in a few seconds. Now, that has nothing to do with the starfish extract: any cream with the same consistency will have the same shape memory.
I found this cream to be very moisturizing and, even so, it also dried out the occasional pimples I get every now and then at that time of the month. The best way I found to apply this cream was to put a small amount in my fingers, rubb my fingers together to break the texture of the cream and then dab the product on my face, tapping it for better absortion.

I loved the spatula that came with the cream, it kind of looks like a starfish arm/leg. This moisturizer does not feel sticky at all and it kind of smells salty, like the sea, which is not surprising taking into account that this cream contains 70% of hydrolized starfish extract.
Conclusion: I was reluctant to buy this cream in the beginning, because of the starfish. They must cut bits of the animal to make a cream like this. Yes, I know starfish can grow their arms and legs back but yet, this cream is not cruelty free and for that reason, though I loved how it felt on my skin, I will not repurchase this product again.

And that was all for this empties post. I hope you liked it and if you feel you're missing any info, leave me a comment below and I'll try my best to give you an answer as soon as possible.

Until next post, take care!