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
Anti-wrinkle and whitening cream, as most Korean face creams are, this little baby is paraben, fragrance, mineral oil, TEA, imidazolidinyl urea, petrolatum,
propylene glycol and benzophenon free. Its mousse-like texture is quite thick but it melts on your skin quite effortlessly. If you extend the cream on your face and let it sit there for a few seconds, it stars "foaming up". That allows the cream to penetrate better into the skin. Even so, this cream still takes a while to be absorved into the skin, but your skin is supermoisturized afterwards and it also calms the redness.
