Naturium Skincare haul #1

Where I got it

I think I have mentioned this before, but I have been watching Susan Yara (Mixed Makeup) on YouTube and I think she is really knowledgable, I agree with her views on skincare ingredients and I would try the products she recommends. In July, she posted a video announcing that she partly-owns the skincare brand Naturium. I have heard of this brand earlier this year from Susan and Hyram, but have yet to purchase anything because of their shipping limitations kind of stopped me at the tracks.

When I learned that it is her brand, I immediately went on the website www.naturium.com and started looking at the products they offer. Knowing that Susan’s favourite skincare ingredients are Retinol and Vitamin C, you can bet that these are in her collection. There is a total of 14, consisting of 1 cleanser, 5 serums, 1 eye cream, 3 creams, and 4 oils. You can also buy a pump for the serums instead of using the dropper it comes with. I picked up a couple of products that are suitable for my skin – the cleanser, a vitamin C serum, retinol serum, and face cream. I managed to find a special offer code “SUSANRETINOL” to receive the retinol serum for free. The entire order was USD$61.00 with free shipping within the US. I ordered it on 22nd June to be sent to my YouShop address in the US.

*UPDATE 26/6/2020* Susan uploaded a video on the Mixed Makeup channel to address all the people’s backlash people were giving her for uploading a video of her recommending a product from Naturium a few months back pretending not to know anything about it, or not disclosing she was part of the company. She made an explanation and apologised sincerely. I personally accepted her explanation, but that’s my opinion only. What do you think of this situation?

The parcel arrived at the YouShop Warehouse in the US on 2/7/20 and I paid and extra $37.28 for shipping to New Zealand. Expected delivery is 9-14 days. The $38 fee also included 15% GST (approx $15). Therefore the shipping is about $23. The parcel arrived to me on 14/7/20.

What I got

I picked up a couple of products from the brand Naturium: Mixed Greens Nutrient-Rich Cleanser, Vitamin C Super Serum Plus, Retinol Complex Serum, and Marine Hyaluronic Water Cream. All of the products I picked up are Made in the USA, Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Vegan*, Gluten Free, Fragrance Free and Dermatologist Tested. *nearly all, but one product (Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Serum 5% as it contains cruely-free honey) from their collection are vegan.

Mixed Greens Nutrient-Rich Cleanser ($16 for 210ml). Our nutrient-rich gel cleanser is formulated with a daily dose of mixed greens, vitamin C and nourishing superfruits to remove dirt, oil, makeup and other impurities while balancing skin’s pH. pH 6.0-7.0.  

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Verbena Officinalis Flower Extract, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Glauca Fruit Extract, Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract, Microcitrus Australis Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panax Quinquefolium Root Extract, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate.

Vitamin C Super Serum Plus ($25 for 30ml). Our supercharged, multi-benefit serum is formulated with vitamin c, retinol, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and salicylic acid to help brighten, smooth, firm and target the look of fine lines while shielding skin from environmental stressors. pH 5.5-6.5.

Ingredients: Water, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Ascorbic Acid, Gold, Glutathione, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Salicylic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tricaprylin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol.

Retinol Complex Serum ($20 for 30ml). Our advanced serum is formulated with a 2.5% complex of microencapsulated retinols and bakuchiol, a plant-derived retinol alternative, that helps improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, elasticity, uneven tone and overall radiance. Our proprietary, synergistic blend of retinols and bakuchiol provide the benefits of retinoids without the adverse effects of conventional retinol products.

Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate, Bakuchiol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tricaprylin, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 60, Carbomer, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol.

Marine Hyaluronic Water Cream ($20 for 50g). Our next-generation water cream is formulated with marine-based polysaccharides, hyaluronic acid and phytonutrients to provide skin with a burst of long-lasting hydration. pH 6.0-7.0.

Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris (Trimethylsiloxy) Silylethyl Dimethicone, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sea Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Isohexadecane, Dextrose, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 80, Maltodextrin, Hexadecene, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol.

How I find it

Mixed Greens Nutrient-Rich Cleanser. This is the only cleanser by this brand and it is a very gentle 2nd clean cleanser. Susan believes in double cleanse so I am a little surprised that there are no oil cleanser or balm cleaners in her range. Nonetheless, this cleanser seems promising. It comes in a translucent plastic bottle with a pump, which I find is the best with this kind of texture. The cleanser has a gel-texture, but no colour at all. It is slightly translucent and has a light lather which doesn’t feel stripping. I only need 2 pumps and it will lather up gently, not too much, but I think a little goes a long way.

Vitamin C Super Serum Plus. This is one of the three vitamin C products in her collection. I picked this one because it is a blend of vitamin C, retinol, niacinamide and salicylic acid which are ingredients that will improve my hormonal acne and acne scarring. This one comes in a pump packaging with a lid, so it is hygienic and easy to use. A part of me is really excited about this serum having all of the actives that I love on my skin, but a part of me was skeptical because I’m not sure if the active ingredients will clash with each other and render it useless, or even worse irritate my skin. I usually use retinol in the evening and vitamin C in the day. I seldom use BHA with retinol at the same routine as well, so you can tell I am a little anxious about this serum.

I did a little bit of research on this serum as well as watched some of Susan’s YouTube videos to learn that Naturium uses new delivery technologies to allow these actives to work in harmony with each other. So basically the most important thing they did with the ingredients is encapsulation. Naturium has highly stabilized microencapsulated the retinol to overcome the setbacks of traditional retinol (find out more information from this post by Naturium). You can tell they have put a lot of research, technology and thought to this product so you can get all the benefits of these ingredients.

Retinol Complex Serum. (It says Retinol Serum 2.5% on the bottle) I got this serum for free with the special code Susan gave out so I am very excited to see how well it does for my skin. I have been using retinols for about 3 years as soon as I stopped breastfeeding my son. I have used retinoids and retinols generally and my skin is well tolerated so far. I think this is more of an intermediate-level retinol so it’s not too gentle and not irritating.

This serum has a slightly pale yellow colour and is quite thick. It doesn’t really have a scent but when applied to the skin, it feels a little gritty, like there are invisible powders in here. I tried to see whether I can see anything in the formula, but I couldn’t. As I massage more, it fades, then I follow up with a moisturiser. Retinol needs to be used long term to see results so I won’t be able to give a good review here, but general thoughts, if my skin can tolerate 0.05% Tretinoin, which is stronger than this product, I would prefer Tretinoin.

Marine Hyaluronic Water Cream. This one wasn’t the most hyped moisturiser from this brand, but it was the Niacinamide moisturiser that was more talked about. This one however, was just under the radar, but nonetheless pretty good stuff. The gel-cream texture of this moisturiser was really nice on the skin. I was half-expecting the gel texture would create either a film or not hydrating enough. I was also worried that it will clash with my other skincare or makeup, but it did not and I was surprised at how hydrating and moisturising it was bearing in mind it is super lightweight. There is no scent whatsoever and I’m sure even my hubby would love this. It is a very good day moisturiser with SPF on top, but if you have dry skin or want something more moisturising, you might need something more. I would be interested in their Plant Ceramide Rich Cream.

Overall

I’m sorry it took me a long time to try and review these products, because I was going through a lot of new products and I wanted to give these a good go before giving my review. From the time I ordered the products above, Naturium has launched a couple of new products and I was able to order new items too (Niacinamide gel-cream, Nicacinamide serum, BHA exfoliant and Azelaic Topical acid). I will put those in another Naturium skincare product post and review those separately. Overall, I am really happy with all of these products and their price range – only if they were able to ship these internationally at a reasonable flat rate.

My favourite item would have to be the Cleanser and the Water Cream. The cleanser is gentle, low lathering and cleanses my skin without stripping. I love it as a morning cleanse with my Foreo LUNA. The Water Cream was a bit of a surprise because I used to shy away from gel textured creams because how they used to contain so much silicone and interfere with my SPF or foundation. However, I did not experience that with the Water Cream. This is perfect for summer as well.

Both serums were really nice, and they seem to promise a lot. The Vitaminc C Super Serum is a great idea, but I keep thinking that I only get a small % of the active ingredients and not getting the full benefits I can get from a dedicated vitamin C serum or a Niacinmide serum. If you don’t want to be fussy with layering skincare but wants all the benefits of all these great actives, then this would be perfect.

As for the Retinol serum, I have been using something a lot stronger than 2.5% retinol, so I see results with using the Tretinoin more than this one. Also at the rate of using Tretinoin and my skin’s tolerance, I am seeing minimal irritation so far. If you are new to retinol or if you are looking to up your game from beginners retinol, this would be a good product to go for. Everyone’s skin tolerance is different, so it is best to start low and work your way up to a comfortable level.