Hair & Beauty Magazine

Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk | Non-GMO Botanics for Dry, Sensitive Skin

By Blessmybag @blessmybag

I’ve found so far what has proved to be more than worthy as my replacement cleanser by Andalou Naturals at Healthy Options and it’s actually cheaper than my previous, well-loved Cleansing Milk.  This is the Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk for Dry & Sensitive Skin (from the Age Defying range, when it’s something THAT specific, it’s usually good).  My skin is short of REJOICING at the moment.  I was supposed to blog about this new probiotic, ph-balanced no-nasties formula in a week but it’s made such a difference in 3 days of using it day and night that I can’t stand not telling you about it.  That’s a step UP from the performance of my previous cleanser which maintained, minimally soothed, and hydrated my pretty good skin but didn’t clear up small problems which kept repeating themselves.  This new Andalou cleansing milk costs nearly Php300 LESS than my old one.   It’s a first in my book that their “Age Defying” range (purple themed) is the selection that’s particularly formulated for “dry & sensitive skin” (they have other ranges for varying skin types) and the words “probiotic”, “fruit stem cells” and “cleansing milk” just made me give this a go since I needed a replacement soon.  This performed well beyond my expectations as a slightly more affordable cleansing substitute.  When this light cleansing cream (it’s more a lightweight cream that emulsifies than a milk) glides over your face at first you’re like “How can something that at first feels like nothing do something?”…trust me, for me it did more than just “something”.  On the first day a few minutes after I rinsed this off I knew my skin liked this and a few hours later I knew I had just made a major, personal discovery but I let 3 days pass to further validate my observations.

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Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk for Dry & Sensitive Skin, Php549.00 178ml

“Fruit Stem Cell Complex and probiotic microflora calm irritation and stimulate cell turnover for improved dermal immunity. Nourishing aloe vera, apricot and borage oils gently loosen and remove make-up and impurities, while restoring intracellular moisture and a healthy glow.  For clean, nourished skin and a restored complexion.” – ANDALOU NATURALS (PH Balanced & Hypoallergenic)

INGREDIENTS:
Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil*, Vegetable Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Oil, Prunus Dulcis (Almond) Milk, Glyceryl Monolaurate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Probiotic Complex (Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root, Maltodextrin and Lactobacillus), Fruit Stem Cells (Malus Domestsica, Solar Vitis) and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Polyphenols, Allantoin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Mangifera Indica (Mango) Butter, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Extract*†, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) and Borago Officinalis (Borage) Oils*, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Agathosma Capensis (Buchu) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil*
*Organic † Fair Trade Made naturally without GMO’s, gluten, paraben preservatives, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic colors, dyes and fragrances. Verified Gluten-Free 100% Eco-friendly, Vegetarian & Cruelty-Free, All Andalou products have been tested by the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP)

Most of you have read about my being disappointed that Le Couvent Des Minimes French skincare is soon about to leave SM and Philippine shores by end of March and you also know I’ve been highly dependent on their Beneficial Rose facial range, especially the cleansing milk and moisturizer (I have about less than 2 half bottles left of LCDM cleanser).  Andalou Naturals I’ll admit is a bit of a risk substitute because niche botanical brands like Andalou in niche stores like Healthy Options sort of give you an uncertain feeling about how long their ranges will be around for but for now I’ll just be grateful I found a replacement. It still contains Rosehip which I believe in as a skin ingredient.  That word “restored” up in the product description is exactly how my skin began to feel after 2 days minimum.  Andalou Naturals botanical use of berries and plants reminds me of Essie Button’s favorite skincare brand Antipodes.  When I researched “probiotics in skincare” what came up in the search was another highly-acclaimed, but nearly unreachable, Tatler awarded foreign brand Aurelia Skincare, the range that advanced skin facialist and expert Caroline Hirons and Youtuber ChelseaWears highly recommend (Caroline likes the cleansing balm, Chelsea loves the serum).  Note, C. Hirons is the expert and Chelsea of ChelseaWears on YouTube is the honest everyday consumer like you and me who swears (sometimes excessively) by the Aurelia Revitalize & Glow Probiotic Serum.  We  DO NOT have Aurelia Skincare locally but my guess is Andalou Naturals at Healthy Options comes close as a good-enough budget version with the probiotic benefits of the Age Defying range for Sensitive skin (something that sounds tailor fit for me).  Read more to get my full review, this is sort of a long one because I talk about my skin and mention probiotics among other things.

What’s fabulous are the product categories per skin type/need and how detailed the product information on all the products is, Andalou Naturals has a website with all the information here.  Everything you need to know is printed unsparingly on the packaging, something you really, really want for something that’s going on your face.  Plus, I love the “beauty inside” theme going on with positive happy words inside the box and a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson as a tribute to inner beauty.  This part about the box is sooooo my type of thing.

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The only thing I think this new cleanser doesn’t do, unlike the LCDM cleanser which does it well, is remove makeup on lazy days when I’m sooo sleepy that I just want to skip makeup remover (I’ll edit details for this new cleanser in if I discover it removes base makeup well even without makeup remover), but my skin is feeling soooooo great right now I don’t care if I have to use makeup remover every time before cleansing, minor detail I’m so willing to deal with to have skin that feels this…this…RIGHT.  My skin was already “okay” in general, pretty clear for sure and hydrated thanks to good upkeep but after using this new cleansing milk whatever minor patches of protruding whiteheads (potential zits), stubborn pores (where the same small zits usually appear and stay), redness, and congestion were still present (I know you don’t believe I get those but makeup and lighting help conceal right) completely receded in 2-3 days leaving me with what feels like skin that I thought couldn’t get better but actually did.  This cleansing milk works well in conjunction with my Le Couvent Des Minimes Complete Moisturizing Cream right now.  I cleanse with the Andalou Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk then slap on the LCDM cream, twice a day, morning and night.

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By the way skincare probiotics (you know like Yakult for ingestion) work in botanically balancing the skin’s beneficial “flora” , when skin flora is upset (more bad bacteria than good bacteria) it can cause surface congestion and breakouts apparently (apart from not washing our hands before washing our face or putting makeup on after touching money…eww).  There are even probiotic supplements you can take that might help improve skin from inside out.  However, always check with your dermatologist what sort of skin situation you are having, a breakout does not necessarily mean it is “acne”.  There are allergic breakouts, hormonal breakouts, breakouts caused from an unbalanced diet and lack of water,…different kinds.  Acne is often an imbalance in the skin that needs clinical diagnosis and treatment, some breakouts can be treated topically others can’t and from a dermatologist you need to find out what you really have and totally not guess especially if it’s getting worse and worse.  My face is sensitive dry and it prefers non-artificially scented botanical skincare that hydrates from deep within the dermis to the surface…my breakouts are usually hormonal or allergic, I don’t have acne.  My dermatologist basically told me before after treating my arm for eczema that a certain minor immune deficiency in my genetic make-up causes certain areas of my skin to be extra sensitive if it is not moisturized.  So, I should take supplements, eat good food, and hydrate and moisturize more often and avoid artificially scented skincare.  After I had a better understanding of moisturizing my face I stopped foaming cleansers and stuck with cleansing milks or balms, I also switched to facial oils instead of serums for treatments and that has eliminated flare ups on my face almost completely, but not of course the odd whitehead gang or chronic unsatisfied pore which suddenly…tada, this cleansing milk has seemingly fixed in a matter of days.

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The almost instant effect of this cleanser is similar to my overnight experience with the Kate Somerville goat milk cream but this has an effect that continues on and gets better and better for me with daily use, probably because of the probiotics.   This is actually almost Php300 LESS than Le Couvent Des Minimes’ Cleansing milk, it costs Php549 instead of Php800, just note that LCDM contained practically 20ml more of product in the bottle at 200ml (Andalou contains 178ml), but that still makes Andalou cheaper by quite a bit pa rin.  I noticed overall my skin was “brighter (not whiter)”, radiant, more supple, and clearer the second day after I first got it.  It had already started to fade minor zit marks (from spots I picked at, I’m bad) by re-calibrating the skin beneath that or something.  Whatever it does, my skin likes it so here folks is my new cleansing milk replacement.  Check out the Andalou skincare range at Heathy Options.  I’m interested in the Super Goji Peptide Perfecting cream  from the same Dry/Sensitive Age Defying range (not right now, I’m on a moisturizer kick, have enough to use up) and that Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask which is giving me the same descriptive vibe as Fleur’s favorite REN’s Glycolactic Renewal Mask.  What I like about it being in Healthy Options is since I have a points and rebate card later on if I’d like to buy 2 at a time (over Php1000 purchase) I can get a rebate coupon back for php100 OFF my next purchase.  For all of you who have sensitive skin and are frustrated like I am about the soon-to-be-gone-completely Le Couvent Des Minime Beneficial Rose range try out this stuff by Andalou Naturals :).

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