Until recently, the majority of the natural beauty products I’ve been using have been floral or food based. Fruits, coffee, chocolate, lilacs, and especially coconuts. One scent that seems hit-or-miss with me are botanical, green, and woodsy scents. If blended right, they don’t smell like dirt, but the actual essence and sheer green-ness of the plant in question. It’s sort of sad too, because I’ve always loved nature, plants and everything earthy – I just can’t stand how they smell in perfumes and beauty products most of the time!
So, when Shelley Birnbaum of ReNew Botanicals approached me and offered to have me try and review her facial care products, I was thrilled. The line is not only vegan and organic, but features an array of plants of botanical products that I just knew would smell better than any of the other stuff that didn’t agree with my nose. I also have normal to combination skin, so there was an additional challenge. Shelley’s also an Esthetician and has been practicing skin care for over 20 years (So she definitely knows her stuff!), and has been a pioneer in opening and operating an truly green, organic skin care studio in Baltimore, MD. Check her out if you’re in the area!
But do they actually do the job of thoroughly cleansing and moisturizing my face?
Refine Cleanser: This is the first one I tried. I needed about 4 pumps to get the job done. It smells lovely, nothing like I’d expect – very tart, fresh and citrusy. It’s a greenish clay color, reminds me of crushed up plants. The cleanser has little to no foam, but dont let that fool you – it definitely dissolves oil and dirt, and cleanses deeply and rinses easily. No greasy afterfeel or residue feeling. My skin definitely felt renewed and it was a nice feeling knowing you were cleansing with such pure ingredients. This is normally for oilier skin, and it strips oil without overdrying. I like this more that the Balance one, below.
Balance Creamy Cleanser: Like the description, this one was creamier, but still lightweight. Also has very pure, organic ingredients. It also doesn’t foam much, but still did a great job cleansing away everything. I wore foundation for this one since it’s also supposed to clean off makeup. And it did – without any extra product or vigorous rubbing, my foundation dissolved away and after rinsing, my skin was left soft and glowing. It’s very gentle and smells great, so I was surprised to see it work so hard! It also balanced my face and cleansed my oily forehead well, but didn’t leave my cheeks dry.
Balance Moisturizer: I really, really love this creamy, thick, yet lightweight moisturizer. It has a clean, botanical, natural, earthy scent. Normally, I’m turned off by plant based scents, but this one is absolutely wonderful. It’s soothing not just to my skin, but my senses as well. It’s a thinner consistency, but still very creamy and a dab will cover a wide area of your face. I use it on both my face and neck for and feel very hydrated. Almost feels tailor made for my skin (and in many ways, it is!) the best part is using the spatula to gather the cream.This prevents possible contamination from your fingers, and the product will keep for much longer.
Because you don’t need so much, this tiny jar of 1.7 oz will last quite a while. my skin is left feeling balanced – the oiliest part of my face is my forehead and temples, but after cleansing with ReNew products and applying this moisturizer, it didn’t feel oily anymore. This moisturizer is my new night cream – I’ll be happily using this exclusively for the next few months!
Note that it does take a while to completely absorb – I timed ~20 minutes – so it’s not for wearing under makeup unless you can wait that long. Best used as a rich night cream.
Now to go back and answer the previous question: Do they actually do the job of thoroughly cleansing and moisturizing my face?
YES! Extremely well, in fact! The ingredients in all of ReNew Botanicals’ products are clean, earthy and organic, and do the job just as well, perhaps better, than conventional products with tons of crap ingredients in them. The Refine Cleanser, Balance Cleanser and Balance Moisturizer did a fine job keeping my skin balanced and clean, without the extras you just don’t need in your beauty care. The basics will do, and they will make your skin feel “ReNew”ed.
4.5 stars for this line! :)
Ingredients (Refine Cleanser):
Aloe barbadensis (Aloe) Juice*, Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos Tea) Extract*, Olea europaea (Olive) Oil*, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerin, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Oil*, Decyl Glucoside, Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Extract*, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Sodium Hyaluronate, Activated Charcoal, Camellia sinensis (White Tea) Extract*, Usnea (Lichen) Extract*, Salix nigra (Black Willowbark) Extract*, Panthenol (Vitamin B Complex), Calophyllum inophyllum (Tamanu) Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Xanthan Gum (Polysaccharide Gum), Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) Oil*, Cedrus deodora (Himalayan Cedarwood) Oil*, Cymbopogon Martini (Palma Rosa) Oil*, Cymbopogen citrates (Lemongrass) Oil*, Rosemarinus officianalis var Verbenon (Rosemary Verbonenon) Oil*, Thymus vulgaris linalool (Thyme Linalool)*
* Organi
Ingredients (Balance Cleanser): Aloe barbadensis (Aloe) Juice*, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Extract*, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Olea europaea (Olive) Oil*, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) C02*, Avena sativa (Oatstraw) Extract*, Xanthan Gum (Polysaccharide Gum), Palm Stearic Acid, Lavendula augustifolia (Lavender) Oil*, Pelargonium Roseum (Rose Geranium) Oil*, Vetiveria zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil*, Rosa damascena (Rose Otto) Oil*, Cymbopogon Martini (Palma Rosa)*, Tanacetum anuum (Blue Tansy) Oil*
* Organic
Ingredients (Balance Moisturizer): Aloe barbadensis (Aloe) Juice*, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Rosa damascene (Rose) Distillate, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Oil*, Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos Tea) Extract*, Emulsifying Wax NF, Palm Stearic Acid, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Punica granatum (Pomegranate) Extract*, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Polysaccharide gum (Xanthan Gum), Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) C02 extract*, Hippophae rhammoides (Sea Buckthorn Berry) CO2*, Rosa rubiginosa (Rose Hip Seed) C02 extract*, Citric Acid, Lavendula augustifolia (Lavender) Oil*, Pelargonium Roseum (Rose Geranium) Oil*, Vetiveria zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil*, Rosa damascena (Rose Otto) Oil*, Cymbopogon Martini (Palma Rosa)* Tanacetum anuum (Blue Tansy) Oil*
* Organic
Average Price: $24.00 for 4 oz (cleanser), $32.00 for 1.7 oz (moisturizer)
Additional Notes: All products are VEGAN! The products I tried were perfect for normal to combination skin, but there are lines for oily, acne, sensitive/inflamed, and dry as well. Almost all ingredients are organic! Moisturizer comes with a little spatula to prevent contamination from your fingers.
Buy at: ReNew Botanicals
Rating:
I was provided free products by the company to give a fair and honest review.