Since it launched, Caudalie Beauty Elixir has become almost a cult-like product in the beauty world. I don’t think there’s anyone who didn’t try it and many swear by it. As always, I’m a bit late to jump on the bandwagon, however, several months ago I’ve gotten my hands on it.
Beauty Elixir comes in two sizes – a mini 30ml spray bottle and a bigger, 100ml bottle. 30ml retails for 11.95gbp, while the bigger size goes for 30.40gbp. I need to add that the price discouraged me – I’m no stranger to paying way too much for a tiny can of thermal water, but Caudalie Beauty Elixir is even more expensive when you take into account the price per ml. With a bit of luck and a little help of voucher codes I found a set which had Beauty Elixir and several mini Caudalie products for slightly more than the price of the mini Elixir.
From the description of the product as “Inspired by the “elixir of youth” used by Queen Isabelle of Hungary, Caudalie Beauty Elixir smoothes features, tightens pores, and gives the complexion a burst of radiance. An excellent base for make-up, this water awakens the skin in the morning and livens it up before a night out.” I could see that this is supposed to do a whole lot of everything and nothing. I was still looking forward to trying it, though.
My enthusiasm waned a bit once I saw the ingredient list with alcohol featuring on the high second and fragrance on the fourth place of the ingredients list.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Alcohol*, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Water*, Parfum (Fragrance)*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil*, Potassium Alum, Glycerin*, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Commiphora Myrrha Extract*, Styrax Benzoin Resin Extract*, Melissa Officinalis (Balm Mint) Leaf Oil*, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract*, Tocopherol*, Citral*, Citronellol*, Farnesol*, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Linalool*. (010/018)
* Plant Origin
I still decided to try it and I’ve been using it almost every day for a month. My mini bottle is getting near its end and I have no doubt it will feature in this month’s empties. I like to use it on a hot day to refresh my face. I shake the bottle and spray several spritzes onto my face, carefully keeping my eyes closed. The first thing I noticed is a strong minty herbal scent and refreshment it gave to my skin. When it comes to refreshment, it definitely works better than thermal water. The scent wanes in a couple of minutes.
I also use it when I overdo on powders of all kind to remove that powdery look. I don’t think Beauty Elixir does it as good as thermal water – my skin is still pretty much powdery, which wasn’t the case with Avene thermal water.
I didn’t notice any pore tightening, my skin didn’t look especially radiant and my features were the same as ever, so if you plan to get it for these functions, I’d advise you to skip.
What I have to say in Caudalie Beauty Elixir’s defence is that, in spite of pretty high alcohol content, it didn’t dry my skin out at all. My skin is oily but dehydrated and prone to flakiness, but Beauty Elixir didn’t exacerbate it. I can’t say that it was significantly moisturizing but it didn’t make my skin problems worse.
So, does it differ compared to thermal water? Actually, I find thermal water overall a better option; however Caudalie Beauty Elixir has a certain luxury appeal which might (not) be worth the price. I especially like how refreshing and nice on the skin it feels on summer heat so, while I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing a big bottle, I might keep a mini Beauty Elixir at hand just in case.
