Kiehl’s Organic Açaà collection: a mister’s view
Finally, I’m writing something about Kiehl’s Organic Acai range that was launched awhile ago. Well, it’s Ecocert Organic Certified okay but I wasn’t very keen on using it because of the alcohol denat I see listed as one of the top five ingredients in the range. Even though it’s stated to come from 100% organic farming, I just don’t like the idea of slathering anything with alcohol denat on my face daily. But I decided to claim some products from the range as part of the $200 I won from Kiehl’s blogging competition for my husband. He’s got thicker and oilier skin and I suppose some alcohol may do it some good. And just as I’ve guessed it, he loves the products!
Key antioxidant ingredient sourced from Brazil
Kiehl’s Organic Acai collection comprise four products – a Damage-Minimizing Cleanser, a Damage-Correcting Moisturizer, a Damage-Repairing Serum and a Damage-Protecting Toning Mist – and I claimed the first three products. Looking at the product description, the Acai collection is positioned as an antioxidant range to counter the effects from free radicals. The key ingredient is of course AçaÃ, read as Ah-Sigh-Yee, which is a super berry sourced from Brazil with exceptionally high levels of nutrients. I haven’t got a chance to try this rare fruit but my understanding is that it’s delicious because it’s like grapes but with a rich chocolate taste.
Kiehl’s Acai Damage-Minimizing Cleanser 150ml S$51
This cleanser is all liquid and dispenses balls of foam. According to my mister, he needs two balls of the foam to wash his face because his face is quite big. What he likes is that this cleanser is able to clean his face well and yet, doesn’t leave it dry and tight. Personally, I’ve tried it once and I think it’s fun to use. But if I were to use it on my face full of makeup, it’s best to use an oil or cream cleanser to get rid of the makeup before washing with this product. And even for that, I think three pumps of foam will do a better job. I suppose if I were to use this cleanser, I’ll probably finish it up rather quickly. But I agree with him about the feel; not tight and taut and it smells great!
Kiehl’s Damage-Correcting Moisturizer 75ml S$80
He seems to like this moisturizer a lot and I can see why. When I tested it, the texture was creamy but yet lightweight. So it applies easily without leaving a heavy oily residue. In fact, he used to have a rather oily face but this moisturizer kept his face matt and oil free for a good part of the day. I did noticed that after weeks of using this, his skin texture has somewhat improved and seems smoother. Hmm…that’s not great news for me though because I think his skin shouldn’t be better than mine!
Kiehl’s Acai Damage-Repairing Serum 50ml S$84
He didn’t want to use the serum and so I’m left to try it myself. However, because of the alcohol, I’m only using this on my neck region and so I can’t really say much about it, especially since I haven’t been very consistent in the usage. The only thing I would say is that I like the lavender scent, which is very soothing. The moisturizer smells almost similar too.
Overview
This is not a guest review since I’m still writing it so I can still sum up my thoughts on the products. I like the idea of an Ecocert organic certified range that is paraben and silicone free from Kiehl’s. The usage of Acai berries as the key ingredient is very exotic and beneficial too. But why can’t the range be alcohol free? Besides alcohol denat that is listed as one of the top five ingredients, the moisturizer for example has cetaryl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. So that’s a no-no for me because I have already made my stand regarding alcohol-free organic skin care. But for those who don’t mind the alcohol content, the products seem to work rather well especially if you have combination to oily skin type. Despite what others have said about the strong scent, I find the smell lovely and soothing. Anyway, my husband gave the two products he used a rating of four hearts out of five. So they’re good for him!
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hey vivawoman,
if i’m not wrong, the cetaryl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are emollient ingredients, and not alcohols. it’s super confusing right, i used to get really put off from buying products with any ‘alcohol’ word in them, but i think many with alcohol as the 2nd word in the name are emollients.
the alcohol denat is definitely still a big no-no for me, but the other 2 alcohol-sounding ingredients are actually emollients to moisturise the face.
anyway, great review!
They’re fatty alcohol and considered better but still, have the ability to dehydrate the skin when used in large amount. You can read a take from Dr Nitasha Buldeo here:
http://www.organicapoteke.com/blog/2009/12/natural-skin-care-alcohol-free-products/
Many pple seem to think they’re okay but personally, I don’t like products with a lot of these stuff. I would be less bother if it’s just one, or they’re listed at the end.
just sharing the skincare love:
http://www.carefair.com/skincare/
Why_Alcohol_is_a_No_No_in_Skincare_5638.html
http://truthinaging.com/body/alcohol-in-cosmetics-is-it-safe
cetyl, stearyl and cetearyl alcohol are good.
I’m actually quite tired of talking about this because very few pple agree just because everyone says grain alcohol are good and different. And everyone thinks they’re right.
Safe is safe…it doesn’t necessarily means it’s good. Those in the know will agree that these alcohol are still drying, although they’re not the same as denatured alcohol. Not necessarily bad but I just don’t like it when a product has too much of them and particularly so if the product is expensive.
Although most products contain them, very good products don’t really need these stuff to stabilize the formulation.
I’m a huge fan of Kielh’s and their products like the Blue Astringent are my favorites. I think this brand has introduced me to natural beauty products in general. Just recently, I also found out about another brand that’s also starting to get into the bio beauty trend. And ironically enough, it’s a British brand called Urban Decay.
Check out this very interesting article
http://www.mybestaddressbook.com/en/mag/buzz/urban-decay-or-the-vegan-cosmetics-organic-green-bio-makeup
sesame, remember i posted that Aesop used cetearyl alcohol for a face cream that i was using? after going through about three quarter of the jar, at first i quite liked it and thought the effects of cetearyl wouldnt affect me too much since i dont use a lot with each application and dilute with toner/tonic and cetearyl alcohol wasnt too high up in the list (i think. forgot details). then i felt that it seemed to be like drying out my skin T.T
hence now i’m a little apprehensive of using cetearyl alcohol moisturizers… turning to alternatives from GoW because they have a few moisturizers that have ingredients that act as waxless emulsifiers.
Thanks for the link. Had a look at it and it looks pretty. Hopefully, they’ll bring it here soon.
That’s my experience with products using such fatty alcohol high up on the list. For some, you can even feel the dryness as you apply the cream on your face. The mistake is, pple think the cream is absorbed quickly but my take is,perhaps the cream is drying up quickly.
On my face, I try to avoid products with such alcohol too but it’s hard. So many of them have it. I turn a blind eye if I really want to give the product a go and the ingredient is not so high up.
I love Açai products. I think they have a lot of benefits.
The prices of those products are kind of INSANE and I don’t see why. Curious to see other ingredients.
i’m using the acai serum now as well and i just love the smell!! the moisturiser is a tad too rich for my combi/oily skin though. my mom loves the range though.
i do think this range is quite good. if only the price isn’t so high!
I like the idea too. I would love to try Acai berries.
Natalja, the prices are listed in Sin$ by the way. But Kiehl’s products are not cheap; they’re meant to be positioned as mid to high range.
Ah…so it’s too rich for your skin? I guess it doesn’t work well for all with combi to oily skin then. I tried it on mine and think the feel is quite good.
It is such a challenge to find alcohol free skincare products that are suitable for my skin. I was so disappointed to note that a skincare line i was interested in that marketed themselves to be freed of harmful chemicals has the ingredient listed very high up on the list! So frustrating…sign..
Yes, I feel the same. The worst is that they price pretty high too. If the price is high, I think they should use technology to stabilize the product rather than rely on alcohol.
Oh, that can be the case, I didn’t notice. Back in a day when I worked with Sisley and YSL, Kiehl’s was way cheaper, or maybe I had such perception comparing to the above brands and it’s very high end prices.
Yes, that’s what the marketing pple told us here. The pricing strategy is deliberate cos of the market they want to capture. Plus they have nice retail stores here so their prices have to somewhat justify.