Posted by
Dain,
Sunday, March 23, 2008
1:07 PM (Eastern)
I took some time to evaluate the performance of the Primavera moisturizers. It's easier to test from lightest to heaviest, and the prices rise accordingly. I've never seen anyone talk about this line, and it's only available in the US through Saffron Rouge, but I can honestly say that these products are the best I've ever seen, and that is really saying a lot. Every cent is worth it, if you can find the right product for you, it's the highest quality, 100% biodynamic organic materials (Demeter certification). However, none of them really suit me.
Though the name may imply that this is a rich, unctuous moisturizer, it is actually pleasantly lightweight milk, best suited for oilier skins (but perhaps not very oily). It does contain oils, but I rather think that a little bit of oil is beneficial for balancing the skin, and in any case it's just jojoba and sweet almond, which are known not to aggravate most acne-prone skin. It has a wonderful lime-osmanthus aroma, and plenty of antioxidants to nurture your skin, including cranberry extract and cassis seed oil.
Next, we have the Hydrating Face Cream ($40), from the Natural Balance line, and has the same sugar-verbena-floral scent as the cleansers and every other moisturizer reviewed here.
This is a light-textured, mediumweight cream best suited for normal/combination skin, or slightly dry or oily skin. The base is water, jojoba and sweet almond oil, glycerin, and shea butter, so it has nutritive properties. Nevertheless, it absorbs very readily (as fast as Embryolisse) and would work well as a day cream under makeup. It is also dosed with Primavera's "100% organic Re-Cell Complex", a mix of the highly antioxidant oils of pomegranate, grape seed, and rose hip, which is used consistently throughout the Natural Balance line. If you are truly dry, keep moving, this is best applied lightly, and can feel a little sticky if you add too much.
When a skincare product hits $50 and beyond, it must be something extraordinary. Beyond that, you tend to pay for hype. This has a smooth, buttery texture from high concentrations of sweet almond oil, pomegranate seed oil, grape seed oil, shea butter, avocado oil, wheat germ oil, cacao butter, jojoba oil, sallow thorn oil (also known as sea buckthorn oil), and rose hip oil. There are also plantain, Iceland moss, willowbark extracts, and a small amount of plant alcohols and lactic acid. Though water is the primary ingredient, you can see that this is really a blend of the finest quality plant oils, the most antioxidant-rich and nutritive, whipped into a cosmetically elegant cream. I was initially sparing with my deluxe mini, and found it slightly disappointing. A more generous application (about pea size) does wonders. It penetrates deep into my dry, sensitive skin, and leaves it soothed and hydrated and soft as the proverbial baby's bottom. It also doubles as eye cream. Still, I get the feeling this is clogging my pores.
After a brief period of contemplation, I decided it was not for me. Don't let the jar fool you, inside are 30 capsules of pure oil, the freshest, purest, finest, richest, most antioxidant oils nature has to offer. Twist of the end, and what's inside is simple: jojoba oil, grape seed oil, pomegranate seed oil, rose hip seed oil, parfum (a mix of essential oils), sallow thorn (sea buckthorn) oil, carrot seed oil, and vitamin E as a preservative. So why so expensive, and why the extravagant packaging? Most skincare brands tend to use mineral or inexpensive plant oils. By contrast, jojoba and rose hip oils are approximately $2/oz, sea buckthorn, $8/oz, pomegranate, $9 oz (these are all organic prices). And many oils are unstable, so they go bad, very quickly; hence the capsules. It's not exactly anti-aging, but given the trouble that they go to give you best antioxidant oils in their most potent form, I'd say that this is targeted at mature skin for best results. I have found a couple drops are entirely sufficient, and one capsule lasts several days, and the silky, fast-absorbing oil shouldn't trouble oily skin types. But this is very much an overdose for my skin, as I'm barely at the "preventive" stage as yet, and there is really nothing to restore. If I'm using it simply for its moisturizing properties, I can save myself some money and quite a bit of hassle and get myself a regular cream.
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