For this year’s Clean Beauty Awards I was nominated (and so honored) to be part of the judging panel and you guys, it was a blast! I really have never been part of something like this, but I have to say my many years of trying out different products to talk about definitely helped into getting the different things to consider when trying out a product.
ABOUT CLEAN BEAUTY AWARDS AND CERT clean…
I think I’ll start talking about Cert Clean first. Cert Clean is a third party certification for beauty and personal care products. This excerpt is straight from their website:
CertClean vets beauty and personal care products formulated without the use of potentially harmful ingredients, such as carcinogens, chemicals that may potentially affect our hormonal system, reproductive system, neurological system, etc.
CERT CLEAN
They have a rigorous process to vet the products and brands, and their goal is that we as consumers see the CERT CLEAN seal on a product and feel confident that the product you are buying has no harmful ingredients, and basically, saving you from having to do the research yourself.
And because as I grow older, I trust our (any) government less and less, having a third party certification that is truly working with a consumer’s interests and health in mind, it is very reassuring. At least for me.
Now, about the CLEAN BEAUTY AWARDS. These awards are looking for the best performing products in 24 categories total. This is the 6th year they (CERT CLEAN) have organized them, and I can tell you, it is an ordeal. There is a lot of planning involved and having so many categories it is surely a handful! But the CERT CLEAN team is amazing and they have everything set up for us judges in such an easy format.
For the CLEAN BEAUTY AWARDS, brands don’t necessarily have to be CERT CLEAN certified but there are still some standards they have to follow.
facial oil category
I was one of the judges in the Facial Oil category, which, if you know me, is my favorite part of my skincare routine, so it was very appropriate. And even though I didn’t get to try all the oils that were competing, I ended up testing 7 in total, which was more than plenty and kept me busy for a good while. I have listed them below in my order of preference.
the contenders
DrLoUIE Revitalizing All-In-One Essence
I haven’t tried lots of essences so I was not sure what to expect. This product is a toner, serum & moisturizer at the same time. I love this concept. As much as I love skincare, some times I’m in a hurry and just want to be done with it. The best part is that my skin after using this product plus my foundation, my skin looks airbrushed. I never thought it was possible with my skin texture, so I was thrilled when I saw the results.
You only need a little bit to cover your whole face and neck. It comes with a reducer cap (like the one in eos) making it hard to pour too much at once.
AYSWE Hydrate & Glow Face Oil with Squalane
This oil won 2nd place on the Clean Beauty Awards. It was also one of my favorites. It is super light weight, it smells super clean and I love the fact that it has sugar cane based squalane, so it is 100% vegan
It feels amazing every time you apply it on the skin and it absorbs quickly, leaving your skin dewy but not greasy looking. That is a super plus for me because during the summer months there is no way to escape from sweating if you are even 1 minutes outside.
Also, bonus points because it comes in a super cute paper/cardboard box.
Green Vines Know More Resilience Facial Oil
This oil is amazing! its first ingredient is also squalane plus a little ingredient called Marine Bamboo. It is not as lightweight as the AYSWE one but it is still lightweight. It leaves a soft dewy look and makes my skin so soft. Plus, it smells so good! I can’t place the scent but it is so lovely.
Bonus points for this oil also because the packaging is sustainable and very cool.
Huna Nourish Calendula Healing Oil
Ok so this oil helps with the red patches on my skin so much! I feel like it helps the skin relax, and so the redness disappears because of it. And it would make sense because of the calendula that it contains.
It is also on the thicker side, but you don’t need to use a lot and your skin will absorb it quickly. As far as the scent, it has a spicyness to it, but it is not bad, just different. I will definitely keep this one in the rotation.
Iremia Skincare The Restorative Facial Oil
Now we are getting into the thicker oils. This one has great ingredients, which remind me of the Esteli Oro Rosa face oil. Although it is thicker, it still absorbs quickly and leaves my skin feeling very soft.
I had no problem with break outs or anything of the like, I just didn’t see any drastic changes to my skin. I would still say it is a great oil and I’m sure using it for a longer period of time would help my skin.
MG Naturals Skin Guardian Kit | Organic Face oil & Jade Roller
This oil comes with its own amazing quality Jade Roller. The ingredient list is incredible and very similar to the Iremia Restorative Facial Oil. The texture is pretty much like every other oil, but still it absorbs quickly and leaves no greasiness on the surface of the skin.
And even though the Jade roller was not part of the judging process, if you haven’t used one, you have to. It makes the oil get absorbed more evenly as you are spreading it around. Plus it will relax and lift your face muscles and help with lymphatic drainage. You’ll see a difference for sure.
LaVigne Liminal Resilience Face Oil
This oil I have to say I had very high hopes for. It came in a tiny bottle (.5 oz) so I thought, it must be gold in a bottle. Well, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. It did an alright job but I felt it was just like any other oil. It didn’t do anything amazing to my skin.
I don’t like to be negative, but since I was a judge, I had to judge the products accordingly. I wouldn’t really recommend this product, I have used many others that work better and for a better price, imo.
Have you tried any of these oils?
