Product Review: Alba Botanica Hawaiian facial wash, toner and moisturiser.

The search for non-toxic and healthier skincare options continue. A facial wash that I've been using is the Alba Botanica Hawaiian range. One thing I would say is that getting to know your skin is very important but it’s also an ongoing journey! My skin has changed a lot over the past year and what I could get away with in the past I can’t get away with now! Before I could get away with just giving my skin TLC here and there but now my skin screams for TLC everyday! My skin has become very needy and even though I'm only 24, I know that it’s good to start putting in extra work into your skincare at a younger age so you won’t regret it in the future! My skin is very needy at the moment and I want to give it the best so I need to be on top of my game! I've been using this facial cleanser for about 4 months now, the toner I have been on and off with and the moisteriser I used for the first month. I heard about the Alba Botanica brand from YouTube from a you-tuber called “SunKissAlba.” I absolutely love her channel; she is all about green beauty and health. Alba Botanica is an American brand and is not available in any UK shops that I know off but it is available online! I ordered mine from a website called Lucy Rose. The Alba Botanica Hawaiian Coconut Milk Face Wash 237ml was £7.29, the Alba Botanica Hawaiian facial toner 251ml was £7.29 and the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Moisture Cream 85g was £9.29 At first I was using the trio every day as part of my night time routine and then I stopped using the facial toner for a while and the moisturiser altogether. Alba Botanica is a 100% vegetarian brand, using no parabens, sulphates, artificial colouring and phthalates. Some of their ingredients are certified as organic but that is dependent on the product #knowyourbrands

The Alba Botanica Hawaiian Coconut Milk Face Wash 237ml

 Ingredients: Aqua (Water), C14-22 Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract*, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil*, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alcohol*, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol , Coumarin, Fragrance (Parfum)

PROS

• Some really good ingredients such as ginger, aloe vera, papaya and coconut
• Light weight formula
• Moisturising doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry and stripped
• Fruity pleasant smell

CONS

• This facial wash was not cleansing enough for my skin, definitely can’t be used once especially if you’ve had a day of city grime and make up on. I was finding myself having to use it 3 times on the days where I had a full face of make up on and most of the times I would still have traces of make up on.

• Too oil-rich for my face on some days- on the days where my face really needed a deep cleanse I felt that this cleanser was just a bit too moisturising and not cleansing enough to really clean deep into my pores which I believe resulted in mini break outs and oversized pores (which is a skin problem that I struggle with!). That plus adding an oil moisturiser was just too much for my pores. This has resulted in me alternating between the Hawaiian range and the acne dote range which is very cleansing and stripping.

I found that using the facial wash in the mornings was a much better option for my skin!

Alba Botanica Hawaiian facial toner 251ml

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Polysorbate 20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (1), Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Flower Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium PCA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol).

PROs

• Clean, citrus Smell

CONS

• This toner did not go well with my skin at all and I think that was because of  the high concentration of lemon extracts, it was just too harsh my skin and left my skin feeling a little irritated. I decided to dilute the toner with water as that is what I usually do when I add lemon to any facial products and it worked much better but on its own is a no-no for my skin. If you have sensitive skin especially to citrus I would not recommend.

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Moisture Cream 85g

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil (1), Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Octyl Palmitate , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (1), Cetyl Alcohol , Glyceryl Laurate , Tocopheryl Acetate , Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (1), Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil (1), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil (1), Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract , Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Extract , Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract , Allantoin , Dimethicone , Panthenol , Stearic Acid, Tocopherol , Tromethamine , Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool , Fragrance (Parfum).

PROs

• Nice cool citrus smell

CONS

• Contains Alcohol

• Too oil rich for my skin, contributed in my skin having mini breakouts and clogging my pores, there is a oil-free alternative version which I think would have been better suited for my skin. I’m really learning that my skin doesn’t like moisturisers that are oil rich, I prefer it when I add oils to my moisturiser as and when my skin needs it.

Throughout the process of using Alba Botanica I've realised a lot about my skin and what it likes and dislikes. Most of my skin problems, random breakouts and enlarged pores are as a result of my pores being clogged up with bacteria and I've realised that moisture rich or citrus based products don’t help my skin. I have combination skin so I need a very good deep cleanser that isn't too stripping but that also has the right amount of moisturiser to really balance out my skin but nothing that is too moisture rich. I also need a lemon and alcohol free toner.

Yay or Nay: Nay

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