Sometimes I browse websites just to see if something new or interesting is out there. I honestly shouldn't because it just leads to temptation. This list is for me so I can remember them later (or sooner...) and for anyone else who hasn't heard of these brands yet. Maybe this also stops me from purchasing things immediately when I can share my excitement just by writing about them! Just so you know I know next to nothing about ingredients and skincare formulating so everything here is just my opinions or musings.
ALL THE PICTURES ARE FROM THE BRANDS MENTIONED, I DO NOT OWN THEM.
Face Theory
Face Theory has a lot of products with different actives. Their pricing ranges from 16-32 € and I find it fair. The shipping is 4,99 € for under 30 € order to Europe and free for over 30 €. For worldwide the shipping is 9,99 €.
The first product I noted is Lumizela Azelaic Acid Serum A15, including 15% Azelaic Acid, Colloidal Oat and Green Tea. Azelaic Acid has become a popular ingredient (I like it too) and this serum is one of their bestsellers. They also have a 30% Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Regena C30 Pro Vitamin C Serum, I like this EAA Vit C derivate and The Ordinary has a 15% one and the soon to be discontinued Hylamide 25% one. So this serum could replace the Hylamide one for me. Pro line also has 20% Niacinamide Porebright N20 Pro Serum which is impressive but I might just skip that one in fear of irritation.
For eyes Ocuwake Eye Cream EYE1 with urea, bacillus ferment, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and liquorice extract sounds promising.
Garden of Wisdom
Garden of Wisdom is sold on Victoria Health (UK website) for us European peeps. For EU orders they should already include local tax and duty so no extra customs. The shipping costs depend where the order is shipped to, for me ranging from 10-20 €. Garden of Wisdom's prices range from 14-27 €.
They have an Azelaic Acid derivate (Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate) serum Azelaic Acid (PAD) which includes 12% of the derivate. Geek&Gorgeous aPAD Serum uses 20% Azeclair, a solution containing 6% pure Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate (PAD). G&G says that 6% is already an outstanding amount so can it be true that GoW has double %? Or maybe they also use just 12% of Azeclair?
Other interesting products from GoW are a plain 100% Pure Prickly Pear Seed Oil, Azelaic Acid 10% Serum, PHA Plus Serum which has Gluconolactone 8% and Lactobionic Acid 2% and Neurophroline Serum which claims to soothe acne and rosacea inflammation by limiting cortisol. Well, I am suspicious but I haven't seen any other brand parading around with Neurophroline so it is also interesting. It is an extract derived from wild indigo, Tephrosia purpurea.
Geek & Gorgeous
I have actually ordered once from Geek&Gorgeous but I got only aPad Serum for myself. So I will include them in this list. Their product prices range from 7,5-30 €. They have free shipping over €50 in EU and €60 in US. Shipping is 5 € between 25 and 50 € and 15 € under 25 € for Europe (I know, sounds complicated). The shipping was crazy fast, I received my package in a day and half I think!
From them I also find interesting their 0,1% Retinal Serum, A-Game, as well as their liquid chemical exfoliators like Cheer Up with 6% Mandelic Acid + BHA (1% Salicylic Acid) which sounds gentle, just like their Calm Down with 4% PHA + BHA (0,8% Salicylic Acid). I have also heard good things about their Vitamin C Serum C-Glow with 15% Ascorbic Acid + Ferulic Acid that they produce weekly in small batches so you can get it fresh and it should survive at least 3 months after opening in the fridge without oxidizing (pure Ascorbic Acid is very unstable). I could try it sometime, but I suck at finishing things in time, that's why I usually go for stable Vitamin C derivates despite them not being as effective.
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Serum
This product is almost impossible to get in Europe. But I have seen so many people mention Faded that of course it intrigues me, probably not enough to purchase even if it comes available somewhere though. Their website only ships to US, Canada, and the UK. It costs 38$ and boasts fading spots with Niacinamide, Tranexamic Acid, Kojic Acid, Alpha Arbutin, Azelaic Acid etc.
Full ingredient list:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Stearate, Tranexamic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Alpha-Arbutin, Behenyl Alcohol, Kojic Acid Dipalmitate, Gluthathione, Turmeric Butter, Ethylene Brassylate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Azelaic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract, Melatonin, Phytic Acid, Squalane, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Arginine, Lecithin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Cetyl Palmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sclerotium Gum, Zinc Ricinoleate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Phenoxyethanol.
BasicLab Dermocosmetics
This is a Polish brand. I am not sure how I found it because I speak zero Polish, but I am very fascinated with Polish cosmetics because they seem to be front runners. Their products cost from 35-240 zł which is about 7,5-51 € currently. They even ship to many European countries and if your country is not on the list they ask to contact them. For me shipping would cost 65 zlotys (~14 €).
The "star product" I am interested in is KORYGUJĄCE SERUM Z RETINALEM 0,15%, CZYNNIKIEM WZROSTU KOMPLEKS 2%, FITOSFINGOZYNĄ I KARNOZYNĄ 2.0 REDUKCJA I STYMULACJA, which translates roughly to CORRECTING SERUM WITH RETINAL 0.15%, GROWTH FACTOR COMPLEX 2%, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE AND CARNOSINE 2.0 REDUCTION AND STIMULATION. It includes a whopping 0,15% of Retinal (the most I have seen) and 2% Peptides and lots other goodies. Full ingredient list:
Aqua, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Propanediol, Squalane, Dibutyl Adipate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-76, Decarboxy Carnosine HCl, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Retinal, Phospholipids, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Ubiquinone, Ascorbic Acid, Arginine, Hydroxystearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone.
Other interesting products and ingredients BasicLab has are SERUM Z TREHALOZĄ 15% I 10% PEPTYDEM NAWILŻENIE I WYPEŁNIENIE which translates to SERUM WITH TREHALOSIS 15% AND 10% PEPTIDE HYDRATION AND FILLING. Trehalose should be very hydrating, protecting ingredient with antioxidant benefits and reflects skin's own Natural Moisturizing Factors.
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin is actually a youtuber's brand I stumbled upon. Funny because I rarely watch youtube but I ended up on Rob's channel because he talks about normal cheap products as well. His skincare lineup is not tempting me to purchase them right now but I do find it impressive when ordinary people follow their passion. The brand's bestseller must be the Got You Covered Super Serum which is a mix of Azelaic Acid, Ascorbic Glucoside, peptides, Panthenol and antioxidants. They are also in middle of formulating a few different sunscreens so it is interesting to see what they are going to be like. As I have understood sunscreens are one of the most difficult things to get right.
Full ingredients for the Got You Covered Super Serum:
Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Ascorbic Glucoside, Hexylene Glycol, Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Cucumis Stivus Fruit Extract, Glucose, Fructose, Panthenol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Pollen Extract, Tilia Platyphyllos Extract, Mel Extract, Malva Sylvestris Leaf Extract, Ubuquinone, Calendula Officials Flower Extract, Sucrose, Urea, Alanine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Dextrin, Hexyl Nicotinate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol.
Olival
Olival is a Croatian brand and their prices range from 3-28 €. They seem to ship worldwide and the shipping costs vary from 47 kn to 270 kn (currently about 6-35 €), depending on location and weight. For me shipping would probably be ~22 € which is getting steep. They have multiple collections, from a first glance the interesting one is the black and white Professional Collection. Some of their other collections are Immortelle and Green Coffee.
Olival also has a retinal 0,1% serum called Vitamin Serum RA in their Professional line and it includes a lot of other goodies as well: ceramides, aloe, astaxanthin, allantoin, bisabolol. I would also go for their sunscreen/cream Krema Za Lice SPF50/Professional Face Cream SPF50. Based on ingredients, it would work as a primer (includes cyclopentasiloxane and dimethicone), and Olival also suggests that its airy, foamy texture works for oily skin:
Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Niacinamide, Ubiquinone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Didecyldimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-80.
For some basics, Olival's "cleansing oil" Microemulsion for the First Step of Facial Cleansing, Peeling Toner AHA PHA (5,9% : Mandelic Acid, Gluconolactone, Lactobionic Acid) and Microexfoliant (1% Salicylic Acid, powder Zea Mays Starch). I did like Dermalogica's Microexfoliant and even though the ingredients are completely different here, I still think the powder exfoliants are surpisingly effective.
Olival's Immortelle Collection is more affordable line and includes basics. It is based on Helichrysum Italicum Flower which is effective for skin healing. Personally I haven't heard of this ingredient before.
Under Niche Beauty Lab there are several different brands - just like under Deciem. I got the most interested in their "expensive" brand, Theramid. The serums are 32-35 € so I find the prices fair. Their "normal" line Transparent Lab is priced at 10-20 €. The shipping is free to most countries in Europe, USA, Canada etc.
Theramid's High-Concentrated Vitamin A Treatment Clinical Vitamin A is combining 5% Granactive Retinoid, 0,3% Retinol, and 0,1% Retinal. Which sounds like an amazing cocktail. Best you can get if you count out Adapalene and Tretinoin? (I am not an expert.) The ingredient list:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Coco-Caprylate, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinol, Retinal, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Plankton Extract, Ceramide NG, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Jojoba Esters, Lecithin, Pullulan, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Tricaprylin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Sodium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate.
I am very tempted to give it a whirl even though I do not need it! Perhaps I'll gift it to someone at some point. Other interesting serums from Theramid include Derma Peptides 22% Multi-Peptide Treatment, C-Tetra E.F. Intensive Vitamin C Treatment, Ceramide Treatment High Dose 3% Ceramide. And of course one for eyes, Advanced Eye Treatment Anti-Aging and Depuffing, which I am also interested in. The key ingredients are 5% Peptide Complex, 5% Ceramide Complex, 5% Ascorbyl Glucoside and 0,1% Retinol. The ingredient list is:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C10-18 Triglycerides, Propanediol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Jojoba Esters, Ceramide NP, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caffeine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Betaine, SH-Oligopeptide-1, SH-Oligopeptide-2, SH-Polypeptide-1, SH-Polypeptide-9, SH-Polypeptide-11, Retinol, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AS, Ceramide AP, Punica Granatum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cholesterol, Lecithin, Tricaprylin, Polyglycerin-3, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax, Acetyl Glutamine, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Sucrose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.
From Transparent Labs nothing jumped out the way from Theramid, but I still did take a note of Protect + Correct Serum with antioxidants Resveratrol, Ferulic Acid, Turmeric and ACE Complex, Gentle Rejuvenation Serum with antioxidant Ellagic Acid (which is "new" and promising ingredient), Niacinamide and Retinol, PIH Sun Spot Fading Treatment with Tranexamic Acid, Azeloglicina, Niacinamide, Kojic Acid and Luminia Granatum and Barrier Restoring Hydrating Cream with Hyaluronic Acid, ACE Complex, Madecassosside, Ceramide and TECA.
Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil Infused Gloss
Everyone knows Bobbi Brown if they are into makeup. I don't own anything from them but they seem to have good products. Only recently the brand has become easily available for me. I really would love to try Crushed Oil Infused Gloss because it might be the perfect combination of gloss and lip oil and the shade selection is very good.
I am interested in the shade #07 Force Of Nature which could be my perfect nude based on pictures! Full ingredients:
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Polybutene, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Oil, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Fragrance (Parfum), Bht, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- Mica, Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Copper Powder (Ci 77400), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Orange 5 (Ci 45370), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Red 6 (Ci 15850)]
Of course I'd love to try other products (bronzers, highlighters, their other lip products) from Bobbi Brown as well but due to price and my already existing hoard I am purposefully ignoring the temptation.
Glamshop pl
Glamshop is a Polish makeup brand and they especially have lots of pretty eye shadow singles! Shipping costs depend on the destination and range from 40 to 400 PLN (about 9-87 €). For me in the EU the shipping cost would start from ~16 €. Which is the same as the other Polish brand BasicLab Dermocosmetics so I think this is the usual rate from Poland to Nordic countries. Their prices range from 4-30 € usually. The eyeshadow singles are 20,16 PLN which is about 4,37 €. I did see Glamshop having very good sale prices recently.
The products that stood out to me were for example Glam Classic Foundation in Olive 0 and 1, they seem like very nice neutral shades that I could pull off. Actually Olive 0 is one of their bestsellers. I have heard good things about their face powders as well. As for eyeshadows, I would probably order metallic/pearly, ultra pearl and velvet singles because I am currently into glitter!
