Fact: the green beauty realm is home to some serious change makers, who are applying the ethos behind natural products (sustainable, healthy, etc.) to solve real world problems. From companies who support the local communities where they harvest ingredients to those who stand up against animal testing, the vast majority of the green bath, body and skincare products we know and love are championing sustainable business and giving back. Just another reason the green beauty community is unique. And just another reason to LOVE it, and feel great about it.
Case in point: Skincando. When Sara from Skincando reached out to us about reviewing her samples, we were pretty psyched – not only because of her all-natural lip balms, creams and anti-aging products, but also because her brand is mission-driven, donating Skincando’s Combat-Ready line of products to troops overseas since 2005 through Operation Sand Flea. Skincando’s Combat-Ready products are powerful, designed to soothe skin irritated by extreme conditions. And we think it’s pretty inspiring and excellent that Skincando is so dedicated to bringing helpful, natural products to troops overseas. Check it out!
The good news for natural product enthusiasts is that between Skincando’s two lines (Combat-Ready and Luxe), we found some products that we love as much as Skincando’s commitment to doin’ good. Read on!
Jennifer’s Faves
Combat-Ready Bar
This is the soap you use you when you want to feel really, squeaky, clean. When I enter the shower after a long run, I can actually sense my delicate bar soaps cowering in the corners. “Please…spare us from this barbarian!” Sometimes you need a tough, no-frills cleanser for those extra dirty days (I’ve been having a lot of those lately, now that I’m four weeks out from my first half marathon and gettin’ my butt kicked on the daily).
The Combat-Ready Bar is the most powerfully scented soap in my shower. It’s a bright, woodsy scent, a la black tea and rosemary, the bar’s standout ingredients. For some, this bar might be a tad too drying, but I loved it for post-workout mega cleans. This would be a good pick for the athletes in your life (or your smelliest friend. I’m kidding. Kind of). The scent registers on the more masculine scale for me, so this would also be a good choice for dad, bros and BFs, too. ($10 for 4 oz.)
Combat-Ready Lip Balm
I also gravitated toward the Combat-Ready Lip Balm. The tough-guy branding on this baby is concealing a real softy! Of the many all natural lip balms I’ve tried, (hoarder alert) this one reminds me the most of the well-loved Burt’s Bees classic. Peppermint gives the balm a fresh scent and a slight tingle. But the ingredient that really caught my attention is fish oil. Fish oil! In a lip balm! I’ve never seen that before. I’ve dabbled with taking fish oil supplements but never applied it topically. Don’t worry, no odor here, just the scent of peppermint and omega-3 fatty acids makin’ your lips look moisturized and smooth. This balm makes an excellent canvas for lipstick and stains – super smooth, matte, moisturized lips. I dig it! ($10 for .15 oz)
Kathryne’s Faves
The Skincando Luxe line is streamlined and simple, just the way I like it. The Luxe line focuses on long lasting hydration, healing, and anti-aging. Both the Eye Balm and the Miracle Cream are handmade to order, and both bolster several organic and rich ingredients to help you with your parched, post-winter skin.
Eye Balm
The Eye Balm is made with organic green tea with lemongrass and essential oils, and packs a surprising punch: a little goes a long way, which is wonderful! It’s not very heavy in the scent department, albeit a very pleasant “clean” smell gives you a whipped consistency, lending luxury to your eye area. It does not absorb quickly, so I recommend using this product at night, or on a day when you’re not in need of make-up. Not greasy…just moisture! ($45 for 0.5 oz)
Miracle Cream
The Miracle Cream advertises that it dramatically hydrates the skin, reduces fine lines and also helps to even out skin tone. I really loved how smooth the cream went on my skin, and since I have switched to nighttime showers recently, slathering this on before bed has had me waking up to silky smooth skin in the morning. Like the Eye Balm, it is a whipped consistency, and heavier, but not overly so. I would recommend this cream for more mature skin, or anyone in need of a supreme boost of moisture that won’t disappear after a few hours. Note that this cream contains colloidal silver, which works as a natural preservative but has some controversy attached to it. ($30 for 0.5 oz) You can also get the Miracle Cream made with only vegan ingredients, too, which I thought was pretty cool. ($45 for 1 oz.)
Combat-Ready Bar ingredients:
Distilled water, black tea*, saponified oils (soybean*, coconut*, olive*, sunflower*), vitamin e*, alkanet root*, rosemary essential oil*
*organic ingredient
Combat-Ready Lip Balm ingredients:
Beeswax, coconut oil*, shea butter*, apricot kernel oil*, fish oil**, peppermint e. o.*, grapefruit seed extract*
*certified organic
**PCB/heavy metal free
Eye Balm ingredients:
Apricot kernel oil*, distilled water, coconut oil*, beeswax, viamerine, grapefruit seed extract*, joy blend e. o.*, lemongrass e. o.*, conifer e. o.*, lemon e. o.*, lavender e. o.*, ravensera e. o.*, spearmint e. o.*, vegetable glycerin, green tea*, sodium borate, mica
*certified organic ingredient
Miracle Cream ingredients:
Apricot kernel oil*, distilled water, coconut oil*, beeswax, omega 3 fatty acids, viamerine, bio-active colloidal silver, grapefruit seed extract*, rose blend e. o.*, conifer e. o.*, lemon e. o.*, lavender e. o.*, spearmint e. o.*, sodium borate, vegetable glycerin*
*certified organic ingredien
**All samples mentioned in this post were generously sent to us for review by Skincando. Check out our policy on product reviews.
