What’s better than having the opportunity to try out a brand new skincare range? Having the opportunity to try one with an eco-conscious that does their best to reduce their eco impact.
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Urban Veda is a UK-based company that has based their brand on the traditional holistic Indian healing system of ‘Ayurveda’. Believed to be the oldest-standing medial system in the world, Ayurveda spans back around 5,000 years and incorporates medical science, psychology, philosophy, alchemy and spiritual understanding. Ayurveda is based on the belief that an individual’s wellness is intrinsically linked to balance between mind, body and soul.
The award-winning brand are not only certified as cruelty-free by PETA and Cruelty Free International but also certified Vegan by the Vegetarian Society meaning that not only do they refrain from using animal products or by products, they also don’t test on animals.
The contents of their formulas are a large part of their messaging, they don’t use parabens, artificial colours, SLS or mineral oil in any of their products and really drive home the natural elements of their range. It’s important to mention here that some people will run a mile from the mention of certain ingredients, whereas others are drawn to products that vocally exclude them; In this case there is nothing ‘bad’ about these ingredients, it’s just down to personal preference.
When Urban Veda reached out to find out whether I’d be interested in testing out one of their skincare lines I was keen to give it a try. You know I love chopping and changing my routine and trying out new brands – so the first step was figuring out what my dosha is; this is an Ayurvedic term that describes the mind and body’s physical and emotional tendencies.
The Urban Veda ranges are uniquely formulated to balance your dosha based on your answers to a short series of questions.
I was matched up to the Radiance range which is best for dry and dehydrated skin.
The Radiance line is heavily focused on boosting hydration levels with Turmeric as a key ingredient with it’s anti-inflammatory properties. Skin appears brightened and glowy due to the hydration boost from Papaya, Goji Berries and Liquorice enzymes.
I was sent a box of goodies to test out and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks.
What was in the box?
Daily Radiance Facial Wash £11.99
Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish £12.99
Radiance Hydrating Toner £12.99
Radiance Day Cream £18.99
I’ve recently ended up with an abundance of cleansers, so I thought it would be interesting to see how the textures all compared. First off, the formula was quite a thick gel – this isn’t necessarily a criticism as there’s nothing worse than a product being thinner than expected disappearing away between your fingers.
The directions for this product is to apply to damp skin and rinse off with cold water, personally I prefer to rinse with a pretty warm facecloth as it makes my skin feel softer and aid absorption of other products. When applying to the skin it is useful to use on damp skin otherwise the product lathers up too quickly as a thicker formulation and it’s difficult to spread over the face.
When adding a little water it really assists with the product lathering and removing all traces of makeup and grime from the face. The scent is really familiar, I think it reminds me of the Neutrogena Hydroboost Cleanser which is another that I really enjoyed using.
While I agree that the product is hydrating in that it didn’t strip skin, I did feel that it left my face feeling a little bit tight across my cheeks when using this cleanser exclusively so I think I’ll probably alternate this with another cleanser going forward.
As I previously mentioned, turmeric is one of the primary ingredients aiding with inflammations, the other botanicals infused in the product are Marigold, Patchouli and Coriander that support in revitalizing skin.
The Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish is really the stand-out product for me. A lot of people will call you out for daring to use a physical exfoliant, but personally I don’t think you can beat a really granular scrub occasionally.
A lot of the fear around exfoliating products comes from ingredients like walnuts, shells and salt that have ragged edges and can cause microtears in skin, causing lasting damage. The facial polish contains the same botanical blend as the cleanser with the addition of natural pumice to exfoliate and enhance the complexion. The scrub is enhanced with Arjuna extract to soften skin, guard against moisture loss and support skin elasticity.
I generally exfoliate once a week and usually use Goldfaden MD’s Doctors Scrub, however this does offer a similar exfoliating effect in a more liquid manner. I never feel like my skin has been left sensitised or uncomfortable, so I’d definitely recommend this to anyone keen for a physical exfoliant but concerned about it being too ‘scrubby’.
The third product I was sent was the Urban Veda Radiance Hydrating Toner, if I’m honest – this is the product I’m least keen on in the range. Not because there’s anything unpleasant about the product, but I’m used to using the REN AHA Tonic, so I feel that you get the refreshing feel of the toner whilst it makes a difference to skin – whereas this toner is simply hydrating, so it feels like it would better utilised as a spray.
I may do this when I next have an empty spray bottle to decant into.
When using, I pour a little onto a cotton pad to swipe over skin and it gives a lovely cooling sensation which when combined with it’s fresh and light scent does make this a really nice product.
The fourth product in my gift from Urban Veda was the Radiance Day Cream, this came a glass jar and it was love at first sniff. Given that my skin is pretty dry and can often get pretty flakey, this manages to breathe some life back into my complexion and prevent it getting tight and uncomfortable.
The Radiance Day Cream is a nice, thick texture that easily smooths into skin. There’s no oversaturation of skin and no stinging of eyes that can occasionally occur when fragrance shows up in the ingredients.
Overall, I’m really impressed with the entire Urban Veda Radiance range; I do like to mix and match with my skincare, so I may tend to use these products independently in order to benefit from other products too. A final really positive aspect of the Urban Veda brand is their commitment to raising awareness of plastic use through their support of the Plastic Oceans Foundation – 10% of sales are donated to the charity’s efforts.
You can check out Urban Veda’s site here – did you know that purchasing through one of my affiliate links helps the planet? Each purchase means that Kinsume will plant a tree to combat climate change.