Origins Original Skin line is aimed at individuals in their 20’s and the changes that the skin starts to go through at that age. The line aims to bring natural luminosity to the skin while clarifying and reducing the appearance of pores. As a 25 year old with dehydrated oily skin, I have been testing some products from the range to see how they work with my skin. The products I have been trying are:
· Original Skin Makeup Removing Jelly with Willowherb
· Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay
· Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer with Willowherb
· Original Skin Matte Moisturiser with Willowherb
The Ingredients
As you can see from the product names, the main ingredient within the line is willowherb, also known by its chemical name as Epilobium Angustifolium Extract. This is a great ingredient that has been shown to have skin soothing and antioxidant effects on the skin. This means that it will sooth and calm irritated and sensitized skin while protecting free radicals that can damage the skin.
The Retexturizing mask contains rose clay and exfoliating Jojoba beads. Like all clays in skincare, rose clay draws out impurities and deeply cleans the skin. Rose clay is one type of clay that is good for sensitive skin as it is more gentle and less dehydrating than some other clays used in skincare. Jojoba beads are exfoliating beads made out of jojoba oil that has been hardened into a solid wax. These are a type of exfoliating beads that are more environmentally friendly that microbeads and more gentle on the skin than crushed items like shells and nuts which can have rough edges. This mask also contains 6 different fragrant essential oil ingredients. These can be sensitizing and irritating to the skin. As this is a wash off treatment the essential oils are less problematic but some sensitive skin types might experience irritation during the short time that the mask is on the skin.
As well as willowherb, the Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer contains salicylic acid which is a beta hydroxy acid that exfoliates the skin and is most suited to oily, acne prone skin. This primer contains 11 essential oil ingredients that have the ability to irritate or sensitize the skin. This is problematic within this product as it is designed to be left on the skin.
The Matte Moisturiser also contains salicylic acid. This moisturiser also contains glycerin which is a good hydrating ingredient. Additionally, dimethicone within the formula will help to create an occlusive layer to protect the skin by mimicking the skin barrier and preventing trans epidermal water loss. This moisturiser also contains 11 essential oil ingredients that can be problematic for the skin. The ingredients list for the moisturiser and primer are very similar.
My Experience
I have to say these products are a perfect example of getting sucked into buying something because of its aesthetic packaging without looking at the ingredients lists. Had I seen all of the sensitizing fragrant ingredients within these products before purchasing I may have changed by mind as these can be irritating and sensitizing, and these products contain a large number quite high on the ingredients list. Since I did purchase them I decided to risk the irritation and test these products out. I have not actually experienced any irritation from the products but I would be wary to repurchase them again as research has suggested that the more the skin is exposed to irritating ingredients the more likely the skin is to react negatively.
I don’t often wear makeup so I have been trying the Makeup Removing Jelly as a first cleanse step to remove SPF. This product feels nice when cleansing the skin and does not leave the skin feeling overly stripped. However, this cleanser does not feel like it has removed my SPF as well as some other first cleansers that I like. I have not tested this cleanser at removing makeup.
The mask seemed to be trying to be a mask and exfoliator at the same time due to the Jojoba beads. I personally feel that this would have been a better exfoliating mask combination if the formula had contained an exfoliating acid such as alpha hydroxy acid or beta hydroxy acid. I found this mask to be overly drying and difficult to use. The exfoliating beads made making the mask off with a flannel difficult and caused irritation to my skin.
Despite the inclusion of so many irritating essential oils within the Matte Moisturiser, I did enjoy using this moisturiser. I found my skin to produce less oil when using this moisturiser, and my skin felt nicely hydrated. I did not experience any irritation or sensitivity when using this moisturiser, but I am wary of future irritation or sensitivity that could come from exposing my skin to so many essential oils.
I really did not get on with the Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer as I did not see any difference when using it. I tried using this primer both under and over my SPF to see if this name a difference and I couldn’t notice any. The primer did have a nice cooling sensation so I may save it to try during the summer, but again I am also wary of the number of essential oils within the formula.
Final Thoughts
The only product from the Original Skin range that I enjoyed using was the Matte Moisturiser. The Makeup Removing Jelly Cleanser did not feel like it removed my SPF completely. The Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay dried my skin out and the exfoliating beads irritated my skin. And the Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer did not make a visual difference to my skin but I will try the cooling aspect of the product in summer. While I did not experience any sensitivity from the essential oils within the cleanser, moisturiser and primer, these essential oils make me wary of continuing to use the products.
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