Australian skincare

Kosmea is an Australian, family-run skincare brand that harnesses the natural power of rose hip oil to deliver effective, luxurious products.

Founded by natural skincare enthusiast Marie Jenkins, Kosmea offers eight daily skincare products that are formulated to hydrate, calm and nourish the skin. In fact, the Ancient Greek name means to harmonise and bring back balance.

Rose hip oil is a super-ingredient for the skin, as it’s known for its healing properties and is packed full of vitamins, essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

The wild rose hips used in Kosmea products are ethically sourced – hand-picked by the local people of Lesotho, South Africa, providing the community with a sustainable income. Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains are certified organic and no artificial fertilisers or pesticides are used.

I tried two products from the Kosmea range and have seen great effects after using them every day for just over a month.

Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant has become one of my favourite daily products to use. At first, I was hesitant about using an exfoliator with ground rose hips, as I had become quite attached to powder exfoliators. However, Kosmea’s Daily Facial Exfoliant is very gentle and doesn’t dry out my skin.

The Exfoliant contains crushed camomile flowers to soothe the skin, kaolin clay and rice flour to draw out impurities and a blend of organic oils and fruit extracts to nourish the skin.

It’s a delight to use each morning as part of my cleansing routine and helps remove any dry patches, getting my skin ready for the day.

Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant helps regenerate skin cells and promote radiance and I’ve noticed an improvement in skin tone and texture since using it (increased Vitamin B from the sun has helped too).

In the box, I received a small sachet of Kosmea Purifying Cream Cleanser to try out. The milky, light cream feels cooling and removes make-up and excess oil without leaving any residue on the skin. I’m tempted to add the cleanser to my regime to see how the products all work together.

Kosmea Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Face Serum is Kosmea’s hero product and it has worked very well on my skin, leaving it plump, hydrated and calm. It includes the natural ingredient MYOXINOL, which contains botanical peptides and is said to help combat fine lines and wrinkles and tighten the skin.

The lotion formula is non-greasy and light enough for me to wear both day and night (my combination skin can’t take heavy products). I love the pure, subtle rose hip scent and the therapeutic benefits of applying a calming rose to my face. An added bonus is that the recyclable plastic packaging with pump applicator is light-weight and secure, making it perfect for travelling (it’s also within the 100ml allowance).

Kosmea is without a doubt one of my favourite new beauty discoveries and I am amazed by how well the products suit my combination skin. It’s a luxurious, mid-priced natural skincare regime with high quality ingredients that’s definitely worth investing in.

PR samples

Natural skincare is quickly becoming more advanced and a real, viable alternative to high end spa products with the results to match.

One of the most luxurious natural body and skincare brands that I’ve been lucky enough to try is Sodashi – an Australian company using high quality chemical-free ingredients and ethically-sourced essential oils.

Founded by Megan Larsen in 1999, Sodashi adopts a holistic approach to well-being and means wholeness, purity and radiance in Sanskrit.

Products are formulated using a a unique combination of biochemistry, aromatherapy and Ayurvedic principles.

The Sodashi range is made for women and men and the sleek black packaging and aromatic scents will surely appeal to both. There is something very sensual and warming about Sodashi products, which is perhaps down to this sharing approach.

I tried the Vanilla Body Butter (€109/250ml) and was surprised to find that it doesn’t have a typical vanilla scent – in fact, it’s distinctly more herbal.

The Vanilla Body Butter comes in a generously-sized black glass pot with a white scoop and is very thick and creamy in texture.

As it is a high quality product, a little goes a long way and it feels rich, smooth and just the right side of oily on the skin.

I used the body butter at night and when I awoke in the morning, the results were impressive! My skin felt smoother, more toned and nourished. The cream absorbs well, so there was very little excess and it even brought relief to a mild patch of eczema.

Another favourite from the range is the Rejuvenating Face Mist (€100/100ml) and it has quickly become my travel beauty staple for rehydrating my face and indeed rebalancing my sanity after a sticky London tube journey.

It has a subtle, invigorating aromatic scent and simultaneously calms and refreshes the skin with natural ingredients such as damask rose, almond oil, atlas cedarwood, lime and grapefruit seed oil.

I also tried the Eye and Lip Smoother (€135/30ml), which has a light, oil-based texture and is a great everyday treatment. It’s more of a nourishing and relaxing cream than those zingy gel-cremes that tighten and pop your eyes in the morning.

It absorbs quickly and leaves the eyes feeling relaxed, hydrated and comfortable.

Sodashi really is at the top end of luxury natural skincare and the prices reflect this, but the superior quality of the ingredients mean that the products last a long time.

The four travel kits (€198) contain six travel size products, including the full-size Eye and Lip Smoother, so they are ‘good value’ and an introduction to the brand, to make sure they really work for you.

To see the full collection and to buy online, visit:www.sodashi.de Get regular beauty tips and spa advice from the Sodashi experts on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

All Sodashi products were given as samples.

Kosmea Australia Natural Skincare Review

Chérie Loves: Sodashi