REVIEW: Apothekari Skincare Body Care Products
More and more, I've been thinking - as a lot of us have - that I want to use the platform I've built here on the blog to promote amazing products from independent BIPOC and women owned brands, but what I've discovered is that it can be hard to find stockists here in Canada. Recently, I tweeted something to that effect and I was contacted by the owner of Apothekari Skincare and was immediately intrigued. I was lucky enough to be sent along some of her products to try out and, while I'm still in the testing phases of the skin care products, I wanted to share these two body care products that I've been testing out for the past few weeks!
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The things that really excited me about the Apothekari Skincare ethos was that they really put the focus on science-based formulas that are effective, transparent, and safe. The formulations contain ingredients that serve a purpose and are clinically proven to work and nothing is added just because it's trendy or marketable. They place a focus on safety in a way that I haven't seen a lot of brands doing, and while they don't claim to be "clean" (which I highly, highly appreciate) I think that their level of transparency and focus on safety surpasses many of the so-called "clean" skin care brands out there. Rather than me continue to go on and on about how much I appreciate their philosophy, I definitely recommend checking out their Our Philosophy and Our Science pages if you're interested in the brand because I really, really have a lot of respect for how they've decided to approach their business practices.
50ml | $35CAD - also available in 100ml size
With a blend of powerhouse oils, starting with a base of Sunflower Seed Oil and Vitamin E and containing a combination of Jojoba Seed Oil, Rosehip Seed Extract, Kukui Nut Oil, Shea Nut Butter, and Raspberry Seed Oil, this is a super rich, super moisturizing body oil. Honestly, this combination of oils was immediately exciting to me because there are so many different benefits to different oils, from anti-oxidants and fatty acids to oils that really penetrate into skin and ones that provide more of an occlusive, protective barrier to the skin this really felt like it had it all. Wasn't entirely sure initially how I was going to feel about the smell, though.
Admittedly, summer wasn't necessarily the optimal time for trying this out, but I've still been using it after about every second shower while my skin is still a little damp and I absolutely feel confident that this is going to be one of those must have winter body care products for me. This is a NOT a dry oil, this is a super rich, super intense oil that packs a ton of moisture. Like I said, it isn't necessarily what my skin needs right at this moment, but I've definitely been seeing lasting moisture and skin that looks and feels super hydrated and smooth. Personally, I prefer to keep this one for my chest and up, not only because it's gorgeous and I want it to last, but also because I think the areas of my skin that really get the sun are the ones that probably need those skin care benefits that go beyond moisture more than the rest of my body. I would also say that you should probably plan to stay naked for several minutes after you apply this, to really let it sink into the skin.
And as for the smell? I'm amazed because I love it. It's a really, really balanced blend of lemon and rose that, I think, brings out the best in both of those scents. I feel like - and I know this is a weird and contrary thing to say - this body oil smells both exactly like lemon and exactly like rose (in the best way, not a granny way) at the exact same time. It's strong when you first apply, but as the product sinks into the skin I find it gets much more subtle - but if you have a scent sensitivity, you might wanna skip this one.
60ml | $24CAD - also available in Grapefruit Ginger and Sandalwood Myrrh scents
When the owner of the brand asked me if I would be interested in trying this or was I more of an antiperspirant kind of a girl, I admitted that I was the latter but told her I'd be willing to try. Now I know that she sent it along to me because she was confident - and she had every reason to be. With a pH balanced formula containing odor neutralizing enzymes and truly free from aluminum, this deodorant promises to keep you free from irritation AND odor. I'm gonna be really honest here, I was skeptical. The truth is that even when I've liked natural deodorants, I've always gone back to antiperspirant in the end because it has just worked better for me and I was prepared for that to be the case with this one.
Now trust me when I tell you that there is literally no better time to put a deodorant to the test than while I've been testing it. For the past few weeks that I've been trying this out, it has been absurdly hot every single day... and I've been the weird girl sniffing my own armpits pretty consistently to see how this is working out.
It has been years and years and years since I've used a roll on deodorant and I was actually kind of excited to try one out again. It's what my mom always used when I was growing up and what I used when I first started wearing deodorant, but as an adult I've generally gone for sticks. When I first apply this, especially after shaving, I do get a little bit of a tingle, but it's nothing overly uncomfortable and it goes away completely within a couple of minutes - actually, about as long as it takes to dry down.
During the testing period, there have been only two occasions when I've found myself getting a little bit ripe smelling and both times I've been at work in the heat and it's been well over 12 hours since I applied it. On a regular day, I've had absolutely no issues with applying this in the morning, living my life, and trying not to melt in the summer heat. And seriously, I've been checking.
I really, really like the Lavender Bergamot scent of this deodorant as well. Despite the fact that the lavender might sound a little bit girly, I actually think this is a completely universal type of scent and one that I know my (male) partner would be perfectly happy to use. It's a little bit hippie, as you can probably guess from the bergamot, but generally just smells clean to me. As I sit here typing (why, yes, I did just do a sniff test) it's been about 5 hours since I applied this deodorant and I still get a light fragrance but nothing that I can smell without a sniff test. (I feel very silly about all the armpit sniffing - but it's for SCIENCE!)
Honestly, I am SO GLAD that I have discovered Apothekari Skincare. I absolutely love their philosophy and the way they formulate their products and it falls so completely in line with the way that I think about skin care personally that it almost feels like this is the brand I've been waiting for, if that makes sense. I'm really kind of sick of trendy skin care and I'm really sick of incoherent marketing claims, so it's nice to see a brand that walks their talk and formulates science-driven products with clinically proven ingredients and concentrations of those ingredients.
With both of these products, I am 100% confident in telling you that they live up to their claims and both of them seriously work. For me, the biggest surprise is the Natural Deodorant, which I'm 100% going to repurchase when this bottle runs out (I think it'll probably last me 3-4 months with daily use) because it's just that good. I never thought that a natural deodorant would grab me the way it has, but it did!
Apothekari Skincare products are available online from their website and each product page is really, really informative so I highly recommend checking them out!
Thanks for reading!
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