As part of my routine for many years now of taking care of my skin, I have been moisturizing my face for many years now. Over the years I have tried simple herbal creams, as well as so called “high quality” ones. However, once I learned about the dangers of most personal care products on our health, I took a serious look at what I was putting on my face, and discontinued use of all popular commercial creams and lotions.
While I was happy for quite some time with the Burt’s Bees carrot cream, once I looked at their ingredients in more depth, I realized they just did not cut it where truly natural products were concerned either. This is where I was ecstatic to have found out that my favorite personal care product company – Green Beaver, also carried a facial line. You can read more about the company from my point of view.
Today I use two of their products on my face: the Green Tea 100% Natural Facial Moisturizer and the Après Ski 100% Natural Winter Face Cream.
I like using the Green Tea moisturizer at any time throughout the year, and mostly at night, as it absorbs immediately. However, seeing as I live in Canada, and we have some long and sometimes dry winter weather, I felt that I needed something a little more “thicker” or “heavier” for those times of the year. This is where the Après Ski Winter Face Cream comes in very handy.
I don’t ski, or do many outdoor winter activities, but I do enjoy using this cream on many days during the winter. I find that you just have to apply it once in the morning and it nourishes, protects and moisturizes my face all day long. For people doing extreme winter activities, they may need to apply it perhaps more often or thicker than I do.
As soon as I picked up this cream at the store, I fell in love with the ingredients! This is one of those rare products, where you can actually understand all of the ingredients – and the cream itself is 100% natural – with no added chemicals, fragrances, preservatives, etc.
The claim on the cream states:
A highly moisturizing cream with shea butter and other replenishing plant emollients. Enriched with a blend of skin-soothing aloe, herbs and vitamin E.
The cream indeed moisturizes and protects my skin in the winter in an excellent way! I usually have normal skin (not dry or oily), but have found that in the winter it can get a bit on the dry side. With using this cream, my skin has felt velvet smooth all winter long.
On the surface in the jar, the cream is white, feels velvety, and is thick, so put on an amount that suits your skin type best. The cream absorbs really well, smells pleasant – not overwhelming in any way, unless you are completely sensitive to any scents.
In conclusion, I really love this cream! Next to the Green Beaver toothpastes, it is my second most favorite item from them, and if you have dry skin, or live in a cold, dry environment or are looking for an excellent, all natural cream, then I highly recommend this one!
Ingredients for Green Beaver 100% Natural Winter Face Cream:
- Purified Water
- Coconut Oil
- Shea Butter
- Vegetable glycerin and emulsifiers
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Biosaccharide Gum (0 – low hazard*)
- Jojoba Oil
- Beeswax
- Grapefruit Seed Extract (3 – moderate hazard*)
- Aloe vera
- Olive Oil
- Vitamin E
- Rosemary Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Xantham Gum (0 – low hazard*)
Extracts of:
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Goldenseal Root
* Safety Rating based on Skin Deep Cosmetic Database
Packaging
The cream comes in a glass-like plastic jar, with a plastic screw-on cap. The jar then comes in a small cardboard-like box. Both items are fully recyclable when product finishes. The size of the cream is 40ml.
Price (as of this posting)
- $10 – $14 CAD per jar at health food stores across Canada
- $9.99 CAD per bottle at HealthToYou.ca
(free shipping to Canada & US, minimum order required) - $12.49 CAD/$11.89 US per jar at
(free shipping in Canada, no minimum order required) - $11.38 CAD/$10.97US per jar at FeelBest.com
(free shipping in Canada & US, minimum order required) - Combo Pack 1 from HealthToYou.ca
$25.98 CAD - Includes 4 out of the 5 Green Beaver Winter Line Products - Combo Pack 2 from HealthToYou.ca
$33.97 CAD - Includes all 5 Green Beaver Winter Line Products
Availability
- Widely available at health food stores across Canada, especially Ontario
- Widely available at many on-line stores for Canadian, US and international shoppers
The Good
- Delicate hint of aroma (from natural spices)
- Excellent absorption
- Excellent moisturizing properties
- Excellent protective feel on skin
- Non-greasy thickness or feel on skin
- Suitable for all skin types
- 100% Biodegradable
- 100% Natural
- Vegan/No animal products
- No chemical preservatives
- No parabens
- No petrolatum
- No mineral oil
- No artificial aromas, fragrances or dyes
- No animal testing
- Outstanding ingredients
- Great price
- Fair availability
- Made in Canada
The Bad
- Nothing that I am aware of at this time, ingredients are excellent
- Grapefruit seed extract can be prone to chemical contamination depending on how it is prepared/extracted
- I would have liked to see this cream in a glass jar