A rose by any other name

During the whole of the summer I have been giving 4 organic products with rose as an ingredient the workout that is skincare for the summer…

There is very little in the way of hard graft in the field of fashion and beauty, but sometimes you need to go a little bit above and beyond the call of duty. So during the whole of the summer I have been giving four organic products with rose as a key ingredient the workout that is skincare for the summer. And now that summer is just about drawing to a close (and it is officially the first day of Autumn) I can end my research and you will be all set up for skincare in the coming winter months when we need to look after our skin just about more than in the summer.

I have sensitive skin. I have learnt that it just doesn’t like too many preservatives, parabens and general chemical enhancements that make up a lot of the skincare we use today. I am as committed as I can be to removing those things and working from the most natural platform that I can manage. Years ago this was very difficult with just two main names in the market: Weleda and Dr. Hauschka. They were often hard to find and not widely available (I am sounding very old here). Now that ‘organic’ is a term with true merit – they are not only more widely available, but there are a whole heap of other products/companies on the market. More choice for us then. So I have bravely used a body cream, a day cream, a night cream and a hand cream through the summer just for you.

I should make it quite clear that I used these products so diligently that they are now all empty. Not a tiny bit left in the tubes. At all.

TRILOGY Rose Hand Cream isn’t named very well. It should be called Emergency Cream For Anything That is Dry but I don’t think that would work very well on the packaging. It says it is for hands – but I have been using it on my elbows, feet and knees (those much ignored places that on inspection could actually use some help), and even got used on a sunburnt patch on the back of my neck. It has rosehip, marshmallow and rose flower and is especially formulated for repairing cuticles. What I particularly liked about it was that it wasn’t too greasy while feeling like it had real substance to it. I would definitely recommend it, and love that it is so versatile. Trilogy Rose Hand Cream 100ml $26.90 – try www.trilogy.com if you don’t have a retailer near you (which you should).

I don’t think I have had a special night cream for years. Usually I am so tired after putting the kids to bed, tidying the house and getting everything sorted for the next day that I am lucky to remember to get out of my clothes let alone actually remove my make up (or what is left of it) and use a night cream. I would love for you to think that I am tired because I have been out at a glamorous event every night of the week, but this just isn’t the case. Life gets in the way, but boy have I been missing out. I haven’t exactly been religious with the application – but I have done it a lot more than I usually would (which is never). What I have noticed is that my skin is better in the morning. This may not be so obvious with 20-year-old skin – but with mid 40-year-old skin – you can definitely tell if your skin is not at its best. So as I write this, I am trying to remind myself to use this cream at night – I will be doing myself a huge favour! What I also like about many of these products is that they don’t make wild claims on the packaging. No “look 20 years younger in just one week” – just (in this case), rejuvenates and replenishes. Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream – no fancy packaging or wild claims. And it is $39.90 for 30ml. Go to www.weleda.co.nz to check for stockists.

If you picked a product purely because of its divine packaging and all round good taste, you would choose the GROWN Intensive Body Cream. It has an old fashion “apothecary’ sort of look to it – and comes in a tube rather than a plastic container, which I like. With Rosa Damascena, Acai and Pomegranate it is a wonderful rich hydrating cream. It too isn’t too thick in texture, and just goes into the skin quickly and without fuss. It is organic, with no parabens (preservative), lauryl sulphates (can irritate dermatitis), petrochemicals (not so great for the planet), or artificial fragrances (just downright nasty). It ticks all the boxes for me in terms of the product itself, and it is so down right pretty – you just have to have it. Grown Intensive Body Cream for 120ml tube is $34.95, check www.grown.com for stockists.

The thing about the last product, Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream, is that it is very unassuming. It’s in a little simple, unfussy tube. Again it doesn’t make any wild claims either. But then there have to be good reasons why Helena Christensen and Kate Moss are counted as devotees of this little white tube. Rose is known for its calming properties, and there are supposedly the extracts of 1100 petals in each tube, and it is also considered excellent for removing redness from the skin. I can vouch for this as it helps with dulling the reddening skin on my neck. At $65 for the 100ml tube, it isn’t cheap, but then when so much has gone into a product, and it goes such a long way (I have got nearly 4 months out of the tube) it really is a matter of quality beats quantity every time. Go to www.drhauschka.co.nz to check for your local stockists.

I have a review of 4 organic shampoos and conditions on the go at the moment, and I promise to research them thoroughly, but maybe not take so long this time. You may see this next review before Christmas, then…

By Anya Brighouse
1 March 2012