As you begin to age, if you’ve put yourself under a lot of stress (emotionally and physically), not followed a nutritional plan rich in powerful antioxidants that protect your cells from damage or taken adequate recuperation and rest, this unfortunately takes a toll on your immune system primarily but also on your skin health. Aged, wrinkled skin is all part of the natural process of becoming older and (hopefully) wiser. Your skin is your body’s largest organ so it’s important to nourish it. The company ‘Essential By Nature’ has created a variety of luxurious products of which will help to combat those prune-like wrinkles, sandpaper-like skin and dark, dreary circles surrounding your eyes in order to help you achieve that radiant, glowing, flawless Hollywood-style complexion you’ve been looking for, well at least that’s the idea, read on for our full review…
Company background & ethos:
Essential By Nature was started after Founder and CEO, Margaret Fasanya was involved in an awful car accident in 2014 which resulted in her experiencing muscle spasms in her back. Due to restricted in movement, there was a period of 6 weeks of when she could not apply body cream to the lower portion of her body; this caused the build-up of dry, irritated and dehydrated skin which was far from pleasant. This is when Margaret decided to take action and create a natural skin remedy that would soothe and moisturise the affected areas back to the soft and silky original state it once was. The idea came from reminiscing about wonderful memories of her childhood; experimenting with various organic oils and scents which helped to nourish her skin when she was a young girl growing up. As they proved effective back then, she decided it was time to re-live her youth and begin combining many different organic oils with 100% natural ingredients to aid in her recovery process; after the magical mixture was developed and applied to the skin, she came to the realisation that if it made a noticeable difference to her skin, she could help others with similar conditions.
Whilst attending numerous training courses specific to skin care and learning all aspects of how to develop a successful skin product, she was supported and encouraged by her youngest daughter to take the next step and bring it to market. After receiving positive feedback, Margaret took the opportunity and embraced the mission of sharing the body butters with the world, hence Essential By Nature was born!
Ingredients:
Each of the body butters contain a high concentration of both West African Shea butter and Virgin, organic, cold-pressed coconut oil and these are then blended to perfection with other natural oils and fragrances derived from natural essential oils which help to bring your skin to life with vitality and glow. The shea butter used originates from inside of the nuts of the fruits that grow on the Karaite trees in West Africa. The reason why shea butter is used in particular is due to its powerful properties including stimulating the production of collagen, the ‘protein’ of the skin, it is abundant in essential fats that absorb the vitamins A, D and E; all of which contribute to healthier, radiant-looking skin. This type of healthy fat can sometimes be referred to as ‘vitamin F’ and is comprised of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid; they are essential as the body cannot necessarily produce them but are needed for many biological functions within the body such regulating hormones, acting as an anti-inflammatory and of course, keeping the skin supple and elastic to prevent wrinkles forming; similar to those creases in your favourite crumpled up dinner blouse!
As for coconut oil, it is non-greasy, easy to apply and absorbent. As well as this, it is rich in both vitamins E; an antioxidant to combat free radicals which break down our tissues; allowing our cells to remain healthy and also vitamin K which helps to join proteins to proteins such as collagen to form a bolstered and defended skin structure.
The last oil used in every product is jojoba wax. Although it can receive a bad reputation as it is hydrogenated vegetable oil aka ‘a trans-fat,’ these types of fats are primarily dangerous when ingested but not necessarily when applied to the skin as they slow the loss of water from the skin to help form a barrier on the surface plus have a very similar composition to the skin’s sebum in general which actually does the opposite and instead balances the natural oil production. This is a good alternative to beeswax which makes the Essential By Nature’s body butters suitable for Vegans too.
Each tub is bursting with shea butter, coconut oil and Jojoba wax as their main ingredient but below are the other ingredients added to each individual tub:
Bergamot: Grapeseed Oil, Bergamot Oil, Jojoba wax and Simmondsia Chinensis Oil, Limonene*, Linalool* (*naturally occurring in essential oil)
Fragrance Free: Avocado Oil, Rapeseed Oil
Lavender: Apricot Kernel Oil, Lavender Oil, Limonene*, Linalool* (*naturally occurring in essential oil)
Orange: Avocado Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Simmondsia Chensis Oil, Citral*, Geroniol*, Limonene*, Linalool* (*naturally occurring in essential oil)
Ylang Ylang Lavender: Avocado Oil, Lavender Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Farnesol*, Geraniol*, Isoeugenol*, Limonene*, Linalool* (*naturally occurring in essential oil)
Packaging:
The design of the pot itself is attractive to the eyes as the container is transparent; providing clear visuals for the consumer of what they are about to purchase and use. The label is simple yet effective as on top of the lid and on the side of the jar, the brand logo is clearly represented with a brief, eloquent description of each butter; to introduce the audience to the delightful experience they are about to share. Finally, each individual pot has its own individual image for the ingredients which form the skin care cream.
Fragrance and texture:
Bergamot: The moment that the jar is opened, a gradual, light waft of citrus is released into the air. The smell does not resemble orange or lemon but slightly bitter and closer to grapefruit in my opinion but still very pleasant.
Fragrance Free: Although ‘fragrance-free,’ as I took the first sniff of the mixture, there was a gentle avocado like aroma filling the air and I’d like to say nutmeg but the smell was not overpowering or enough to deter the tester of this product.
Lavender: If you can appreciate the smell of fields scattered with an abundance of pleasantly potent flowers, this is certainly the choice you should make. As the scent was revealed, it had strength and vigour of fresh lavender petals of summer; one scent that could be used as an alternative perfume if required.
Orange: As a lover of the sweet orange fruit, this was expected to be my favourite. Once the lid was unscrewed, I bought the tub to the tip of my nose and then dipped my fingers into the butter to garner light notes of a citrus burst, the experience provided a feeling of cleanliness and natural warmth.
Ylang Ylang Lavender: The scent rising up from the tub was absolutely wonderful; powerful and clearly made itself known as there was no ‘hiding’ for this uplifting combination of flowers. The Ylang Ylang did dominate with regards to the scent but there was indeed a beautiful hint of lavender; the uniting of both flowers maximised the effect it had on my olfactory nerves and one that would add a boost to your morning!
In terms of the texture, each tub was exactly the same; soft like room temperature butter and spread out gracefully once the fingers met the surface. Once the butter was lifted onto the finger, a mousse-like texture manifested itself in the centre of the tub. As the cream was applied to the skin, it moved rapidly into the tissues which promoted rehydration and the residue oil glided over the surface of the skin.
Performance:
The performance of the butter was consistent; each time it was applied at an area of the skin, the skin immediately soaked up the cream into the pores and moistened the dry, brittle flakes of skin that plagued the hands, feet and face. This process left the skin feeling smooth, elastic and well nourished. On top of this, the pleasant aroma that is released from any of the body butters into the surrounding area, fortunately, overpower any stale smells that may have been lingering; therefore keeping the area fresh.
Value:
Each tub of cream comes in 3 different sizes: 50ml, 100ml and 200ml. In terms of value, I do believe that the pots are reasonable in price and would actually be more reasonable than most quality brands on the market or at least compare. The price of the 50ml tub is £4.00, 100ml is £8.00 whilst the 200ml is £16. As you don’t have to use a lot of the product for it to be effective; as the cream easily lubricates the skin, the Essential By Nature products can be used over a longer period of time and are well worth the investment of £8 for a 100ml tub for example.
Summary:
I would gladly recommend this cream to anyone with dryness or cracks on their skin or skin that requires rejuvenation as it was proficient, quickly absorbed and provided a wonderful, long-lasting scent at a realistic price point.
Please visit Essential By Nature for extra information and to place your order. You can also email Margaret directly via sales@essentialbynature.co.uk for more information about these excellent quality skin care products.
