Cleopatra was renowned for her beauty and magnetic hold over men, so even if she’s long gone and a part of history now, I’ll take any beauty tips from her that I can.
Her main beauty secret was frequent visits to the Dead Sea in Israel, which she declared as her own personal spa. Until today thousands of tourists troop there to immerse themselves in the sea’s mineral-rich mud, hoping to partake of its myriad beautifying and healing properties.
Here in the Philippines we’re lucky in that we don’t have to go all the way to the Holy Land to get the Dead Sea’s benefits; the Dead Sea comes to us via Jericho, a new skincare line that for the first time bottles that beauty secret Cleopatra so prized.
Jericho: Living Beauty From The Dead Sea
What it is: As the first Dead Sea mineral skincare line, Jericho from Israel harnesses all the benefits of Dead Sea salts, minerals and black mud to address all your anti-aging and skincare needs.
“The first one who discovered the qualities of the Dead Sea for the skin was Cleopatra herself,” says Jack Azoulay, Jericho’s managing director, an Israeli who’s now based in Manila with his fiancee Noam Sasson, who handles the training of Jericho sales staff here. “We discovered in ancient scrolls that she declared the Dead Sea as her own.”
Azoulay says that Jericho is a good choice for women and men who like their products time-tested and natural. “Our products have minerals from natural resources that have sat there for millions of years like magnesium and potassium,” he continues. “Now all these ingredients are manufactured in labs. If you scoop up the mud of the Dead Sea with your hand, it has a metallic glow — it’s shiny, looks like aluminum in liquid form — so it’s rich in minerals that stay longer and treat your skin better than minerals that were produced in a laboratory.”
What it does: Over 21 Dead Sea minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, bromine, chlorine, zinc and selenium draw out impurities in the skin, soothe itching, burning and bites, smooth and soften skin, help cells regenerate and grow, restore the skin’s moisture balance, eliminate toxins, increase blood circulation, and help scars heal.
Must-tries: I like that Jericho has three different collections at three different price ranges so that there’s something for everybody. Here’s a breakdown:
JM Jericho Men Collection – Six products that combine anti-aging with cleansing have been deemed esssential for men, like an aftershave balm, facial firming cream, and hair-and-body shampoo. Jericho brand manager Bianca Juliano tells us that in a pinch, some men use the foaming facial scrub as a shaving cream as well.
The white Jericho Skin Care series – 25 products that combine spa and anti-aging have been formulated for those in their early 30s and below. “We recently discovered that it’s better to do prevention rather than when one is already aged,” Bianca says, “so we developed this for a younger market.” Prices for the white series are more affordable as well. Bestsellers include the Dead Sea mud, bath salts and body butter.
JP Jericho Premium line – Jericho’s 12-item flagship line is also their bestselling line. Their De-mineralized Skin Toner has been compared to the best luxury ones out there, and indeed it’s excellent — paraben-free, gentle and non-drying. The Eye and Neck gel is a convenient double-purpose product that is so refreshing on the neck, though I’d be careful when applying it around the eye as it can sting. For best results just apply it below the eye.
My favorite product, though, is Jericho Premium’s Active Serum, which has a texture like velvet and leaves skin feeling the same: smooth, velvety, mattified, and with a natural glow.
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Jericho is available at kiosks in the following malls: Eastwood Mall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM North Edsa, Alabang Town Center, Marquee Mall and SM Pampanga.