Don’t be sensitive

Tons of new beauty products flood the market each year. Some of them you may try out of curiosity, while others you read about, and others still were pushed under your nose by friends who professed they knew everything about the beauty industry after reading this type of an article. You may even come to like the new brands you try, but for sure you’ll stay loyal to those time-tested brands that have never failed you — such as L’Occitane.

This French beauty powerhouse constantly churns out new products for every skincare problem there is. Take their new Ultra Comforting line, a skincare range that’s an offshoot of L’Occitane’s highly successful Shea Butter line. Shea has long been known for its protective and moisturizing properties, thus products from the Shea Butter line are meant for dry and dehydrated skin.

The Ultra Comforting range, also referred to as the Shea and Cotton range, has the nourishing properties of shea and adds a surprising ingredient: cotton extract. As expected, the cotton is meant to help soften skin. Liquorice extract is also thrown into the brew to perform soothing duties. With this product range, L’Occitane once again proves it pro-environment stand by using organic cotton extract, guaranteed free of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizer and preservatives, assuring that less toxic gunk goes into your skin. (The shea butter used is harvested by women’s collectives in the African nation of Burkina Faso using traditional methods and is purchased in accordance with a process that supports fair pricing and sustainable development.) This new shea and organic cotton-infused line is actually targeted for consumers with sensitive skin.

A large percentage of women (56 percent according to the IPSOS European Health & Beauty 2005) claim to have sensitive skin, which means that they are hyper-reactive to irritation, constantly experience itching, peeling and slight swelling and have a tendency to redness, particularly around the T-zone. It can also magnify skin types: dry skin becomes drier and flaky; oily skin becomes oilier and breaks out with impurities.

Many people may not know that skin sensitivity is actually a condition, not a skin type and can be situational. It can be genetically programmed or can be caused by outside influences such as pollution, excessive exposure to nature’s elements (sun, wind, cold, heat), repeated use of unsuitable products, cosmetic treatments (dermabrasions, peelings, glycolic treatments, etc.), illness and medication, hormones and, yes, even the most basic beauty act of shaving.

What L’Occitane’s Ultra Comforting range does is to minimize risk of allergic reactions and irritations. Their formulas consist of a few selected ingredients and contain no perfumes, colorants, ethylic alcohols (aggressive, drying alcohols), or preservatives. The shea butter and organic cotton combo also assures a restoration of the skin’s hydro-lipidic film, and also provides instant soothing, hydration and protection for 24 hours. You can also expect those red splotches to disappear.

Three products from the Ultra Comforting skincare range are available at L’Occitane local homebase Rustan’s Essenses: the Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk, Ultra Comforting Serum and Ultra Comforting Cream.

The Shea Cotton Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk (P995) is an extremely gentle cleanser that provides instant comfort and refreshment. It multi-tasks by cleansing skin of impurities, removing makeup and by toning. It offers a no-rinse formula, since L’Occitane believes that hard or chlorinated water may actually be the culprit for skin irritation. A single use already leaves skin radiant and supple. 

Light and velvety, the Shea Cotton Ultra Comforting Cream (P1,750) gently treats and hydrates even the most sensitive skin. It soothes, moisturizes and strengthens the upper layers of the epidermis, making skin resistant to environmental stress. Like all the products in this range, this cream also minimizes redness and the risk of allergies.

For a more intensive treatment, Shea Cotton Ultra Comforting Serum (P1,950) is the ultimate SOS for stressed, ultra-sensitive skin. This serum provides instant relief to redness, itching and stinging redness, as well as keeps the skin soft and hydrated.

Another L’Occitane product that banks on the nourishing powers of shea is the Ultra Rich Foaming Cleanser (P995). This foaming cleanser for dry skin cleanses, removes makeup as well as protects and nourishes skin, courtesy of six percent shea butter. The skin then becomes as it ought to be: soft, clean and comfortable.

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L’Occitane is available at Rustan’s Essenses Makati, Alabang Town Center, and Shangri-la Tower.