Today's review has been in the works for months. Really, months. I've been dragging my feet on an actual Osmia Organics review, in large part because working on it means I need to move on to other skin care items. And I kind of don't want to do it. Which is a sign that I really do need to share the brand with my readers, because I really love it! Though, if you've been paying attention to my site and some of my skincare posts over on Babble, you'll notice that Osmia has been popping up in mentions and images.
Osmia Organics is a small, family owned company based in Colorado. It was started by Sarah Villafranco, who somewhat fell into skincare by a lark a few years ago. In her previous life, Sarah was an ER doctor. I swear to you, if we were in the same town, Sarah and I would be good friends. She's so incredibly nice and friendly in her emails, and just... normal.
Osmia skincare products are made using organic and natural ingredients, and while they aren't an organic certified company (that's in process), whenever possible they use organic certified ingredients. Their products also leave out ingredients such as sulfates, fragrances and everything is cruelty free (note that they're not vegan, they do use some ingredients such as organic beeswax, lanolin, and organic buttermilk).
One of the main things that Osmia Organics is known for is their soaps. They have a really wide selection of different hand made soaps, and they are just so pretty! I know that I have a few readers that are of the opinion that "all soap is bad for your skin, no matter what" and I have to disagree. While it was true of soap even 20 years or so ago, the soap that is made today is very different from the harsh lye soap of the early 1900s. The soaps of today are made with very different ingredients, are often very gentle and can provide a lot of extra benefits to the skin such as anti-inflammatories, extra hydration and other conditioning ingredients.
The cleanser that Osmia sent me was their Black Clay Facial Soap. This soap is recommended for normal, problem, and combination skin (I'm combination with some mild rosacea). The Black Clay soap has ingredients to help with issues, such as Black Australian clay and dead sea mud balance and tone the skin, while organic almond, avocado, and castor bean oils condition. The soap really is that dark grey color, and I don't really pick up any scent with the soap. It has a nice lather and rinses off easily, but didn't leave my skin stripped or tight afterwards.
Once my face was rinsed, I patted it with a towel. You don't want to be dry, instead you want to be a little more than damp. I use about 1/2 pump of the Facial Calibration Serum on my face and neck, and allow my skin to air dry. This "serum" is more like an oil (there's a lot of coconut oil in it) and there are added ingredients to help soothe irritation and decrease oil production.
I found that the Facial Calibration Serum is pretty moisturizing, and a full pump of it was just too much for my skin. I would end up with blemishes and too shiny by mid-morning. But, just a half pump of the serum, and my skin looked amazing! I had no blemishes, no dry spots and my usually shiny t-zone wasn't as shiny.
I've loved using Osmia Organics' products! If you're ordering, be sure to check out the Lip Luster and Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair too!
Osmia Organics
Product Sent for Review
Osmia has vit a aka retinol. Isn't that a pregnancy no no?
ReplyDeleteI don't see added vitamin a in either of these products (and note I didn't mention anything about pregnancy safety in this post), but yes, the only form of vitamin a that is "ok" is beta carotene. However, it's fine to use extracts that are high in vitamin a.
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