A little while ago, the ever so lovely Winona from W.ANT Skincare reached out to me and asked if I would like to try her new skincare range. Two weeks later, when I got home at 2am in the morning from a 5 hour red eye flight from Kuala Lumpur back to Shanghai, her package was waiting for me at the door. It was such a lovely surprise to receive the full W.ANT Skincare range with a beautiful personalised handwritten note. I really couldn’t wait to try each of the products in the collection.
W.ANT Skincare is a natural skincare range originating from and based in Singapore. The range uses only natural or naturally derived ingredients and are free from synthetic ingredients, preservatives, colours and fragrances. W.ANT Skincare uses natural ingredients to create a nourishing and protective range of skincare, perfect for those who live in an urban environment. What makes W.ANT Skincare that little bit more special is that the brand has a special focus on being environmentally responsible and sustainable and it is also ethical as the brand helps to support and empower women in underprivileged communities. You will notice that none of the W.ANT Skincare range comes with boxes – instead you do have the option to purchase a handwoven Balinese caddy bag (great for travelling) which are handwoven and are made from organic cotton. The bags are hand sewn by Balinese women. The proceeds of these caddy bags go back to helping the Balinese women who made them through the ROLE Foundation.
I have really been enjoying using the W.ANT Skincare range over the past few weeks and it’s been great to incorporate some of the products into my routines. In the short space of time I have been playing with the range, I have found some unexpected favourites and I thought I would share with you some of my first impressions on the products.
Please note that these products were gifted to me from W.ANT Skincare but all opinions expressed are my own and honest opinions. In no way was a review requested by W.ANT Skincare, I just thought I would share with you my initial thoughts!
Beet This Honey Cleanser
This cleanser is possibly my favourite in the whole entire W.ANT Skincare range. I love it as the formulation for this is quite simple but the ingredients really do pack some serious punch! It contains the following:
Raw honey*, jojoba (simmondsia chinensis) oil*, apricot (prunus armeniaca) kernel oil, vegetable glycerin, bergamot (citrus bergamia) oil and red beet (beta vulgaris) powder*.
*Certified organic
The W.ANT Skincare Beet This Honey Cleanser is made up of 60% raw honey which is a well known natural antibacterial and humectant. The cleanser also contains jojoba oil and apricot kernel oil which nourish the skin as both are high in fatty acids, anti-inflammatory and are rich in antioxidants. The addition of the beetroot powder gives the formulation extra nutrients such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
What I love about the Beet This Honey Cleanser is the fact that once you get over it’s sticky consistency (there is a method to using this), the cleanser feels extremely nourishing for the skin. I would definitely only recommend to use this as a second cleanser or a morning cleanser as the stickiness of the cleanser doesn’t make it ideal for washing off make up and you would also want your skin to soak up as much of the raw honey and lovely oils that this cleanser uses. I found that my skin felt softer, hydrated and less red/itchy or irritated when I use this cleanser as I found that the mixture of the raw honey, jojoba and the apricot kernel oil was a combination of ingredients that my skin loved.
What many might not like or understand with the W.ANT Skincare Beet this Honey Cleanser, is that there is a method to using this. You do need to apply this onto a damp face and damp hands. It is important to rub a few pumps of the cleanser into the palm of your damp hands (I have also mixed this with an oil for some extra nourishment) before application as this will warm the mixture making it easier to glide and massage onto the face. Due to the stickiness of the cleanser (from the high percentage of honey) you cannot just apply to directly on the skin! It’s just far too sticky!
The Beet This Honey Cleanser is AUD $22 for 50ml and can be purchased from W.ANT Skincare.
The Facial Spritzer
I would say that this is probably my least favourite in the W.ANT Skincare range, not because it wasn’t effective, but due to the fact that I am not a huge fan of the scent of lavender in a mist. For me, it reminds me of spraying this awful insect repellant that I disliked as a child on my face so it really has nothing to do with the actual mist or its performance but purely stems from a bad experience (and reaction I had when I was a child)! This mist is supposed to be a balancing and hydrating mist which also helps the skin on a hot summers day. The ingredients listing is the following:
Aloe vera (aloe barbadensis miller) liquid, vegetable glycerin, geranium (pelargonium graveolens) oil, lavender (lavandula officinalis) oil*, orange (citrus sinensis) oil*, grape (vitis vinifera) seed oil and neroli (citrus aurantium) oil.
*Certified organic
I have used this on a few occasions and I did find that this spritz does cool down and soothe the skin on a hot and humid day in Shanghai. I also found it is quite refreshing – most likely due to the use of aloe vera liquid in the the formulation. In terms of whether or not it balances out the skin is something that I can’t comment on due to the fact I have not incorporated it properly into a skincare routine. Unfortunately, I don’t have much else to say as this does smell quite strongly of lavender (it uses organic lavender oil) and seems very refreshing. I just haven’t used this enough to give any further comments, sorry! Those who do love the smell of lavender (it is a very calming scent) and are looking for a refreshing facial spritz as a toner or a light mist will most likely enjoy using this.
The Facial Spritz is AUD $22 for 100ml and can be purchased from W.ANT Skincare.
Ginger Clay Scrub Mask
I have used this as a mask a few times now and wow…the smell of this is intoxicating (for me in a good way). This mask has a strong scent of ginger and it does remind me of my parent’s cooking (which I love). If you are not a huge fan of strong scents or dislike the smell of ginger I would avoid using this as the smell is quite potent. This mask differs to many of the powdered clay masks out there as it also contains evaporated coconut nectar blossom as well as dry ginger and it doubles as a exfoliating scrub. This comes in dry powdered form and when mixed with a liquid (ie. it is recommended to use this with The Facial Spritz, but I mixed this with water) it is activated and becomes a potent detoxifying and resurfacing mask or a manual exfoliator. The ingredients for the Ginger Clay Scrub Mask are the following:
Evaporated coconut (cocos nucifera) blossom nectar*, bentonite clay, french green clay and ginger (zingiber officinale)*.
*Certified organic
Whilst I feel that the ‘scrubbing grains’ may be too harsh for my sensitive skin to use just as an exfoliator, this does act as a wonderful detoxifying clay mask. The ginger in this adds some serious zing and creates a bit of a tingle once applied on to the skin. You can definitely feel an increase in blood circulation when this is applied on the the face and the feeling of this will last for a few minutes. An increase in blood circulation in the skin has many benefits such as allowing essential nutrients to travel and reach the cells but also to provide oxygen to cell (important in cell regeneration). I leave this mask on for about 30 minutes and after using it, it reveals a brighter, smoother and purified complexion. Overall, from the few times I have used this I have been impressed with the results.
The Ginger Clay Scrub Mask is AUD $ and can be purchased from W.ANT Skincare.
The Face Oil
I personally found this oil a bit too heavy to wear on a hot day in Shanghai (for me I found it would probably be better as a winter oil) but I actually love to use this oil on my eczema around my neck. I have found that when using this oil on my eczema, my skin immediately feels soothed and the healing time for my eczema in my neck area is much faster, most likely due to the unique blend of oils used in its formulation. The Face Oil contains the following ingredients:
Kukui (aleurites moluccanus) oil*, rosehip (rosa mosqueta) oil*, baobab (adansonia digitata) oil*, tamanu (calophyllum inophyllum) oil* and vitamin E* (tocopherol).
*Certified Organic
As you can see, Kukui nut oil is the first ingredient in the ingredients list, this plant has been used on the island of Hawaii for generations for its skin benefits. Some scientific articles suggest that that Kukui nut oil has been successful in minimising stretch marks in pregnant women, aided in wound healing and also has had some effect for those that suffer from psoriasis and eczema. Whilst the studies are few and use small sample sizes, the scientific theories as to why perhaps Kukui nut oil is so effective is perhaps due to its high content of omega 3 and fatty acids such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid. The use of Kukui Oil as well as nourishing and protective oils such as rosehip seed oil, baobab oil and tamanu oil make The Face Oil a fantastic oil that has really helped me control and treat my ecezma. Whilst I think it might be a bit too heavy to use in Shanghai, I will experiment with using this on my face in the colder Perth weather over the next few weeks. However, I think I would most likely repurchase this again as it has really helped keep my eczema at bay.
The Face Oil is AUD $61 for 30ml and can be purchased from W.ANT Skincare.
The Grapefruit Lip Saver
Whilst the name suggests that this may smell like Grapefruit, this lip balm smells more like cocoa butter (and rightly so as it is the main ingredient). I quite like the formulation of this as it does keep my lips nourished and smooth, however I am not a huge fan of its packaging as quite often the twist mechanism gets stuck. The ingredients for this are the following:
Cocoa (theobroma cacao) butter*, beeswax, jojoba (simmondsia chinensis) oil*, safflower (carthamus tinctorius) oil*, grapefruit (citrus paradisi) oil* and red beet (beta vulgaris) powder*.
*Certified organic
I have been using this lip balm quite a bit in recent weeks as my trusty Go-To Skincare Lips lip balm has ran out. The W.ANT Skincare Grapefruit Lipsaver has been fantastic in keeping my lips smooth, nourished and hydrated, especially in the colder Australian weather. The use of cocoa butter is fantastic in keeping the dryness at bay and that beautiful decadently rich smell of cocoa butter makes it a pleasure to use. I find that this lip balm works extremely well underneath lipstick as well to create a smooth canvas for more matte finishes. The formulation of this is quite effective, however its such a shame that it packaging often gets the product stuck.
The Grapefruit Lip Saver is AUD $9 and can be purchased from W.ANT Skincare.
I have enjoyed using the W.ANT Skincare range over the past few weeks and have found the products, whilst simple in formulation work well in what they do. Overall, I think that the W.ANT Skincare range has been a pleasure to use and I have throughly enjoyed having a play and testing the products. My favourites in the range are most definitely the Beet This Honey Cleanser and The Face Oil due to its nourishing qualities. The products don’t promise you the world – it simply just does it job, whether it be nourishing and hydrating the skin, detoxifying and exfoliating or simply just cleaning the skin from impurities. The beauty of W.ANT Skincare is its simplicity and stripped back nature of its formulations. I think the range is perfect for those who like an uncomplicated routine or a product with a straightforward and small ingredients list that just does its job.
Thank you so much Winona for sharing W.ANT Skincare with me.
Have you tried anything from W.ANT Skincare? If so, what have been your thoughts on what you have tried? If you haven’t tried the range, is there something in particular that peaks your interest? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.