I apologize for not posting for a few days. I got promoted at work and got a puppy, so I have been very busy! 🙂
With that said, I was ecstatic to recently try NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser and Hydrating Moisture Cream. Designed to be both luxurious and effective, the duo claims to be packed with Active Phytoseed Complex and antioxidants to reivtalize the skin.
NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser contains mostly water, stearic acid, PEG-8, myristic acid, and glycerin. Stearic acid (octadecanoic acid for you organic chemistry lovers) is used to create a pearlized effect in the cleanser, PEG-8 is a surfactant, myristic acid is used to assist the absorption of quality ingredients through the skin as far as possible, and glycerin is used for hydration. The overall effect of these major ingredients is a sudsy, foamy, yet softening and hydrating, cleanser.
NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser also contains soothing jojoba oil, aloe vera, and green tea. Jojoba oil has been documented in Pharmacological Research in 2005 to have soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, though the concentrations used in these studies are seemingly higher than in NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser. Aloe vera has been documented as a soothing and hydrating source in many contexts, but a 1999 review in British Journal of General Practice sums its properties up well. Finally, green tea is a potent antioxidant that is able to reduce inflammation, soothe skin, prevent certain forms of cancer, and prevent the hardened aged state of collagen, glucosepane.
Once applied, NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser goes on with lots of bubbles (which I happened to like). With the quantity of soothing ingredients, it left my normal-sensitive skin feeling mildly hydrated, not dry, like many other cleansers. I would recommend NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser to anyone with normal-to-dry skin (not oily).
NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream contains a high concentration of six hydrators: aqua (Water), squalane, pentaethythrityl tetraoctanoate, butylene glycol, glycerin, and dimethicone. Beyond the high level of hydration, NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream contains retinyl acetate, which has been documented in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology to have anti-aging effects, despite the effect that it is more gentle for the skin than retinol or tretinoin. NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream also contains vitamin C as orange oil and ascorbyl glucoside (a stable form of vitamin C).
Once on the skin, NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream has a medium texture (not thin like a serum, but not thick like a heavy cream, either). Although the anti-aging ingredients (retinyl acetate and vitamin C) are not in very high concentration, the cream is hydrating enough for it to still be considered beneficial, particularly for those with sensitive skin.
Overall, I like NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser and Hydrating Moisture Cream. Although the products’ anti-aging ingredients are in relatively low concentration and they are sunscreen-free (grrr), the products are also gentle, hydrating, and ideal for sensitive to normal skin. I give the line a solid 7.5/10 (High concentration of well-established ingredients: 2/3. New or novel formulation: 3/3. Value for the money: 1.5/3. Sunscreen: 0.5/1, with 0.5 because the product may be desirable as a night cream.)
For more information and ordering, please visit www.NarsCosmetics.com.
Ingredients in NARS Balancing Foaming Cleanser
Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, PEG-8, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Diproylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Sorbitol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-60, Glyceryl Isostearate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Citrus Dulcis (Orange Oil), Trisodium EDTA, Buxus Chinensis (Jojoba Oil), Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Barbadensis Extract), Camellia Sinensis (Camellia Sinensis Extract), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber Extract), Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Ingredients in NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream
Aqua (Water), Squalane, Pentaethythrityl Tetraoctanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Petrolatum, Stearyl Alcohol, Beheneth-20, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Trisodium EDTA, Carbomer, Retinyl Acetate, Alcohol, Citrus Dulcis (Orange Oil), Polyvinyl Alcohol, BHT, Potassium Hydroxide, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed Oil), Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Prunus Persica (Peach Kernel Extract), Lilium Candidum (White Lily Extract), Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel Extract), Rosa Roxburghil (Rosa Roxburghil Extract), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, CI 77492 (Iron Oxides).