Category — Dr. Hauschka

This is the long-awaited part two of my organic eye-cream experiment. (Here is part one where I featured Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel) What can I say? I think I’m in love… Yes, I’m positively developing a love affair with Dr. Hauschka products. And this eye cream is so perfect for my eyes, that I’m struggling with words that would adequately convey the depth of my appreciation for finally finding a cream that does precisely what it promises, without any side effects.

I’m practically hyperventilating from the excitement.

Ok, catch my breath. Let’s do a review.

Product name:
Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream by Dr. Hauschka

What and who is it for:
“A light, hydrating daily treatment. Firms and smoothes the eye area to minimize fine lines.” It really is for everyone, and especially so for those with sensitive skin.

About the brand:
Given the popularity of my “brand overview” articles (eg: Jurlique, Weleda) I am intending to write an extensive Dr. Haushka brand overview ASAP. For now, please see the “about the brand” section of my review of Dr. Hauschka “Quince Day Cream”. But, in a nutshell, this is a company heavily influenced by anthroposophical ideas of Rudolf Steiner, and therefore it uses pure organic and biodynamic ingredients, as well as does its part in being eco-consious and globally friendly. The company manufactures a very comprehensive cosmetics line that includes both organic skin care and makeup products.

Price:
Around $50 for the tube. But it is worth every penny and you need so little per use that it will last for ages!

Certifications:
100% Certified Natural by the BDIH.

Packaging:
A recyclable aluminum tube. The tube is coated with a food-grade resin, so aluminum does not come in contact with the product.

Reading the ingredients:

These ingredients read like “who is who” in the nature’s apothecary. Avocado for vitamins (especially Vitamin E – best for anti-aging) and fatty acids, rose flower water to soothe and treat most sensitive of skins, pineapple for lighting, hydrating and smoothing… The list goes on. It really does read like food for skin!

Water/Aqua, Avocado (Persea Gratissima) Oil, Rose (Rosa Damascena) Distillate, Glycerin, Alcohol, Pineapple (Ananas Sativus) Extract, Beeswax/Cera Alba, Althaea Officinalis (Marsh Mallow) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Peanut (Arachis Hypogaea) Oil, Hectorite, Sweet Almond (Prunus Dulcis) Oil, Rose (Rosa Gallica) Petal Extract, Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca) Kernel Oil, Lecithin, Jojoba (Buxus Chinensis) Oil, Mango (Mangifera Indica) Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Nut Oil, Shea (Butyrospermum Parkii) Butter, Seabuckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides) Oil, Carrageenan (Chondrus Crispus), Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oil), Geraniol*

Other claims:
‘With Dr.Hauschka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream the skin around the eyes feels relaxed and nurtured, and premature wrinkles are prevented. It is a refreshing relief for the tired and overworked eye contour area.”

Scent:
Very subtle and hardly detectable. Just as I like it

Texture:
Light and creamy.

What does it actually do:
It is extremely light and fast absorbing. Not even for a second did my eyes have the usual “bloated” feeling other creams cause. I could blink, stare and wink with no problems. Nor did they look shiny as if I painted glasses on my face (an occurrence not so unique with eye creams I’ve used in the past). And it wasn’t greasy either, so it is make-up ready. I don’t have too many lines under my eyes – thankfully I’m still in the “prevention” mode , but my companion (who, as I mentioned at the beginning of this experiment, is in her very young early fifties) is raving about the smoothing action… In fact, when I asked her to tell me what she thought about this cream (compared to Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel) which she liked a lot, she had just one word: “Better!” Now, that’s saying something, given all the praise that Jurlique received from her. I tried to get her to elaborate, but it was all “good” and “better” and “nice” and “gentle” and “working”… Hardly cohesive (positive emotion overwelmed her vocabularly too), but the gist was obvious.

Cons: Given my glowing review I feel like I need to provide a con, just so I don’t seem too biased. And I’m really trying to find one. Still trying… Really trying… Perhaps I could say the price, for as I mentioned above it can come to $50. But is that really a con? I mean, that cream lasts a very long time, and the price is quite normal as far as eye creams go. And you are getting real quality here… For your eyes. With no preservatives. Or colours. Or other suspicious little chemicals that other companies like to add just so my eyes can experience the different shades of scarlet…

I’m just trying to be objective here…

And, by the way, my companion is still using the sample pack. It’s that tiny little-paper-square thing. She’s stretched it for two weeks already… A little goes a long way. So yah, it might be slightly pricier than some other choices you’ve seen, but calculate it over its useful life and you are talking pennies a day…

So no… No cons.

Verdict:
My thesaurus is not providing me with enough positive words to describe how happy I am with this eye cream. Cause I am really happy with it. And I’m seriously considering writing a “thank you” letter to Dr. Hauschka.

And as to the comparison with Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel? Dr. Hauschka is the clear winner. At least in my view

I have to admit, at first when I dived into the world of organic skin care and makeup, the term “biodynamic” left me completely buffled. It was highlighted on a few sites I checked, but to the best of my knowledge it was another term from the modern scientific mumbo-jumbo marketing world created just to attract my attention.

How wrong I was. The more I researched it, the more amazed I was by how little exposure this concept has had in main-stream North America.

And guessing that there are probably readers on this site who are not all too familiar with the term as well, I am creating this biodynamic post, just so I can link to it every time that it comes up in the future.

So buckle up, and let’s dive in.

Biodynamic – what is it?

The term biodynamic refers to a type of farming/agriculture. Sometimes it is simply shorthanded as BD. The method dates back to 1924 and is one of the original approaches to organized organic farming worldwide. It was founded by Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher, who established the spiritual movement of anthroposophy. (Rudolf Steiner is such a multifaceted figure, that it is impossible to summarize him in a few sentences. Thus I must respectfully send you to Wiki, if you would like to learn more about him and his teachings.)

Originating from a spiritual view of the universe, biodynamic farming regards the farm as a living organism.

The best way to envision this living organism approach is to think of a wild forest. The forest is a system with a high degree of self-sufficiency. It doesn’t need external input to sustain itself. It’s fertilized through recycling of organic material within its own system. The intrinsic biological and genetic diversity of the forest inhabitants prevents pest species from moving in. And the water is cycled through the system efficiently.

In the same way, biodynamic farming practitioners view a farm as a closed system. Sustainability and self sufficiency is the key. Thus most seeds and fertilizers are self produced. Working by hand is essential (for the living connection between human and earth) and sowing and harvesting are matched to the rhythms of nature. Harmony with the world and other organisms, regeneration instead of degeneration, and sustainability as opposed to depletion are the values that guide biodynamic farming.

Needless to say (but I’ll mention it anyways) that biodynamic farming does not use artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Instead the fertilizing preparation are made from farm-sourced materials.

Today biodynamics is practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide.

There is also a biodynamic certifying organization, Demeter International, who also hold the trademark to the word biodynamic. Demeter certification is the oldest traditional organic certification in Europe and is regarded as the highest grade of organic farming in the world.

These are its typical logos (though there are some other variations within specific country markets):

Sample of cosmetics brands that use biodynamic ingredients:

Dr Hauschka

Jurlique

It was conspired by the stars, the universe, and the little green people (pun intended) that visit me in the night, that I have run out of my face cream on the exact same day when I finally made it to the not-so-local Whole Foods. Some would even suggest that the reason I drove to the said Whole Foods was purely for getting that cream, while using other purchases as an excuse. I beg to differ. I went there for my box of Lara Bars… I only ended up in the skin care isle due to the malfunctioning GPS chip in my brain. I never intended to spend all that money on creams. Honestly.

However, upon getting there and realizing that I absolutely cannot walk out of the store without a pretty new bottle with creamy goodiness, I confronted no fewer than two sales associates, and bombarded them with requests to help me find something. My demands were pretty narrow: I wanted something as organic as possible, as affordable as possible, and good for my dry skin. Lady Luck smiled at me and pointed me in the direction of a whole stack of Dr. Hauschka skin care and makeup products. Now, Dr. Hauschka uses biodynamical grown plants (biodynamic farming is organic plus — it is the comprehensive system of organic farming started by noted esoterist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924) and prides itself on being friendly to the environment. And having heard tons of positive reviews about this German line, I decided to try it out for myself. Here is my review.

The name of the cream:
Quince Day Cream

What and who is it for:
Quice Day Cream is a moisturizer for normal, dry and sensitive skin.

About the brand:
Dr. Hauschka is a German company that was started in 1967 by Dr. Rudolf Hauschka and Elisabeth Sigmund. The company subscribes to a natural philosophy using biodynamic or certified organic sources for their products wherever possible. I believe that the founders were heavily influenced by the anthroposophical writings of Rudolf Steiner, who was the founder of the biodynamic agriculture. Dr. Hauschka is one of the first natural cosmetics manufacturers, and is now sold in over 40 countries. The company has a comprehensive line of skin care and body care products for men and women. There is also a full makeup line (referred to as Decorative Cosmetics by the company) which was launched in 1999, and uses pant oils and waxes, as well as medicinal herbs. You can read more about it in my Organic Makeup article.

Price:
I paid about $40 Canadian at Whole Foods. It is about $29.95 US at amazon.com.

Certifications:
BDIH Certified Natural Cosmetic

Packaging:
This cream is in a tube, in a box. There are 30ml of the cream in the tube. The external cardboard box is recyclable. I believe that the tube itself is recyclable too.

Reading the ingredients:
While most ingredients and notes look good (Water, Apricot Kernel Oil, Almond Oil…), there are just a couple of suspects: Alcohol, Fatty Alcohols… It’s not that I’m particularly against alcohol, but in a cream for dry sensitive skin? Isn’t alcohol drying and irritating? Seems a little odd. Also: parfum (I suppose that’s German for ‘perfume’. Why? What kind? I assume it is all natural. But would’ve liked more detail. I also found it surprising that “parfum” is listed on the box, but not in the brochure that I got about the company. I’m probably reading too much into it.
Here are all the ingredients, as listed in the brochure:
Water, Apricot Kernel Oil, Kidney Vetch Extract, Quince Seed Extract, Alcohol, Carrot Extract, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Fatty Alcohols, Avocado Oil, marshmallow Leaf Extract, Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, Quince Wax, Lecithin, Bentonite, Witch Hazel Extract, Essential Oils, Xanthan Gum.

Reading the insert:
“Refresh, nourish and revitalize normal, dry and sensitive skin conditions with Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream. Extract of quince offers moisture-retaining qualities while quince and bees’ waxes provide protection against negative environmental influences. Skin feels renewed and velvety smooth the entire day.”

Scent:
It has a buttery-lemony smell. I like it. It reminds me of lemon custard for some reason.

Texture:
Creamy. Medium thickness.

What does it do on the face:
First impression:
I can’t say I am thrilled. I think, maybe having read the reviews I was expecting too much. Maybe having spent close to $40 on a face cream I thought it would be a miracle. So far it’s not. In fact, when I originally applied it, I felt a bit itchy on the neck, where there was a tiny rush (which I didn’t even notice before I applied the cream — makes me wander if it actually was there before?) Of course, I have an ULTRA sensitive skin. But then again… I’m wearing the cream as I type it. The face feels a bit stretched. Tiny prickles are on my chicks and neck. Not anything massive… But I don’t feel nourished or anything.

Update a few hours later:
I must admit that I’m now of a higher opinion about this cream than I was initially. My face feels soft, smooth and elastic. No itchiness or irritation at all. The tickling feeling is gone too. Hmmm… Maybe I should give it another chance.

Three days later:
Boy, first impressions can be sooo wrong. I love this cream. My face feels so babyish I want to jump around in a sandbox.

Verdict:
For a cream that targets “dry and sensitive skin conditions”, the beginning was not all that “gentle”. But that was probably a one time fluke. Once the moisture restored, the cream works like a charm. I think this cream is great for normal and moderately dry/sensitive skin.

As for me, I intend to use up this tube, but once it’s gone I’ll be trying Dr. Hauschka “Rose Day Cream”, as it contains no Alcohol. Even though this is a good thing, I can’t keep myself from looking for perfection…

UPDATE TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
I have since researched the “alcohol issue” and this is what Dr. Haushka sais about it:

I have also being using the cream for over a month now and absolutely love it. My skin feels soft and nourished, and there even were a few days when I felt it was OK to skip the cream all-together, for I didn’t feel dry at all. And that’s a very unusual occurence for me!