A little while ago, I got a lovely email from "Carlo at 21st Century Formulations in Beverly Hills", asking me if I'd like to receive a bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion to review, because he liked the refreshing honesty in my reviews. (Yes, I know he says that to everyone !) Well, I was immediately impressed by the location - wow, someone in Beverly Hills had found and read my humble little blog ! But I was also impressed and intrigued by his description of the product.
As he says in his email, Skin MD Shielding Lotion doesn't work like most other moisturisers. He explains, "I think you'll like using Skin MD Natural because unlike other moisturizers, our lotion works with skin to keep it silky smooth. Most lotions just add moisture to the top of the skin using either lanolin or petroleum. These are fine in the short run but they easily become ineffective after they have dried. Over time, the body can become dependent on artificial moisturizers leaving the skin less able to handle stress and cracking. I remember many years ago when I first tried Chapstick. It was great. But since then I've always carried a lip balm with me. My lips had become so accustomed to the artificial moisture that they stopped producing their own natural oils. Our solution is simple. Protect the outer layer of the skin so that moisture is retained and irritants are blocked out. This way the skin is able to keep its natural oils. Our lotion forms a breathable barrier over the stratum corneum, giving it the protection it needs to shield against pollutants and irritants in the environment."
I was grabbed by his story about lip balm, because I'd said the same thing myself in the past but put it down to getting older ! I was intrigued to see how the product would work - and above all feel - on the skin, because the description sounded good in theory but made me worry that it would be overly thick or greasy like the barrier creams you'd apply to babies' bottoms !
Well, my fears were unfounded. The lotion is light and absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving no greasy or unpleasant residue. It has a very light fragrance that reminded me slightly of baby products (but maybe that's just because the word barrier in the description automatically made me think of barrier cream !). It immediately eradicated any feelings of tightness or dryness that I had on the skin on my face, due to the cold weather and the dryness of my skin.
What I absolutely love is that it is hypoallergenic, fragrance, colorant and paraben free and is dermatologically tested so that children and adults of all ages can use it. 8-year-old Sophie has a few problems with dry skin and eczema and it's hard to find a product to suit her skin type that appeals to children so we'll definitely give this a go. As it claims on the website to be "focused on urging the skin to be active, and to use its own moisture to effectively heal itself", it might even sort the dryness issue out for good, which would be fantastic. In the short term, I can certainly vouch for its efficiency already.
The complete list of ingredients on the website contains some bizarre and vaguely sinister-sounding names - have you ever heard of Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol or Phenoxyethanol ?! - but each individual ingredient is fully described in a detailed and informative paragraph below. I love this transparency and honesty. I also love the diversity of plant extracts in the product - deionized water and aloe vera are the primary ingredients, but further down the list we find Arnica Montana Flower Extract (Arnica), Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract (Chamomile) and Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow).
The website quotes a dermatologist, Dr Brian Zogg, as describing Shielding Lotions as "a hydrating invisible shield ... many times more effective than mere protective lotions and moisturizing creams". So it's a kind of Superman cape for your skin, combining the best of ancient herbalist remedies and scientific technology !
You only need to apply a small amount each time too, so a bottle will last a long time. For even better value for money, I can offer readers of this blog an exclusive 20% discount with the code MHFR, thanks to the kind people at Skin MD. Alternatively, if you like to try before you buy, you can order a free sample on the website, by clicking here.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £14.99 for 120ml
For more information : http://www.smdn.co.uk/order.php
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