Finding truly great, high quality skincare products can be very time consuming and requires a sharp ingredient-label-scanning eye for the process to go somewhat quicker in a heavily saturated skincare market today. Browsing through popular magazines and heavily marketed avenues are hardly the right strategies by any means.
Every single mass produced, popular product that I reviewed in depth turned out to be a soaring disappointment backed by an extensive list of not only inexpensive but also potentially toxic and carcinogenic ingredients. The fact that most consumers still buy them and lack solid understanding about what they are truly getting is simply a result of a long history of billions of marketing dollars invested to monopolize the market and lure consumers into perception that what is offered is adequate, edgy and healthy. While the fancy marketing show is going on, the genuinely unique brands are often hidden in the background focusing their resources on their product quality and serving the well-informed clientele that knows exactly what they are getting for their money; those are the ones you envy for their fantastic skin as they walk. It certainly makes you wonder “how”, doesn’t it? Here is a little tip: those clients have long ago abandoned the conventional stores with shelves flooded with well-preserved products that have been sitting around for months on end. By the way, all that mess boils down to dozens of different brands made by two or three different manufacturers. Give it a quick research shot to see who owns who and you will see quickly what I am referring to.When searching for excellent skincare, one must remember that a great product should not only address long term and short term esthetic problems but should also maintain good skin health and prevent latent damages that often become visible at a later stage in life after years of back and forth abuse that skin takes through the foolish intake of various types of mass-produced things we try out before we finally get wise enough to stop and get educated about the process. It cannot be stressed enough how vital it is to select products that contain effective, all natural and complex forms of amino acids and protein chains, wide array of stabilized forms of vitamins, luxurious natural oils rich in omega 3/6/9 fatty acids, minerals, complex moisturizers, natural pH balancing agents, gentle and natural preservatives and skin-friendly, gentle natural emulsifiers. Harmful, highly synthetic, plasticized, toxic and genetically modified components should be kept out of your skincare arsenal and away from skin at all costs if an effective, long term anti-aging action and healthy skin results are desired.
One would think that popular keywords would yield great results but that just might not be the case with skincare. Oddly enough, silver ear mushroom extract, a highly moisturizing active that is more powerful than hyaluronic acid, is what I was after and that is how I landed on Naturactivé website. And there it was – a hidden skincare gem, as it turns out. A couple of clicks into it and I started seeing pretty exciting and highly promising labels that really got my attention. No hidden acrylate/carbomer tricks, no typical cetyl and cetearyl alcohols, no sulfates, no GMOs… the “NO list” kept going on. I will admit, it was hard to test the waters at their $30-$90 product pricing range but that was by far the best skincare purchase so far. No free samples either! Shocking for most but that was my clue that they mean business and deal with serious clients only. Free shipping and full money back guarantee was a nice and classy gesture that goes well with their very attractive packaging that feels silky-smooth and has gorgeous, respectful colors that match their intelligent brand positioning. As they say, you get what you pay for and that’s certainly the case with Naturactivé products. I even had a bit of product testing fun with my pH testing strips and it turns out their products are indeed correctly pH balanced, hanging toward 4.5-5 range for the most part, which is the desired, skin-intrinsic preference for a healthy skin flora and correct enzymatic functions. Their Age Defiance Activation Serum is a keeper for life and so are Youth Infusion Eye Duo and Luxurious Moisturizing Mask. There are still quite a few products to try but so far it has been nothing but a fantastic impression made by Naturactivé. My first attempt at Skin Renewal Moisturizer went great but I ended up exchanging it for Dry Skin Recovery Complex that proved to be a fantastic fit for my combination skin with troublesome dry spots. The exchange was absolutely hassle free and involved no questions asked. To top it all off, I did not notice at first but their products are actually made to order. Fresh-made, premium, all natural skincare at my door step in less than 5 days; needless to say I was impressed. Thanks heavens for Google and thank you Naturactivé for restoring my faith in skincare!