Mary Kay

Mary Kay
Botanical Effects Skin Care

Mary Kay’s new skin care range ‘Botanical Effects’ has launched in the UK and is combining the merits of green loving eco warrior princess with pink loving fresh faced girl next door.

The Packaging

Looking fresh in white with pale green and a touch of pink and lilac, this packaging is not just a pretty face but is also helping mother earth. The tube sleeves are made from 50% post-consumer recycled resin material and the carton from 100% recycled material. The carton and freshen bottle can both be recycled.  And the tube caps use 3% less plastic than traditional flip top caps.

The Formulas

There are two formulas: normal to dry and combination to oily. Both contain:

• Silymarin (milk thistle) an antioxidant to help defend against environmental damage and help to calm and soothe the skin
• Luo Han Guo (longevity fruit) known to contain potent antioxidants and believed to help promote healthy skin.

What they don’t contain are any synthetic dyes or fragrances. And unfortunately for me – they also don’t contain any anti ageing ingredients as this range is targeted for young women who are not yet concerned with the ageing effects. They don’t need anything rich and heavy, just products that will enhance and allow their already youthful glow to radiate through.

Plus the exclusion of these anti ageing ingredients also keeps the cost of the products down.

But all is not lost for us ‘wrinklies’ – we may need a rich moisturiser and mask packed with anti ageing hero ingredients, but we can still use the gentle cleanser and freshener.

The Products:

Cleanser: £13, cream for normal to dry and gel for combination to oily. Go easy on the water as the cream is quite slippy and doesn’t lather that well. However this is not really a bad sign as it means it probably doesn’t include sodium lauryl sulphate( couldn’t see it listed as an ingredient). But it does mean that at first you’ll want to use more to try to get lather as we’re all used to associating foam with cleaner skin. The gel may lather better as it does contain tea-lauryl sulphate.

Mask: £15. This can be used as a mask or an exfoliator.  The mask is grainy so definitely do not rub even if you are using as a scrub. Just apply and then gently wash off.  However. for my ‘ageing ‘skin, it was a touch too grainy so I’ll leave this one for the younger complexions.

Freshener:  £13.  Similar to a mild toner but without the tightening effect.  This did leave my face feeling really clean and fresh.  Not to be sprayed directly on the face but on to a cotton wool pad. 

Moisturiser: £19.

Normal to dry contains:

Flax seed extract – a rich plant source of omega-3 fatty acids which help moisturise dry skin

Sea kelp extract –a source of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids helping to moisturise and skin balance.

Combination to oily contains:

• Kanuka extract comes from the kanuka shrub sometimes called the white tea trees and are native to New Zealand and Australia. This extract helps control excess oil without drying up the skin and helps prevents pores from being clogged.
• Guava fruit extract – a source of salicylic acid, helps exfoliate and unclog pores to reduce surface oil.

The Conclusion:

The natural ingredients, eco friendly packaging and low costs make this range ideal for young women embarking on their first serious skin care routine.

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