Weleda Skin Care Review and Cruelty Free Status

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Weleda were kind enough to send me three of their products to test out and give an honest review on. I have been testing the Almond Soothing Facial Oil, Skin Food and Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream for 2 months now. Weleda is a brand that focuses on natural and organic products that are sustainably sourced. Weleda skin care is certified by NATRUE which means that the products are made from natural and organic ingredients, there is a sustainable production process and environmentally friendly practices, there’s no synthetic fragrances or dyes, there’s no silicone oils or ingredients from petrochemicals, no animal testing and no irradiation of end products or herbal ingredients. I do really like the ethics that this company stand by. They are focusing on maintaining biodiversity, biodynamic farming, fair trade and sustainable processes. So it sounds like they are focusing on both positive environmental and human outcomes which I wish every company would do.

Before I get into the review, I just wanted to go more into detail about the cruelty free status of Weleda. Google comes up with a lot of mixed results and it is hard to tell what is right from wrong, so I asked for specific information from Weleda Australia to clear it all up. They have told me that Weleda does not and never has tested any of its ingredients or or products on animals. NATRUE requires all companies certified by them to adhere to the EU animal testing laws (Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009), even if the company does’t sell in the European market – Weleda are however a European beauty brand so need to adhere to the EU laws anyway. Weleda have told me that “We do not sell our range in mainland China, and there is no plan to do so until China changes its requirements regarding animal testing”. They have also explained to me that ‘cosmetics’ in China are considered to be skincare, makeup, perfume, hair care, sun care, nail care deodorants and whitening products. Toothpaste and bars of soaps do not fall under the ‘cosmetic’ banner and are therefore exempt from the animal testing regulations in China. So Weleda sell toothpaste and bars of soaps in China but only because those products can be sold and still remain cruelty free. As with all other companies, Chinese residents can buy any Weleda product online and have it shipped into the country without having it tested on animals. Weleda also have a good little symbol system on their website so that you can easily tell if a product is vegan or organic without needing to look through the ingredients or do any extra research.

Skin Food is a ‘deeply nourishing and intensely hydrating’ cream that can be used all over the body. Skin Food helps to moisturise the skin by using extracts from chamomile, calendula and wild pansy. Skin Food also includes sunflower, lanolin and sweet almond oils and waxes to protect the skin from wind and weather. I was excited to try this product as a I have heard a lot of people rave about it. I was surprised by the first use as the product came out of the tube as half cream and half oil, since then though it has always been a thick cream – I think some of the excess oil was just sitting at the bottom of the tube. The cream is very thick, but easy enough to spread out on the skin. The main difference I have found with this cream compared to others is that it doesn’t immediately absorb into the skin. There’s a layer of product that stays on the skin surface, which I assume is how the product is able to protect the skin from the elements. Even when trying to wash my hands in the sink, I can still feel a that there is a light layer of product I need to rub off. I’ve mainly used it on my feet, but it would also be good for any other really dry part of the body like knees and elbows. I take good care of my feet, so they’re not particularly dry by themselves, but I have noticed that my feet a lot smoother and more hydrated if I use this cream on them once or twice a week. I will get a lot more use out of this product in winter as my skin gets very dry and wind can make it irritated, I think using this could help to reduce some of the skin irritation I get on my body in the middle of winter, just because of the protection it gives. Weleda’s Skin Food does have a strong citrusy scent, I don’t mind it but if you’re sensitive to scents then you may want to consider that. I think it’s good value for $21.95 for a 75ml tube as a small amount goes a long way.

Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream is vegan and uses pomegranate seed oil as it helps the skin’s ‘renewal processes’ and helps to protect hands from environmental effects. It also includes sesame oil and organic shea butter to reduce moisture loss and make the skin smooth as well as golden millet extract as it helps with skin firmness and elasticity. Being a nail blogger, I have tried a lot of hand creams in my time. I prefer to use products that are often marketed as hand and nail creams as they tend to have jojoba, sweet almond oil and vitamin E in the ingredients which I also look for in cuticle oils. I had a quick look at the ingredients of the Pomegranate hand cream and it doesn’t seem to have any of those three listed, but there are other nice ingredients in there as I explained above. I can’t really comment on how much this product helps with skin firmness but it is a nice medium thickness cream that spreads out and rubs into the skin well. After a minute or two, there is no greasy or sticky texture left on the hands and no transfer of the hand cream onto other products (it’s a big pet peeve of mine to have hand cream marks all over my phone or computer keyboard). This hand cream does have a scent, I’m not particularly fond of it but my friend loves it. A 50ml tube of Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream costs $17.95 so it’s not a particularly cost effective hand cream but also not too expensive – I know lots of people like to give Weleda hand products as gifts so it’s a good price for that.

Almond Soothing Facial Oil is vegan and organic and contains Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) Oil, Plum Kernel (Prunus Domestica Seed) Oil and Blackthorn (Prunus Spinosa) Flower Extract. Sweet almond oil has a high content of essential fatty acids so it ‘protects the skin from drying out and improves the skin’s barrier function’. The blackthorn blossom extract absorbs into the skin quickly and helps to ‘alleviate skin irritations and reduce sensitivity’. I started using facial oils 2 years ago now as I had read about so many benefits of including them in my daily skincare routine. At first, I wanted to find just one oil that was perfect for my skin, but when I did more research I found out that the top skin care specialists now advise people to rotate the products they use. So I am now always on the look out for another product that can be included in products that I rotate through, and I think I have found one to include in Weleda’s Soothing Almond Oil. To use it, I shake a couple of drops onto the tips of my fingers and then just massage it into my face and neck. It absorbs quickly and has helped to keep my skin from drying out during this wet spring we have had. I had to get used to the nozzle on the end of the bottle as I’m used to droppers for facial oils but I think the nozzle may help to stop the product from getting contaminated, so that’s good. It has a slight woody scent which is just from the natural oils themselves, I can’t smell it when it goes on the skin. I haven’t had any irritation or eczema flare ups when using this, in fact I think it has helped to keep my eyelids moist and therefore less likely to get eczema. I really like that there are only a couple of ingredients in this oil as my skin doesn’t seem to do as well with oils that have a large number of ingredients. I have used this every day, morning and night, for two months and I’m only a quarter the way through the 50ml bottle. $26.95 is a standard price that I usually pay for facial oils, and this one is good quality. You can use it alone, under moisturiser, under makeup and even as a makeup remover, so it can work for everyone. The Almond Oil is from Weleda’s Almond range which is a range of hypoallergenic products made for sensitive skin. I have only tried the oil, but I will look into products from the rest of the range to see if any might work for my sensitive skin.

Weleda have some great company ethics that really resonate with me. I wish more companies would take steps to help the environment, sustainability and poverty. There is a lot of information about the ingredients they use, and their fair trade and sustainability initiatives on their website that you can read about. I’m glad I got the opportunity to review these products and find out the extra information on their cruelty free status. The website makes it easy to determine which products are vegan, which are natural and which are organic, so I don’t have to scroll through long ingredient listings or do extra research to find out that information. I have personally found natural skincare to work the best for me as that way I can easily avoid SLS and other ingredients that I have found irritate my skin. My favourite product was definitely the Almond Soothing Facial Oil, it has been added to my rotation of facial oils. I liked the Skin Food, and if it helps my dry areas in the middle of winter next year, then I may repurchase that too. The Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream was nice, but I am really picky with my hand creams and it doesn’t beat my favourite one. It is however still a good hand cream that absorbs quickly, so it may suit all your needs. I have seen a ‘First Aid’ range on their website that contains some interesting products, one being a rash cream, so I am going to look into those next. I have been trying a lot of new skin care lately so don’t forget to sign up to email updates to see what else I have to share with you.

Have you tried any products from Weleda skin care before? Does the extra information on their cruelty free status change your mind about this brand?

You can see other beauty blog posts at the Fabulous and Fun Life blog link up.