I have been lusting after True Botanicals for such a long time and I finally made the most of their Green Friday sales last year. I’ve been testing them behind the scenes.
My skin is extremely oily and this brings congestion. The Clear Collection is specifically created for addressing these issues, while bringing balance and not stripping oil. I often find one or two favourite products, rather than sticking to the entire line but unfortunately none of these worked for me. The company are easy to contact, responds quickly and are more than happy to help. Even though the price point is high, I still think they’re worth a try.
Clear Nourishing Cleanser
Ingredients
As soon as I pump this soft cream onto my hand, I get a hit of the scent. It’s medicinal and herbal and unfortunately very unpleasant. It might be the black willow bark extract that overpowers the formula. The scent lingers until it’s washed off.
It’s quite thin, nor does it foam so I would recommend using another cleanser before this one as it doesn’t cut through makeup. I felt like I had to use more because of the texture. I liked that it didn’t strip my face, so when I rinsed, it felt clean and fresh.
Clear Nutrient Toner
Ingredients
When I first looked at the toner, I was worried because there are spots of dark brown floating around. It’s a part of the formula. Unfortunately this has a similar scent profile, including the overpowering black willow bark. I detect a touch of sandalwood but it’s lost on me.
As toners go, I can’t comment on the effectiveness considering I had a reaction. It didn’t do much to change the texture or breakouts. I also struggled with the scent of this, though it does fade quickly unlike the cleanser.
Clear Repair Serum
Ingredients
This serum has the texture between a moisturiser and a water based serum. The fragrance is much more restrained. My partner commented that he didn’t like this either so that says a lot!
This was the one product I used that did tingle a little when I applied it. This is $140 USD and while you’re supposed to use this in conjunction with the rest of the line, this is the one I’d hoped would be just as effective on it’s own. I tried using this with my existing skincare and it still didn’t improve my skin.
Resurfacing Moisture Mask
Ingredients
Camellia sinensis (green & white tea) leaf extract*, Glycerin (vegetable glycerin)*, Lactic acid, Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter*, Persea gratissima (avocado) fruit oil, Water, Hydrogenated vegetable oil, Phenethyl alcohol**, Ethylhexylglycerin**, Xanthan gum, Haematococcus pluvialis (astaxanthin from red pond algae), Citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, Jasminum sambac (jasmine) flower extract, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil
It was nice of them to include sample size as I am always looking for face masks! There is a touch of floral undertones hiding beneath the main herbal fragrance. I love how bright orange this is. It’s an easy to spread gel mask, that wasn’t didn’t burn or tingle despite the lactic acid. I broke out immediately after using this, so I only tried it once.
Everyday Sheer Coverage SPF 20
Ingredients
I actually don’t mind the texture and finish of this. It’s not horribly thick and it dries matte. I can still feel it sitting on my skin, though that’s something I’ve found with every sunscreen I’ve ever tried.
The big issue is that I bought this in the shade medium and it’s far too dark for me so I can’t properly test it on my own face. It’s even too dark for my hands and arms! After all the trouble I had with the other products, I must admit I’m hesitant to even try it on my face anyway.
Final Word
My biggest skin issue is congestion, which causes little under the skin bumps that can be squeezed.
I found that those pimples didn’t go away at all, even after using the cleanser, toner and serum consistently for 4 weeks. In fact more and more appeared, and the ones I did squeeze just kept coming back.
Since I’d noticed that the pimples weren’t improving I contacted customer service and they were lovely. They recommended sticking out the full four weeks. While I completely understand skincare takes time and consistency my skin is the type that reacts immediately if something doesn’t agree with it. My skin was getting worse and even though they’re not big pimples, they do create a ton of texture.
After a week or two, I started having a much worse reaction to some of the ingredients. The longer I used the line, my skin started itching and dry patches popped up.
I ended up requesting a refund. The process itself is very easy and customer service are very understanding. They don’t try to give you the hard sell to talk you out of a refund. I didn’t even have to send them back, so it’s not a hassle at all.
While the willow bark extract scent is too much for me, I did like that none of these felt harsh on application. I think that if you weren’t sensitive to any ingredients, then the four week trial would probably be accurate. At least for me the ingredients seemed to get stronger over time, but that was probablu because it was making my skin more sensitive.
Though I’d prefer to not have had such a bad break out, I can’t deny the ingredients are pure and effective. I still think they’re worth a try because the return policy and customer service is great. I also completely believe in their method of dealing with acne. Skin needs to be nourished constantly.
True Botanicals sell samples, so if you are really worried, you can try them first. They last for a few applications, so if you’re going to have a reaction you’ll be able to tell without having to invest.
Gone Swatching xo 