A'kin & Al'chemy Products

I've always been a huge fan of natural botanical based products, but I find that most botanical based products still use a number of toxic preservatives, synthetic fragrances and cheap fillers that may not just irritate our skin, but may be harmful to our health. Recently I stumbled across a line called A'kin & Al'chemy (manufactured by The Purist Company in Sydney) that not only uses all natural ingredients that are compatible with our skin, but are free of objectionable impurities and toxic preservatives. Their products are free from:

parabens
mineral oils
silicones
sulfates
synthetic fragrances
artificial colours
petrochemical cleansers
propylene glycol
phthalates
DEA (MEA, TEA)
ethoxylates

A'kin products that I tested include:
(1) Sandalwood & Neroli Pure Facial Cleansing Gel
Contains Panama Bark, proVitamin B5 and Witch Hazel. It didn't leave a filmy residue after use. My skin didn't feel tight or dry.

(2) Orange Blossom & Chamomile, Refreshing & Soothing Toner
Contains Chamomile Extract, Witch Hazel and proVitamin B5. Contains no alcohol. It didn't irritate or dry out my skin like most toners that I've tried. It calms the skin and removes traces of makeup and cleanser.

(3) White Tea & Aloe Vital Hydration Gel Creme
Contains Aloe Vera, White Tea, Olive Extract,Cornflower, Anthyllis Extract, Vitamin B5 and E. It wasn't greasy and didn't cause my skin to break-out. The only downside was that it didn't control my oil production although it's supposed to have matifying properties.

(4) Sweet Blossom & Jojoba, Pure Essential Lip Balm
Contains Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Macadamia Oil, Shea Butter and Certified Organic Rosehip Oil. It helped to soothe my chapped lips but I had to keep reapplying it throughout the day. Pleasant smelling and doesn't taste bitter.

(5) Lavender & Geranium Body Moist
Contains Certified Organic Lavender Oil, Australian Cold Pressed Macadamia Oil, Extract of Avocado and Vitamin B5. Softens the skin, but rather difficult to spread and absorbs slowly into the skin. Its subtle scent calms the senses.

(6) Sandalwood & Sweet Orange Invigorating Body Scrub
Contains Ultra fine diatomaceous earth, Panama Bark, Petitgrain, and Bergamot and orange essential oils. Non-irritating on the skin as the grains are ultra fine, and leaves the skin feeling soft. One of the best scrubs I've used so far.

(7) Aromatherapy Sandalwood Body Wash
Contains Australian Sandalwood essential oil, Cleansers derived from Coconut, 100% plant Glycerin and Ylang Ylang essential oil. This, too is non-drying, non-irritating to the skin and rejuvenates the senses. I wish they had a larger size bottle.

(8) Unscented, Intensive Hand, Nail & Cuticle Treatment
Contains Certified Organic Shea Butter, Australian cold pressed Macadamia Oil, Australian Jojoba Oil, Australian Sandalwood Oil, Olive Squalane. This unscented hand cream isn't greasy and absorbs quickly into your skin.

(9) Rice Aminos & Wheat Protein, Intensive Moisture Shampoo
Contains Rice Aminos, Vitamin E from soybeans, Coconut Glutamate and Panama Bark. It cleanses the hair thouroughly without drying it out. Gives my hair a well-deserved break from chemical treatments. I prefer this to any Schwarzkopf or Wella shampoo I've tried.

(10) Avocado & Calendula Re-Moisturising Conditioner
Contains Certified organic Australian Avocado oil, Calendula extract and Australian Jojoba oil. Spreads easily and doesn't irritate my scalp or neck. hair felt soft after use.

(11) Lavender & Anthyllis, 24 Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner
Contains Anthyllis (flower extract) and Certified organic Lavender essential oil.
Keeps the hair manageable and calms the frizzies the whole day. Can be applied on wet or dry hair and doesn't irritate the scalp.

I've been using these products for a couple of weeks now and so far I'm very happy with the results. I've never felt so refreshed, pampered and soothed. These products will give you a refreshing start to the day, calm your senses throughout and end it with peace and tranquility.

A'kin products are available at Sasa stores in KK.