MEDYSKIN Glycolic Cream

MEDYSKIN Pure Hydration Hyaluronic Serum

MEDYSKIN Vitamin C Beauty Oil

Review and Comparison: MEDYSKIN Argan Oil and Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil Serum

L to R: MEDYSKIN Argan Oil and Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil

Face oils blends recently became very popular in cosmetics industry, though as ingredients, oils have been used in skincare for decades. Pure oils can be for sure a great addition to your routine, especially if you have dry skin. However they do not have miracle properties. Usually any non-fragrant plant oil has fatty acids, which are good for increasing moisture content of the skin and repairing skin protective function. All oils have certain amount of antioxidants and have some anti-inflammatory properties (however, they are weak to medium strength).

There is no single best oil for the skin, despite companies claims. Agran oil isn't any better than boring sunflower oil. Also 40$ oil from Sephora isn't better than 10$ one from IHERB. The quality of them is the same, but you do pay for the brand name.

There are plenty of oil blends on the market, but be careful, lots of them have essential oils in them, than can harm your skin. The worst: any citrus oils (they are photo-toxic, when exposed to UV rays), lavender (very irritating even in small amounts) and mint. If you want aroma-therapeutic properties of essential oils, inhale them, but do not put them on the skin (separate them from your skincare!)

Overall, I encourage anyone to try out this new trend (I am definitely a fan). But do not expect any dramatic results. Oils can't substitute well formulated serum or treatment. So if you have skin concerns like acne, hyper-pigmentation or signs of aging, do not stop using your regular treatments in a favor to oils.

I've found two oils I am reviewing today at TJMaxx. Their official price tag is 48$ each, but I've paid ~8-10$. They both came in brown glass bottles, which I prefer over plastic bottles. And of course, never buy any skin care product in a clear bottle (it will not keep ingredients safe from the sun exposure). Medyskin oil comes with a pump, which is actually easier to use and more air tight than a dropper style bottle, which is a type of packaging that Sonoma Naturals uses. The amount of oil you get is the same for both products - 30ml (1fl.oz).

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se) 

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in a skincare, usually fragrance)

MEDYSKIN 7 Day Facelift Retinol Serum

MEDYSKIN Line Eraser Eye Serum

MEDYSKIN Vitamin C Anti-Aging Serum

Packaging/Pricing:

 

30ml (1fl.oz) This serum comes in a brown glass pump bottle, which is the best possible option, since it is air tight and not clear to keep ingredients stable, but still you are able too see how much product is left. I purchased it at TJMaxx only for 7.99$ US. I found the company's website, where they charge 42$ for a bottle. You can also find it on Amazon.com at around 20$ mark, which is a good price in my opinion.

Ingredients:

 

Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Ascorbil Glucoside (Vit C), Pumpkin Extract, Tamarindus Indica, Licorice Root Extract, Acrylates/C-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol.

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se)

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in skincare, usually fragrance)

[On the side note. I like that ingredient list is both on the outer paper packaging and on the bottle itself. I don't need to keep piles of cardboard in my house.]

Ingredients Discussion:

 

I am always excited when I find not hugely known brand with amazing formulations.

A Bit of Shopping

I have to admit, I am a little bit addicted to shopping at TJMaxx. It has an adventurous feel to it. You never know what treasures you can find each time you go. Sometimes I emerge with empty hands, sometimes I find too much and blow my budget. I can spend several hours going through one ingredient list after another (since it is a deciding factor for me when I purchase a skincare product). My limit is 20-25 products at one go (it is hard to process more information than that on one trip). Also, products are 30 to 50 % of original price, so I can afford to try out more products. Unfortunately there is a downside: there are a lot of discontinued products, which you cannot repurchase if you happen to like them. I may review one of these products in the future. So here is my recent catch...

Left To Right: Juice Organics Pomwash cleanser and Pompeptide moisturiser, Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil, Skincare Cosmetics Retinol Anti-Wrinkle facial serum, Elizabeth Arden 2 in 1 cleanser, Hydra-Splash toner, Perpetual Moisture 24 lotion, Alpha Hydroxy Anti-Wrinkle 10% Glycolic treatment

Left To Right: MEDYSKIN Natural Argan oil, 7 Day Facelift retinol serum, Vitamin C anti-aging serum, Line Eraser eye serum

 

List of Products:

• Juice Organics Pomwash facial cleanser (6.99$ / 150ml)
• Juice Organics Pompeptide facial moisturiser (5.99$ / 60ml)
• Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil anti-oxidant facial treatment serum (9.99$ / 30ml)
• Skincare Cosmetics Retinol Anti-Wrinkle facial serum (12.99$ / 30ml)
• Elizabeth Arden 2 in 1 cleanser all skin types (7.99$ / 150ml)
• Elizabeth Arden Hydra-Splash alcohol-free toner normal/dry skin (7.99$ / 200ml)
  
• Elizabeth Arden Perpetual Moisture 24 lotion (14.99$ / 50ml)
  
• Alpha Hydroxy Anti-Wrinkle 10% Glycolic treatment oil free (6.99$ / 50ml)
• MEDYSKIN Natural Argan argan oil (7.99$ / 30ml)
• MEDYSKIN 7 Day Facelift retinol serum (7.99$ / 30ml)
• MEDYSKIN Vitamin C anti-aging serum (7.99$ / 30ml)
• MEDYSKIN Line Eraser eye serum (7.99$ / 30ml)

P.S.: After coming home and closely examining products, I realized that I overlooked very irritating coriander essential oil in MEDYSKIN argan oil blend. So that product I am not recommending putting on your face!