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Alaffia Skin Recover Facial Cleanser (Neem & Shea)

Alaffia
Skin Recover Facial Cleanser (Neem & Shea)

Skin Recovery Facial Cleanser with African Black Soap removes excess oils, makeup, and other impurities without over-drying skin. Neem oil, neem leaf and tea tree prevent blemishes and dry patches from forming. Gentle enough for daily use. For problem or acne prone skin.
Uploaded by: mxunicorn on

Ingredients overview

*Certified Fair Trade by IMO

Alaffia Skin Recover Facial Cleanser (Neem & Shea)
Ingredients explained

Azadirachta Indica (Neem) Aqueous Extract
Also-called: Neem Leaf Extract;Azadirachta Indica Leaf Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Sodium Shea Butterate (Saponified Shea Butter*)
What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Sodium Palm Kernelate (Saponified Palm Kernel Oil*)
What-it-does: emulsifying, surfactant/cleansing, viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Decyl Glucoside
What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing, emulsion stabilising

A vegetable origin (coconut or palm kernel oil and glucose) cleansing agent with great foaming abilities. It's also mild to the skin and readily biodegradable.

Azadirachta Indica (Neem) Oil
Also-called: Neem Oil;Azadirachta Indica Seed Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Lavandula Hybrida (Lavender) Oil
What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Cymbopogon Citratus (Lemongrass) Oil
What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Oil
Also-called: Patchouli Essential Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

If you are into perfumes, you must know patchouli as an important essential oil in the perfume industry. It boasts a pleasant woody, earthy and camphoraceous scent and has fixative properties (makes the fragrance long-lasting).

Its composition is pretty unique: it does not contain any of the EU's 26 most common fragrance allergens, but its most important components are patchoulol (30%) and alpha-patchoulene (6%) which are responsible for its aroma and antifungal properties.

Among essential oils, the allergen profile of patchouli counts as pretty good (much better than ylang-ylang or lemongrass oils), but if your skin is sensitive, it's still best to avoid it.

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Essential Oil - goodie
Also-called: Tea Tree Oil, TTO;Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil | What-it-does: soothing, anti-acne, antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial, perfuming

The famous tea tree oil. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. Legend has it that the medicinal benefits of the oil were considered so important that Australian soldiers were supplied with some tea tree oil in their World War II military kit.

Similar to other essential oils, tea tree oil is a very complex chemical mixture consisting of about 100 components, the major ones being terpinen-4-ol (40%), γ-Terpinene (23%) and α-Terpinene (10%). Terpinen-4-ol is considered to be the main active component but as a great article in Clinical Microbiology Reviews states "while some TTO components may be considered less active, none can be considered inactive" and most components contribute to TTO's strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. 

Regarding skincare and tea tree oil, its most well-known effect is probably being a well established anti-acne ingredient. Multiple studies confirm that TTO is effective against the evil acne-causing bacteria called P. acnes and the effectiveness of 5% TTO gel is comparable to the gold standard anti-acne treatment, 5% Benzoyl Peroxide lotion. You need to be a bit more patient with TTO, though, as its effects come slower but also with fewer side effects.

Regarding TTO and sensitive skin, we say that you should be careful. Even if your skin is not sensitive you should never put undiluted TTO on your skin. Luckily, it contains only very small amounts of the common allergens (such as limonene), but irritant and allergic reactions still happen, especially by oxidation products that occur in older or not properly stored oil.  So if you have some pure TTO at home, know that storage matters, keep it in a cool, dry, dark place and use it up in a reasonable amount of time.

Overall, we do not often give a goodie status to essential oils, but we feel that TTO's unique antibacterial and anti-acne properties with its minimal allergen content warrant an exception. If your skin is acne-prone, TTO is something to experiment with.

You may also want to take a look at...

what‑it‑does surfactant/cleansing
what‑it‑does emulsifying | surfactant/cleansing | viscosity controlling
what‑it‑does surfactant/cleansing
A vegetable origin (coconut or palm kernel oil and glucose) cleansing agent with great foaming abilities. It's also mild to the skin and readily biodegradable.
what‑it‑does emollient
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
Patchouli essential oil that has a woody, earthy and camphoraceous scent and also has fixative properties. Also has fixative and antifungal properties. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing | anti-acne | antioxidant | antimicrobial/antibacterial | perfuming
The famous tea tree oil. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. [more]
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*INCI is a list of the standardized and internationally accepted names used in the declaration of ingredients on cosmetic and personal care products. It is published by the Personal Care Product Council.
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