Desert Essence Gets a New Look
August 30, 2010 by Jolene
Filed under *Featured*, Foundations & Concealers, Natural Beauty Products, Skincare- Face, Sun Protection
Fans of the natural beauty company Desert Essence are bound to do a double take next time they restock their favorite products– because the entire line has a new look. Desert Essence has been around for 38 years, an eternity in the natural beauty industry, which makes it even more exciting that this makeover comes with an addition of new products, which cater to specific skin types: dry & sensitive, normal and oily & combination.
Old favorites, like the brand’s Thoroughly Clean Face Wash will still be available in original form, but look for an aloe and cucumber Gentle Nourishing Cleanser (certified organic) and a tea tree Thoroughly Clean Face Wash (for normal skin), for example.
Highlights of the new product additions include Daily Essential De-Puffing Eye Cream (keep it in the fridge for extra cooling), Gentle Nourishing Day Creme with aloe and argan oil (and SPF 15 from zinc oxide), Thoroughly Clean Oil Control Moisturizer with tea tree and chamomile and – my favorite- a product that spans the makeup/skincare categories: Blemish Touch Concealer with tea tree, to conceal and eliminate breakouts. The creamy concealer comes in light, medium and dark to suit a range of shades and retails for only $10.
Will you like the new look of Desert Essence? I’m sure of it. The products are fantastic (and the prices are affordable, a huge plus).
I am a devoted user of the original Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi. I saw the new packaging in stores today, and read the ingredients list on the above said product. There are 2 new ingredients that were never listed before on the Thoroughly Clean Face Wash w/ Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi – “POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE” and “GLYCERINE”
Were these ingredients always included in the product, but were never listed? Or did they change the formula? Why would they change it!?
Great question! I went straight to Desert Essence for an answer. Turns out that your favorite Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi is still exactly the same formula.
But with its new packaging, Desert Essence opted to use the most thorough method for listing ingredients (this gets a little technical) called INCI coding that reveals even the secondary ingredients used in making the primary ingredients that you’ve seen on the label all along. So, potassium hydroxide is used in making the castille soap in your cleanser and glycerin is in the base of some of the cleanser’s natural extracts. These ingredients have been there all along, and they are both safe for you to use. Not all natural brands use this standard, so it’s a definite plus that Desert Essence is so forthcoming about every single ingredient in the process.
Hope this helps!
Jolene
I thought the first ingredients that are listed are always what the product consists most of? And Potassium Hydroxide is 4th on the list? Besides potassium hydroxide is a very harsh and horrible product to be using, I dont understand how they can claim to be so natural when they have potassium hydroxide and glycerin as an ingredient. I was looking forward to using their face wash but now I’m not so sure.
Hi Amie,
Thanks for expressing your concerns. While you may prefer to skip this particular face wash in favor of a version without potassium hydroxide and glycerin, to my knowledge both ingredients are considered to be safe. Potassium hydroxide is used to balance pH and glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture to skin.