BRANDS I LOVE : CODEX BEAUTY - SOME OF THE BEST CLEAN, NATURAL SKINCARE FOR BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
I haven’t gotten much sleep over the last ten days.
Whether you’re reading this in the US or somewhere else in the world, you’re likely aware that there’s been a tremendous amount of unrest across the country. Protesters (me among them!) have been flooding the streets to demand social justice reform and an end to systemic racism against blacks and all people of color in America.
It feels like something historic is happening here now, like I’m living history as it’s unfurling. I certainly wasn’t going to chill on the couch watching it on television as history was made in the streets just outside my windows. I had to act, too.
And living in Brooklyn, New York, feels like being at the very center of all of it — though so many places in the country feel the same way; that includes across the East River in Manhattan.
We’re all at the center of a powerful movement and it’s inspiring, energizing — and surreal. It’s as if the last three months spent quarantined inside have been swept away. Of course, they haven’t. However, all that pent up energy seems to have been unleashed.
But, I’m doing well. The darkness and solitude I’d been feeling have lifted and I guess I’m actually adjusting to a new normal. Even if this new normal doesn’t feel very normal at all. Let’s just call it the new abnormal.
Life goes on. And part of making sense of this new abnormal is finding things that are identifiable, that feel comfortable, that remind me of the old normal not so long ago. Like holidays. I can’t even remember Christmas now. Or New Year’s. Did I even doing anything for Thanksgiving?
But, Father’s Day is coming up! And in the midst of all the disruption, I thought it would be kind of nice to collab with one of my favorite clean skincare brands to bring some of the finest, clean skincare to worthy fathers everywhere. We all need to find joy where we can. We’re all craving connectedness.
With new, clean skincare products seemingly popping up every week, skin care brands are finally cleaning up their act! It’s an exciting trend in beauty that I believe is here to stay.
And, I think it’s something that men are just now becoming aware of, too. Skincare innovation most often occurs in the broader market, and is particularly targeted towards women, who make up the vast majority of consumer sales. When I was with Kiehl’s, we were always cognizant of the fact that men were about 28% of the brand’s customer base — an industry leading number. No other unisex brand came close.
But why should men be left behind in one of the greatest shifts driving the beauty industry today? In fact, to my knowledge, there are no men’s brands that are claiming to adhere to clean beauty standards in any real way. The current standards for clean skin care are being established by retailers that cater predominantly to women — like Sephora, Credo and Follain.
Of course, there are numerous clean brands that cater to both women and men, though they don’t generally focus marketing dollars on male consumers. On the lower end are brands like First Aid Beauty, Origins, and Skinfix. The more sophisticated, reliably clean brands include Herbivore Botanicals, Bioffect and Codex Beauty.
All of these brands appear more or less unisex; that is, they would seem to appeal to both women and men. I’m not a real believer in men’s skin care anyway. Skin is skin! What matters is that the skin — whether it’s covering a male or female body — be given all it needs to function properly, fight off aggressors — and maintain a healthy, youthful appearance as long as possible.
With that, let’s have a look at Codex Beauty with fresh eyes!
Meet Codex Beauty.
I first discovered Codex Beauty on the cyber-pages of my favorite beauty news site, Beauty Independent. Codex Beauty is focused on sustainability and clean, non-toxic, pro-skin health skincare. Their skincare formulations are based on natural science, plant-based preservatives, sustainability, and transparency — part of what the brand refers to as its “Codex Beauty Code”.
The Codex Beauty Code assures the brand’s standards for safety, efficacy, transparency and more.
All of the brand’s products are vegan, cruelty-free and carbon assessed to meet the carbon footprint standard. Notably, too, each of the brand’s Bia collection formulas has been Ecocert certified and received EWG verification for safety. That’s a big deal!
To me, this is how clean beauty is done — built from the ground up, from the soil, marrying natural science with skin science and letting nothing get in the way of that balance.
Codex Beauty is a multibrand company of clean skincare collections.
From the pages of Beauty Independent: “Codex Beauty, a multibrand company established by scientist, investor and entrepreneur Barbara Paldus with a focus on sustainability and clean skincare, is kicking off with an update of seven-year-old Irish line Bia Beauty.”
Bia Beauty started out as an independent brand, selling in small retailers and markets around Ireland. According to Beauty Independent,
“Bia is the brainchild of Tracey Ryan, a medical herbalist who grew up making potions from plants that thrived in the fields of Ireland near her mountain home. After creating the brand on her kitchen table, it matured to enter retail partners in Ireland like Avoca, a lifestyle concept chain similar to Anthropologie.
Up until the Codex acquisition, Ryan ran Bia as a family business with no more than five people in its workforce and a small factory in Cork, where the company is based, manufacturing its products. She will continue at Codex as master formulator for Bia and managing director of Codex Beauty Ireland.”
CLEAN UP DAD THIS FATHER’S DAY!
Codex Beauty is offering a 25% discount on the entire Bia collection from 06/08-06/21/2020. Plus, receive a complimentary Bia Cleansing Soap with all orders. (Psst…I love that soap!) No code needed; discount is applied on all orders at check-out.
Bia Collection Skin Superfood
Codex Beauty’s Bia range is a complete, clean skincare routine comprised of seven products — an exfoliating cleanser, “superfood” lotion, moisturizer, eye cream, cleansing bar, cleansing oil and facial oil. Not all of them are conventional, expected products.
The brand’s Skin Superfood, for instance, functions as a multipurpose product that I’ve long struggled to describe exactly right. It’s intriguing — on top of being clean and cool to use.
To put it as succinctly as I can, the clean Bia Skin Superfood is a lightweight moisturizer packed with nutrients derived from superfood plants.
Gosh, that still doesn’t seem to do it justice!
Skin Superfood is really a phenomenal product. Interestingly, it’s a relatively simple formula made with a wonderful blend of natural, organic and vegan botanical extracts and oils.
Again, the clean formula has been awarded EWG validation for safety and been ECOCERT verified. In all, there are just 17 ingredients, one of which is the sole oil in the treatment, Almond Oil, at a very high level (no.2) — meaning it’s likely to be between 10-20% of the formula.
Guys don’t tend to like too much oil in products as their skin isn’t often overly dry. That’s simply because a man’s skin is in many cases ever so slightly thicker and thus able to retain more oils. The Bia Superfood is ideal for him!
Immediately following Almond Oil is Lactobacillus Ferment — a popular fermented active that nourishes and balances skin as it helps enhance absorption of other actives.
There are six botanicals, each delivering varying levels of antioxidant protection — and most offering a skin-soothing benefit, particularly the Marigold Flower Extract — aka Calendula.
Codex says Skin Superfood is a “hydrating and nourishing treatment cream for face, hands and body. Made with our unique BiaComplex™ herbal formula, this cream helps treat dry, flaky or irritated skin and leaves it silky smooth.”
The texture is what I’d best describe as a thick lotion that melts easily into skin. But the herbaceous, natural aroma is really noteworthy — something that would appeal to anyone who appreciates natural products. If you like a lighter weight moisturizer, you’ll love the texture of the Bia Skin Superfood.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Codex Bia Skin Superfood for $50 — just $37.50 with the 25% Father’s Day discount. (Expires 06/21/2020)
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THE CODEX BEAUTY CLEAN BIA COLLECTION ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
Bia Collection Day Cream
While the brand’s Skin Superfood has the consistency of a thick lotion, the Bia collection Day Cream is a bit thicker, more of a conventional moisturizer for dry skin, though it’s not too heavy.
The first thing that strikes me about the Day Cream is the scent. Or maybe non-scent. I can’t seem to put it into words. If it’s possible to smell like nothing, maybe this is it. But it’s not possible to smell like nothing — because it does smell like something.
If you’ve ever smell dried flowers, you know what I mean. They’re often not exactly fragrant. There are memories of scent. They smell lifeless in an herbaceous way. So, the Bia Day Cream smells like dried flowers — lifeless, but with reflections of past lives.
Of course, Bia Day Cream complies with the Codex Beauty Code for safety, efficacy, transparency and more. It’s clean, non-toxic and because it’s cruelty-free, no bunny rabbits were harmed along the way.
So, what about the INCI? Getting past water at position number one, is a terrific botanical oil for skin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis — aka Almond Oil. It’s not sexy like, say, Babassu Oil or that Amazonian Sacha Inchi Oil in The Inkey List’s Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Moisturizer. But it doesn’t have to be sexy to be effective.
Think of Almond Oil as the nerdy, quiet kid who pays no attention to the distractions going on in class around him. He’s just there to learn and gtfo of that small town as soon as possible! (Hmm…I may be projecting.)
Here’s what Paula Begoun’s team of experts have to say about the humble nut oil,
“Also known as sweet almond oil, this is a non-volatile, non-fragrant oil extracted from the seeds of almonds and used as an emollient. Almond oil is a rich source of skin-replenishing ingredients including triglycerides and several fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, and myristic among them). It is not known to cause sensitivity.
Almonds (Prunus amygdalus) can be sweet or bitter. Sweet almond is listed in Latin as Prunus amygdalus or Prunus dulcis and does not contain harmful constituents.
Bitter almond comes from another species, Prunus amara, and does contain harmful constituents that shouldn’t be applied to skin.”
- The Paula’s Choice Research Team; reference for this information: ISRN Toxicology, September 2013, ePublication; Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, February 2010, pages 10-12; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, June 2008, pages 4,096-4,10
I love science!
The Bia Day Cream also contains a high level of Lactobacillus Ferment to nourish skin and break down actives, allowing for better penetration into the skin barrier. Ingredient number four is Marigold Flower Extract — that oh so wonderfully soothing calendula! In fact, there are few ingredients as soothing as calendula except perhaps Centella Asiatica and Bisabolol — the active component of chamomile.
In all, there are seven botanical extracts and oils here. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give honorable mention to this one: Fucus Serratus (Serrated Wrack) Extract. Yeah, I’m not even gonna go there. Seriously, so much good stuff in the Bia Day Cream.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Codex Bia Day Cream for $70 — just $52.50 with the 25% Father’s Day discount. (Expires 06/21/2020)
Bia Collection Facial Oil
Nothing gets me more excited about skin care than a well-formulated cleanser — except maybe a well-formulated facial oil.
As a man, it took me a very long time to come to embrace the miraculous benefits of facial oils. Like most guys, I thought a facial oil would be too heavy on my skin and, even worse, break me out.
And it took me even longer to understand that facial oils are just a different form of moisturizer — one that hydrates, soothes, replenishes, nourishes and, yes, moisturizes the skin. Most people don’t make that link. I now think of facial oils as moisturizers without the heavy cream base.
It seems like these oil-rich treatments began to make a big splash about two to three years ago. The Active Botanical Serum from Vintner’s Daughter was one of the first breakout facial oils on the scene. Suddenly, every brand needed to have one.
And as with so many products, Deciem’s The Ordinary brought multiple facial oils to the market and everyone hopped on board the facial oil express. The Ordinary’s single note oils like the 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil, the 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil and the 100% Organic Virgin Chia Seed Oil are suddenly in everyone’s shelfies!
Codex really nailed it with their Bia collection Facial Oil. Without meaning to sound too extra, it’s exquisite! The Facial Oil is a wonderful blend of seven non-fragrant plant oils, including Rosehip Seed Oil, Kiwi Seed Oil, Baobab Seed Oil, Prickly Pear Seed oil and, of course, Almond Oil. Vitamin E and three botanical extracts round out the INCI — one of them being the aforementioned Fucus serratus (Serrated wrack) extract.
Okay, I can’t stand it. I just have to look it up! What the heck is a serrated wrack?!
Serrated Wrack is a brown lichen or seaweed that thrives just above the low water mark on rocky shores.
Rocky shores like those that surround Cork, Ireland — where Bia first came to be and where the Blarney Stone is. I know this because I’ve been. And, yes, I kissed it!
As you’d expect, the Bia Facial Oil is rich, silky, and elegant. It doesn’t feel overly greasy on skin but it does feel like your skin is being treated to something really healthy and nourishing. As with the others, the Facial Oil is perfectly well-rounded — a clean, non-toxic, reliably efficient formula that does what it’s supposed to do and does nothing it shouldn’t. And guess what, it makes a great post-shave treatment, too!
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Codex Bia Facial Oil for $90 — just $67.50 with the 25% Father’s Day discount. (Expires 06/21/2020)
Bia Collection Exfoliating Wash
Speaking of shaving, it’s never a pleasant experience. I don’t know any guy who finds joy in scraping a sharp razor blade across his face. Personally, I can only bear to do it every two or three days.
But there are a few things I do that at least make it bearable. A great shave cream is essential, of course. One of my all time favorites is the Kiehl’s “Close-Shavers” Squadron Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream. It literally numbs my face so I can’t feel the razor — or even feel my face! And, as I alluded to with the Codex Bia Facial Oil, a post-shave healing treatment is really nice.
As important as post-shave healing and the shave cream itself, is pre-shave prep. And the best way to achieve that is to employ a well-formulated physical exfoliating product to slough away any dead skin cells and soften the beard or facial stubble just prior to shaving. That’s one of the reasons that guys like a physical face scrub!
The Bia Collection Exfoliating Wash is the perfect formula for softening the beard and gently sloughing away the dead skin cells that can clog the razor and lead to nicks in the skin.
I’m no fan of physical scrubs, and always prefer to rely on chemical exfoliation. I just don’t believe it’s very wise to do anything that can potentially damage the skin barrier by causing micro-tears in the skin. The one exception is as a pre-shave exfoliating treatment on the shaven areas of my face. You certainly can’t use a Glycolic Acid treatment right before you shave!
The Bia Exfoliating Wash is a rich, creamy face scrub that buffers the skin surface to prevent those tiny micro-tears in the skin that I’m so concerned about. The physical exfoliation effect is the result of Jojoba grains in the formula. They’re barely noticeable and super gentle.
All of the Codex Beauty Bia formulas have something interesting in the INCI for skincare enthusiasts like you and me!. Here, the very first ingredient is full of intrigue: Sambucus nigra (Elderflower) Water!
Of course, I headed straight to my friends on the Paula’s Choice Research Team for answers about elderflower in skin care.
“Also known as black elderberry or Sambucus nigra, this plant has potent antioxidant properties due to the flavonoid compounds naturally present. Elderberry has skin-soothing effects.”
- The Paula’s Choice Research Team; reference for this information: Molecules, October 2018, ePublication; International Journal of Molecular Sciences, March 2017, ePublication; Food Chemistry, February 2016, pages 142-148; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, September 2010, issue 18, pages 10,143-10,146; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, December 2004, issue 26, pages 7,846-7,856.
How cool is that? So we’ve got a skin-soothing, exfoliating antioxidant powerhouse with the Bia Exfoliating Wash. In fact, there are a slew of antioxidant botanical extracts, oils and butters in the formula. It’s so good for the skin that I sometimes apply it in the shower and leave it on for a few minutes before massaging it off my face and rinsing it down the drain. I know, it’s something a guy would do!
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Bia Collection Exfoliating Wash for $45 — just $33.75 with the 25% Father’s Day discount. (Expires 06/21/2020)
That’s it guys. I hope you’ll consider taking care of the fathers in your life this Father’s Day and stepping up his skin care game by cleaning up his act with good, clean, natural skin care.
Be sure to enter to win the Codex Bia Discovery set — and take advantage of Codex Beauty’s generous 25% offer for Skincarma followers and skincare enthusiasts everywhere!
🖤 SKINCARMA
SKINCARMA….GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win the CODEX BEAUTY Bia Discovery Set — a collection of some of my favorites from the brand, including travel sizes of the Bia Skin Superfood (15ml), Bia Day Cream (15ml), Bia Exfoliating Wash (30ml) and Bia Eye Gel Cream (8ml) — plus the brand’s signature travel bag. ($55 value)
Share why you want to win it for Dad in the comments below. Then, return to the Skincarma IG page and comment “Done”. Giveaway ends Sunday 06/14/2020.
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THE CODEX BEAUTY CLEAN BIA COLLECTION ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
The Ingredient List of the Codex Beauty Bia Skin Superfood:
Aqua (Water), Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Almond) oil, Lactobacillus ferment, Sodium stearoyl lactylate, Propanediol, Glyceryl stearate, Viola tricolor (Heartsease herb) extract, Althaea officinalis (Marsh-mallow) extract, Cetyl alcohol, Glycerin, Helichrysum italicum (Immortelle) flower extract, Cocos nucifera (Coconut/) fruit extract, Calendula officinalis (Marigold) flower extract, Symphytum officinale (Comfrey) leaf extract, Potassium sorbate, Phytic acid, Citric acid.
The Ingredient List of the Codex Beauty Bia Day Cream:
Aqua (Water), Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Almond) oil, Lactobacillus ferment, Calendula officinalis (Marigold) flower extract, Sodium stearoyl lactylate, Propanediol, Glyceryl stearate, Oenothera biennes (Evening primrose) oil, Cetyl alcohol, Glycerin, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) fruit extract, Tocopherol, Fucus serratus (Serrated wrack) extract, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Citrus nobilis peel (Sweet mandarin) oil, Sodium hyaluronate, Phytic acid, Potassium sorbate, Citric acid, Limonene*, Citral*
*Naturally occurring in essential oils
The Ingredient List of the Codex Beauty Bia Facial Oil:
Rosa canina (Rosehip) seed oil, Actinidia chinensis (Kiwi) seed oil, Adansonia digitata (Baobab) seed oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Almond) oil, Opuntia ficus-indica (Prickly pear) seed oil, Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea buckthorn) fruit extract, Fucus serratus (Serrated wrack) extract, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Tocopherol, Myrica gale (Sweet gale) oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract.
The Ingredient List of the Codex Beauty Bia Exfoliating Wash:
Sambucus nigra (Elderflower) water, Aqua (Water), Ricinus communis (Castor) seed oil, Lactobacillus ferment, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) oil, Sodium stearoyl lactylate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) butter, Propanediol, Glyceryl stearate, Glycerin, Silybum marianum (Milk thistle) oil, Hydrogenated jojoba oil, Cetyl alcohol, Limonene*, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) fruit extract, Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange) peel oil, Citrus paradisi (Grapefruit) peel oil, Brassica napus (Rapeseed) seed oil, Zea mays oil, Beta-carotene, Tocopherol, Potassium sorbate, Citric acid, Phytic acid, Salicylic acid, Linalool*, Citral*
*Naturally occurring in essential oils
The Ingredient List of the Codex Beauty Bia Eye Gel Cream:
Aqua (Water), Lactobacillus ferment, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Almond) oil, Propanediol, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice, Glycerin, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) fruit extract, Arnica montana extract, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium gum, Cucumis sativus (Cucumber) fruit extract, Vitis vinifera (Grapeseed) seed oil, Xanthan gum, Pullulan, Helichrysum italicum (Immortelle) flower oil, Fucus vesiculosus (Bladder wrack) extract, Sodium hyaluronate, Rosa damascene (Damask rose) flower extract, Phytic acid, Citric acid, Silica, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Linalool*, Limonene *, Geraniol*, Citronellol*.
*Naturally occurring in essential oils
