PRODUCT REVIEW: CODEX BEAUTY BIA COLLECTION DAY CREAM – ONE OF THE BEST NATURAL MOISTURIZERS FOR DRY SKIN
CODEX BEAUTY | BIA COLLECTION DAY CREAM
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, “Brands I Love: Codex Beauty - Some of the Best Clean, Natural Skincare for Both Women and Men.” You can still catch the full piece here.
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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 here.
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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*
