GHOST DEMOCRACY | SOFTGLOW FACIAL OIL

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Brands I Love: Ghost Democracy Intriguingly Clean Skincare With A Twist. You can still catch the full piece here.

—

Meet Ghost Democracy!

Last week, in my blog article about my latest Vitamin C discoveries titled, New Vitamin C Facial Serums I Love but You’ve Probably Never Heard Of!, I introduced a particular Vitamin C serum that kinda blew my mind. It was the Ghost Democracy Lightbulb Vitamin C Serum and it’s quite an extraordinary product. So extra-ordinary that I declared it Nirvana in a Bottle!

I’ve been having a ton of fun with Ghost Democracy over the past few weeks. I first reviewed the brand in my blog article about facial oils, Dry Skin and Three of The Best Facial Oils I Think You’d Love, Too! Honestly, this is the coolest skincare brand discovery of 2020.

As the name implies, Ghost Democracy is a democratic skincare brand — along with The Ordinary, The Inkey List and Good Molecules. Unlike the others though, Ghost Democracy’s formulas are all clean — and the mid-range pricing is a reflection of that.

Ghost Democracy formulas are held to “a higher standard of clean” — that is, less chemicals, more actives, and accessibility for all. I think of Ghost Democracy as democratically priced, clean skin care.

Another distinguishing feature of the products is that they use high concentrations of pro-skin health actives — and Ghost Democracy is 100% transparent about what the formulas are comprised of. It’s rare for a brand to tip their hand, revealing the recipes for their product formulas.

I love that, but no one is getting my recipe for my coconut cupcakes! #ijs

Another thing I admire about the brand’s formulation philosophy is the fact that their chemists focus on developing superior skincare products without watering down the formulas. Not only is water in skin care wasteful and nonsensical, it also misses the opportunity to deliver the most pro-skin health benefits possible.

I talked a bit about the benefits of replacing water in skin care in my blog article on Biophile, a brand whose founding formulator, Alison Cutlan, prefers to use nutrient-rich fermented broths in place of water.

Taking it a bit further, Rex Chou, founder of Ghost Democracy Skincare says,

“The future is bright for waterless beauty, as long as other proven active ingredients are involved. Waterless beauty that just replaces water as a base with ‘cucumber water’ or other infusions that have no proven effect is equally detrimental to the industry as overpriced alternatives.”

And that Ghost Democracy “Nirvana in a Bottle”? Nary a drop of water in sight!

Right as the seasons were beginning to transition earlier than normal, around mid-February here in New York City, I began to transition my skin care — moving from heavier, more occlusive creams and facial oils to lighter treatments that didn’t feel so totally extra.

You know what I’m talking about if you live in a particularly cold climate. There are nights when I can apply a heavy facial moisturizer before bed and literally a facial oil on top of that. Any other time of the year, that wouldn’t be possible — and certainly wouldn’t be necessary!

I crafted an article around the time called Dry Skin and Three of the Best Facial Oils I Think You’d Love, Too! One of the three was Ghost Democracy’s Softglow Facial Oil. While it’s not quite a dry oil, it’s not the least bit greasy. In fact, five or ten seconds after application, it’s completely absorbed.

It’s such a pleasure to use that I’d venture to say it’s my second favorite product from Ghost Democracy — after the Nirvana in a Bottle, of course. The Softglow formula is a 100% natural, non-toxic formula that’s both silicone- and fragrance-free.

With just 14 ingredients, the Softglow facial oil is a clean oil dream. There are numerous common, expected plant oils in the formula, like Sweet Almond Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, and Apricot Kernel Oil and Bisabolol — the active component of chamomile that’s a terrific irritation soother.

I love Bisabolol. You don't see it often enough in skin care, so I love that it’s featured so prominently in the Ghost Democracy Softglow Facial Oil.

A clear, oily fluid extract, Bisabolol has been used in traditional medicine for centuries as it’s long been known to possess potent anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Imagine it’s 1492, the year Christopher Columbus discovered America. You’re aboard the Santa María, the flagship of the historic expedition, and have injured your elbow battening down one of its three masts in a strong wind. It’s beginning to swell and become infected. You amble down to the apothecary in the hull of the ship, where the ship’s doctor applies a bisabolol ointment to treat your swelling wound. Soon after, the swelling recedes and, with the infection under control, he now won't need to amputate your arm.

That’s how amazing Bisabolol is!

Perhaps as surprising is the inclusion of Cloudberry Seed Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, and Abyssinian Seed Oil — all terrific non-fragrant plants oils with potent antioxidant and skin-replenishing benefits.

Where things get really intriguing, though, is at ingredient number nine, Garcinia Mangostana — or Mangosteen Seed Oil. It wasn’t that long ago that I had no idea WTF a mangosteen was. It takes me back to my first trip to Hong Kong in November, 2012. I had never heard of mangosteens in my life — and suddenly they were a thing. And they’re delicious, too!

I had no idea that they’re so nutritious. Rich in vitamins and minerals, mangosteens contain several nutrients with antioxidant activity, including vitamin C. More interesting, mangosteens are rich in xanthones — a unique plant compound known to have strong antioxidant properties, among other benefits.

According to the US National Institute of Health, “Several studies have shown that xanthones possess significant biological properties, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral activities.”

I’m having fun peeling back the layers of Ghost Democracy as much as I’ve had peeling back the layers of a mangosteen.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Ghost Democracy Softglow Facial Oil for $38 here.