HERBIVORE | AQUARIUS PORE PURIFYING BHA CREAM

This product review was originally part of my blog article titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: Moisturizers I Love that Make Me Excited for Cold Weather - Part Two – Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin, Best Face Creams for Dry Skin. You can catch the full piece here.

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Last week, I kicked off my annual series on what I consider the best cold weather face creams for dry skin, oily skin and all skins in between. The article was titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: Moisturizers I Love that Make Me Excited for Cold Weather - Part One. I invite you to check it out here.

While the four face creams I selected aren’t necessarily marketed for cold weather by the brand’s that offer them, my intent each year is to come up with the ideal collection of moisturizers that each skin type can use to maintain optimal skin health in the dry, low-humidity months between October and March. (At least those are the fall and winter months here in New York City.)

SEASONAL SKINCARE: MOISTURIZERS I LOVE THAT MAKE ME EXCITED FOR COLD WEATHER - PART ONE

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My skin always feels like it’s under an invisible, insidious attack from the forces of cold air. If I don’t take extra care, like many people this time of year, the consequences of dry, dehydrated skin can be pretty extreme. Contrary to what skincare marketers promote, dehydration is the silent skin killer and one of the key causes of skin aging.

As I do each year, I think it’s super important to educate on the differences between dry skin and dehydrated skin…

What’s the Difference between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin?

Many people confuse the two. They’re not the same thing. Dry skin is a skin type. Dehydrated skin is a skin condition, just as being thirsty is a sign that your body is dehydrated. Dehydrated skin lacks water and any skin type, no matter its level of dryness or oiliness can be dehydrated.

In particular, dehydration is something that’s common to all of us in the cold as the low-humidity air around us draws water through the skin barrier and out of our skin. This process is referred to as trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL. (More on TEWL in my review of the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Boost 360° Eye Cream below.)

As the cold weather kicks in, I think it’s helpful to understand the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin in order to protect your skin health in the weeks ahead. For insights, I turned to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team. There’s a superb piece on the Paula’s Choice site titled, What is Dehydrated Skin & How to Choose the Best Products.

Here is an excerpt:

Dehydrated skin often looks and feels like dry skin all over your face, but there's a major difference between the two: dehydrated skin is usually a temporary concern (with various surprising causes) and dry skin typically doesn't change over time. If you have dehydrated skin, your skin may also produce a normal or even excessive amount of oil on its surface.
"Dehydrated skin" is something we’re asked about frequently. It seems there’s a lot of confusion about what this skin concern is about. A major part of the confusion is that the term "dehydrated skin" is often used interchangeably with "dry skin" or "combination skin" but they are not the same! Dehydrated skin can occur in all skin types and is not exclusive to those with dry skin or combination skin.
The Difference Between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin
Having classically dry skin is easy to recognize. Dry skin frequently feels tight and dry, with no oil anywhere to be seen. This situation rarely fluctuates; skin feels dry all year long. The dryness might get worse depending on the climate, season, or activity, but regardless of those things, without great skin care products, the uncomfortable dry, tight feeling will persist.
As mentioned above, dehydrated skin can look and feel similar, but there’s a major difference: Dehydrated skin tends to come and go, it does not persist.

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The Skincarma “Lock and Block” Prevents Dehydration

To start, preventing dehydration in the first place requires drinking enough water. That differs for each of us based on our weight, the foods we eat, and the climate we live in. It’s even more important during colder periods.

A good rule is to drink one ounce of water each day for every pound of body weight. So, if you weigh 150 lbs., you’ll need to drink 150 ounces of water each and every day to keep your body and your skin optimally hydrated.

Then, employing skincare to treat and prevent dehydration requires what I refer to as a “lock and block” strategy.

It begins with a dedicated humectant serum applied to the skin in both your AM and PM routines that helps to lock water in. Follow with a moisturizer composed of a healthy balance of both humectants and oils to block and prevent the trans-epidermal water loss that can lead to dehydration.

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MY FAVORITE HUMECTANT SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE INKEY LIST, GHOST DEMOCRACY AND MORE

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Last week, Part One in the series included one of my favorite cold weather face creams ever, the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream. With a real focus on skin barrier health, Skinfix is, in my opinion, one of the best clinical skincare brands.

And the brand’s Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream is simply among the best moisturizers for dry skin — and just about all skin types in winter except perhaps very oily and blemish prone.

I also included the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Boost 360° Eye Cream in my initial collection last week as the single eye cream recommendation. As I said, it’s a near-perfect eye cream that’s got everything the skin around the eyes needs, particularly during the harsh cold months of fall and winter.

MY WINTER SKIN SAVIOR: SKINFIX BARRIER+ LIPID REPLENISHING SKINCARE - BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN

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As I did in Part One, this week I’m selecting an additional four moisturizers and designating them for the unique skin type that I believe it’s best for — one in each of the main categories. In the product titles, you’ll see new call-outs for DRY SKIN, OILY / BLEMISH PRONE SKIN, SENSITIVE SKIN and ALL SKIN TYPES.

The Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream, or TLPC as it’s known to fans, was my pick for dry skin. For oily and blemish prone skin, I was crazy excited to recommend the new Peace Out Repairing Moisturizer.

As with TLPC, the Peace Out Repairing Moisturizer is a terrific formula for protecting skin barrier health — not something you often see a focus of face creams for oily and blemish-prone skins. It’s such a smart, innovative formula.

PRODUCT REVIEW: PEACE OUT REPAIRING MOISTURIZER – BEST FACE CREAM FOR OILY SKIN AND BLEMISH PRONE SKIN

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For sensitive skins, I selected the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Firming Collagen Cream — the brand’s richest moisturizer yet. First Aid Beauty is always my go-to for sensitive skins and the Ultra Repair Firming Collagen Cream is a superb face cream for dry, sensitive skin. I love its complex of proven skin soothers than can help to calm skin irritated by dry, cold air. That’s me in January!

Rounding out my Part One picks was my selection for all skin types — the Replenix Glycolic Acid 20% Resurfacing Cream. A brand created for skin professionals like dermatologists, Replenix is an unsung hero in the clinical skincare category.

And the brand’s Glycolic Acid 20% Resurfacing Cream is exceptional exfoliating face cream for all skins. With a 20% concentration of Glycolic Acid, the most powerful alpha hydroxy acid, it does so quite effectively. Surprisingly, it’s no where near as sensitizing as I expected it to be — even without a significant amount of soothing actives.

PRODUCT REVIEW: REPLENIX VITAMIN C PRO COLLAGEN SERUM - BEST VITAMIN C SERUM FOR DRY SKIN

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As with the initial collection, the moisturizers I’ve selected for part two below all deliver that lock and block effect by locking hydration into the skin with humectants and blocking TEWL with effective levels of non-fragrant plant oils and/or lipids — essentially fats in the skin.

Today I’m presenting part two of my FW21 series on cold weather face creams, a collection that includes some of the best moisturizers for combatting dry, dehydrated skin — no matter the skin type.

For dry skin, the Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream is a thick-whipped cream that just about needs a spoon to get out of the jar. Of course, I use a disposable wooden spatula but it almost seems like it’s not enough. The stuff is literally heaven for dry skin.

Speaking of heaven, Herbivore’s Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream is just that for oily skin. Every time I open the jar, I expect a gel-cream and it’s just not. But that’s why I love it for oily skin in cold weather. It’s not oil-free, but it’s not heavy either. It’s got more oomph to it!

For sensitive skin, I have to go back to a classic. First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration is simply one of the best (if not the best!) moisturizer for sensitive skin. The Ultra Repair Cream is free of anything and everything that could irritate skin, and loaded with soothing actives that calm skin down when it does get irritated. It cocoons the skin in a comfortable moisture blanket.

Last, for all skin types, and for the delicate eye area is a pair of products from one of my favorite organic brands KORA Organics. The brand’s super cool, refillable Turmeric Glow Moisturizer is a treasure trove of natural ingredients, many of which are derived from organic farming.

As I said in my article on it, the Turmeric Glow Moisturizer a treasure trove of natural ingredients, many of which are derived from organic farming. And the new KORA Organics Berry Bright Vitamin C Eye Cream is an exceptional formula, loaded with hydrators and antioxidants — nearly perfect for the eye area.

Also new to this year’s blog articles, at the end of each review you’ll find a new section that breaks down what I like and don’t about the product as well as a deeper explanation of who I think it’s best for based on the formula make-up, texture and my own experience with it.

Let’s have a look at one of my FW21 face cream picks, which I consider ideal for cold weather…

BEST FOR OILY / BLEMISH-PRONE SKIN:

Herbivore | Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream

I’m a big fan of the clean, luxurious Herbivore brand. Over the past four or five years since I first discovered the brand, I’ve amassed so many Herbivore faves. In fact, several of the brand’s products are part of my regular skincare line-up, coming in and out of my daily routines.

Among my all-time favorites is the Herbivore Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Smoothing Serum. One of the best anti-aging face serums with the Retinol alternative Bakuchiol, I named it the 2019 Skincarma Product of the Year. Psst…you can catch my review of it here.

If you’re like me, you approach Retinol products with a bit of fear in you. Skincare shouldn’t increase your anxiety; it should calm you and make you feel that every bit of selfcare you can muster is a good thing. Ironically, my own reluctance over Retinol is the very reason I was so intrigued by Herbivore’s clean Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Serum in the first place.

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Another favorite is the Herbivore Pink Cloud Jelly Cleanser. With its hard glass bottle and silky texture, it’s one of my favorite facial cleansers. It’s one of the best hydrating cleansers and ideal for colder weather.

The Pink Cloud Jelly Cleanser has a relatively tight ingredient list with just 20 ingredients, four of which are humectants — Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate and Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract aka Snow Mushroom. If you’re not familiar with Snow Mushroom, it’s a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, making a delicious soup. And it also happens to be a more effective humectant than tried-and-true Hyaluronic Acid.

PRODUCT REVIEW: HERBIVORE PINK CLOUD JELLY CLEANSER – BEST CLEANSER FOR DEHYDRATED SKIN

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So, I expect pampering, high quality skincare from Herbivore. And the new Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream certainly meets my expectations. I have to say that my expectations for oily skin moisturizers is not high to begin with. They’re mostly nonsense and do little, if anything, to promote skin health. To keep them feeling as light as possible, face creams for oily and blemish prone skin usually lack replenishing plant oils and are often little more than a few hydrators like Hyaluronic Acid and Glycerin and a plethora of useless fillers.

They’re nearly always oil-free gel creams.

All skin needs oil. If you’re human, your skin is composed of oils in the form of lipids, or fats. And if you’re oily, it’s not that you need zero oils in a moisturizer, you just need fewer of them to replenish your skin. I think it’s a mistake to omit oils from a moisturizer. In fact, if a product contains no oils, is it even a moisturizer?

Herbivore’s Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream is heaven for oily skin. Every time I open the jar, I expect a common gel-cream and it’s just not. But that’s why I love it for oily skin in cold weather. It’s not oil-free, but it’s not heavy either. With Glycerin, Squalane and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, it’s both moisturizing and hydrating.

The Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream is also infused with a multitude of antioxidant botanicals including a potent trio of Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract (red algae) and Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract — one of the best antioxidant actives used in skincare.

However, as with Algenist’s Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream, because it comes in a jar, the antioxidant potency will begin to degrade in the presence of light and air the very first time you open it. Again, as a rule, it’s wise to use up a product in a jar within a month if you’re relying on the formula for its antioxidants.

Beyond its unexpected texture for oily skin, there’s a more expected pore-clarifying effect common to face creams formulated for oily and blemish prone skin types. As the name indicates, the Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream contains a beta-hydroxy acid in the form of Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract. Willow Bark is commonly associated with Salicylic Acid, one of the best ingredients for clearing out pores and helping to speed skin’s desquamation process by which it exfoliates dead surface skin cells. These can and do clog pores.

What Is Willow Bark Extract and Is Willow Bark the Same as Salicylic Acid?

There’s a superb article on the benefits of Willow Bark Extract as compared to Salicylic Acid on the Byrdie website titled, Willow Bark Extract for Skin: Benefits and How to Use. Here is an excerpt:

If you're one of the lucky ones who regularly experience breakouts, you're no stranger to salicylic acid, but how much do you know about willow bark extract? The plant extract is often touted as the gentle, natural alternative to salicylic acid, but can it really address your acne, slough away your dead skin, and remove excess oil as effectively as the tried and true BHA?
Feeling equal parts skeptical and hopeful (such is life with acne-prone skin), we turned to board-certified dermatologist and founder of Entière Dermatology Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD, and cosmetic chemist and founder of Perfect Image David Petrillo, to get some answers. Ahead, the similarities and differences between salicylic acid and willow bark extract, plus everything else worth noting about the latter ingredient.
What Is Willow Bark Extract?
Willow bark extract (or what Petrillo refers to as nature’s aspirin) is derived from various willow bark trees, including white, black, and purple. The ingredient is a natural salicin source, which is where the powerful acne-fighting ingredient that you're likely more familiar with, salicylic acid, comes from. Petrillo explains that, because of the salicin, willow bark extract has potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties (which improves the appearance of pores and fine lines, Levin adds).
Not only does it have a rich supply of salicin, but as the skin experts point out, willow bark extract also has high concentrations of tannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other minerals that help calm the skin and aid in cell regeneration. Because all of these ingredients allow for a more refreshed, youthful complexion, it makes sense why you might find willow bark extract included in all kinds of skincare products, likecleansers, moisturizers, toners, masks, and more.
Willow Bark Extract vs. Salicylic Acid
"Salicylic acid, a popular and effective beta-hydroxy acid, is extensively used in skin care for its exfoliative and keratolytic properties for the treatment of acne," Levin explains. But what about the slightly lesser-known exfoliating ingredient, willow bark extract? Are they basically the same thing? Let's explore.
Remember: Willow bark contains salicin, which is where salicylic acid comes from. The salicylic acid found in skincare products is the metabolized derivative, Petrillo explains. "Willow bark extract has been shown to produce similar results to synthetic salicylic acid, except without some of the drawbacks," Petrillo continues. "Even in small concentrations of 0.5% to 1%, salicylic acid may cause irritation, redness, flaking, and dryness. Those with sensitive skin may actually break out more because of salicylic acid." On the other hand, salicin in willow bark extract is a much gentler version of salicylic acid. "Studies have found that even at a level of 100%, which is equivalent to 10% formulation of salicylic acid, salicin is non-irritating," Petrillo adds.
However, Levin argues that the exfoliative and skin rejuvenating properties of willow bark extract compared to salicylic acid are less effective for treating acne and exfoliating the skin. "Nonetheless, willow bark extract can provide skin benefits, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties," Levin adds.

There’s also a healthy concentration of Zinc PCA in the formula, coming right after the Willow Bark Extract in the INCI. As a mineral, zinc helps to balance skin’s hydration levels. It can also help to moderate oiliness and shine.

According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Zinc PCA is “a synthetic skin-conditioning ingredient derived from zinc. Research has shown it has anti-aging benefits due to its ability to thwart destructive enzymes in skin that can damage its surface and lead to an aged, wrinkled appearance.”

There is also some evidence that zinc can have a positive effect on the occurrence of acne breakouts. I found an insightful piece on Coveteur titled, Zinc Up Your Beauty Routine For Clearer Skin that I found supportive of the theory. An excerpt from the article:

First, a quick primer on zinc: It’s an essential mineral for your health that helps boost your immune system and can help with wound healing. Our bodies don’t naturally produce it, meaning we need to eat zinc-rich foods or supplements in order to get our recommended daily amounts—8 mg for women, and 11 mg for men.

Additionally, zinc is known for being anti-inflammatory, which is where its place in skin care comes in. “Back in the early 1970s, doctor J. C. Fitzherbert first recognized an improvement in patients’ acne when treated with zinc,” says Dr. Morgan Rabach, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of LM Medical NYC. It was used regularly on patients during that time, but eventually fell out of favor with derms, she notes, when more effective treatments were discovered.

That doesn’t necessarily mean zinc is old news—there are actually some promising studies being conducted that show there’s more to zinc than history has shown. “Zinc and acne is an interesting avenue,” says Dr. Kenneth Howe, a Manhattan dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology and assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai. “There is quite a bit of evidence that both topical and ingestible zinc can be helpful, from studies showing it might be toxic to the bacteria that causes acne, to people with acne [possibly having] lower levels of zinc. But this is all fringe stuff—if you do a standard medical search, you don’t get much.

What I like about it: The Herbivore Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream is one of the most well-rounded face creams for oily skin. It is not quite the innovation for oily and blemish-prone skin that Peace Out’s Repairing Moisturizer is, but it’s a superb product.

What I don’t like about it: It’s the jar for me. I get it, the Aquarius Cream wouldn’t seem nearly as luxurious as it does if it weren’t in this gorgeous glass jar, but all those wonderful antioxidants are nearly useless after too long. Boo…

Who it’s for: Predominantly oily and acne-prone skin types, but pretty much a solid purifying face cream for everyone.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Herbivore Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream for $58 here.

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The Ingredient List of the Herbivore Aquarius Pore Purifying BHA Cream: