Beauty Emergency : Stolen Moisturizer

I’m not lying when I say the low point of this week was finding out someone stole my first Gilt Group purchase, a $25 starter kit of products from Jessica Simpon‘s line, BeautyMint. The Lipstick Effect truly is solid economic theory; months ago I came home to a Staples delivery to find my new shredder and WiFi multifunction printer in plain sight, no Staples box or brown paper to disguise them. So let me get this straight – no one wants $300 in electronics but they do want $25 in beauty products. Yes, that makes sense. Vanity first people.

Naturally after a shitty week I was horrified to learn that my building inauguration – my first case of package theft – left me moisturizer free. Need I remind you people how bloody cold and windy it is in Boston?! So, I headed to CVS before work to find a moisturizer. A pleasant surprise is what I found.

In the past I’ve been amazed at how effective Neutrogena‘s marketing campaigns were because there’s nothing natural about their products, at least no more so than any other mass market brand. And yet the average shopper seems to think Neutrogena products are more gentle. Hell until a few years ago it was impossible to find a Neutrogena sunscreen with a physical blocker (look for the baby line in pink packaging).

But, then came Neutrogena naturals, a line free of parabens, sulfates, dyes, petrochemicals, and phthalates. The line launched with a lip balm/chapstick, a few cleansers (bar and liquid), and a gentle exfoliant, the latter of which I use twice a week. But, no serum or moisturizer. Until now.

Today I found the Neutrogena naturals multi-vitamin nourishing moisturizer. First thing, please note there’s no SPF in here, so one needs to add that on top of the moisturizer, either as a separate layer or within a foundation. But, it’s nasty-free and filled with vitamin-rich ingredients. Among the ingredients on the back are elements sourced from: coconut/palm kernel, olive and palm oil, yerba mate tea, cassava (yucca), and Peruvian Tara seed (more research to come). Sure, the palm oil is probably not sustainably sourced and these aren’t top notch ingredients, but it’s gentle and paraben and sulfate free, meaning it’s gentle enough for daily use, even for us sensitive hormonal types. Plus, the price is the best I’ve seen yet at just ~$15 for 3 oz. Most serums and day and night creams retail for $15-20 for 1 oz so this is a steal. I can only hope a serum is coming soon, preferably with licorice to quell red, winter skin.