Happy new year everyone! I’m starting off the year with an Antipodes skincare review. There’s been such a trend towards natural, green skincare and I wanted to share my thoughts on a highly anticipated brand to arrive in Canada. Antipodes is based in New Zealand and seeks to be a scientifically backed skincare brand focusing on natural ingredients found within New Zealand.
About Antipodes
The founder calls Antipodes a Scientific Green Beauty company. This touches on the two main pillars of the company which is to create results driven products backed by science and also use organic plant derived ingredients whenever possible. Some of their best sellers include:
- Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream
- Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream
- Manuka Honey Mask
I’ve been testing out two of the newer products in the Antipodes skincare line up. the Hosanna serum and Baptise water gel.
Related: Schmear Naturals – Vancouver Skincare Brand
Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum
My skin gets so dry during the winter time so I definitely look to hydrating products. The Antipodes Hoanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum does a fantastic job at keeping my skin feeling plump and moisturized. It has the consistency of water and easily spreads all over the skin. There’s no greasiness at all but it does leave the skin kind of sticky momentarily. But if you wait a bit longer, it’ll set in nicely leaving your skin feeling smooth and soft. However, I usually apply the moisturizer right after the serum. I absolutely love the scent of this product. It smells like a savory flower, okay so that didn’t sound that appetizing but I promise it’s heavenly.
Let’s talk about the natural aspect of this product. This serum is certified organic and vegan. The native New Zealand ingredients that power this product are the Vinanza Grape and Mamaku Black Fern. Vinanza grape is an antioxidant extract from Marlborough sauvignon blanc grape seeds, and we know how good that wine is! This extract improves elasticity and firmness in the skin while the Mamaku Black Fern extract contributes to skin cell renewal.
Antipodes Baptise H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel
The second step in this skincare routine is the Antipodes Baptise H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel. Usually, I find gel textured creams to be more light weight and better suited for summer time. But luckily, I’ve found this to be moisturizing enough for winter time. The gel has a light pink color and beautiful rose scent.
Related: 3 Must Have Face Creams for Dry Skin
The gel texture is cooling to the touch but a lot thicker than most other ones I’ve tried. This creates a nice luxurious feel and I love to just lather it on my skin. The hyaluronic acid found in this product is produced from the fermentation of a bacterium found in soil. Meanwhile, the New Zealand native ingredient is the manuka honey which aids in the hydration. My only concern is compared to the serum, the first few ingredients do not sound that natural. Such as sodium acrylates copolymer as the third ingredient which looks to help achieve the gel texture.
Overall Thoughts – Antipodes Skincare Review
I am sometimes skeptical of the green-washing on the beauty industry. It feels like every brand calls themselves organic and natural. The ingredient list for the serum feels much more green and natural than the water gel. I really like that Antipodes sticks to their New Zealand roots and tries to use effective regional ingredients.
To me, it is also really important that green skincare is still effective. I found these two products from Antipodes to be truly hydrating and made a positive impact on my skin. I enjoyed the texture, smell and results from the serum and water gel. Big thumbs up from me for these two products and I look forward to trying more from the brand!