Flake face season will soon be upon us and for many of us that will mean many we need a little more umpf in the moisture department. If any of you are fortunate to still have oily skin in winter, this one isn’t for you. These moisturisers are all packed with varying levels of oils and vitamins to help give your dry skin an extra boost.
Today’s moisturisers range from £7 t0 £41. Now I know what you’re thinking, the splurge isn’t that much of a splurge at £41 but if you’re using good serums or oils, there’s no real need for your moisturiser to cost a fortune
Boots Botanics All Bright Hydrating Night Cream – £6.99 (currently £4.66)
Ren Vita Mineral – £22
Skyn Iceland Cloud Cream – £41
Product Overview
The three products are a similar size with the Ren and Botanics creams both being 50ml and the Cloud Cream being 50g. As with all Botanics’ products, this cream is made with ingredients sourced in the UK at Kew Gardens and is made in the UK. Ren products are (apparently) made in the UK as well although it does not state country of manufacture anywhere on the packaging or website. Skyn Iceland products are made in the USA. All Skyn Iceland products are vegan, despite Ren products being cruelty free, this product is on their non-vegan list. Boots Botanics’ products are not tested on animals, nor do they contain any animal ingredients but the range is not fully vegan.
Texture
In this department our spend and splurge are very similar; they both go on feeling rich and emollient however set down to an almost matte (not drying) texture within a minute or two. The Cloud Cream sets down very quickly so may be the preferred option if you’re in a hurry. The Botanics’ cream feels much richer and definitely sits on the skin longer before it’s fully absorbed, however it does set. None of these creams leave the skin feeling greasy after they have absorbed.
Ingredients:
Important things worth noting:
- None of these creams contain SPF so if you wish to use them on a morning you will have to use a separate SPF.
- The Botanics’ cream does contain AHAs therefore markets itself specifically as a night cream to prevent sun damage.
- All of these products have a scent to them. The Botanics’ product is the only one to have fragrance as an ingredient, both the Ren and Skyn Iceland products are scented because of the oils and fruit extracts in them but it’s worth noting that natural fragrance can still irritate sensitive skins.
- As the name would suggest, the Ren cream also contains vitamins such as zinc which help heal and repair skin as well as oils.
Cloud Cream Ingredients:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Hydrogenated Didecene, Butylene Glycol, GLYCERYL STEARATE, Bisabolol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Angelica Archangelica Root Water*, ACETYL DIPEPTIDE-1 CETYL ESTER, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Glycerin, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, Rubus Chamaemorus (Arctic Cloudberry) Seed Oil, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL,ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, CANOLA OIL, CETYL ALCOHOL, CETYL RICINOLEATE, Sorbitan Stearate, Stearic Acid, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Triceteareth-4 Phosphate, Silica, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, GLYCERYL UNDECYLENATE, Laureth-3, Sodium Hydroxide, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Perfluorodecalin, POTASSIUM SORBATE, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, SODIUM BENZOATE, Buddleja Davidii Extract, GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS, Sucrose Palmitate, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Trideceth-6, Xanthan Gum, Biotin. * Component of Icelandic Glacial Water*
Packaging
There is a clear winner here, while the deluxe sample size Cloud Cream comes in a tube, both the Botanics’ cream and the Skyn Iceland one come in jar packaging whereas the Ren cream comes in a pump.
Jars are unstable storage for products containing any antioxidant ingredients, making those ingredients redundant after a couple of uses. As a result any product that comes a tube/ pump is more reliable.
Productivity
All three perform well as moisturisers; the Botanics’ cream is also good as an everyday exfoliator without being too harsh on the skin. This could be the one if you’re looking for a minimal skincare routine providing your skin isn’t too sensitive.
Between the other two there isn’t too much of a difference, both leave the skin feeling nicely moisturised, rich, without feeling greasy. Both are good for long term use and neither cause irritation. As I said previously, the Skyn Iceland Cloud Cream is the quickest to absorb which may give it an edge on productivity levels.
Overall
For me the Ren is the clear winner here. As much as I love the Cloud Cream, the fact the difference between the two is minimal means that the price increase probably isn’t worth it, unless of course you want a vegan product. The productivity combined with the fact that the Ren cream comes in a pump makes it the best option for most people, and at £22, is very good value for money. That being said, the Botanics’ cream is great for those on a budget.
See my last save, spend, splurge here.
What a fabulously detailed review! I have oily skin so I probably wouldn’t use any of them but I can certainly recommend them to my flake face () friends! Great post!
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
Thank you! I appreciate that a lot! I try to include as much useful information as possible. And an extra thank you for reading even though it isn’t applicable for your skin type x
Hi, I have dry sensitive skin and use Dermalogica. Your reviews were spot on detail wise and very helpful maybe I should try Ren.
Thanks a lot! Ren do an emollient version of the vita mineral as well which is even thicker for very dry skins, I love that one in winter. Glad you found it helpful! x
Sophie
I really love the sound of the Botanics one, what a bargain. The packaging looks super sleek too.
Cora ❤ http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
It’s really hard to go wrong at that price! Even if you like it and don’t love it it’s worth having in as a back up x
Sophie
Great info in your review shame no SPF tho
Thanks for the comment. That was actually intentional. I know it’s inconvenient for some but my skin suffers from major irritation when I use moisturisers with SPF in. I only like to talk about products I feel like I can actively recommend and give an unbiased review on so I can’t really comment on moisturisers with SPF. Boots Botanics do have a day cream version of the cream I mentioned in this post though x
Sophie
My skin is sooo dry right now so I´ll definitely look into these! Thank you for the great, elaborated reviews – so helpful! 🙂
xx, Valeria
Thank you, so glad you found it helpful! x
Sophie
A really honest review thank you so much.
Thank you so much x
Sophie
This is a life saver!! My skin is so dry but I never know what to use to stop it, especially in the winter so this is so helpful!
Thank you! If you have really dry skin, Ren also have a thicker more emollient version of the one mentioned here. i haven’t had the chance to pick one up yet but it’s definitely on my list. x
Sophie
I really love the idea of this post, it’s great to compare products of all price ranges. I’ve been enjoying Aldi’s skin care lately and it’s such a great price.
Mel
http://littlemissmelanie.com
I like to provide an option for everyone’s budget. Oooh that’s interesting, I’ve never tried anything of theirs. I’ll have to check it out x .
Sophie
Great review! I guess I’m ‘lucky’ to have oily skin over the winter haha, so I won’t need to try any of these out but was definitely interesting to read about!
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
Haha I know you probably don’t consider it a good thing but you have no idea how jealous I am. Thanks for reading anyway! x
Sophie
I really like the style of this review. The details and comparisons are so helpful!
I do tend to get quite dry skin (sometimes more than just in the colder months) so it might be worth me spending a bit more to get good moisture. I might give Ren a go!
Vicky x
Thank you! I really try to make them as helpful as possible. I’ve been loving the Ren one this year, great under makeup too! x
Sophie
Love this post – it’s always hard to judge whether it’s really worth spending such a big amount of money on something as small as skincare! I’ve heard good things about Ren so I’ll have to give them a go. xx
Lucy | http://www.lucy-cole.co.uk
Thanks! I like to do the comparisons so there’s something good for everyone’s budget, I always like all of the products mentioned. The Ren one has become a staple in my collection this year! x
Sophie
Testing different products from a range of places and prices is a great way of finding what’s for you, not necessarily most expensive is better for you… great post
Thank you! I always do my save, spend, splurge on three products I like, I think it’s a better comparison that way. I like to show people you can have quality even on a budget but offer something more indulgent at the same time x
Sophie
Love Botanics and this one is worth a try! Thanks for sharing!
It’s such a good quality brand for the price, definitely one of my favourite high street brands x
Sophie
The price of the Cloud Cream definitely seems extortionate, but I think it’ll be my next moisturiser, I tried it once on the back of my hand and I was amazed!
xo Millie
http://www.modishrambling.com
It feels so soft and lovely but absorbs SO WELL. I’ve only had my little one about a month but I can definitely see a big one being purchased in the near future! x
Sophie
My skin is so dry at the moment so I might give the botanics one ago since it is so affordable.
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.co.uk/
I had no idea that Botanics used products sourced at Kew Gardens, that’s so interesting! Great post x
LoneTeenTraveller | Travel Fashion Lifestyle
Thank you! Yeah I’m pretty sure all of their products are sourced there, nice that it’s homegrown. x
Sophie
For face, you can use b soft cream
For body, oilatum lotion and soap.
I really like this kind of post you’ve done, such a good idea giving people choices depending on their budget.
It’s one of my favourite series to write too! My next post is going to be a cleansing balm edition of this series so look out for that one too x
Sophie
I was thinking about trying a different moisturiser and was thinking about the Ren one! After seeing this I’m definitely putting it on the birthday wish list! Xxxxx
Wow what a thorough and in depth post! So useful for those who need that extra moisture this season. I don’t suffer from REALLY dry skin but I have noticed my foundation isn’t going on as nicely at the moment so maybe I need to top up on that moisturiser. I currently use Liz Earle (: xxx
I’m terrible and barely ever use moisturizers, especially on my face! I do like a body one though, mainly cocoa butter . Really informative post
Amy xx
http://www.goldenbooksgirl.wordpress.com