It is pretty clear that I am a serious skincare lover and I was recently introduced to Italian brand, Kalleis, at the end of August and have been using a couple of their products for the last two months. Founded in 2008 in the city of Vicenza by Maria "Carla" Cattaneo and her husband Gianfranco Baldo, the word Kalleis comes from a blend of the words "kalos" and "eleis" meaning "beautiful" and "olive". Extra virgin olive oil is at the heart of the formulations for each Kalleis product which historically was used to soothe and in combating the signs of aging.
While most of the ingredients used by Kalleis are plant-based, the brand does not shy away from technology and using what scientific innovations have emerged in the world of skincare to ensure that their products are effective as well. I have been using a couple of products over the last two months now and I think I have a pretty good idea of what has been working for me and hopefully some of you!
While most of the ingredients used by Kalleis are plant-based, the brand does not shy away from technology and using what scientific innovations have emerged in the world of skincare to ensure that their products are effective as well. I have been using a couple of products over the last two months now and I think I have a pretty good idea of what has been working for me and hopefully some of you!
With most skincare brands, cleansers and toners are the easiest to introduce into any routine as the "meat" of the efficacy resides in the more concentrated serums or treatments. Starting with the Detox Cleansing Milk* ($28.00 CDN/200mL), this is a creamy milk cleanser that even in cleanser form has the patented OLIVOIL vegetal base right at the top of the ingredients list. There is also a small concentration of AHA in the form of lactic acid so you get some slight chemical exfoliation as well. At this concentration though, I would probably still have an exfoliator in my skincare routine.
I also wanted to note that there is mineral oil in this formula making it soft and emollient, but I know this ingredient is a bit controversial so I am just pointing out that it is present for those trying to avoid it.
There is something luxurious about bathing washing in milk and this texture certainly made me believe that's what was happening! It has a very soft texture and left my skin feeling like a cushion. While you are not really supposed to use this on the eyes, I have been sneaking it in there by diluting the milk a little with water. It doesn't fully remove waterproof makeup, but does a decent job of everything else. Pricing is also very reasonable for this cleanser which I love.
I never used a toner until I started working for Tata Harper two years ago and have never looked back. I thoroughly enjoy the toner step of my skincare routine and I love ones that make me feel refreshed like this alcohol-free Toning Lotion* ($29.00 CDN/200mL). You can see from the ingredients list that there is quite a bit going on in terms of plant-based ingredients in something just as simple as a toner. I found this toner to be clarifying without drying, but not necessarily hydrating. I actually transferred this toner to a fine spray bottle as I despise wasting toner on a cotton pad! This way, I could use it as a refreshing mist throughout the day! The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the scent, which is a bit strong at first and the red colour of the toner.It sort of makes me think the opposite of "plant-based" and I would rather the toner be uncoloured even if it doesn't look all that appealing.
Ingredients (Toning Lotion): AQUA, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PANTHENOL, AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM SEED EXTRACT, ECHINACEA ANGUSTIFOLIA ROOT EXTRACT, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA LEAF WATER, HARPAGOPHYTUM PROCUMBENS ROOT EXTRACT, HELICHRYSUM ITALICUM EXTRACT, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, PINUS PINASTER BARK EXTRACT, QUERCUS ROBUR BARK EXTRACT, QUERCUS ROBUR ROOT EXTRACT, RUSCUS ACULEATUS ROOT EXTRACT, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, GLYCERIN, TROXERUTIN, ZINC PCA, TETRASODIUM GLUTAMATE DIACETATE, LACTIC ACID, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, PPG-26-BUTETH-26, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM NITRATE, DISODIUM EDTA, ALPHA-METHYL IONONE, AMYL CINNAMAL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, CI 16255, CI 19140, CITRONELLOL, DICHLOROBENZYL ALCOHOL, GERANIOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDEHYDE, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, PARFUM, PHENOXYETHANOL
When it comes to skincare, serums and treatments are the meat of it all! Kalleis has three serums: the Skinimune, Lift and Oxi Serum that can be layered and used together or used on their own. As the Lift Serum was for more mature skin, I chose not to use this serum, but I did enjoy the other two!
I went for the Oxi Serum* ($109.00 CDN/30mL) because I have been on a bit of a brightening kick since the summer. This serum contains a patented anti-oxidant ingredient OXISOL® formulated by the Kalleis Laboratory which has been shown to have 3x the anti-oxidant activity than Vitamin C, 20 times higher than Vitamin E and 40 times higher than resveratrol which if true, is kind of awesome. This serum also acts as a shield against pollution by neutralizing free radicals while still feeling completely weightless on the skin as the texture is ever so slightly milky. This was my favourite serum to use as a few drops felt hydrating on the skin and made my skin tone look very even. It was great at calming down the redness on my cheeks from broken capillaries and also has a pleasant scent.
One thing to note is that I found this ingredients list difficult to decipher as we don't know what Oxisol is comprised of, but what I did notice was that the hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and grape extract is near the top half of the ingredients.
Ingredients (Oxi Serum): AQUA, GLYCERIN, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, C10-18 TRIGLYCERIDES, CITRIC ACID, DIHYDROXYPHENYLBENZIMIDAZOLE CARBOXYLIC ACID, EQUISETUM ARVENSE EXTRACT, FRUCTOSE, GLUCOSE, GLYCINE, LYSINE, SODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SODIUM PCA, HYDROGENATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS LEAF EXTRACT, VITIS VINIFERA LEAF EXTRACT, LACTIC ACID, MALIC ACID, PEG-40 SORBITAN PEROLEATE, PEG-40 SORBITOL HEXAOLEATE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, TARTARIC ACID, TRIETHYL CITRATE, UREA, XANTHAN GUM, GLYCOLIC ACID, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, DICHLOROBENZYL ALCOHOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, PHENOXYETHANOL, PARFUM
If you like peptides, this Skinimune Serum* ($119.00 CDN/30mL) is the one to go for! Skinimune is about stimulating cell regeneration and contains sodium DNA, an immunocosmetic ingredient, which causes fibroblasts to reproduce. Acetyl hexapeptide-3 is a synthetic anti-wrinkle ingredient that is a fragment of the substrate SNAP 25 used in Botox. It is also marketed under the industry name Argireline.
This serum had a very similar texture to the Oxi Serum and was easily layerable though most of the time I would use this one at night and Oxi Serum in the morning. These do pair together quite well because both serums perked up my skin and made it look and feel more "alive" on days when I definitely felt quite the opposite.
Ingredients (Skinimune Serum): AQUA, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM DNA, ACETYL HEXAPEPTIDE-3, POTASSIUM OLIVOYL PCA, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, GLYCERIN, LACTIC ACID, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, PPG-26-BUTETH-26, XANTHAN GUM, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, DICHLOROBENZYL ALCOHOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, PARFUM
Final verdict: My skin has been so consistent the last two months despite the changes in weather and my horrific work schedule and I feel like I owe it to the serums. I still have to test out the moisturizers, but the serums were by far my favourite! The cleanser and toner were good, but not amazing enough for me to switch to them permanently as I still love my Shu Uemura and Tata Harper cleansers. I like serums that are oil-free and layerable so formulas of all three are exactly what I look for in a serum. I like that you can play around with them depending on your skin needs/moods. I also liked the combination of plant-based and more science-based ingredients used in the serums which I feel is the most effective. I know it's hard to spend so much on a serum when you can only purchase online, but there is a full return policy in place should the products not work out. Hopefully there will be smaller trial kits of the serums because I truly felt like they worked as they claimed.
You can find Kalleis Cosmetics at the Cosmo Chic Boutique.
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