SKINCARE | NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Oceanic Clay

I first got acquainted with NENA Skincare from a Shop and Shout campaign where I had the chance to try out their internationally beauty-acclaimed Clay Mask as well as their Cleansing Cream. NENA is based right here in Vancouver with all products made in Canada. What sets this brand apart from others in the natural beauty space is their use of sustainably harvested glacial oceanic clay from Northern British Columbia. This clay has been and is still used for centuries among the Homalco First Nations tribe for medicinal and wellness purposes. It is even ingested to boost the immune system! NENA also works in partnership with the Homlaco people to harvest and use this clay which I was glad to hear about because there have been so many wrongs done to First Nations communities that are slowly being healed so partnerships like these are steps in the right direction. Glacial oceanic clay is constantly being refreshed by the ocean and is only available for harvest ONCE a year under strict Canadian environmental regulations and NENA does this harvesting with ZERO ecological footprint!

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

PR samples

We have all seen clay masks and heard of the benefits of various clays around the world and truth be told, I think that all clays have their benefits and would naturally have different minerals in them depending on where in the world the clay comes from. This particular 100% natural glacial clay is a nutritive silt that results from a combination of mountain and ocean water containing 60 naturally-occurring mineral and rare earth elements. This sounds like a very high number and though I have not researched the contents of other clays, I am inclined to believe that this is a good thing as there would be mineral-rich deposits in ocean sediment and mountain erosion (if my Earth Science memory serves me well!). Glacial clay acts to cleanse, purify, tighten pores, soothe inflammation and even hydrate skin which was the main thing that resonated with me because the drying effect of most clay masks is what makes me rarely use them.

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Step 1: Cleansing Cream*
NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

NENA has in total four products starting with their purifying and actually moisturizing cleansing cream made with both glacial mineral water (#1 ingredient!) and glacial oceanic clay (#9). All of NENA's products have either of these ingredients as the first in their ingredients list so already I am happy with what I see! The cleanser, which is for all skin types, must be shaken before use, as I think the mineral water can settle, but has been a great second cleanse for about 5 weeks now. It is safe to use around the eyes and does a decent job of removing makeup, but my waterproof eyeshadow sticks and Stila Glitter and Glow glitters needed a separate cleansing of their own! I really liked the scent as I could smell a touch of lavender amongst the earthiness and the cream consistency left my skin feeling clean, but soft. The Kosmea Clarifying Facial Wash is still my favourite cream cleanser as it leaves my skin feeling like a pillow, but this one from NENA is quite lovely too and I have almost finished it!

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Ingredients: Sea Silt Extract (Glacial Mineral Water), Aqua, Decyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Sea Silt (Glacial Oceanic Clay), Stearyl Citrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Powder, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract, Saccharum Officianarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil

Step 2: Clay Mask*
NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

I didn't know this, but a good number of clay masks don't actually have a lot of clay in them! This clay mask is 99% clay and has one of the shortest ingredients list I have seen! Not saying that long ingredients lists are bad, but when I see this list, it makes me believe that the glacial clay really has everything you need in it and doesn't need a whole lot of extra fluff to give results. This mask is their hero product as it exfoliates, purifies, tightens pores, brightens, improves skin texture and most importantly, maintains skin moisture levels!

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

This is the first clay mask that I have needed to shake and was super smooth to apply. Though it can be used as a spot treatment, I have been using it on my whole face so that every part area can benefit! When I rinsed it off, my skin was bright and I noticed an immediate tightening of the pores especially around my nose and cheeks. The mask does dry down , but cleanup wasn't a headache as the mask melted away easily with water for no-fuss removal with a sponge. Another reason I rarely use clay masks is the horrific and messy sink cleanup! Upon removal, my skin felt very fresh and not tight or craving hydration.

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Ingredients: 99% Sea silt (Glacial Oceanic Clay), Propanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Powder

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Step 3: Mineral Toner*
NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

While this toner does not have glacial clay in it, it does have the liquid extract of the sea silt that is harvested. This has a similar lavender/earthy scent like the the cleansing cream, but it has a serum like texture (that almost looks like the cleansing cream!) which made me hesitant about transferring it to a spray bottle as I was afraid the nozzle would get clogged. While you can use this on a cotton ball, I think it's a waste to use one so I use just my hands to apply one pump to my face and neck. While I generally prefer a toner that sprays, the scent of this alone is enough to make me keep using it because I really love it!

Ingredients: Sea Silt Extract (Glacial Mineral Extract), Sodium PCA, Polysorbate 20, Aqua, Vaccinium Myrtil-lus Extract, Saccharum Officianarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pullulan, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citric Acid

Step 4: Moisturizing Cream*
NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

No skincare routine is complete without a moisturizer and there are things I like and one major thing I dislike about this Moisturizing Cream. Firstly, I love the twist up packaging! There is something about not having a cap to bother with that makes a product less fussy. The scent is lovely and the texture is a white cream that melts away effortlessly into the skin without leaving a greasy texture making this a great moisturizer to use underneath makeup!

If you are someone who likes adding boosters and such to your moisturizer, this is the perfect base. On that note of texture, my major dislike is the inclusion of dimethicone which I have a feeling is present predominantly for texture. I can't imagine that sea silt is particularly homogenizing so the dimethicone is probably here for the purpose of a non-tacky finish and making sure the texture is smooth apply. While I am all over this as a morning moisturizer, I prefer something dimethicone-free for night time.

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Ingredients: Sea Silt Extract (Glacial Mineral Water), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Coco-caprylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Powder, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

NENA Skincare: Powered by Canadian Glacial Clay

Final verdict: I was first attracted to NENA because it was Canadian and from BC. I always want to support local businesses and when I had a look at the website before I agreed to do the Shop and Shout, I loved how important sustainability and being ecologically and socialogically conscious was to NENA. The featured ingredient of Canadian glacial oceanic clay is the basis for the brand and it is highlighted truthfully in both marketing and in the ingredients list so big props for that!

Pricing is SUPER affordable with anyone being able to afford all four products easily for well under $100 and the routine is EASY with a simplicity echoing the natural ethos of the brand. What I'm sure most you skincare enthusiasts have noticed is missing from the NENA routine is the Serum Step, but from what little I know about chemical formulations, serum is probably the most complex product to make so while it would have been nice to have a NENA serum, what's nice about the line is that I have been able to use any serum or facial oil with the routine. I have been using a Vitamin C serum for the last 3 weeks with the NENA line with no issues.

While the clay mask is still the product I would most encourage people to try, especially if you have dry skin, but would still like to use a purifying treatment like a clay mask, the toner and cleansing cream are also worth looking at and with free shipping at just $30+ CDN, trying out the clay mask with something else feels accessible so definitely give NENA a go!

You can find NENA Skincare at www.nenaskincare.com or Amazon.com 

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