Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream; the natural moisturiser that makes you go ".....erm???"

Rating: ...erm???, available from Lovelula (£33 inc p&p), Feelunique (£32.99 inc p&p), Naturisimo (£32.99 inc p&p)

Winner of a multitude of awards, this creaming promises a lot (it promises a lot more if you use it inconjunction with their divine face oil too),  according to the product blurb this cream is "clinically proven to stimulate collagen production in human fibroblast skin cells by up to 92%".

Sounds tasty, just like the ingredients:

• Shea Butter  - Recently mentioned in our lazy winter skin care post, shea butter is a staple natural beauty darling.  Packed full of Essential Fatty Acids, vitamins A & E, and antioxidants, shea butter can be used all over and studies have shown that it anti-inflammatory and can help to prevent skin damage from UV radiation. 

Because of it's beauty status Shea Butter can be found in hundreds of natural  products. Here are a few of our favourites: Intelligent Nutrients lipcare & lipgloss, the miraculous Akuaba Belly Butter, African Liquid Soap, Fushi Organic Eczmaid Chickweed and Chamomile Ointment, Cioccolotina Argan & Cocoa butter Liquid Shampoo &  Dr Alkaitis Organic Eye Cream

• Vegetable Squalane - We've blogged about Olive Squalene before and we loved it, vegetable squalane is similar. As one of the main components of sebum, the skin loves squalane, it helps to plump the skin up, protect against UV rays and smoothe wrinkles out over short periods of time. It's another product that is multipurpose and is used in lots of products. 

•  Avocado Oil - Packed full of EFA's, lecithin, amino acids, Vitamins A, B6 & E, copper, magnesium and iron, avocado oil is a veritable gourmet meal for the skin.

• Manuka Honey - Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, manuka honey is great for all skin types, providing nourishment and TLC to the body. However, the ingredients and the antipodes site don't specify whether the honey has a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which is basically a way of saying that the honey is "active" kind of like the difference between Live Yogurt and Yogurt.

• Macadamia oil - Also featured in Herbfarmacy's Organic Rose Face Oil, macadamia oil is light, non-greasy and full of EFA's.

•  Calendula Oil - Anti-inflammatory, astringent and full of tannins, calendula has been used to treat skin problems for years and it's amazing! Also Featured in Kimia Glow

• Coconut Oil - naturally moisturising, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial, Coconut oil imparts a mild SPF and acts as a great skin and hair conditioner.

• Gluconolactone - is an antioxidant that can chelate metals and might actually help to scavenge free radicals, potentially protecting and repairing sun damaged skin.(ref).

• Calcium gluconate - traditionally applied topically to burns victims and studies have shown that people with higher calcium intake experience less premature aging (but that may also have to do with the fact that they're eating a well balanced diet).

• Vinenza Grape Grapeseed Extract - all we can find is that this is a "quintessential antioxidant from New Zealand's sauvignon blanc grape seeds which revitalises your skin" which we're pretty sure is a quality posessed by grapeseed's in general.

Sounds lovely and with prices starting @ £33 for a 60ml pot we've got to admit that we were hoping for some serious beauty kudos. The kind of product you use sparingly before bed and wake up looking like this:

Ok, maybe not looking like this but definitely feeling swishy, glowy and a little diva-esque. But it didn't, we tested it on friends and family members with no extra oomph from the product.
Once more we are the only bloggers not feeling this cream. . .it did nothing, we took 2 and a half months to test the product across a range of testers 17 - 62 and no-one had anything nice to say, no morning dewy skin, no glow, no love. Just "I suppose it moisturised" and to us that's just not good enough.

In fact on closer inspection of the ingredients you could just buy fushi organic eczmaid chickweed and chamomile ointment, add in a dash of honey and squalene and have yourself a very similar product for less money and without any preservatives.

Now we're on the subject let's talk about some of the less desirable ingredients:

Ceteareths and Ceteareth-20 (aka "it all depends on who you ask"):
 The EWG classify this as a toxic allergen that can increase skin absorption of other toxic nasties, and they recommend that consumers steer clear of any product that has any ingredients with "ceteareth" in the name as they claim that it can increase carcinogens in the given product. This is because  ceteareths may contain 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide which have both been linked to cancer. However the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel say that 1,4-dioxane can be controlled for using proper purification methods to remove it prior to blending into cosmetics.

The EWG and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel say that cosmetic products containing ceteareth-20 claiming that the ingredient is not safe to use on injured or damaged skin. When used on burn victims cetearths may result in kidney damage.
Ultimately the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel say that so long as ceterateths are properly used then they are safe to use. Ultimately, it's up to the consumer. Most brands are unlikely to improperly use any ceteareths, if you'd rather not take the risk then it might be best to avoid. But that is entirely up to you

Iodopropynyl butylcarbarmate - commonly used in skincare, lip and oral hygiene products it has been deemed as safe to use. However a 2006 study found that Iodoproynyl Butylcarbamate can be a toxicant, cause contact dermatitis and have immune effects in some people.

Last but not least there is phenoxyethanol - A glycol ether and the new alternative to parabens - phenoxyethanol is used across the board from paint to jet fuel to cosmetics (anti-bacterial) to perfume (stabiliser). Oh yeah, lest we forget to mention the FDA warned nursing mothers from a product containing phenoxyethanol because it can cause vomiting, dermatitis and it might just shut down the nervous system.

This is getting to be a pretty long review so I'll give you a run down of research findings:

1.  A bunch of  animal studies demonstrate that it is toxic and an irritant at moderate and low concentrations.
2.  The Environmental Protection Agency data sheets show chromosomal changes and genetic mutation effects in testing as well as testicular atrophy (break down) and interference with reproductive organs in mice.
3. The EU has classified it as an irritant and Japan have a concentration limit for it's use in cosmetic products
4. Phenoxyethanol has been shown to have neurotoxin potential , now that is something you never want to see on your report card.
5. Phenoxyethanol is in the top 10 most frequent allergens in allergic contact dermatitis, with the author's noting, "Even after healing of the skin lesions of allergic contact dermatitis, it must be considered that sensitization persists indefinitely. Therefore, patients have to be informed exactly about their relevant contact allergens to ensure complete avoidance. To do so, physicians need a detailed knowledge of the most common contact allergens which are discussed in this paper.". So basically,  once you've developed contact dermatitis it is unlikely to ever go away completely. Fabulous...to back their findings up, another study found that phenoxyethanol is a contact allergen.
   
   And in the wise words of the author over at truth in aging:
   "Phenoxyethanol breaks down to phenol and acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde converts to acetate. Phenol can disable the immune system's primary response mechanism. Given that, it is at best ironic, that phenoxyethanol is used as an anti-bacterial in vaccines. Acetaldehyde occurs during the breakdown of ethanol, (alchohol and 2-phenoxyETHANOL), it is a suspected carcinogen. Inhalation studies have shown irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. I feel that given the wealth of evidence, I'd rather give it a miss even at concentrations of 1% or lower. That, however, is easier said than done. Phenoxyethanol is becoming ubiquitous and it is hard to avoid."
    

Don't let these findings overwhelm you, there are a lot of products that don't have phenoxyethanol. Antipodes should know better and the fact they've won so many awards is a bit of a joke... Now we know about how bad the ingredients are we feel terrible about testing it on our friends and families not to mention ourselves.

Ingredients: Water, Shea butter, Squalane, Avocado oil, Manuka honey, Macadamia oil, Calendula oil, fractionated coconut oil, Glyceryl stearate, Ceteareth-20, Ceteareth-12, Cetearyl alcohol, Cetyl palmitate, Vitamin E, Lecithin, Grapefruit seed extract, Sandalwood oil, Patchouli oil, Ylang ylang oil, Iodopropynyl butylcarbarmate, Phenoxyethanol.