The previous post on Melvita was an overview of the brand which combines a multitude of certified organic actives in their products, e.g. natural oils, floral waters, beehive products, essential oils, plant extracts.
In this post, I’ll feature 3 products – Rose Floral Water, Rose Floral Bouquet Extraordinary Water & Evening Primrose Beauty Oil.
(1) Rose Floral Water
Imagine being in a garden full of all kinds of flowers and inhaling the heady scent. Well, if you can’t get to a garden like this, Melvita brings the garden to you. Each drop of Melvita’s floral water is extracted from traditional steam distillation method and extracted immediately upon harvesting at the organic plantations to best preserve the purest form of fresh flower esence and active ingredients.
The ratio of organic ingredients in all 5 of Melvita’s Organic Floral Waters is up to 99.85%. The Floral Water is dispensed by pressing down on the pump which dispenses a fine mist. Every time I spray my face with the Rose Floral Water, I am enveloped in a cocoon of rose scented goodness.
It’s like a “pick-me-up” tonic as it refreshes my dehydrated or tired skin. It gives instant relief and I can feel my skin become immediately softer. Melvita’s Rose Floral Water uses Damascus Rose from Iran, the only rose variety with confirmed beauty care benefits.
No wonder products which use this rose variety are pricey as this rose only blooms for a few weeks in a year. Apparently, about 5 tons of rose flowers are required to extract about 1000g of essential oil and each drop of rose floral water contains about 5% of diluted essential oil.
According to the product description, the Rose Floral Water is enriched with anti-inflamatory active ingredients and possesses anti-aging, skin renewal, firming and calming properties. I just love the fragrance and the relaxing sensation when the mist hits my face. I’d bring it everywhere if it was more portable. The glass bottle is 200ml and heavy. I understand from M. Didier Thevinin, Melvita’s Head of Education and Training that the Floral Waters are available in travel sizes but am not sure if they will be available here once the Melvita Boutiques open at KLCC and 1 Utama.
Other than the Rose Floral Water (RM122), other varieties are:-
Lavender Floral Water (200ml/RM91) – most suitable for combination and oily skin, superior purifying and oil control benefits
Witch Hazel Floral Water (200ml/RM91) – well known as the saviour for sensitive skin, instantly soothes and calms skin to relieve inflammation
Orange Blossom Floral Water (200ml/RM91) – as precious as Rose Floral Water, it can brighten and prevent pigmentation, soften and hydrate skin, this pleasant refreshing scent makes it an ideal pillow spray
Cornflower Floral Water (200ml/RM91) – used as eye compress to instantly soothe swollen eyes, dark circles and puffiness.
I’ve used the Rose Floral Water over make-up and I’m pleased that it doesn’t smudge my make-up at all. It’s great for setting make-up and because of the lovely rose scent, it’s a delight to use it whenever I can, which would be at home since it’s impractical to tote it around although I’d like to very much! It’s a wonderful product for keeping skin hydrated. It can be used as a toner or a pre-toner if one is also using the Floral Bouquet Extraordinary Water.
(2) Floral Bouquet Extraordinary Waters
In the Floral Bouquet range are 3 organic Extraordinary Waters, i.e. Narcissus, Rose and Orange Blossom. They have been specially formulated for Asian skins and were hot topics in major fashion and beauty magazines in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as ELLE, Cosmopolitan and others even before its launch.
These 3 formulas have been developed from narcissus + papaya, lemon and olive compounds, rose + Marsh Clover; and orange blossom + fig mucilage. They are formulated to address 3 major skincare concerns for women, brightening, rejuvenating and hydrating respectively.
As with all Melvita’s products, there are no artificial fragrances added to the Extraordinary Waters. They are perfumed with natural floral scents and help infuse natural energy of organic flowers into the skin. M. Didier Thevinin recommends patting the Extraordinary Water into the skin (it can be used as a toner after cleansing) instead of using a cotton pad.
The Rose Extraordinary Water which I’ve been using smells heavenly sweet and the rose scent is slightly stronger than the Rose Floral Water. Just a few drops of this water suffices for my face and neck, I have been using it day and night. It preps my skin for moisturiser and is one of the best scented toners I’ve ever used, saying that it’s a treat for my olfactory senses would be an understatement.
According to Melvita’s clinical test trials:-
• test users experienced beautified skin results over 28 days use
• 100% of volunteer test users think that the skin feels softer and more supple after using
• 90% of test users think that the skin becomes firmer and invigorated
• 80% of test users agree with its superior hydrating benefits and skin feels younger and brighter after using.
All the Extraordinary Waters are packaged in 100ml blue plastic bottles and priced at RM78 each. I think that the packaging of the Extraordinary Waters is reminiscent of a bygone age. Apparently, the reason why the Floral Waters and Extraordinary Waters are contained within blue bottles is because of French pharmaceutical tradition of the 18th-19th centuries where any product which was ingested was wrapped in brown packaging while any products for application and not for ingestion was wrapped in blue packaging. Another reason why they are in dark blue plastic and glass is to protect the product from light. Organic skincare is more susceptible to spoilage under bright light which is they are almost always contained in dark packaging.
While the Extraordinary Waters are the star products in the Floral Bouquet range, other products in this range include 3 organic facial cleansers scented with unique natural floral fragrances – Cleansing Milk (200ml/RM108), Cleansing Foam (125ml/RM107) & Face Soap (100g/RM78). All the cleansing formulas are extra mild and contain major ingredients of rose, narcissus and orange blossom extracts combined with other natural moisturizing ingredients such as honey, sweet almond or immortelle.
(3) Beauty Oils
Beauty oils is one of the products Melvita has offered from the very beginning, the others being floral waters and essences. Their beauty oils are 100% natural and obtained from the first cold pressing or the macerating of carefully selected organic seeds, fruit kernels or roots.
They do not contain any artificial colorants or fragrances and they contain natural Vitamin E which protects against oxidation. They may crystallize slightly or become cloudy due to temperature or the natural presence of fatty acids. Their colour may also vary from one harvest or pressing to another.
Why Beauty Oils? According to Melvita, the beauty plant oils provide a solution to skin ageing. Our skin can become imbalanced, irritated or weakened over time. One of the main reasons for the degeneration of skin tissues, the appearance of wrinkles and the onset of dry skin is the reduced activity of sebaceous and sweat glands, which keep the skin supple and radiant. Melvita’s oils correct this lipid deficiency by stimulating, softening, nourishing and protecting skin.
3 of Melvita’s bestselling Beauty Oils are:-
• Rose Hip Oil for regenerating skin and fighting skin ageing (50ml/RM137)
Suitable for dry and mature skin (very rich in essential fatty acids but not recommended for acne-prone skin)
• Evening Primrose Oil for revitalizing and soothing skin (50ml/RM103)
Suitable for sensitive and delicate skin (even eczema skin)
• Argan Oil for repairing and nourishing skin (50ml/RM111)
Suitable for all skin types (can be used on face/body/hair).
I chose to take home the Evening Primrose Beauty Oil over the Rose Hip Oil because I was concerned that the latter might be too rich even for my skin. I do get the occasional bouts of acne but not too often. The Evening Primrose seemed like a good choice because I wanted something for anti-ageing and this one is known as the “oil of youth”.
The Evening Primrose Oil claims to restore skin’s youthfulness, making skin supple and smooth. The evening primrose seeds are sourced from China (each Beauty Oil’s key ingredient comes from a different country, e.g. Rose Hip from Chile, Argan from Morocco, Camellia from Japan, Saint John’s Wort from France, Calendula from Egypt) and are rich in omega-6 gamma linoleic acid with revitalizing and regenerating properties.
It’s recommended that the Evening Primrose Oil be kept in the fridge after opening which is exactly what I’ve done. I use one pump of this oil day and night in place of my moisturizer. Actually, one pump is a lot and enough for my hands as well.
This Beauty Oil is very concentrated and feels so luxurious on my skin. I warm it up a bit between my palms before pressing it on to my face. It’s not only hydrating, my skin feels incredibly smooth, soft and looks dewy moist for a long time after application.
Overall Comments
Generally, I find the range of skincare products from Melvita quite interesting. I’m sure that most of us would like to switch to organic skincare if it’s affordable and the price of Melvita products appears to be pretty reasonable for organic and natural skincare. I’d be interested to find out more about the other ranges, particularly the anti-ageing ranges such as Bio-Excellence (to fight the 1st signs of ageing) and Naturalift (for ladies in their 50s, I’m not there yet but “tempus fugit”).
Of the 3 products featured above, I find them all to be unique in their own ways. My favourite product is the Rose Floral Water because of the convenience of spritzing it on my face several times a day. If it was half the size, it’d be more practical to be taken anywhere I go. I wouldn’t mind purchasing a variety of Floral Waters if they were available here in travel sizes. The Extraordinary Water is extraordinary because of the flowers and plants that are its key ingredients while the beauty of the oils for me is that I can use them for a mini massage, they help promote my blood circulation and hopefully firm up my rapidly sagging skin in time.
As with all organic products, these 3 products featured have a shorter shelf life than non-organic products. They all expire in 12/2012 save for the Floral Water which has an expiry date of 04/12 hence any organic skincare products should be used as soon as you purchase them. Even though I’ve started using the products, I know that it’ll take some time before they are used up as they can be used economically, especially the Beauty Oil.
Note : All products featured have been provided by PR for review.
