Iremia in Iremia Skincare translates to mean tranquil or serene, and this is an apt description of what you can expect from this gorgeous, clean, ultra-soothing line. Elaine Li, the founder and formulator of Iremia Skincare, knows the challenges of sensitive skin firsthand, having struggled with eczema, hypersensitivities, and redness as long as she can remember.  She knows how frustrating it is: to purchase a product specifically designed to be “sensitive” only to have it sting and burn on contact, to discover after making a purchase that harmful ingredients are deceptively hidden in proprietary blends rather than declared, or to finally find a sufficiently gentle formula only to discover that it has little impact on skin, or worse, is merely causing more problems (e.g., breakouts).  Iremia Skincare was born out of frustration with these limited options for sensitive skin.  When Elaine found no workable solutions for her skin on the market, she created her own.  Iremia Skincare offers what has been largely missing from the industry:  gentle yet effective, healing skincare for sensitive skin.  Based on my experience using this line, Iremia Skincare is proof that gentle and effective do not have to be antonyms in skincare.

Iremia Skincare embraces a less-is-more philosophy in which each ingredient is carefully chosen, and each of the line’s products is designed to deliver multiple benefits.  Rather than suggesting dozens of products for an elaborate routine (that may end up overtreating sensitive skin), Iremia Skincare keeps things clean and streamlined, with just three multitasking products: a Soothing Lotion, a Protective Cream, and a Restorative Facial Oil.  In crafting Iremia’s exceptional formulations, Elaine relied on clinical and scientific studies as well as ingredient notes she had meticulously taken over years of trial and error while searching for a workable solution for her skin.  As a devoted working mom of two children, it was imperative to Elaine that Iremia products be pure enough for children’s delicate skin and also multifunctional enough to streamline the routine of a busy working mom like herself.  As a result, Iremia Skincare is unique in the fact that it is extremely gentle and pure, yet still high-performance, delivering many benefits in each product.

I had the chance to try two of the three products in the Iremia Skincare line:  Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil.  Both have been matches made in heaven for my dry, inflammation-prone, sensitive skin.  Below, I will tell you about each one.

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion has a luscious texture that is rich and creamy but sinks into skin easily, leaving just light hydration behind.  Soothing Lotion has a faint-yet-delicious natural scent from its beautiful botanical ingredients, and it feels amazing on contact—even on skin that is compromised due to sensitivity, dryness, or both.  In addition to providing nourishing hydration, Soothing Lotion is also truly calming and efficiently eases inflammation and irritation.  I saw a lovely turnaround in my skin after using Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion for four days; redness/irritation and flakiness from dryness steadily healed, until my skin was as serene as ever.  In just a few days of use, my complexion felt dramatically soothed, more comfortable, and nourished.

In the short time I have been using this luxurious gem, I have come to count on it to calm and hydrate my skin when it’s at its fussiest with redness or flare-ups of inflammation.  Soothing Lotion quickly, gently, and effectively calms, heals, and hydrates my sensitive skin at it’s most challenging.  On occasions when my skin is being well-behaved, Soothing Lotion is a beautifully nourishing moisturizer that glides on and sinks in for lasting hydration.  I find it to be pure, effective, and versatile.  Having studied Soothing Lotion’s ingredients, I know that the benefits do not end with soothing and hydration; with regular use, several actives deliver anti-aging benefits in addition to hydration and soothing.  What is the secret to this luscious healer?  I have to credit Elaine and her meticulous approach to ingredient selection and formulation.  This is a truly multipurpose lotion appropriate for sensitive skin!

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion’s beautiful blend of carefully-selected ingredients includes:

• Shea Butter—derived from the nutrient-rich nuts of the African Karite tree, this active is highly emollient, healing, hydrating, anti-inflammatory, contains natural vitamins A, C, and E, and even delivers skin-strengthening and anti-aging benefits by boosting collagen production
• Aloe Leaf Extract—used topically since ancient times for its healing and soothing capacities, Aloe is anti-inflammatory, hydrating, soothing on contact
• Grape Seed Oil—rich in flavonoids, including those called proanthocyanidins (PCOs), excellent free radical scavenger
• Calendula Flower Extract—with active components including flavonoids, polysaccharides, triterpenes, carotenes, and more, Calendula Flower Extract is proven to be soothing, anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, and hydrating
• Lavender Flower Oil—improves circulation and thus facilitates the healing process
• Manuka Honey—naturally rich in a variety of B vitamins, reinforces skin’s ability to regenerate, offsets free radical activity, improves healing, and increases fibroblast ability
• African Mahogany Tree Bark Extract— clinically proven to strengthen the skin and significantly reduce wrinkles after 56 days of use

Soothing Lotion Full Ingredient List: WATER/AQUA, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, COCO-CAPRYLATE CAPRATE, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, SODIUM OLIVOYL GLUTAMATE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER), CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, STEARYL ALCOHOL, CERA ALBA, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, GLYCERIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE, KHAYA SENEGALENSIS BARK EXTRACT (AND) MALTODEXTRIN, XANTHAN GUM, TOCOPHEROL, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) FLOWER OIL, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) PEEL OIL, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT, HONEY( MANUKA), SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil is an antioxidant-rich multivitamin for the skin that strengthens, soothes, and balances.  The luxurious blend of 11 beneficial oils leaves skin feeling incredibly soft, smooth, hydrated, and plump.  As with the Soothing Lotion, there is no added fragrance, and yet Restorative Facial Oil naturally has a subtle, delicious scent from its blend of fresh natural actives.  The vibrant orange hue of the blend hints at the nourishing antioxidant goodness delivered to skin with every drop.  The texture is light, and it sinks into skin quickly rather than leaving a greasy residue.

Each of the 11 oils adds value to the overall formulation of Restorative Facial Oil, but some highlights include:

• Avocado Oil—nourishes dry skin and provides a rich source of Vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E
• Camellia Oil—highly antioxidant, emollient, and anti-inflammatory
• Jojoba Seed Oil—soothing and anti-inflammatory and excellent for eczema-prone skin
• Rosehip Fruit Oil—rich in essential fatty acids that help regenerate and repair damage to skin
• Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil—rich in antioxidants, provides vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, and plant sterols, as well as healing Omega 7

Restorative Facial Oil is a wonderful hydrating oil blend with a full range of soothing, antioxidant, strengthening, and skin-plumping benefits.  Both the aesthetics and the performance of Restorative Facial Oil are magnificent.  This product is elegant and enjoyable to use and has left my skin calmer and better hydrated than before I started using it.

Restorative Facial Oil Full Ingredients: HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL , PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA (CAMELLIA) SEED OIL , SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, ARGANIA SPINOSA (ARGAN) OIL, ROSA CANINA(ROSEHIP) FRUIT OIL, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES (SEA BUCKTHORN) FRUIT OIL ,TOCOPHEROL, CYMBOPOGON MARTINI( PALMAROSA) OIL, ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER OIL, PELARGONIUM ROSEUM LEAF OIL

CONCLUSION

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil

With pure, clean formulas and carefully selected ingredients, Iremia Skincare offers gentle-yet-effective healing solutions for reactive, sensitive, or inflamed skin.  Soothing Lotion offers calming hydration that quickly resolves flakiness, redness, and/or inflammation, while also delivering antioxidant protection and a proven anti-aging active.  Restorative Facial Oil, in turn, provides well-rounded topical nutrition and skin-plumping hydration in an elegant, quickly-absorbed blend of 11 beneficial oils.  Together, this duo serves as a high-performance, streamlined skincare routine that dramatically improves the condition of sensitive skin.   Both products are available at Natural Avenue.  Highly recommended!

The post Iremia Skincare: Tranquility for Sensitive, Reactive Skin? appeared first on The Beauty Librarian.

Iremia Skincare Founder Elaine Li

After having the pleasure of trying and enjoying Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil (see full review here), I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Iremia Skincare Founder Elaine Li about her journey and mission.  Ms. Li struggled with sensitive skin for years and was unable to find anything on the market that gently, effectively healed her skin, so she set out to create the ultimate skin-soothing line in Iremia Skincare.  Learn more about her process and inspiration below!

Can you briefly describe your own skin difficulties and the frustrations you encountered trying to find sufficiently high-quality and soothing products in other lines?

Elaine Li (EL): I have suffered from skin problems for as long as I can remember. Looking back, it really was because of diet and stress but I didn’t connect the dots. Eczema, hypersensitivities, and redness are my main culprits. Every time I feel anxiety or stress or if I eat certain foods, my face turns hot and red. My eczema flairs up and itches like crazy. I remember trying different creams that were catered “for sensitive skin”, but as I put them on they would burn my skin and I had to quickly wash them off. Some other high-end creams that I have tried made me feel like it was doing something, but it really wasn’t. I would break out, or the product just wouldn’t be effective after a while. It was really frustrating not being able to find something that would help manage my skin.

Another frustration that came about was around transparency. Just two years ago, a natural, steroid-free cream came out just for eczema. It was a dream come true for myself and my son based on all of the before and after photos I saw of people using it on their babies. I naturally purchased it and it did work wonders. However, it turns out that it really wasn’t steroid-free! I felt betrayed. I’m all for transparency and integrity when it comes to what goes in and on your body. I never want this to happy to anyone, ever.  So now I use my own Protective Cream and Facial Oil on my son and newborn!

How do you think your own history of skin challenges have influenced you as a formulator and enhanced your formulations?

EL:  I want to create products with intent. If I don’t have a clear vision as to what it needs to do or how it can help someone, I won’t make it. There needs to be some sort of multi-purpose element to it as I’m a believer in simplifying your routine so that there is less clutter. Less clutter = less stress and less waste! My skin challenges are ongoing. Elements of your life (Diet, home life, work) are always changing so it was important to create something that can be used according to your situation. The products can be layered however you want. On some days, I use the Facial Oil on my face and hair. On others, I layer all three of them for extra hydration. I wanted my formulas to also be safe for my babies, and my husband! It was frustrating finding something that the whole family could use. My children use the Protective Cream and Facial Oil and my husband uses the Soothing Lotion.

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion

What care and effort have you put into ingredient sourcing?

EL: All ingredients were thoroughly researched and need to obviously be completely natural. I look for purity as well if it can directly help calm the skin. My second priority (besides hydration of course) is to look for other benefits, such as anti-aging properties. For example,  I decided to include a natural anti-aging active ingredient in the Soothing Lotion for it to truly be multipurpose (i.e., African Mahogany Tree Bark Extract). It’s something I use every day on my skin and I have seen huge improvements in redness, pore and wrinkle reduction.

Can you describe some of the time, study, effort, and experimentation that went into creating your beautiful Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil?

EL: I have been struggling with my skin since my early 20’s, so it’s taken me a long, long time to get to this point. Years of trying different products, writing down what I like, what I don’t like, what worked, what didn’t really helped me decide what ingredients to put into the formula. A lot of reading was done around active ingredients as well as digging into research papers and clinical studies. I decided to formulate starting in late 2016. It took a few months, but finally, I created the recipe that worked in the Spring/Summer of 2017.

You describe a less-is-more philosophy to skincare regimens.  Can you elaborate on the importance and value of quality over quantity and explain how you embrace this philosophy with Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil?

EL:  This philosophy resonates with me in so many ways. It really started at home and with being more conscious about what and how we buy everyday items. I don’t want to purchase something that is inexpensive but will fall apart in 2 years. You end up buying more, which has a bigger impact on the environment. Buying and using products consciously is important to me. Same with time. I have a 6-year-old son and a 4-month-old daughter, plus 2 dogs! So I don’t have a lot of time to fuss around in the mornings and evenings. Creating products that would help me without using 7+ items was as important as the environmental impact. The Soothing Lotion has everything I need in it – it calms, soothes, hydrates and decreases fine lines and wrinkles. The Restorative Facial Oil also has all of the superhero oils I wanted in one bottle. The best part is that it can also be used in your hair. I also use it on my baby and keep it on me all the time.

Which 3-4 active ingredients in each product do you consider highlights and/or particularly vital and beneficial when it comes to Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil, and why?

EL: The Soothing Lotion has a blend of Shea Butter, Aloe, Calendula, Lavender and Manuka Honey. It’s so hard to choose, as they are all vital and beneficial for the skin. Each one has soothing, anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties, which is why I wanted them all in the Soothing Lotion. The best part is the African Mahogany Tree Bark extract, which is clinically proven to strengthen the skin and reduce wrinkles after 56 days of use.

With the Restorative Facial Oil, Palmarosa Oil, Rosehip Oil, Argan Oil and Seabuckthorn Oil are all vital within the blend. There are 11 oils in total to make up this multivitamin, all of which provide the skin strength. It soothes and balances while increasing elasticity and helps diminish scarring.

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil

What experience do you hope people will have with Soothing Lotion?  With Restorative Facial Oil?

EL:  The Soothing Lotion was made to calm the skin whenever there is redness or flare-ups or inflammation and heat on the face. It can also be used on eczema patches as well. Even if you don’t have flare-ups, it glides on as a beautiful daily moisturizer. With a powerful blend of luxurious ingredients, the Restorative Facial Oil will leave your skin feeling soft, plump and hydrated. With no added fragrance, you are experiencing the natural properties of the ingredients. Since the whole line is around calmness, I truly hope people will find that in my products.

What current trends or pressures in the beauty industry frustrate you and which ones excite you, and why?

EL: I do feel that there is pressure for people to have “perfect”, flawless skin. I believe that we have been conditioned to think that skin is supposed to look a certain way. Everyone is so different, with variety when it comes to lifestyle, diet, stress inducers. No one is perfect as we are only human! Things change, especially with age. I believe in healthy skin, and that starts from within. Treat your body with love, and you can embrace your skin as is at whatever moment you are in. Another frustration is the pressure to have immediate results with products. I also had very high expectations of the different creams I have tried in the past and expected my skin to take to it and to be amazing right away. We again have developed a sense of immediate gratification (I blame this on technology!). I don’t believe there is a “miracle” product. Products take time to work, and your body takes time to adjust. There are just too many factors at play.

What is exciting is that there has been a shift in mindset to embrace what you were born with. For myself, it has taken years to get here. To really love me for the way I am. It’s also exciting that people are open to smaller brands and more Indie brands are moving into the spotlight. They come from a place of passion, and I find it really refreshing!

What do you see as the greatest success of your line so far and what are your hopes for the future?

EL:  As a small Indie brand, I thrive and focus on small successes. However, I’m proud of the product and what it has done for the people who have tried it. I take each review seriously and every purchase with such a grateful heart. There are plans for the future with expanding the product line, with intention of course, as well as looking into different distribution channels. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, I’m just so grateful for my supporters.

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