Honest Clean Skincare Review

I moved to New York a few years ago and my skin didn't love it. 2.400 Credo points and 15 products later, here are my honest thoughts on all the creams, cleansers, mists and oils I've tried.

When I was checking out at Credo last week (for my European readers, Credo is a clean beauty haven, a multi-brand store with 15 locations across the US), the store assistant told me I had 2,400 points. That’s a pretty good indicator of just how many beauty products I’ve tested since moving to the US.

My skin wasn’t thrilled about the move, it especially didn’t love the water in New York, which is much harder than what I was used to in Germany and Paris. As a result, it became very sensitive and easily irritated. One of the first things I tried was adding water filters (I should probably do a separate review on those, actually). But that alone didn’t fix the issue.

I had used the same brand for over 8 years. It was a clean beauty brand, my skin loved the products and I had 0 issues. But after the move, I started to react strongly to the essential oils in the formulas. My skin would be super itchy, dry and red. So the search for a new skincare routine began.

2.400 Credo point later, here is an honest review of all the products I’ve been trying!

THE ONE’S I’LL BUY AGAIN

01 — Marula Oil by African Botanics
This oil is incredible — it’s packed with antioxidants, and my skin feels so nourished after I use it. I apply it every night. They have a pure version and a blended one, but I use the 100% pure marula oil.

02 — Rose Quartz by Kora Organics
This is what I use to apply the oil with, at least on evenings when I want to give my skin some extra love with a face massage. It stimulates blood circulation and feels very soothing. Sometimes I even put it in the fridge before using it so it’s extra cooling.

03 — Dermaviduals Cleansing Milk, Face Cream, Eye Cream & Face Tonic
These products were recommended to me by my friend Georgia Gibbs, who shares a lot of amazing content if you're struggling with skin issues. It’s a German brand (not sold at Credo, unfortunately), and I usually get it either in pharmacies in Germany or through Violet Hour Skin in the US. If you order the products through Violet Hour Skin and mention my name, you can get a free 15 minute consultation call! The formulas are adapted to your skin after the consultation call — that’s actually where the brand’s name comes from: derma + individual.

04 — Moisture Cleanse by Josh Rosebrook
This moisturizer was also great, if I wouldn’t be using the Dermaviduals one, I’d go back to this one.

05 — Facial Mist by Josh Rosebrook
This mist smells incredible! I use it in the mornings before applying my face cream or in the evenings before a night cream if I feel like getting some extra hydration. Good alternative to the Dermaviduals mist.

06 — Night Repair Treatment by Dr. Rogers
I apply this cream 4–5 nights a week before the marula oil. I just started using it, but I like it so far. My skin doesn’t react to it, even though it has more active ingredients. It uses a combination of antioxidants and bakuchiol, a natural and more gentle alternative to retinol that supports the skin in building collagen. I also love that the packaging is refillable — something I wish more brands would start doing.

I’ll upload a reel on Instagram this week to show you my evening skincare routine with some of those products!

THE GOOD, BUT NOT AMAZING ONES

01 — 9-Ingredient Face Moisturizer by Typology
This cream is great if you have sensitive skin and just want something hydrating and non-irritating. It’s super mild. I used it while I was searching for a long-term solution. It didn’t actively improve my skin, but it helped calm it during a reactive phase. A good in-between product.

02 — Nutrient Day Cream by Josh Rosebrook
This one was good, but at the time my skin was so sensitive that the Typology cream worked better. And then I found the Dermaviduals one and have been using that ever since. I do like that it has SPF 30 already built in.

THE ONES THAT DIDN’T WORK OUT

01 — Rosehip Oil by Pai
I liked the idea of this one, and my skin didn’t react to it, but I didn’t love the color. The oil seemed to sit on my skin, and if I used it at night, it left light orange marks on my pillowcase.

02 — Tumeric Mask by Kora Organics
This one really didn’t agree with my skin. I love Miranda Kerr’s vision for her brand and her skin is incredible, so when I saw her use this in a video, I was curious to try it. It’s a scrub and mask in one, which sounds great in theory. But it left my skin super irritated and red after I applied it and I had to wash it off after 5 minutes.

03 — Face Athemis Moisturizer by Pai
I looked into Pai because they market themselves as great for sensitive skin. This specific cream includes rosehip oil, chamomile, and other ingredients — including several essential oils. Unfortunately, it was quite irritating for me. It felt a bit too acidic, most likely because of the essential oils in the formula. Didn’t love it.

04 — Cleanser with White Tea and Carrot Seed by Violets Are Blue
Honestly, I didn’t love the smell, and it felt a bit irritating. That said, I really admire the founder — she started the brand after recovering from cancer and realizing the products she’d used may have impacted her health.

05 — Eye Serum System D by Pai
This one didn’t make sense to me, it just kind of sat on the skin and dried out, rather than sinking in. Can’t recommend.

06 — Clarifying Face Scrub 2% Sulfur + Nettle Extract by Typology
This might not be a bad product, but it didn’t work for me personally. I didn’t like the smell or texture, and at the time my skin was too sensitive. I ended up giving it to a friend.

Of course, this is all subjective, your skin might love something that didn’t work for me and vice versa. I also want to share a few other things I do that I think contribute to healthy skin overall.

• One is red light therapy, I use the one by Lumebox, but I’ve also heard great things about the CurrentBody mask.

• I drink plenty of mineral-rich water (we get Mountain Valley delivered in 5-gallon bottles).

• I skip alcohol and coffee, and sip lots of tea instead (jasmine, sencha, matcha, chamomile, hibiscus, anything).

• I avoid sugar as much as possible and try to minimize gluten in the US (which is much harder than avoiding sugar).

• I’m also not on hormonal birth control, just mentioning this since it can affect skin drastically. Everyone has different viewpoints here, but I wanted to be transparent about that too.

I hope this feature is helpful if you’re on a similar skin journey!

P.S. I’m still looking for a good mask — if you have any favorites (or other skincare recommendations), I’d love to hear them in the comments!

x Sarah

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