A picture of products minus the shampoo bar
This post has been long due. I had to test the products adequately before making my mind about them. Other than the products in the picture, I purchased the Milk Protein Shampoo Bar as well. Overall I am very angry at myself for trying these products out.
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My experience: This is the product I was the most excited about. Vitamin C is a powerhouse of an antioxidant and has many proven skin benefits. L-Ascorbic Acid is the most potent and studied form of Vitamin C, notorious for being highly unstable. I have used a bunch of Vitamin C serums but it can be really hard to find a well-formulated one, especially in India. I so wanted this to work out. Unfortunately, this serum broke my blemish-free skin-so-good spell (or Copper Peptide - will explain later). My skin was perfect right before the ER haul. After trying these products my skin started to break out left right and center. So after being frustrated with my new breakouts, I decided to check the PH of this serum. To my surprise, the PH came out to be PH 6-7. Vitamin C's work best between PH 2-3.5. I contacted the brand to know what they claim for the PH to be. They informed me the PH for the product is "PH 2.5-3.2" on their Instagram handle. I took it up further and after a lot of back and forth. This is the reply I received from the brand owner. The preservatives & PH stabilizers that reacted were not mentioned in the ingredients list. I asked her later why they were not mentioned? I was told that the PH stabilizers and preservatives were less than 0.5% and anything less than 0.5% was not required to be mentioned. I, personally cannot understand that L-AA (15% and highly acidic PH 1-2) could turn a PH of 6-7 with just 0.01% of Ph stabilizers (As per what she claimed).
Texture: Thick goopy. I could sort of see/feel the ascorbic acid particles in the serum. It was clear when it arrived but has turned slightly yellow now.
Status: WNR. All in all, the product was unstable and breaking me out (maybe). I will not be repurchasing unless I find out the changed and fixed the formula.
Took a picture of the vitamin C serum. It turned slightly yellow now. It was clear when it arrived.
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My experience: I wanted to include copper-peptides in my routine after Gothamista raved about them. I haven't been able to get my hands on the TO/Niod ones. Let's copy-paste everything about my excitement and the sadness in what really happened with Vitamin C, here, as well. Basically, PH came out to be PH 2-3. The brand claimed it to be around PH 6-7. The owner admitted something went wrong. I discontinued usage. I received this product 2-3 days earlier to the Vitamin C serum. I broke out 2 days after introducing the Vitamin C & the Bakuchiol. I thought it was vitamin C that broke me out but in afterthought, it could be this serum as well. Maybe my skin barrier was ducked because of these, maybe it was an ingredient. Who knows? Interestingly this product mentions the preservatives. Not sure if it is because they are in a % above 0.05% or the brand just decided to put these in the ingredients list on the website.
Texture: Watery liquid, blue in color. Did not sting after application, slightly irritated my eyelids.
Status: WNR. All in all, the product was unstable and breaking me out (maybe). I will not be repurchasing unless I find out the changed and fixed the formula.
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My experience: I had read a lot about Bakuchiol and wanted to give it a try. Bakuchiol can have anti-acne and anti-aging benefits very comparable to tretinoin as per primary studies. However, Bakuchiol is not the same as Babchi oil. A lot of brands claim to be using Babchi oil and that can actually have some side effects. This article explains the difference well. Thus I had contacted ER before purchasing to ensure they were using Bakuchiol and not Babchi extract. They claimed they were indeed using Bakuchiol. On the first experience, it had the typical essential oil smell. The fragrance is toooooo much and it lingers. As per the ingredients list on site, it seems like it could be the Tansy oil, which I have no clue a to why it was added. Essential oils provide no benefit other than fragrance. Since I was breaking out I thought it must be this oil at first. So I just used it once and did not use it again till I found out it could be the products mentioned above. After that, I have tried two attempts to use this product. I tried to use it at night as a face oil. The smell lingers and it can be a good thing or a bad thing(depending on your preference). It is definitely not good for the skin. I didn't experience any breakouts but it did not give me any benefits in the short period I tried to use it. The smell was just too much for me. Thus, I tried to use it as a massage oil, pre-cleansing. It worked well initially. However, I started to notice my face getting red and sensitive after a few days so I stopped. I haven't use the oil ever since. I may give it another attempt but the fragrance is a huge turn-off.
Texture: Lightweight, nonsticky, oily.
Another issue: The ingredients list on the pack was different than the one online. I mentioned this issue to the owner as well. She did not respond to this issue. Not sure if this was just another error or if this is the correct one actually.
Status: WNR. Please remove the essential oil from this product.
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My Hair type: Low porosity 1c-2a, scalp prone to dermatitis, was experiencing heavy hormonal hair fall during that period.
My experience: I purchased this after hearing a lot of hype around their shampoo bars. This did not increase my hair fall and when it arrived it looked really small but I think a little goes a long way with this one. I think it felt it was really gentle but not suitable for my hair type. It made my hair frizzier and slick at the same time although my scalp and hair both felt clean.
Status: May try another bar better suited for my hair type.
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My Hair type: Low porosity 1c-2a, scalp prone to dermatitis, was experiencing heavy hormonal hairfall during that period.
My experience: On the website, they claim that this can be used on the roots as well. I tried that a few times. It felt like it left a film on my hair and my hair looked greasy like that, thus I just started applying this on my ends. It does help detangle hair in the shower and it makes hair softer. However once dry, my hair becomes frizzier and tangled after wash. Again, I feel it may not be suited for my hair type. I think people which thick hair might like this.
Status: WNR
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My experience: The website claims that this can be used as a leave-in cream as well but I just used it as a hair mask and washed after 1-2 hrs. It left my hair extremely nourished and soft but really greasy. Even after washing it with a sulfate shampoo by hair were pretty much weighed down. I think this would be good for those with thick hair. I liked it for extra nourishment. I will use this up. I didn't notice my hair falling excessively while using this. The quantity is really little though and I am not sure how many uses you can get if you have very thick voluminous hair.
Status: WNR
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My experience: This product was a complete dud. Maybe I received a lip balm instead of a scrub. Maybe the sugar particles melted. Maybe my product did not have any sugar particles. I rubbed half the product to ensure that they were not buried deep inside. This was just a hard thick balm, not moisturizing at all. It has no scrub particles. This was a major disappointment. I had to contact ER for several days to get this fixed. I have no clue what went wrong with this product.
Status: WNR
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OVERALL BRAND REVIEW:
I appreciate how candid the owner was in admitting what could have gone wrong. Her responses seemed genuine. After much discussion about the unstable formulation, I had to wait a long while before the refund was processed for the defective items. I left reminder emails for the refund which was just very embarrassing. The owner, however, provided me a complete refund for all my purchases which is kind & generous.
I hate that they did not announce the issues in their batches on their Instagram/website. A batch can have anywhere around 500-20,000 units(approx). If the whole batch was bad, I feel those customers deserve a refund/new product.
I think the brand is still in the learning stage. I think their hair products may be nice. I can see them working out for some people. The skin care products were a major no-no. I had a lot of expectations from the brand as they position themselves to be aware and first movers in the Indian skincare industry. I was gravely disappointed to know that the formulas are not well researched and; even though the brand is big on disclosure, they are not purposely going out of their way to list the complete ingredients list. No dyes, colors, preservatives, and ph stabilizers below 0.5% will be mentioned. Their sunscreen has no PA/PPD ratings.
Their packaging for both the lip scrub and the glass dropper bottle sucks. The bamboo exterior in the packaging is lined with a plastic interior. It makes the caps and sticks bulkier and thus hard to open and close. The brand heavily advertises and markets itself to be a clean/green brand. The bamboo cap packaging just looks like a gimmick though. It serves no real purpose. I appreciate the glass containers and the aluminum pump bottles although. They feel lux. Also, all products are packaged with a lot of newspaper stuffing, which I prefer over bubble wraps. Points for that.
By their brand marketing, they are trying to cater to both scientific and natural skincare consumers. The owner in a later email claimed that they aren't running the brand for-profit and are very motivated to reinvent the skincare industry. I can see that they are motivated but I cannot see how the brand is not focused on profits. Their products aren't cheap and they have invested heavily in marketing and influencer codes. I can see ER becoming the next JC. I am just sad that my experience was not nice. I hope the brand does try to take feedback and focuses more on quality and formulation. I think the brand has a lot of potential. They have a good marketing team and are developing products that are needed in the Indian market today. All their products look very interesting. I wish they ace their formulations as well.
Update: The brand owner contacted me that they have been getting a lot of hate since my post. I want to shout it out that it's ok to voice your criticism but any kind of bullying is NOT ok. Everyone is welcome to make purchase decisions based on what they seem fit but all our personal thoughts do not need to be aired. We are all human. Please don't send any hate to the owner. This does not mean I want to stop you from sharing your views/experiences. Just be careful of your words.
She also let me know the steps and changes they have made following the event. Here is a screenshot of our conversation.
submitted by Aayu07 to IndianSkincareAddicts [link] [comments] A picture of products minus the shampoo bar
This post has been long due. I had to test the products adequately before making my mind about them. Other than the products in the picture, I purchased the Milk Protein Shampoo Bar as well. Overall I am very angry at myself for trying these products out.
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- 0.5% FERULIC ACID, 15% VITAMIN C, 1% VITAMIN E MULTIVITAMIN AGE DEFENSE SERUM
My experience: This is the product I was the most excited about. Vitamin C is a powerhouse of an antioxidant and has many proven skin benefits. L-Ascorbic Acid is the most potent and studied form of Vitamin C, notorious for being highly unstable. I have used a bunch of Vitamin C serums but it can be really hard to find a well-formulated one, especially in India. I so wanted this to work out. Unfortunately, this serum broke my blemish-free skin-so-good spell (or Copper Peptide - will explain later). My skin was perfect right before the ER haul. After trying these products my skin started to break out left right and center. So after being frustrated with my new breakouts, I decided to check the PH of this serum. To my surprise, the PH came out to be PH 6-7. Vitamin C's work best between PH 2-3.5. I contacted the brand to know what they claim for the PH to be. They informed me the PH for the product is "PH 2.5-3.2" on their Instagram handle. I took it up further and after a lot of back and forth. This is the reply I received from the brand owner. The preservatives & PH stabilizers that reacted were not mentioned in the ingredients list. I asked her later why they were not mentioned? I was told that the PH stabilizers and preservatives were less than 0.5% and anything less than 0.5% was not required to be mentioned. I, personally cannot understand that L-AA (15% and highly acidic PH 1-2) could turn a PH of 6-7 with just 0.01% of Ph stabilizers (As per what she claimed).
Texture: Thick goopy. I could sort of see/feel the ascorbic acid particles in the serum. It was clear when it arrived but has turned slightly yellow now.
Status: WNR. All in all, the product was unstable and breaking me out (maybe). I will not be repurchasing unless I find out the changed and fixed the formula.
Took a picture of the vitamin C serum. It turned slightly yellow now. It was clear when it arrived.
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- COPPER TRIPEPTIDE + PHYTO CERAMIDE SERUM
My experience: I wanted to include copper-peptides in my routine after Gothamista raved about them. I haven't been able to get my hands on the TO/Niod ones. Let's copy-paste everything about my excitement and the sadness in what really happened with Vitamin C, here, as well. Basically, PH came out to be PH 2-3. The brand claimed it to be around PH 6-7. The owner admitted something went wrong. I discontinued usage. I received this product 2-3 days earlier to the Vitamin C serum. I broke out 2 days after introducing the Vitamin C & the Bakuchiol. I thought it was vitamin C that broke me out but in afterthought, it could be this serum as well. Maybe my skin barrier was ducked because of these, maybe it was an ingredient. Who knows? Interestingly this product mentions the preservatives. Not sure if it is because they are in a % above 0.05% or the brand just decided to put these in the ingredients list on the website.
Texture: Watery liquid, blue in color. Did not sting after application, slightly irritated my eyelids.
Status: WNR. All in all, the product was unstable and breaking me out (maybe). I will not be repurchasing unless I find out the changed and fixed the formula.
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- SKIN SMOOTHENING SERUM - BAKUCHIOL EXTRACT
My experience: I had read a lot about Bakuchiol and wanted to give it a try. Bakuchiol can have anti-acne and anti-aging benefits very comparable to tretinoin as per primary studies. However, Bakuchiol is not the same as Babchi oil. A lot of brands claim to be using Babchi oil and that can actually have some side effects. This article explains the difference well. Thus I had contacted ER before purchasing to ensure they were using Bakuchiol and not Babchi extract. They claimed they were indeed using Bakuchiol. On the first experience, it had the typical essential oil smell. The fragrance is toooooo much and it lingers. As per the ingredients list on site, it seems like it could be the Tansy oil, which I have no clue a to why it was added. Essential oils provide no benefit other than fragrance. Since I was breaking out I thought it must be this oil at first. So I just used it once and did not use it again till I found out it could be the products mentioned above. After that, I have tried two attempts to use this product. I tried to use it at night as a face oil. The smell lingers and it can be a good thing or a bad thing(depending on your preference). It is definitely not good for the skin. I didn't experience any breakouts but it did not give me any benefits in the short period I tried to use it. The smell was just too much for me. Thus, I tried to use it as a massage oil, pre-cleansing. It worked well initially. However, I started to notice my face getting red and sensitive after a few days so I stopped. I haven't use the oil ever since. I may give it another attempt but the fragrance is a huge turn-off.
Texture: Lightweight, nonsticky, oily.
Another issue: The ingredients list on the pack was different than the one online. I mentioned this issue to the owner as well. She did not respond to this issue. Not sure if this was just another error or if this is the correct one actually.
Status: WNR. Please remove the essential oil from this product.
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- MILK PROTEIN SHAMPOO BAR
My Hair type: Low porosity 1c-2a, scalp prone to dermatitis, was experiencing heavy hormonal hair fall during that period.
My experience: I purchased this after hearing a lot of hype around their shampoo bars. This did not increase my hair fall and when it arrived it looked really small but I think a little goes a long way with this one. I think it felt it was really gentle but not suitable for my hair type. It made my hair frizzier and slick at the same time although my scalp and hair both felt clean.
Status: May try another bar better suited for my hair type.
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- MOIST REPAIR HAIR CONDITIONER
My Hair type: Low porosity 1c-2a, scalp prone to dermatitis, was experiencing heavy hormonal hairfall during that period.
My experience: On the website, they claim that this can be used on the roots as well. I tried that a few times. It felt like it left a film on my hair and my hair looked greasy like that, thus I just started applying this on my ends. It does help detangle hair in the shower and it makes hair softer. However once dry, my hair becomes frizzier and tangled after wash. Again, I feel it may not be suited for my hair type. I think people which thick hair might like this.
Status: WNR
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- DEEP CONDITIONER HAIR BUTTER WITH HIBISCUS, SHIKKAKAI & ARNICA EXTRACT
My experience: The website claims that this can be used as a leave-in cream as well but I just used it as a hair mask and washed after 1-2 hrs. It left my hair extremely nourished and soft but really greasy. Even after washing it with a sulfate shampoo by hair were pretty much weighed down. I think this would be good for those with thick hair. I liked it for extra nourishment. I will use this up. I didn't notice my hair falling excessively while using this. The quantity is really little though and I am not sure how many uses you can get if you have very thick voluminous hair.
Status: WNR
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- ORGANIC LIP
SCRUBSTICK
My experience: This product was a complete dud. Maybe I received a lip balm instead of a scrub. Maybe the sugar particles melted. Maybe my product did not have any sugar particles. I rubbed half the product to ensure that they were not buried deep inside. This was just a hard thick balm, not moisturizing at all. It has no scrub particles. This was a major disappointment. I had to contact ER for several days to get this fixed. I have no clue what went wrong with this product.
Status: WNR
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OVERALL BRAND REVIEW:
I appreciate how candid the owner was in admitting what could have gone wrong. Her responses seemed genuine. After much discussion about the unstable formulation, I had to wait a long while before the refund was processed for the defective items. I left reminder emails for the refund which was just very embarrassing. The owner, however, provided me a complete refund for all my purchases which is kind & generous.
I hate that they did not announce the issues in their batches on their Instagram/website. A batch can have anywhere around 500-20,000 units(approx). If the whole batch was bad, I feel those customers deserve a refund/new product.
I think the brand is still in the learning stage. I think their hair products may be nice. I can see them working out for some people. The skin care products were a major no-no. I had a lot of expectations from the brand as they position themselves to be aware and first movers in the Indian skincare industry. I was gravely disappointed to know that the formulas are not well researched and; even though the brand is big on disclosure, they are not purposely going out of their way to list the complete ingredients list. No dyes, colors, preservatives, and ph stabilizers below 0.5% will be mentioned. Their sunscreen has no PA/PPD ratings.
Their packaging for both the lip scrub and the glass dropper bottle sucks. The bamboo exterior in the packaging is lined with a plastic interior. It makes the caps and sticks bulkier and thus hard to open and close. The brand heavily advertises and markets itself to be a clean/green brand. The bamboo cap packaging just looks like a gimmick though. It serves no real purpose. I appreciate the glass containers and the aluminum pump bottles although. They feel lux. Also, all products are packaged with a lot of newspaper stuffing, which I prefer over bubble wraps. Points for that.
By their brand marketing, they are trying to cater to both scientific and natural skincare consumers. The owner in a later email claimed that they aren't running the brand for-profit and are very motivated to reinvent the skincare industry. I can see that they are motivated but I cannot see how the brand is not focused on profits. Their products aren't cheap and they have invested heavily in marketing and influencer codes. I can see ER becoming the next JC. I am just sad that my experience was not nice. I hope the brand does try to take feedback and focuses more on quality and formulation. I think the brand has a lot of potential. They have a good marketing team and are developing products that are needed in the Indian market today. All their products look very interesting. I wish they ace their formulations as well.
Update: The brand owner contacted me that they have been getting a lot of hate since my post. I want to shout it out that it's ok to voice your criticism but any kind of bullying is NOT ok. Everyone is welcome to make purchase decisions based on what they seem fit but all our personal thoughts do not need to be aired. We are all human. Please don't send any hate to the owner. This does not mean I want to stop you from sharing your views/experiences. Just be careful of your words.
She also let me know the steps and changes they have made following the event. Here is a screenshot of our conversation.
