Era Organics: Plant-Based Skincare For Oily Skin
I discovered Era Organics a few years ago while looking for products to include in a blog post I was writing about Natural Healing Remedies For Eczema. I was having a tough time because most medicated and store bought creams don’t deal with the root of the problem. They contain ‘band aid' ingredients like petroleum, or dimethicone which have no replenishing or healing effects on inflamed, damaged skin. They merely offer a short term solution for dermatitis related skin conditions like eczema.
I finally came across a brand called Era Organics, and their all-natural, plant-based range of balms and creams designed to treat eczema. It was like finding a treasure trove in a sea of crap!
*Sponsored post but all opinions are my own thoughts, feelings, and experience with the product. Read my full disclaimer here
About The Brand
Avoiding certain skincare ingredients that cause irritation such as perfume, PEGs, harsh surfactants and alcohols is key to treating eczema. This is what Era Organics does best. They focus on natural ways to nourish and balance the skin through vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients it needs to repair the skin barrier and maintain the correct pH level. They create all natural, plant based products to treat skin conditions like acne and eczema. And unlike a lot of 'natural' brands, they formulate without sulfates, parabens, fragrance, and irritants.
It’s great to see that Era Organics have grown so much in the last few years expanding from their first healing cream, Complete to a Mom and baby line, skincare and haircare, plus a line for men.
Another great thing about this brand is the price. I’m a firm believer that good skincare should not break the bank. In my experience, a lot of high end beauty brands are some of the worst offenders when it comes to bad ingredients. The other day I posted on Instagram about my biggest skincare pet peeve —overpriced products! One of my favorite recommendations is dupes, especially when they are a better quality!
The Products
I’m incredibly fussy about the brands and products that I promote/recommend on my platform. Whenever I get approached by brands the first thing I do is go straight to the source and dissect their ingredients list!
Unfortunately, nine times out of ten I wouldn’t personally use or recommend these products to my clients and readers. So receiving a message from a brand like Era Organics (who I know and love) is rare and oh, so sweet! Better still, they kindly asked me which products I would like to try. I chose the two products below, Tea Tree Cream and Tea Tree Cleanser for a couple of reasons that I’ll explain in this post. After using them for the last month.. here’s my thoughts.
Oily Skin
I don’t have oily or acne-prone skin but many of my readers and clients do, so it's important that I recommend products that work for them. I do this through researching suitable ingredient lists, but it's even better to be able to feel textures, smell the scent, and see how my skin feels after using it. Which is why I wanted to try these Tea Tree products for oily skin.
Astringent Skincare
Traditionally, skincare products like toners and cleansers for oily skin are formulated with a high content of (bad) alcohols and harsh sulfates like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). This is because they were believed to be astringent —a skincare benefit that helps to control oiliness and keep pores clean.
However, studies have shown these kinds of ingredients to be counterproductive for oily skin. They strip the skin of its natural oils causing a cycle of problems. Firstly, the lack of oil sends the skin into overdrive, producing excess oil that can clog pores causing acne breakouts. Secondly, over time, daily use of skincare products containing harsh detergents and alcohols are known to disrupt the wall-like structure of the skin barrier, leaving your skin vulnerable to environmental damage and dehydration.
Luckily, these days we know better! Lots of beauty brands have gotten rid of this antiquated way of trying to control oily skin. Instead they opt for kinder astringent ingredients like sage, citric acid, rose water, salicylic acid, witch hazel extract. These ones don’t damage the skin!
Bad alcohols to avoid:
benzyl alcohol
SD alcohol
denatured alcohol (alcohol denat.)
ethyl alcohol
isopropyl alcohol
Good alcohols/Fatty alcohols:
cetyl alcohol
cetearyl alcohol
stearyl alcohol
Tea Tree Cleanser - $18.37
Benefits
Key ingredients like St. John's Wort, Burdock, Dandelion Root and Goldenseal all help to fight acne causing bacteria and promote skin healing. Tea tree oil is a popular skincare ingredient for oily and acne-prone skin types because of its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It helps to calm redness, swelling, and irritation whilst keeping pores clean of impurities that cause breakouts.
Salicylic acid, a Beta-Hydroxy Acid (BHA) is derived from willow bark and is a must for oily and acne-prone skin. The benefits of BHA are:
UNCLOGS PORES: It is lipophilic (oil-loving), which means it dissolves pore-clogging oil/sebum and debris that cause blackheads and breakouts.
DEEP CLEANSING: Due to its small molecular size and weight it has the unique ability to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin. Studies show BHA to have an extremely deep cleansing effect for acne-prone skin.
ANTIBACTERIAL: Helps to combat bacterial infections that cause acne.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY: Helps to heal and calm inflammatory skin conditions.
BALANCING: Help to control excess oil production.
How I Use It
This is a bedtime only face wash on account of the salicylic acid, which is an exfoliating acid that can cause extreme sensitivity to sunlight. I use this face wash in my evening routine as step two of my double cleanse. It left my skin squeaky clean without feeling tight and dry.
Ingredient List
Organic Aloe Barbadensis Gel (Aloe Vera)
Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Coconut Oil)
Propanediol
Hydroxyethyl Cellulose
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil
Salicylic Acid
Xanthan Gum
Zinc Oxide
Mica
Titanium Oxide
Organic St. John’s Wort
Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil
Organic Burdock
Organic Dandelion Root
Organic Goldenseal
Phenoxyethanol
My Thoughts
I really like this face wash. It does contain Cocamidopropyl Betaine, a type of surfactant derived from coconut oil. It’s considered a kinder alternative to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), but can still be irritating and drying for some. At the end of the day, you do want a cleanser with some form of surfactant in, as they pull oil, dirt, and makeup from your pores to be rinsed away. Especially if you have oily and acne-prone skin!
I'm a big fan of exfoliating acids in my nightly cleanser, although I always advise my clients to alternate cleansers, and not to use ones with surfactants and BHA in daily.
Mica, which is a mineral powder used in cosmetics for shimmer and glow gives this cleanser a lovely green, iridescent shimmer. Not being a chemist, I'm guessing that's why it's included in the formula! But, due to the unethical supply chain of mica, I do think it's important for brands to state that their mica is ethically sourced.
Tea Tree Cream - $21.71
Benefits
This cream is formulated with many of the same key ingredients as the Tea Tree Cleanser, so the benefits are similar. It does not contain pore-clogging plant butters like shea or cocoa butter, that are commonly used in moisturizers to prevent dehydration. It does contain coconut oil though, which can be comedogenic for some. Salicylic acid is a great addition to night cream for this skin type because it helps to keep pores clear while you sleep.
If you're wondering, here's how your pores could become clogged while you sleep....
Between 11pm and midnight, the skins 'repair and renewal' cycle is at its peak. This means there's a lot of important activity going on beneath the skin's surface while you sleep! It’s regenerating new skin cells, shedding dead ones, and losing moisture (trans-epidermal water loss). Plus, it still sweats and produces sebum!
How I Use It
As mentioned above, any product containing salicylic acid is best used in your evening skincare routine. My skin is normal to dry, so I applied this cream after my favorite night time oil, Retin C Vitamin Oil from Facetheory. On account of having quite dry skin, I tend to use rich night creams so I did expect my skin to feel dry when I woke up in the morning. But it didn't. Even thought this cream is light, it's still hydrating. Which is super important at night time as oily skin can easily become dehydrated too!
Ingredient List
Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera)
Emulsifying Wax NF
Organic Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Organic Glycerol
Organic Coconut Oil
Sodium PCA
Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil
Organic Willow Bark Extract (Salicylic Acid)
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
Organic St. John’s Wort Extract
Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid)
Tapioca Natural
Hydrastis Canadensis (Goldenseal) Extract
Zinc Oxide
Galactoarabinan
Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Extract
Carbomer
Organic Burdock Root Extract
Cellulose Gum
Sodium Hydroxide
Gluconolactone
Sodium Benzoate,
Phenoxyethanol
Ethylhexylglycerin
My Thoughts
I really like this moisturizer, and would even use it again on my own skin during the warmer summer months. It full of nice protective ingredients for night time, but is also soothing and calming if you have any acne breakouts. I advise not to use it in the morning, although I'm unsure of the percentage of BHA, it's always best to be on the safe side!
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