California Naturel is a line of natural skincare products that are naturally scented with essential oils. The brand likes to talk about what they don’t have: they’re free of parabens and sulfates.
Quick reminder of my skin type: I’m super dry. My biggest concerns are with discolorations and preventing future damage. However, this summer has been warm and I have no air conditioning, so my skin has been much more “greasy” and gross feeling than usual.
I’ve tried three items from the California Naturel’s product line:
Gentle Cleansing Gel for all skin types
This cleanser is meant to remove makeup and impurities without drying out the skin. It moisturizes with aloe vera (first ingredient) and cleanses with soapberry.
This is a gel with a more “watery” texture (like aloe). It glides easily over the skin. It doesn’t foam and it rinses off easily. The scent is like lavender and ylang ylang – an herbal floral.
My experience: It removed makeup without drying out my skin. (I did not use it to remove eye makeup). It did what it claims to do so I’m pleased.
I really think this could work with all skin types except for very dry or for those that prefer rich, creamy cleansers.
99.63% of the total ingredients are from natural origin, 57.21% of the total ingredients are from organic farming
*Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, cocoglucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate, *glycerin, sodium lauroyl lactylate, Sapindus mukurossi (soapberry) fruit extract, *Oryza sativa (rice) seed extract, *Spirulina platensis (algae) extract, *Camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract, PCA glyceryl oleate, *Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil, *Rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, Anthemis nobilis (roman chamomile) flower oil, Cymbopogon martinii (palmarosa) leaf oil, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil,caprylyl/ capryl wheat bran/ straw glycosides, fusel wheat bran/straw glycosides, polyglyceryl-5-oleate, glyceryl caprylate,sclerotium gum, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate.
*Certified Organic
4.2 oz bottle retails for $33.
Nourishing Cream for dry to normal.
This cream is meant to hydrate and soothe dry, sensitive skin types.
This is a lightweight lotion that absorbs rather quickly and smooths easily over the skin. It has a light, natural herbal-floral aroma (neroli and rosemary).
My experience: My skin is really dry and I don’t see this working for me in the cooler months. As a nightly summer moisturizer during this hot summer, it works for me with a moisturizing serum (The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisturizing Serum).
I see this working best for people with normal and normal-to-dry skin types wanting something lighter weight to wear under sunscreen or over nourishing serums nightly.
99.97% of the total ingredients are from natural origin, 83.47% of the total ingredients are from organic farming
*Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, *Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, water/ aqua/ eau, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl glucoside, *Medicago sativa (alfalfa) extract, caprylic/ capric triglyceride, cetearyl wheat straw glycoside, Populus tremuloides (aspen) bark extract, *glycerin, maltooligosyl glucoside/ hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, cetyl esters, hydrogenated vegetable oil, Crithmum maritimum extract, Olea europaea (olive) leaf extract, Vanillosmopsis erythropappa (bisabolol) wood oil, *Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil, *Citrus aurantium (neroli) flower oil, Chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, *Rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, *Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, Boswellia carterii (frankincense) extract, xanthan gum,p-anisic acid.
*Certified Organic
The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $45.
Balancing Complex for combination to oily
This is a moisturizer that purifies oily, sensitive skin types.
This is a lightweight oil. I would describe the texture as “water”. Yes, it’s an oil but nothing about it feels oily. The fragrance is rather strong at first. It’s rose geranium and lemongrass. The scent does fade after about 5-10 minutes.
My experience: I have very dry skin so this was more like an oil-based serum for me. I need more moisture so I used it like a serum, applying moisturizer over it (Acure Argan Oil). It actually works rather well as a serum for my dry skin.
I had a friend with oily skin try it as a nightly moisturizer and they loved it. So, I think this is a product for those with oily or combo skin types. However, I did like using it as a lightweight oil-based “serum” for summer for my drier skin type.
95% of the total ingredients are from organic farming.
*Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, *Argania spinosa kernel oil, *Borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, *Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil,*Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, *Pelargonium graveolens flower/ leaf/ stem extract (rose geranium), *Citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil (and) *Lavandula intermedia flower/ leaf/ stem extract, *Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, *organic grape alcohol, *glycerin,*Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, *Cymbopogon schoenanthus oil
*Certified Organic
The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $45.
Packaging of all these are plastic bottles with a pump.
Who may like this line? Anyone looking for a high-quality, all-natural, green, organic skincare line. Those that like skincare with natural essences and those that like lightweight, fast-absorbing products. I think this line (overall) is best suited for those with normal, combo or oily skin types.
If you like brands like Dr. Haushka, Jurlique, Absolution, Suti or Skin & Bones, you may like this line.
Who may not like this line? Those that do not like fragrance in their skincare. Those with very dry, dehydrated skin. And of course, if you are sensitive to any of the ingredients listed, you aren’t going to like this line!
Overall, I think it’s a good line. You know I’m in the cult of Paula and she’d give these products a low rating because of the essential oils. My feeling is that most of us know what works for us and what doesn’t. And some people have positive experiences with essential oils, let the consumer decide. As far as “crunchy skincare” goes, I think this line is rather luxurious and definitely competes with the brands I listed above.
All products are available at California Naturel. The line also has sunscreen and lip balm.
Want more reviews? Try…
[…] California Naturel Gentle Cleansing Gel – This is a natural cleansing gel that works better for me as a morning cleanser. It doesn’t remove my Korean BB creams and sunscreens that easily. It smells like ylang-ylang and herbs. Full review here. […]