Pine Needle Beauty – Cruelty Free and Vegan Skincare
The founders of Pine Needle Beauty found themselves missing their favorite skincare after they moved from Poland to the US. They missed it so much, in fact, that they decided to bring it here for us all to enjoy. You can now buy cruelty free and vegan IOSSI skincare without an expensive plane ticket to Poland!
Before we get into the reviews, let me tell you why Pine Needle Beauty is so awesome. First of all, they believe strongly that beauty should be cruelty free. That’s why they curate products that are 100% vegan and never tested on animals at any point in the production and manufacturing process. They also believe that beauty should be eco-friendly, so all packaging is recyclable. I also love that they don’t use digitally altered photography. There are so many skincare companies that use fake before and afters – it drives me nuts!
IOSSI Skincare Reviews
IOSSI makes skincare products that are “clean” and made with natural and high-quality ingredients that are accepted by ECOCERT/COSMOS for use in natural and organic cosmetics. There are no unnecessary additives or artificial colors used. Did you know European law bans or restricts over 1,300 chemicals, while the US only bans eleven? The cosmetics are sustainably produced in IOSSI’s own lab, and most of them are packaged in beautiful glass containers (with some recyclable plastic parts). They are also very affordable, with nothing over $32, and some in the $12.95 range.
Let’s start with my favorite product – IOSSI Acerola. It’s a spray-on facial toner that I almost didn’t even try! Usually, I have to avoid anything with Vitamin C or citrus, but this facial mist doesn’t irritate my skin. Most Vitamin C products contain ascorbic acid, which is way too harsh for my skin. IOSSI only uses natural lemon and orange fruit extracts, which seems to be something I can tolerate.
The ingredients are 91.6% organic. This toner contains natural sugar maple/sugar cane AHAs for exfoliation, hyaluronic acid for hydration, and niacinamide (AKA Vitamin B3, an on-trend ingredient and one of my faves) to help with acne, fine lines, and dark spots. There are also a ton of botanicals like blueberries, Spanish sage (chia seed), rose, licorice, and many more. Check the website for a complete list.
You can spritz Acerola directly onto your skin any time of day to refresh. For best results, use it twice a day after cleansing your skin before adding any serums, creams, or oils. If the exfoliation is too much for you, back off a bit and use it only at night.
IOSSI Rice Foam is a very gentle face wash. As the name implies, it comes in a foaming dispenser. It’s made with natural botanicals such as calendula, marshmallow root, copaiba oil, babassu oil, licorice, rice protein, orange water, bamboo, green tea, and Spanish sage. You may notice cocos nucifera fruit extract on the label. This is a coconut extract that doesn’t have the same fatty acid composition as coconut oil, so it’s non-comedogenic (no breakouts).
As I mentioned, it is very gentle. If you’re wearing heavy makeup or SPF, I recommend using an oil-cleanse beforehand and/or using this with a washcloth or sonic scrub brush.
IOSSI Rice Coconut is a 100% natural exfoliating and hydrating facial scrub. It’s a thick paste that sort of feels like homemade playdough. You only need a small amount to get a pretty intense scrub. I recommend using a little bit of scrub with a lot of water because the rice powder, oat kernel flour, and coconut powder pack quite a punch! You can also use it as a decollete, hand, and body scrub.
IOSSI Naffi is a medium-weight, super hydrating face cream made with a HUGE list of moisturizing ingredients. This jar is packed with: avocado oil, jojoba oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, shea butter, perilla seed oil, wheat germ oil, borage seed oil, sea buckthorn berry oil, coconut fruit extract, glycerin, and squalane.
I would recommend this for mature and normal to dry skin types. It goes on smooth and feels like it’s enveloping your skin with a nice barrier. It doesn’t feel heavy or greasy at all. But, some of these oils are high on the comedogenic scale (like wheat germ), so in my opinion, the cream may not be suitable for very oily or acneic skin.
IOSSI A+E+C Vitamin Cocktail Eye Serum is a light oil that is chock full of anti-aging ingredients that are safe to use in the delicate eye area. Retinol, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, squalane, and other oils combine for a hydrating, antioxidant-filled cocktail. This blend is especially recommended for dry and mature skin types. It comes with a cooling rollerball that makes it easy to apply, while also reducing inflammation.
Pine Needle Beauty has many other cruelty free IOSSI skincare products, including the Neroli Shake that I really want to try! Check them out and give them a follow on Instagram and Facebook.
