Forest Secrets for Youthful Skin [Review]

A few years ago, I walked away from cosmetics. I threw away drugstore bought cosmetic products, except mascara, and began researching non-toxic options. I set my standard high. I wanted 100% all natural ingredients. I researched every product I considered buying and used EWG's Skin Deep Database to understand ingredients and their toxicity. In the past year, I have seen an increase in 100% natural products and their availability, especially online. I believe in simple beauty routines, using high quality, natural and organic ingredients to keep my skin looking and feeling healthy. Forest Secrets Skincare offers personalized natural skin care made from natural and organic ingredients.

Anti-Ageing Starter Pack       (£63.00, around $105.00)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
No filler ingredients or dilutions	Contains potentially toxic ingredients (scents and preservatives)
Moisturized skin and decreased wrinkles
High quality ingredients

Forest Secrets is a line of beauty products created by Dr. Barbara Olioso, a professional chemist who only works with natural and organic cosmetics. Her commitment to create beauty products without synthetic chemicals translated to products that are potent and pure. The Anti-Ageing Starter Kit contains two products: iRejuvenate Plus Elixir and iRejuvenate Plus Serum. Let's take a look at the ingredients:

iRejuvenate Plus Elixir Ingredients: Silybum marianum (Milk thistle) seed oil, Argania spinosa (Argan) kernel oil*, Brassica campestris (Brassica rapa), Prunus armenica (Apricot) kernel oil*, Linum usitatissimum (Flaxseed) oil, Rosa canina (Rosehip) fruit oil*, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Trichilia emetica (Mafura) seed butter**, Parfum (purely form plants), Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) flower Extract, Simondisa chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) flower extract, Lupinus albus (Lupin) seed extract, Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Benzyl alcohol, Linalool (purely from plants).
* organic, ** fair trade

iRejuvenate Plus Elixir contains a number of oils to moisturize the skin. All of the oil ingredients are non-toxic to the body. However, some of the ingredients at the end of the list, which means they are used in smaller quantities, do pose a potential risk to the human body based on EWG's Skin Deep Database. Dr. Barbara Olioso from Forest Secrets assured that the products contain only plant botanicals, no synthetic ingredients. I have detailed these ingredients below in case you are interested in any potential side effects. Everyone's skin reacts differently.

Citronellol - 5 (for scent purposes)
Eugenol - 7 (naturally occurring scent chemical found in clove oil, can also be manufactured synthetically)
Farnesol - 4 (perfume ingredient found in nature)
Geraniol - 7 (naturally occurring scent ingredient found in various essential oils)
Benzyl alcohol - 5 (used as a solvent and preservative)
Linalool - 5 (fragrance ingredient)

iRejuvenate Plus Serum Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Mimosa tenuiflora bark extract, Kinetin (from plant sources), Chlorella vulgaris extract, Parfum (from plants) Vitex agnus castus extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Sodium hyaluronate (from bio sources), Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, Lecithin (vegetable), Lactic acid, Xanthan gum, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) flower extract, Cyclodextrine, Rhizobian gum, Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride.
 * organic

Lecithin - 3-4 (naturally occurring lipid found in plants)
Lactic Acid - 4 (alpha hydroxy acid, naturally produced during bacterial fermentation)
Alcohol - 3 (used as a preservative)

My mom and I have both been using the Anti-Ageing Starter Kit for over 4 weeks. My mom has dry mature skin with wrinkles, sun spots, and overall sun damage. My skin has wrinkles, dry spots, and red spots.  The Exilir and Serum are blended together and applied to the skin instead of traditional moisturizer. Depending on your skin type, you would mix less or more of each of the products.

Mom's Results: Skin feels hydrated, softer and more moisturized than a traditional moisturizer. Skin feels plump. Wrinkles have smoothed out a little. Started out using dry skin routine, which caused a few whiteheads to form on forehead. After she adjusted her routine to match the combination skin type, whiteheads disappeared. She loves that the elixir and serum go on very light and absorb quickly.

Katie's Results: Skin feels hydrated, softer and more moisturized without using a traditional moisturizer. Skin feels plump. Red spots have reduced in color. No issues with whiteheads.

My mom and I experienced good results after using Forest Secrets Anti-Ageing Starting Kit for over 4 weeks. Since she had more sun damage, she had more to gain from using the iRejuvenate products daily. I like that my skin also experienced good results from the iRejuvenate products. Forest Secrets Skincare offers high quality, natural ingredients that are easy and quick to apply and leave your skin feeling brand new.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned to facilitate this review with no other compensation. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.