Oat Enriched Facial Serum

5 Reviews

1. 

   euphoricOcelot5

   Reply

   I am just trying Garden of Wisdom out for the first time and will be reviewing all items. Unfortunately, I could not even give this a fair shot because the smell of rotting fish was so unbearable. Went straight into the trash.

2. 

   excludedPonie8

   Reply

   Pros:
   -Moisturizing
   -Soothing
   -Softening
   -easy to spread

   Cons:
   -Smells terrible

   I have combination/dehydrated skin that is clog-prone (especially when it comes to silicones and certain oils) so it’s difficult for me to find serums that don’t wreak havoc on my skin. This serum, however, is absolutely wonderful and makes my skin feel really soft and moisturized. I use daily it after washing my face, and before my moisturizer (it makes my moisturizer work so much better). The only problem with it is the smell which unfortunately reminds me of something rotting, but it dissipates quickly and the overall results outweigh this minor complaint.

   I will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out.

3. 

   resolvedJerky4

   Reply

   This product is absolutely lovely. It has a slightly watery consistency, and spreads easily. I use a few drops morning and night, patting it onto a lightly damp face, before using my moisturizer. It adds a bit of moisture, and is great for calming the skin. I am acne-prone and this hasn’t broken me out in any way – I’d even say it helps with any blemishes I do get.

   As long as Garden of Wisdom has this, I’ll be buying it! The only tiny downside is the smell might not be pleasant to some people. I don’t mind it, though.

4. 

   lazyApples9

   Reply

   Very calming for most skin issues. Great to use if you picked your skin!

5. 

   similarOtter1

   Reply

   UPDATE (2014-01): using this again. Great on irritated reactive skin. Soothing. Works well as a hydrating serum, especially in drier conditions when (on me anyway) serums based on hyaluronic acid just result in even drier skin (diffusion etc.).

   This is an odourless water-based serum; various sorts of oat in colloidal solution, plus seamollient, honey, preservative. Full product information here
   
   and, for comparison, GoW’s full list of “Healing and Soothing Products”
   (you may need to click “continue” to activate links).

   How to use: on skin, as GoW wisely say, in the water-stage of your skincare. Needs a good shake before use. I use it on face, eye area, neck, throat down to bosom. Applied to damp skin (or after toner: I sometimes use witch hazel hydrosol for this). Followed by moisturiser and sunscreen (see notepad). I’ve also used it locally on other eczematic areas–insides of wrists and other joints–and when flying: none of my usual combination of breakouts and cracky dryness during and afterwards.

   Skin type here: thin, fragile, irritable, reactive, off-and-on eczematic, sensitive; slightly dry.

   I first tried this out as (back at the time if first posting this review) I’d been using a lot of A-Derma products (oat-based) and for a time they were becoming hard to find locally; so I looked around for other oat-based things. The search became more necessary as my skin was going into more eczematic mode, and oaty stuff is on my list of Things That Help (oatmeal baths for starters). Eczema return possibly triggered and more certainly exacerbated by increase in stress over last few months–bereavement, work, less sleep, more conferences, several more international trips half-way round the world, cumulative jet-lag that must surely be going to kick in with a vengeance any day now.

   Results to report: zero irritation; soothing; skin moist; eczema under control, as of time of writing pretty much gone. Now, I can’t in all honesty and scientific exactitude blame this serum: but it’s part of a set of products that are working well and doing good. I did try not using it, and while I didn’t shrivel up and die, I did notice that skin felt better–more comfortable, smoother, sleeker–when using it. So it gets an unreserved thumbs up.

   Available from Garden of Wisdom online. Cruelty-free. $19.30 for 1 oz, $6.05 for a 0.25 oz mini, good for trying out or travel, plus shipping (reasonable, and superb customer service). Honest price for what it is, given the ingredients and that this kind of serum is tricky to make. The only comparable product I’ve found–minimalist formula, no extra unnecessary fluff, decent company, fair prices–is Silk Naturals’ oatmeal serum (cheaper, thicker, but has sea kelp and sometimes this SN serum zittifies me). A-Derma also has a water-based oaty spray.

   INGREDIENTS: Distilled Water – Seamollient – Fermented Oat Extract – Oat Beta Glucans – Honey – Cromoist [hydrolyzed oats] – Panthenol B-5 – Co2 Oat Extract – Optiphen

   Silk Naturals Oatmeal Hydrating Serum, for comparison: $9.95/2oz or $1.00/5ml. INGREDIENTS: Distilled Water, White Tea Extract, Licorice Extract, Tamarind Seed Extract, Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Oats, Sodium PCA, Gluconolactone (and) Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Panthenol

   A-Derma Epitheiale spray, for comparison (NB info found online, not seen in the flesh): €10.00-12.00 / 75 ml. INGREDIENTS: Aqua, Dimethyl Ether, Hexylene Glycol, Glycerin, Avena Sativa (oat) kernel oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Retinyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben.