Winter must-have: Arcona Chamomile Balm
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free skin care · Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:50 am

I have very sensitive skin and am prone to patches of flaky, red skin when the cold winter winds really get going, so even though my skin was doing fine at the time, when I saw Arcona's Chamomile Balm I KNEW it was something I needed to have on hand. Talk about good timing because just a few weeks later the weather here in Boston took a turn for the worse, and after just a couple days of being exposed to cold, dry winds, my skin had some rough patches in need of some serious TLC. This product has definitely delivered on its claims and then some! It neutralizes the redness, banishes the flakes, and protects my skin, all without causing any break outs or clogged pores! For whatever reason I always seem to have the most problems with redness and flakes on either side of my nose and it has helped there tremendously.

I have read some reviews where people complained about the "earthy" fragrance---- to me it smells like a cup of very strong chamomile tea, which is a good thing since to me that means that there is enough chamomile oil in this to be effective. I like to layer Arcona's hydrating serum under this--- which by the way smells like honey since honey is one of the main ingredients.^-^

Here's the official description of Arcona's Hydrating Balm:
Healing anti-inflammatory balm soothes compromised skin and strengthens skin's natural defense system. Alleviate redness, heal and calm skin with blue chamomile oil. Repair capillary damage and bolster skin's barrier with moisture-boosting panthenol, butcher's broom and shea butter extracts. Neutralize free radical damage with antioxidant white tea, apple extract and vitamin E. Ideal for sensitive or dry skin, during cold weather or following sunburn or intensive cosmetic procedures.

Like all products in ARCONA's skin therapy regimen, Chamomile Balm is cosmeceutically formulated with pure, natural ingredients, cold-pressed in small batches to keep them fresh, active and super-effective. For optimal results, we recommend using this product within six months of opening. change may be immediately noticeable; however, full benefits are derived as skin is brought into balance by regular use.

And here are the ingredients:
Agua (Distilled Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerine, Blue Chamomile Oil (Anthemis Nobiis), Butcher's Broom Extract (Ruscus Aculeatus), Licorice Extract (Glycyrrhiza Glabra), Horse Chestnut Extract (Aesculus Hippocastanum), Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract (Apple), Camellia Sinensis Extract (White Tea), Hydrocotyl Extract (Centella Asiatica), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Ascorbic Acid Ester (Vitamin C), D Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Allantoin, Grapefruit Seed Extract (Citrus Grandis)

I purchased it at Beauty.com for $28, and it was worth every penny---- this is one product I'm never going to be without!

free skin care · Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:53 pm

That sounds like it may be good for people with broken caps (me!). I love Arcona. I think it is a great line and works quite well, especially for younger skin.

free skin care · Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:42 pm

Hi manslayerliz! I'm curious about the ingredients list on this product. Are you sure it is the COMPLETE ingredients list? There doesn't appear to be any emulsifier listed, and without that, there is no way that Shea Butter (a butter like oil) is going to stay mixed with water in this formula. They will separate. Is this formula a cream, butter, or thick lotion? Also, I don't see any sort of preservative listed. And with both water and Aloe in this formula, no preservatives will surely mean microbial growth in no time flat. So, are there more ingredients somewhere on the label?

Just curious... Smile

John

free skin care · Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:06 pm

NOTCH wrote:

Hi manslayerliz! I'm curious about the ingredients list on this product. Are you sure it is the COMPLETE ingredients list? There doesn't appear to be any emulsifier listed, and without that, there is no way that Shea Butter (a butter like oil) is going to stay mixed with water in this formula. They will separate. Is this formula a cream, butter, or thick lotion? Also, I don't see any sort of preservative listed. And with both water and Aloe in this formula, no preservatives will surely mean microbial growth in no time flat. So, are there more ingredients somewhere on the label?

Just curious... Smile

John

There's a customer service number on the box to call for personal assistance, so maybe this will help:
1-877-272-6620

free skin care · Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:50 pm

manslayerliz wrote:

I purchased it at Beauty.com for $28, and it was worth every penny---- this is one product I'm never going to be without!

I'm glad you found something that works for you!

Quote:

We at ARCONA are dedicated to offering the highest quality, most effective skin care for both home and professional use. Enzymatic-based ingredients in ARCONA products include high concentrations of antioxidants, plant lipids and extracts, sea vegetables, essential oils, vitamins and minerals. Our ingredients are processed and products manufactured according to state-of-the-art, chirally correct technology.

ARCONA products do not contain petrochemicals, binders or fillers, chemical stabilizers, parabens, sodium lauryl sulphates, perfumes, dyes, or any other caustic, toxic ingredients. There is no scientific evidence that such additives support more than a brief, cosmetic change in the skin, and there is proof that these substances clog the pores and block the restoration of healthy, balanced skin.

“Color, fragrance and consistency don’t change your skin, but live, active ingredients do.”

And you never know...maybe the live, active ingredients in the form of microbes are part of their master plan. They have 7 pages of press mentions and a thriving spa operation, so they must be doing something right!

http://www.arcona.com/page/100/CTGY/NEWS

free skin care · Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:14 pm

Doing "something right", and making scientifically sound and safe cosmetic formulas can be two different things.

As a cosmetic consumer the very last thing that ought to be considered is marketing spin articles in magazines such as these. It is well known that the articles and reviews can, and do, range anywhere from something of the truth to absolute pie-in-the-sky fantasy-speak written to reach consumer emotion.

The very first thing a consumer should look at is the ingredients list. It should weigh in 90% or more of the "decision to buy" process. There is a reason why the FDA and USA government enacted the "truth in labeling" laws. It was to give the consumer access to the scientific truth about a product rather than only marketing spin.

If I see a product that is under preserved, or has no preservative at all, that raises a huge red flag. Any formula containing water with an organic material such as oils, butters, extracts ect. can and will grow microbial contamination. As soon as the product is touched there is a chance that microbes such as bacteria, fungus, yeasts, and molds can and will grow....rapidly.

The cosmetic industry is in general a "self-policing" industry. The FDA generally lets the industry run itself knowing that manufacturers will tend not to break any rules because it will hurt all of them. Reference the case of the eyelash growth factor company that used prescription glaucoma material in their cosmetic product. The sleeping giant FDA woke up and slammed the company, making them destroy all inventory, added fines, and potentially jail time for the owners.

When cosmetic formulators, suppliers, and companies see other companies putting out formulas that could potentially hurt someone, it is our obligation to point these things out. I don't know this particular company and I'm not affiliated with it either so I can't comment further on their business practices. But, for safety sake, that's why I brought up this concern in the first place. Other cosmetic consumers should be looking for the same things when they read the ingredients labels on products.

John

free skin care · Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:38 pm

Sounds like a great product for a windy winter and the price is not bad! My skin is extremely sensitive. It is getting colder here in Canada and my skin is irritated and red from wind burns and cold. The regular moisturizers that I usually use are not enough for my skin. I will definitely get one to try. Thanks for the review.

free skin care · Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:10 pm

I've never heard of Arcona until today, when I've been reading through the threads and have seen 3 rave threads on it. It sounds interesting:

Quote:

The Basic Five strengthens, enhances and speeds up the skin’s own renewal cycle from 30 to 7 days. As a result, surface layers of dead skin are continuously dissolving, so that the Dermis (deepest layer of skin tissue), becomes highly stimulated and the production of collagen and elastin is greatly increased.

You can get the "basic 5" for $206. It doesn't include moisturizers, which would be hard to get used to. Has anyone been using Arcona for a while?

free skin care · Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:32 am

Catballou--- so far the only Arcona products I've tried have been this chamomile balm and the hydrating serum, but I'm completely in love with BOTH of them and am on my second bottle of each. It has definitely made me curious to try other products as well. As for moisturizers, I think their basic lines do contain moisturizers, they are just in spray form. I'm very intrigued...

free skin care · Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:06 am

I am using Arcona tonner now,it a sample from a gift bag.The tonner'color is pink,very likability.And the flavour ispotpourri,when I used it forepart,my colleagues alway asked me which perfume I had spurted.

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