I came upon the Natural Instinct range via the new Chemist Warehouse which opened up in St Lukes Auckland. Chemist Warehouse is a gigantic Australian supermarket style chemist like Boots or Superdrug in the UK, they stock a lot of variety in makeup and skincare brands.
One of the major bugbears and annoyances I’ve found with moving to New Zealand after having lived in Australia and the UK has been the complete lack of access to affordable, high quality vegan skincare and makeup. It’s as though to find skincare and makeup that’s not cruel to animals that you need to pay $100+ for the privlege. That’s just bullshit!
Finally things are changing in New Zealand with the introduction of Chemist Warehouse which includes a lot of Australian skincare brands that were previously unavailable. Although a lot of the products stocked in the Chemist Warehouse aren’t cruelty free, organic and vegan – they do have a range of products and brands that I can finally feel not guilty about using!
The Natural Instinct Range
Natural instinct ticks all of the boxes in terms of having only vegan and vegetable derived ingredients, and not testing on animals. Additionally the range excludes a lot of synthetic and man-made ingredients. Instead of hiding behind subterfuge and smoke and mirrors about the products they make, Natural Instinct clearly explains what they do and why they are better than other skin care ranges. I respect and admire that level of transparency.
Natural Instinct Ingredient Standard
Our unique authenticity standard for crafting truly natural plant derived products that are FREE FROM:
Petrochemicals
PEGS
Propylene Glycol
Mineral oils
Phenoxyethanol
EDTA
Sulphates
Silicones
Parabens
Animal Derivatives
PABA
Artificial fragrances and colours
and over 400 man-made synthetic chemicals. Not tested on animals
Dermatologically tested
Vegan
pH Balanced
Recyclable
Best within 12 months of opening
Made with love in Australia
That day, I purchased a lot of their products because in the Chemist Warehouse they were on sale for $9.95 each. I really was able to buy a lot for less money compared to what I was spending previously on Trilogy, Antipodes, Aesop and other high end organic skincare brands.
The range I purchased
Invigorating facial scrub
Made from walnut shells and kakadu plum this facial scrub is one of the better scrubs I’ve used. It’s gentle and glides onto the skin really beautifully, it has a creamy and rich smell. I found after using this product for about 3 months, in conjunction with everything else in the range my skin definitely looked amazing.
Credit for my skin also should be given to moving to a vegetarian and plant based diet – it has definitely made my skin look better too.
Natural Instinct Nourishing Facial Moisturiser
This day time moisturiser really worked wonders on my skin. Like the other moisturisers it contains goji berry and kakadu plum and hero ingredients which help to support skin firming and elasticity. It’s a great everyday moisturiser and I found my skin feeling incredibly taut and smooth after using it. I would definitely recommend this.
Restoring Night Cream
This great night cream comes in an extra large glass jar which I found to be a bonus. It’s designed to deeply nourish the skin and rehydrate it and promote skin elasticity – which is what we all need daaahling.
It contains kakadu plum, a powerful antioxidant along with sweet almond oil which has a firming effect on the skin. I found that this did actually help my skin to improve its appearance, the smoothness and glowiness of the skin. It does deliver what it says on the branding and provides exceptional moisturisation improving the look and feel of the skin.
Refreshing foaming cleanser
This cleanser is a gel which I normally don’t like, however this one I found to be incredibly refreshing and enjoyable and it didn’t dry out my skin unlike other gel based cleansers.
This product boasts that it will provide 8 hours of continual hydration. It’s packed with kakadu plum and goji berries which are known for working on the skin and providing greater clarity and skin tone, protecting against free radical damage. I would say that this gel cleanser is one of the better ones I have ever used. It has a enlivening and refreshing feeling on the skin, especially in the morning just after you’ve woken up. It’s gentle and doesn’t dehydrate the skin.
The verdict
I just want to be clear that nobody paid me for this gushing review at all I just liked these products and found them really great value and they really worked on my skin. Also in terms of what I look for as a purchaser I endeavour to find the brands that aren’t made from synthetic ingredients and that aren’t contributing unduly to the fucking up of the planet. I used these products everyday for 3 months my skin felt softer, deeply moisturised, glowing, and supple.
I highly recommend this brand to Kiwi and Australian women who are looking for a brand that’s firmly committed to beauty without harmful chemicals, high prices and harming animals. Also most importantly this brand’s pricing makes it accessible to women on all incomes, and this lack of exclusivity and lack of bullshit in the branding I find refreshing too.
Natural Instinct is proud to be one of Australia’s original natural skin care & hair care pioneers, with over a decade’s worth of experience in bringing natural beauty products to Australian homes and families.
We believe everyone should be able to enjoy skin and hair nutrition that is good for you, and the environment.
We are completely committed to our Natural Instinct Ingredient Standard. It is your guarantee that our products are formulated with the finest plant-derived ingredients, certified organic extracts and pure essential oils.
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