As I am approaching the 30-year-old mark on my age (okay I am still 4 years away, but I am already stressing about it!), I’ve become more and more pedantic about my skin and my skin care routine. I have also become more and more aware of what I am putting on my skin and the ingredients that are housed within the products. Some things just don’t work on my skin at all, so I have started paying more and more attention to the ingredient list on the back of every skin care jar and tube. With this in mind, I am very excited to tell you about the new launch from Kiehl’s which is 99.6% naturally derived! The gem is called Pure Vitality Skin Renewing Cream and it has become the new bestie in my morning skin care routine!

The 99.6% naturally derived cream helps skin to renew itself and improves resilience for smoother texture and a more youthful radiance. Inspired by traditional Eastern and Western practices, the skin-revitalizing and skin-fortifying moisturizer with Korean Red Ginseng Root and New Zealand Manuka Honey, increases vibrancy and helps build a stronger skin barrier. What I love about it is that it contains no parabens, no mineral oils and no synthetic colour or fragrance. Fantastic for a sensitive skin that doesn’t like perfume, one of my friends struggles with this and gets a bad rash anytime something with fragrance touches her skin, plus you know that you are only putting the good stuff on your face.

Pure Vitality was formulated with 2 star ingredients- Korean Red Ginseng Root and New Zealand Manuka Honey.

The Ginseng root (the weird looking thing in the photo) has been well known in the beauty industry for its function of increasing cell turnover rate and improving the skins texture and glow.

The Manuka Honey is a dark creamy mono-floral honey, and it has been valued for its strong medicinal properties in the last 30 years to treat skin wounds, due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties! The honey is sourced by indigenous Maori family-owned company from the North Island of New Zealand, and now it’s in your skin care cream!

So with all of this natural history and fantastic ingredients behind it, the main question is- does it work? Because no matter what the stats say, at the end of the day what matters is, did it work for you?

Well it did for me, and I am enjoying this cream every morning! Beware though- it does have a thick texture- which is not unexpected given that it has honey in it. I would almost compare it to a texture of a non-sticky honey, if you can picture that. It melts into your skin (also penetrating beyond the superficial skin layer) and my skin feels immediately more plump and re-freshed afterwards.

The recommended way to use it is to use a pea-size amount, rub between fingers to melt and soften the formula. A little really goes a long way with this baby! I prefer using it in the morning because I feel like it makes my make-up go on even better, but you can also use it at night so the rich texture can absorb into your skin overnight.

I would recommend Pure Vitality to anyone looking for a rich textured, natural, moisturizer to make your skin look healthier, with zero compromise on efficacy! Available at all Kiehl’s stores now for R895 for a 50ml jar