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I came across Alex Carro skincare on Tumblr of all places. It was featured on a design blog due to its simple but strikign, Scandinavian design aesthetic. This Barcelona-based company uses only premium natural ingredients and all the products can be mixed together to boost the usefulness of your regimen.
I’ve been testing the Facial Cleanser, Exfoliating Powder and Multiuse Balm. The ingredients for each of these products can be found underneath each product; needless to say, you won’t find anything nasty. All Alex Carro skincare can be bought in the UK here from Wolf & Badger (I’ve not bought from them personally).
Alex Carro Facial Cleanser
This balm cleanser has a base of capric triglycerides and glycerin; formulated from coconut. I wanted to get this out the way, but I didn’t really like this as a cleanser. My skin didn’t feel clean after using it and even from being in the shower, there was still a little residue.
However, as a base for the exfoliator; absolutely 100% love it. You can mix this with the Alex Carro Exfoliating Powder to create an ultra-strong physical exfoliator that breaks down dead skin cells and unblocks pores. Even though they’re not usually recommended for good, gentle skin-health, I do love a very powerful exfoliator and this certainly helps form a good one.
I didn’t get the Balancing Skin Oil, but you can apply 3-4 drops of it to the cleanser and use this as a face mask. Although I didn’t try this, by feeling its consistency, I can see this working really well.
As well as the hydrating base, there’s also citrus peel oil, lemongrass, lemon and bitter orange leaf oil. All the ingredients are of natural origin however if you’re ultra-sensitive, just be careful of using essential oils. So in all, a good product, smells great, just not as a cleanser on my skin.
Alex Carro Facial Cleanser Full Ingredients
Caprylic/capric triglycerides, glycerin, aqua (water), simmondsia chinensis Seed oil, vitis vinifera seed oil, sucrose stearate, sucrose laurate, decyl glucoside, coco-glucoside, citrus aurantium peel oil expressed, cymbopogon martini herb oil, citrus aurantium amara leaf/twig oil, glyceryl oleate, sucrose palmitate, citric acid, tocopherol, hydrogenated palm glycerides citrate, linalool, geraniol, limonene.
Alex Carro Exfoliating Powder
I love this, a lot. To be fair I love any exfoliating powders such as Mauli Rituals and Aesop Tea Tree Exfoliator. Whilst they can be a bit fiddly, you can mix your preferred concentration of exfoliant; ramping it up or decreasing it as you need.
This contains naturally derived surfactants as well as tapioca starch, dog-rose seed powder, coconut shell powder and sodium bicarbonate. I found that even in low quantities, when mixed into the Alex Carro Facial Cleanser, it still has a bite to it. I use a good shake and afterwards my skin is porcelain smooth. It’s finer than the Aesop Tea Tree Exfoliator so it feels scrubby rather than scratchy.
Take your current cleanser or the Alex Carro Facial cleanser, blob some of it in your hand and then pour on a little of the Exfoliating Powder. Mix it together in your hand with a few drops of water and then start to gently work around your face, avoiding the eye area.
You must use a moisturiser after using any exfoliating products.
Alex Carro Exfoliating Powder Full Ingredients
Starch tapioca, rosa canina seed powder, aqua (water), bambusa vulgaris leaf/stem extract, cocos nucifera shell powder, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, mannitol, papain, bromelain, decyl glucoside, coco-glucoside, glyceryl oleate, sodium cocoyl apple amino acids, sodium chloride, hexylene glycol, lauric acid, hydrogenated palm glycerides citrate, pogostemon cablin leaf oil, lavandula angustifolia oil, boswellia carterii oil, pelargonium graveolens oil, rosa damascena extract, tocopherol.
Alex Carro Multiuse Balm
This smells amazing! Seriously, the shea and cocoa butters mixed with dog-rose, calendula, chamomile and neroli smell out of this world. This has to be my favourite product from the trio – I do love a lip balm.
Although this can be used anywhere, such as for dry patches of skin – which will be particularly good when my nose is runny from hay fever later in the year – it’s primary use is a lip balm. It starts off as a very hard balm, so really shove your finger in to start. After a while it does loosen up. It melts into lips and feels unbelievably soothing. It has no taste, but you can really smell it; very, very calming.
What’s even cooler, is that Alex Carro instruct you to blend this with a little of the Exfoliating Powder to make your own lip scrub. I have done this and can confirm it works very well! Use gently on dry lips, wipe away with a damp flannel and then reapply just the balm for ultra-smooth lips. I suffer terribly with dry lips so this was warmly welcomed.
Alex Carro Multiuse Balm Full Ingredients
Butyrospermum parkii butter, vitis vinifera, theobroma cacao seed butter, rosa canina, cera alba, calendula officialis flower extract, tocopheryl acetate, anthemis nobilis, citrus aurantium, lavandula angustifolia, citrus sinesis.
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