An Introductory To Cruelty-Free British Brand ARK Skincare

-This post contains PR/gifted items, no paid content. All opinions are my own-

I think we all know by now that I'm a massive skincare fan. So when an email landed in my inbox last month about the award winning brand ARK Skincare who are natural, cruelty-free and basically free from all of the "baddies" including Parabens, SLS, Mineral Oil, S.D. Alcohol, Formaldehyde and also artificial colours and fragrances, I was excited to give them a try! They use bioactive natural ingredients, containing effective antioxidants, lipids and vitamins and have ranges which target for all age groups. Their Protect range is for teens & 20s, Defend is for 30s and 40s and Defy is for those who are over 50.

Because I am 25 I was sent over two products from their Protect range. So I was sent the Age Protect Skin Clear Cleanser* and the Age Protect Skin Vitality Moisturiser*. I was also sent their Skin Essential Pre Cleanse & Make-up Remover* which is for all ages. 

The first product I'm going to talk about is obviously the Age Protect Skin Clear Cleanser RRP £25* (200ml) which comes in a pump bottle. I'm a bit of a cleanser hoarder so obviously it was the product I was most excited to try out. It's soap free, vegan friendly and I also really like the smell of the product as it's very calming and kind of reminds me of some products from Dermalogica who are one of my go-to fave skincare brands. It's lathers up a little and I've actually noticed I've been reaching for ARK Skincare's Skin Clear Cleanser more than my Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser which definitely says something as that's been one of my go-to cleansers since 2017. 

 The bio active ingredients in the cleanser include - Oat Amino Acids, Peach Lipids, Avocado Oil, Vitamin E, White Tea, Watercress, Nettle and Horsetail. Has it done much for my skin in terms of helping to clear it? I'm not sure to be honest... but to be fair on the product I have been dealing with a lot whilst I've been trying out these bits from ARK Skincare which if you follow me on my social media then you'll know what I'm talking about. So I suppose the stress/upset and etc will have affected my skin and made it act up a bit. But I would definitely pick this cleanser up again anyway as I just feel like my skin likes it and it's just a nice lightweight daily gel cleanser. I've been using an oil based makeup remover first and then using the cleanser afterwards.

The Age Protect Skin Vitality Moisturiser RRP £35* (50ml) contains similar ingredients as the cleanser and these include - Peach Lipids, Avocado Oil, Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, White Tea, Creatine and Anti-Pollution Algae. It's jam packed with antioxidants and claims to offer a perfect balance of moisture. It's not super thick but it's not thin either which I do usually like in a moisturiser. I do think for me personally this would get on with my skin more when the weather gets cooler (so around Autumn time) just because my skin is oily and having oily skin in the summer is basically a curse. Right now I'm opting for more gel/lightweight moisturisers wherever possible whilst we're going through a weird on/off heatwave. I've actually rediscovered my love for the Origins Ginzing Energy Boosting Gel Moisturiser. But the ARK Skincare moisturiser is a nice moisturiser overall and it also smells very similar to the cleanser which I'm a fan of. I'm not sure if I would pick it up again at £35 just because I do have cheaper moisturisers which work better for me personally but if I saw it on offer on Look Fantastic which is one of the places where ARK Skincare can be picked up then I would potentially buy it again.

I was also sent a travel size version of their Skin Essential Pre Cleanse Makeup Remover* which I found worked really well but unfortunately I seem to have had an allergic reaction and my eyes went all puffy and red after using it. This isn't any fault of the brand/product though, it's just me and my weird allergies. I'm really gutted as it worked so well and it took my waterproof mascara off a lot quicker than my usual makeup remover. So I would still say pick it up and give it a try if you're in the market for a cruelty-free makeup remover right now.

Have you heard of or tried anything from ARK Skincare before? 

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