Daughter Earth‘s concept is ‘Modern Science meets Ancient Ayurveda’.
The product under review today is ‘Serum Absolut’. This product’s main claims are:
- Phyto-Retinol
- Blue-Light rescue
- Bio-Active Toning complex
INCI
analysis of ingredients
The first 8 ingredients probably make up 85%- 90% or more of this formula. Because of these ingredients (2-6), the gel is very moisturising and hydrating, with many emollients and humectants.
The rest of this formula is made up of many many botanical extracts, including the reason I bought this serum, Bakuchiol.
Bakuchiol is derived from the seeds of the Babchi plant, a plant native to India and Sri Lanka. It has been proven to have retinol-like effects without irritating/sensitising the skin. Retinol is a ‘cell-communicating ingredient’ that encourages the growth of collagen in our skin and has anti-ageing properties. Because of these retinol-like effects, Bakuchiol is a very promising ingredient. According to studies, at 0.5% concentration, it has retinol-like anti-ageing effects and at 1% it seems to control and prevent acne. So, if you can’t tolerate retinol- or if you are pregnant- or if you are hesitant like I am about starting retinol in our sunny climes even though i really really want to, bakuchiol seems like a nice first-step to start your anti-ageing skincare routine.
In this serum, Bakuchiol (25th in the INCI on their website, ~47th in the INCI on the packaging) is definitely less than at 1%. I might venture to guess that it is even less than 0.5%. so even if they are using 99% pure bakuchiol, if it makes up <0.5% of the formulation, I’m not sure how effective its going to be for retinol-like effects. Daughter Earth hasn’t revealed the bakuchiol % in their serum, but I understand that ingredient % is not something they disclose.
Other notable ingredients present are: Ashwagandha Root extract, Moringa oil, Green-Tea extract and Vitamin-E
There are a lot of botanicals in this serum that don’t have a lot of clinical research/ scientific evidence that I could find. These ingredients have some benefits (anti-oxidant, anti-microbial etc) but they could also be irritating and sensitising. Botanical/natural ingredients are also more likely to trigger allergic reactions than synthetic ingredients, so that’s something to note. It all depends on the formulation of these ingredients- and Daughter Earth seems to have used Ayurvedic Sutras as the reason for formulating with these botanicals.
Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate are the preservatives used in this serum. Xanthan gum and Guar gum are used for their binding and stabilizing properties. Once the serum has been opened, it has to be used within 6 months.
feel/smell/use
It has a white gel cream texture and feels very light. It is absorbed quickly and leaves a nice matte finish. It also feels slightly warm for a bit after applying it.
However, warning people: this product has a very strong smell and it is not the most pleasant. Also, it lingers.
It was a deterrent to me, but not for my MIL or husband (both of whom I had try out this serum- my MIL has dry mature skin and husband has sensitive oily skin- both of them gave this a 👍). I think its because this is a “fragrance-free” product- that means no ingredient has been added just for the purpose of perfuming it. However, the ingredients themselves will obviously have their own smells, and so, this serum’s is one that is not palatable to me.
I have dry to normal skin and I’ve been using this as the last step of my night-time skincare routine- after my cleansing and exfoliating. I live in a city with humid weather, so I’m not feeling the need for a moisturiser. If I lived in a city with less humidity, (eg: Bangalore), I would definitely follow up with a moisturiser.
verdict
This is a great moisturising serum- your skin feels so plump and soft in the morning. They’ve put a lot of thought into making sure that this formulation works for all skin types and that it’s nourishing.
The claims are slightly gimmicky though- there is no scientific evidence that blue-light from screens damage your skin- as for the Phyto-Retinol, I’m unsure about the efficacy of the % of Bakuchiol in this serum.
I would love to see if this helps my light hyperpigmentation.
I will continue using this serum until its finished, but after that, I’m curious to try out another Bakuchiol serum.
for more info, check out
- Daughter Earth product page
- About Blue-light damage to our skin
- Paula’s Choice- Bakuchiol
- Bakuchiol- Acne Research paper
- Bakuchiol- Anti-ageing- Research paper
- Inci-Decoder- Bakuchiol- a great source to decode your INCI!
Have you used this serum? What are your thoughts? Do you have any recommendations for Bakuchiol products in India? Is there anything I should have included? Please let me know!
Skinvana 
The packaging is really one-of-a-kind, and it’s clear they have paid attention to detail!
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