Chikyu Skincare’s brand statement says a lot about why I love their brand:
“CHIKYU has gone back to the beginning of time to bring the foundation of natural skin care to the surface of our world today. To feed your skin, CHIKYU focuses on simplicity by using only the finest and purest natural ingredients straight from our earth without the use of chemicals, or harmful ingredients. Chikyu wishes for each of you to come away feeling beautiful as you relish and embrace what earth has intended for you to experience all along, purity!”
I’ll get to their products in a moment, but first I wanted to say a bit about their Etsy shop. I really love the way their product listings are laid out. When I go to a product I’m met with a bounty of information including: what the product is, who it’s suited for, directions for use, a list of ingredients, and an outline of specific properties for the ingredients. I love details and I’m still learning about natural products so this is wonderful for me!
Now let’s get on with the review!
My favorite products from this brand are the Vita Plus Eye Cream and the Balanced Skin Toner (which was included as a sample with my order), both of which I plan to purchase full sizes of. I tried these two along with the Facial Cleansing Oil, Face Polish Exfoliator, Restoration Overnight Face Cream, and Radiance Skin Booster. Here are my thoughts on each one:
Vita Plus Eye Cream
0.25 oz sample/trial size – $6.50, 0.5 oz full size – $12.50
I’ve been using this twice a day almost every day since I received it and it has all but completely removed the fine lines next to my eyes. The cream is not too heavy or oily and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t make my eye makeup slide around like some of the oil serums I’ve tried can. I also found that it’s very moisturizing and emollient, so my skin feels protected, too. Like all of the Chikyu products, it contains some wonderful ingredients such as calendula, wheatgerm, and sesame oils, as well as hyaluronic acid and psuedo collagen, both a great help for reducing fine lines. This is definitely on my list to repurchase when I run out!
Ingredients: *Calendula Hydrosol, Sesame Seed Oil, *Calendula Oil, *Wheatgerm Oil, *Rose Hip Oil, *Carrot Seed Oil, Helichrysum Essential Oil, Pseudocollagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Phyto Peptide Complex (Plant Based Peptides), Silk Amino Peptides, Chamomille ESO, Caffeine, Caprylic Triglyceride (Coconut based), Stearic Acid (Plant Sourced), *Vegetable Glycerin
Facial Toner for Balanced Skin
This was included as sample with my order, but I fell in love with it after the first use. I’m familiar with the concept of Japanese “lotions” and non-drying toners, and I think this lovely toner is a perfect example. This toner prepares my skin for my skincare regimen and I feel that it helps my skin to absorb the products I apply much better. This toner is alcohol free, non-drying, and I feel like it softens my skin. I apply this toner with a felt facial round after washing my face.
Ingredients: *Helichrysum Extract, *Lavender Extract, *Neroli Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Hyaluranic Acid, Hydrolyzed Oats, *Glycerin
Facial Cleansing Oil
1 oz trial/travel size – $3.75, 4 oz full size – $15.50
This was another sample I got with my order and the only reason I haven’t jumped to buy the full size is because 1) the sample lasts quite a while and 2) I have so many oils already. However, this one is one of the best I’ve used and it’s definitely more effective than my DIY blends. I don’t have to use a lot to get my makeup off and it’s a lighter oil, so it doesn’t leave behind a heavy residue. I definitely recommend this oil for anyone who enjoys the oil cleansing method.
Ingredients: *Meadowfoam Oil, *Camellia Oil, *Grapeseed Oil, Castor Oil, *Rose Geranium ESO, Mulitfruit BSC
Face Polish Exfoliator
1 oz trial/travel size – $2.65 – 4 oz full size – $10.50
I love scrubs and this one is extra lovely! I’ve found that some sugar and salt scrubs are just too much for my face lately, particularly if they have larger grains, even if they are designated for the face, but this exfoliator uses finely milled apricot seeds as the exfoliant. I use this about once a week after cleansing and I’ve found it to be gentle, but effective. It’s slightly moisturizing, quite softening, and smoothing. The only minor issue I have with it is that the “grains” can be a bit difficult to rinse from my face, so I usually use a cloth to wipe them away. This certainly doesn’t deter me at all, but I do think it’s worth noting. I think this is a great exfoliator and I plan to order more in the future. I definitely recommend it for those who want something a bit more gentle, affordable, and natural.
Ingredients: *Chamomile Hydrosol, *Green Tea Hydrosol, *Hibiscus Hydrosol, *Raw Witch Hazel, *Grapeseed Oil, *Jojoba Oil, *NonGMO Soy Butter, *Palm Oil, Apricot Seeds (finely milled), Honeyquat Extract, *Camu Camu Powder Extract, *White Willow Bark Powder Extract, *Acerola Berry Powder Extract, *Pumpkin Powder Extract, Apple Powder Fruit Extract, *Matcha Green Tea Powder Extract, Ginko Biloba, *Calendula Oil, Colloidal Oatmeal, *Vegetable Glycerin, *Guar Gum, Natapress (Radish Root, Honeysuckle & Aspen Bark Extract), *Chamomile ESO, *Lavender ESO, *Rosemary ESO
Restoration Overnight Face Cream
0.25 oz trial/sample size $10.50 – 1 oz full size $23.50
I did enjoy this night cream, but I’m not sure I was able to try enough of it to really make a fair judgement. I did like it for the couple of days I did use it. I found to be moisturizing, though perhaps a bit lighter than I might expect from an overnight cream.
Ingredients: *Aloe Leaf Extract, *Green Tea, *Jojoba Oil, *Coconut Oil, Glycolic Acid, *Cocoa Butter, Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, *Cucumber Extract, Lactic Acid, *Camellia Seed Oil, *Wildcrafted Euphrasia Officinalis (Eyebright), Phytic Acid,*Avocado Oil, CoQ10, *Tamanu Oil, *Borage Oil, Plant Peptides, Helichrysum ESO, *Grapeseed Oil, Olive Squalane, Oregon Grape Root, Apple Extract, *Calendula , *Evening Primrose,*Chamomile, *Macadamia Nut Oil, *Wild Arnica, *Vegetable Cellulose, Vitamin C, *Licorice Root, Flax Seed Oil, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), *Lemongrass, *Lavender, *Rose Hip Oil, *Raw Witch Hazel Extract, *Wildcrafted Resina Propoli, *Wheat Germ Oil, *Vegetable Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, NonGMO Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, *Natapress (Radish Root, Honeysuckle Extract, Populus Tremuloides Extract)
Radiance Skin Booster
0.25 oz trial/travel size $7.50 – 1 oz full size $17.50
This was the product that I placed my order around. I have some light spots on my forehead and minor freckles/dark spots on my cheeks that I was hoping to even out. I used the serum every night for about two weeks which was most of my trial size. I didn’t see a marked change in any of the areas I mentioned. They do seem a bit lighter, but it’s quite difficult to tell. Honestly, it would probably take longer to see any real changes, so I can’t really comment on the skin evening/lightening effects of this serum. What I can tell you is that it did seem to improve overall condition of my skin. My skin felt softer, more moisturized, and just generally more rejuvenated than it has felt with any other serum I’ve tried. I haven’t decided whether I’ll be purchasing a full size or not, but I definitely think this is a serum worth trying if you’re looking for a boost for your skin.
Ingredients: *Aloe Vera, *Gotu Kola, *Horsetail, *Geranium, *Dandelion, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide (Plant Based Hyaluronic Acid), *Raw Witch Hazel, MSM, *Wildcrafted Kojic Acid, Glycolic Acid, *White Willow Bark, *Licorice Root, Alpha Arbutin, *Lemon Balm, *American Ginseng, *Anise, *Horseradish, *Fennel,*Jojoba Oil, *Schisandra, Vitamin E, *Mellissa ESO, *Vegetable Glycerin, Cellulose, Guar Gum, *Rose Geranium, Natapress (Radish Root, Honeysuckle & Aspen Bark Extract)
Summary
You’ll probably notice that you know (or have heard of) almost every ingredient listed and for those that might be less clear, like the Natapress in the Radiance Skin Booster, Chikyu has actually listed out the ingredients for you. I think this is a great example of just how ingredient-conscious this brand is. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, Chikyu also lists some of the key ingredients in each listing and tells you why it’s included and what it does.
Chikyu is certainly affordable as well. Skin care is an investment, but if you’re like me you still have a budget. I did a quick comparison and found that Chikyu prices are comparable to popular drugstore brands in most cases. However, as you can probably tell, they don’t use any of the chemcials or fillers, so I feel they’re really so far above drugstore that I almost feel a bit guilty even comparing the prices.
Overall, I’d say my order was worth every penny (about $27) and I know I’ll be purchasing from Chikyu again in the very near future. Here are their links:
Etsy Shop
Twitter
Facebook Page
*All products discussed here were purchased by me or included as samples in my order*