Aroma Actives: Supermarket Skincare, Luxury Heritage
Excellent news for people looking for well-formulated skincare at reasonable prices: Geraldine Howard, founder of luxe brand Aromatherapy Associates, has created a special range for Sainsbury’s. This isn’t breaking news, I’m afraid – I think that the range might have launched about a year ago – but it is, as I said, good news. Aromatherapy Associates is one of my favourite home-grown brands; well-sourced ingredients, cleverly-blended oils, packaging that’s understated and incredibly chic. Aroma Actives, available at Sainsbury’s, benefits from all of the knowledge and passion that makes Aromatherapy Associates so successful, but it’s simpler, more streamlined and – importantly – cheaper.
I’ve been taking a look at the various products available in the range (info online here) and have earmarked a few products that I want to try out this month. Annoyingly, I was only in Sainsbury’s at the weekend, but I completely forgot to have a look! I was too busy buying BBQ stuff to feed fifteen. The Skin Fresh Tonic, though, I already have. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now, about the same amount of time that the weather has been hot and muggy. The tonic is very cooling and soothing with cucumber and aloe vera, and the formula is alcohol-free. It’s not hi-tech scientific and it’s not the kind of product that’s going to single handedly transform your skin overnight, but as a post-cleanse swipe-over it’s lovely. I’d quite like it to be in a spray bottle so that I could spritz away with it all day, but you can’t have everything.
It’s a brilliant tonic for skin that’s had a bit too much sun, so a handy one to keep at home with the suntan lotions and outdoorsy stuff. (Next to my back door I have a little pile of “garden essentials”; sun hat, sun cream, this spritz, a picnic blanket, some sunglasses and a novel. I quite like to grab an impromptu half an hour in the sun at lunch time, if I can get away from the computer!)
I can’t find the Skin Fresh Tonic online, but MySupermarket says that it would be £7.50 if Sainsbury’s had it in stock. I’ll let you know how I get on with other products – has anyone tried the range? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. I’m particularly tempted by the cleansing balm and the serums…
If you’d like to read some Aromatherapy Associates posts then please click here.
