THE INKEY LIST X SKINCARMA GIVEAWAY - WIN MY FAVORITE INKEY PRODUCTS
I’m masking, he’s napping. That’s what we do best!
For the thousandth time, happy new year! As I write this, something very creepy is going on here in New York City. It’s January 11th, sixty-four degrees, warm and sunny out. (For my friends in the celsius world that’s 18℃.)
I grew up here. If we had ever once had a sixty-four degree January day, I’d remember it! I love it and feel guilty for loving it, though. I know it’s related to global warming. But can I just take this moment and admit I’m smiling inside?
Okay, so let’s just say it’s an unusual start to the year. I’ll leave it at that and get on with the whole point of this blog article: my favorite products from The Inkey List!
You probably know I’m a huge fan of the Inkey List brand, which, along with The Ordinary and Good Molecules, is heralding my cherished concept of “democratic skin care” — that is, pro-skin health skin care that everyone and their mother can afford.
And, I’m so honored by the support that The Inkey List has shown to me and to the Skincarma community of skincare enthusiasts. Personally, I want to express my gratitude to co-founders Mark Curry and Collette Newberry — as well as the entire Inkey team. I approached them in the fall about a giveaway concept I had been dying to do. I have so many favorite Inkey products and thought it would be super cool to do a giveaway of my favorites.
**ORPHEUS’ EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY**
Orpheus welcomes you to the Inkey List x Skincarma giveaway. Tell him why you want to win in the comments at the bottom of the blog. Then return to the Skincarma page and drop “Done” in the comments.
ORPHEUS’ GIVEAWAY DETAILS
WIN CARMINE’S SIX FAVORITE PRODUCTS FROM THE INKEY LIST!
So here we are — with the opportunity for a single Skincarma follower to win my six favorite Inkey products. If you’ve read this far, you’re almost there! Simply tell Orpheus why you want to win in the comments at the bottom of this blog page. Then, return to Orpheus’ post on the Skincarma IG page and comment “Done”.
Giveaway ends Sunday, January 19th 2020!
Me bathing in the Inkey glow at Inkey’s Soho pop-up shop last year!
I first discovered The Inkey List by chance two years ago. I was intrigued by what The Ordinary was doing with the “democratic skin care” concept and I wanted to know if anyone else had been working on something similar. So I googled it. And I came across a new indie brand, The Inkey List, on UK-based Cult Beauty’s website. I bought every single Inkey product — all dozen or so of them. That was the day I got hooked.
It’s exciting to have been there at the brand’s inception and to tag along on the journey as it’s grown up. Brands are like people and you want to see them mature and win — especially the ones you really like and believe in.
With that, take a peek at my faves from The Inkey List’s well-formulated accessible skin care. And be sure you enter to win them all so you can have your own Inkey moment.
Turmeric Cream’s soft, creamy texture melts right into skin.
1. Turmeric Cream
The Inkey List’s Turmeric Cream remains my favorite product of the entire Inkey range.
Turmeric Cream is the perfect balance of a lightweight textured lotion and seriously pro-skin health ingredients like, of course, Turmeric Root Extract.
I use some form of turmeric every day to alleviate inflammation in my feet, knees and elbows after my workouts. After all, the ancient cure-all is purported to be an effective alternative to acetaminophen.
It’s also one of the best skincare actives. Says Ms. Paula Begoun of turmeric in skin care,
“In addition to being a food seasoning, turmeric has numerous health benefits whether consumed orally vis foods and supplements or applied topically. Ongoing research has shown turmeric and the curcumin it contains play a safe and compelling role in promoting healthier, normalized skin.
“On skin, in vivo research has shown that turmeric and its derivatives interrupt signaling in surface cells that trigger signs of irritation. Turmeric helps calm skin and may even play a role in reducing the look of acne-related redness by modulating pathways to restore a healthier, more even appearance.”
In addition to its proven anti-inflammatory benefits, turmeric is also a potent antioxidant on par with Vitamin C. But The Inkey List’s formula isn’t just an antioxidant-powered cream. It’s also loaded with moisturizing, skin-replenishing plant oils like Squalane, Coconut Oil, and Oat Kernel Oil — in addition to Vitamin E, emollient Lecithin and tried-and-true humectant Glycerin.
As with most of their formulas, The Inkey List kept out any potential irritants like denatured alcohol and fragrant plant oils used to scent a product to make it more appealing. That must have been particularly tempting to microbiologist and innovator Mark and his product development team since turmeric gives off rather unique and pungent odor. In fact, the Turmeric Cream does smell slightly spicy, earthy and oddly savory — but it doesn’t linger very long.
Its soft, creamy texture melts right into skin.
2. Bakuchiol Cream
Inkey’s Bakuchiol moisturizer is one of the top Bakuchiol options out there. It was prominently featured in my blog article on the five Bakuchiol products available at the time. You can read my initial article on Bakuchiol here.
In that piece, I dubbed Inkey’s Bakuchiol cream the most versatile of the bunch. It was the most conventional moisturizer of the Bakuchiol Five — which comprised the Herbivore Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Serum, the BYBI Beauty Bakuchiol Booster facial oil, the Indeed Labs Bakuchiol Reface Pads and the Revolution Skincare 1% Bakuchiol Serum, an entirely forgettable option. (Don’t remind me!)
If you’re new to Bakuchiol, Inkey’s option is a nice, affordable place to start.
Inkey’s Bakuchiol contains a high level of Squalane (ingredient #2) and even something called Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, or Sacha Inchi oil. Sacha inchi nut oil is extracted from the seeds and fruit of the Plukenetia volubilis, or pracaxi — a tree native to the Amazon region. The oddly sounding oil is purported to fight depression, reduce cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease and aid in diabetes management. Rich in Omega 3, I imagine it functions like so many other non-fragrant plant oils (e.g. Argan, Marula, Jojoba and Almond), nourishing the skin with perhaps some antioxidant benefits tossed in for good measure.
The level of Bakuchiol in Inkey’s vegan formula is 1% — the industry standard. It’s light, silky and quite comfortable on the skin. Though not considered 100% clean as say, the Herbivore serum, it is free of sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban — and contains less than one percent of synthetic fragrances.
If you’re new to Bakuchiol, Inkey’s option is a nice, affordable place to start.
My first Inkey haul! The day I discovered them, I bought the entire range!
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF MY FAVE INKEY LIST PRODUCTS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
3. Kaolin Clay Mask
There’s a lot to appreciate about The Inkey List’s Kaolin Clay Mask. Notably the fact that it contains none of the ingredient mistakes of many clay masks — most importantly, denatured alcohol.
Inkey’s clay mask has a surprisingly light, silky texture that’s more like a rich cream.
Formulators like to use alcohol in a clay mask because it dries out surface oil, giving the oily skin user the impression that the formula has worked wonders by drying out excess oil and making their skin feel tight — and squeaky clean.
Tight, squeaky clean skin is not a good thing, contrary to what big budget skincare marketers have conditioned us to believe.
Tightness and squeakiness is the last thing skin needs, whether it’s normal, oil, or already dry. Both are indicators — not that the mask worked wonders, but that it needlessly dried out your skin. You never want to do anything that strips the skin. Stripping oily skin, in particular, of all its oil only makes it overreact by producing more oil — and perpetuating the oily/acne cycle.
This mask is unique in other ways, too. It contains very high concentrations of skin-nourishing natural oils and extracts including Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Centella Asiatica Extract, Safflower Seed Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil.
What’s most interesting to me, though, is the plethora of seaweed extracts. Seaweed, kelp, algae, whatever you want to call it, is full of nourishing and replenishing properties. Just ask my friends at La Mer about the miraculous benefits of algae for the skin.
The Inkey formula has a surprisingly light, silky texture more like a thick, creamy moisturizer than a heavy, dense clay.
The Inkey Kaloin Clay contains very high concentrations of skin-nourishing natural oils and extracts.
4. Glycolic Acid Liquid Toner
I love this product. In fact, I’ve probably gone through a dozen of The Inkey List’s Glycolic Acid Liquid Toner since it first launched in late 2018.
Yes, I use Inkey’s Glycolic Acid toner as a daily deodorant and it works wonders!
But, you likely know that I don’t use it on my face — no where near my face, in fact! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I use Glycolic Acid toners in place of a daily deodorant. If that’s news to you, and I just sound all shades of crazy, you can read my previous blog on the skincare hack here.
It takes some trial and error to get one that works perfectly — but when it comes to a glycolic-toner-deodorant-concoction, this one is the holy grail!
Inkey’s acid toner is devoid of drying alcohol and even plant oils that can nourish and feed the odor-causing bacteria — the last thing you want to do when preventing odor. The precise formula for doing that is everything. And this is it!
One of the main issues surrounding the use of a glycolic toner in place of a deodorant is price. If they’re too expensive, it’s just not worth it. But with The Inkey List’s product, it makes sense at $10.99. One bottle lasts me about 2 months.
You may be wondering, is it good for your face, though.
Sure, if you’re a fan of Glycolic Acid toners like the Inkey option — or the hundreds of others on the market, including The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution and the cult classic the Pixi Glow Tonic.
Personally, I don’t care for regular daily exfoliation. Once every two weeks or so is more than enough for your skin. This past weekend, I tried Herbivore’s new Prism Glow Facial with 20% AHAs and I got all the exfoliation I’ll need for the rest of January!
5. Caffeine Eye Serum
I gotta admit, sometimes I don’t use a separate eye cream. That sounds scandalous, doesn’t it? I just don’t believe that the eye area needs anything different than the skin on the rest of the face.
What the eye area needs is hydration, moisture, antioxidants, sunscreen, maybe even amino acid proteins. From time to time, I do want to treat puffiness and even pretend to treat dark circles, which are essentially untreatable in any real way. Get sleep, drink water. If those don’t help, use a concealer. Check out my blog article on my favorite dark circle solution here.
Inkey’s Caffeine eye serum has a nice, light, and silky consistency that my skin soaks right up in the morning, making it easy to layer. It’s not an overly complicated or very innovative formula — it’s just a straight up solid treatment for the eye area.
Yes, it contains Caffeine to help alleviate puffiness. Caffeine is also a really good antioxidant. Even better antioxidants in the formula include Soybean Extract and, interestingly, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract. According to my skincare muse Paula Begoun, the plant’s bark “has one study showing it’s a more effective antioxidant than ascorbic acid (vitamin C).”
In addition, Inkey added the Matrixyl 3000 Peptide molecule to help support collagen production. You can’t go wrong with this one. In fact, I wish every fool who’s ever purchased La Mer’s $215 The Eye Concentrate could be sent one of these with an accompanying dunce cap.
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF MY FAVE INKEY LIST PRODUCTS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
6. Salicylic Acid Cleanser
I love a good cleanser. I love cleansing balms, cleansing oils and cleansing powders. But when I get back from the gym in the morning, I want an effective, non-stripping cleansing gel! And especially one that has the ability to power wash my pores.
Deep cleaning pores takes a strong Salicylic Acid cleanser. In fact, flushing out pores of sweat, grime and gunk is one of the key benefits of Salicylic Acid — a potent beta hydroxy acid (BHA). Sal acid is a hefty, multi-beneficial active that can help maintain skin health day in and day out.
Read how Ms. Begoun extols the benefits of Salicylic Acid:
“Its primary benefit is as an exfoliant, helping shed dead skin in a way similar to how skin acts when we are younger.
Because it has the ability to penetrate into the pore lining and exfoliate inside the pore as well as on the surface of skin, it is especially effective for reducing breakouts, including blackheads and whiteheads.
In addition to these benefits, salicylic acid also has soothing properties to calm aggravated skin, can help minimize the appearance of an uneven skin tone, and has hydrating abilities that can result in smoother skin.”
So you see, a good Salicylic Acid-powered cleanser is a must! And Inkey’s formula goes the distance. As I said earlier, stripping the skin is a huge no-no. One of the ways a poorly formulated cleanser strips skin is thorough the use of harsh, super foamy surfactants. You may love the foam, but your skin sure doesn’t. The Inkey List’s Salicylic Acid Cleanser uses a complex of three gentler surfactants derived from coconut oil — Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine.
With a Salicylic Acid level of about 1%, it’s not too harsh for any skin type — even the driest. In fact, as a cleanser, most if not all of the formula should wash right down the drain along with the gunk from your pores.
Enter to win my six Inkey faves. Just tell me why you want to win in the comments below, then return to my @skincarma IG page and comment “Done”. Good luck!
That’s it guys! Even if you don’t win Orpheus’ giveaway, I hope you’ll consider trying one or more of my fave Inkey products. You can’t go wrong. Just ask Orpheus!
🖤 SKINCARMA
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF MY FAVE INKEY LIST PRODUCTS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Turmeric Cream:
Aqua (Water), Squalane, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, C12-16 Alcohols, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Curcuma Longa Root (Turmeric) Root Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Palmitic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Lecithin, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol.
The Ingredient List of the The Inkey List Bakuchiol Cream:
Water (Aqua), Squalane, Glycerin, Propanediol, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil (Sacha Inchi oil), Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Bakuchiol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Caproyl Prolinate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polysorbate 60, Phytic Acid, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol.
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Caffeine Serum:
Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Squalane, Caffeine, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Phospholipids, Tribehenin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Extract, Polysorbate 60, Disodium Edta, Glyceryl Behenate, Butylene Glycol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Carbomer, Darutoside, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Phenoxyethanol.
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Liquid Toner:
Aqua (Water), Glycolic Acid, Propanediol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Alcohol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Betaine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate.
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleanser:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Salicylic Acid, Betaine, Zinc PCA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Allantoin, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Benzyl Alcohol, Coconut Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate.
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Kaolin Clay Mask:
Aqua, Kaolin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, Dimenthyl Sulfone, Centella Asiatica Extract,Glyceryl Caprylate, Decyl Glucoside, Cellulose Gum, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Carbomer, Tocopherol, Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp) Extract, Sea Water Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Vitis Vinifera seed oil, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract,Sodium Hydroxide, Lonicera Japonica Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Geranium Maculatum Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil.
To enter the giveaway, comment why you want to win below…
