In this article, I review a trio of skincare products from Clarins' Calm-Essentiels range. The range includes the Calm-Essentials Soothing Emulsion; the Calm-Essentiel Redness Corrective Gel; and Calm-Essentiel Restoring Treatment Oil. I used these products over a period of 4 weeks. I have sensitive acne prone combination skin, with the occasional redness.
The three products in the Clarins Calm-Essentials are:
Clarins Calm-Essentials Soothing Emulsion RRPAU$84
Clarins Calm-Essentiel Redness Corrective Gel RRPAU$61
Clarins Calm-Essentiel Restoring Treatment Oil RRPAU$90
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Here's what Clarins has to say about this range:
"CALM-ESSENTIEL, a new range of skincare formulated with essential ingredients for treating damaged skin, to guarantee optimal skin tolerance.
A true holistic beauty experience that goes beyond simple skincare.
For these highly sensorial products, Clarins has created a musky floral fragrance that has been specially developed for sensitive skin.
Delicate and enveloping, it has been created to soothe and relax even before the application of Calm-Essential skincare."
- Clarins
My thoughts on the Clarins Calm-Essentials Soothing Emulsion
I have sensitive combination acne prone skin. I do get red patches of irritation on my skin that are painful and itch (from a combination of acne medication and laser treatments). The Calm Essential Soothing Emulsion was a "God-Send". This emulsion has a light gel like texture. My skin immediately drank it up. My skin felt and looked instantly smoother and silkier. The scent of the product is very soothing. It has clary sage extract in it that is known to have anti-bacterial properties. When applied on top of my acne scars, I felt that it calmed the itch and redness on those areas. Over a period of 4 weeks while I was using this emulsion, I saw an improvement not only in reducing the red patches and itchiness on my face but also my acne scars became "flatter" and less noticeable. My overall complexion also improved. My skin looked clearer and brighter. I did use it once after doing some micro-needling, which helped the product penetrate into my skin more (I did this as part of my night time routine) and I woke up to what I would call one of my "best skin days". That was a no-foundation day.
I also applied it on my neck area as my neck does suffer from irritation from time to time. I found the emulsion helped to calm the irritation almost immediately. Over the two weeks that I used this product, I also felt that it improved the firmness of skin on my neck (less "turkey neck" look), in addition to soothing the itchy irritated parts.
Also, clary sage extract oil is known to be a natural antidepressant (some studies support this). so I do recommend that when applying this product that you also take the time to cup your hands to your face and breathe in the clary sage scent of this product for a calming skin and calming mind treatment.
One thing that I did have difficulty with it was that it was hard to get the product out of the tube when I first opened it. After numerous pumps (no product came out), I had to squeeze the tube with one hand and pump the product out using my other hand. This did occasionally happen to me over the course of two weeks, so if you are having the same issues, just do the same as I did.
Overall, I enjoyed using this product and I felt that it did give me the results that it said it would. Significantly less redness, less irritation and helped with my acne as well. Plus the calming aromatherapy effects from the clary seed extract used as its main active ingredients, made this an almost holistic treatment
Active Botanicals used:
Clary Sage Extract - sclareolide, which harmonises with the skin and allows it to be instantly soothed and protected.
White Horehound - helps skin fight against the harmful effects of pollution.
Full Ingredients list:
QUA/WATER/EAU. GLYCERIN. CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL. DIISOPROPYL SEBACATE. PROPANEDIOL. AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER. SQUALANE. PARFUM/FRAGRANCE. HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER. ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN. SCLAREOLIDE. DISODIUM EDTA. MARRUBIUM VULGARE EXTRACT. TROMETHAMINE [V3667A]
My thoughts on the Clarins Calm-Essentiel Redness Corrective Gel
First off, I was very happy to hear that this Redness Corrective Gel has been formulated with at least 95% Natural Ingredients as I am currently going through fertility treatments.
I have redness around my nose, mouth area and patches around the face. These get itchy. I also have very bad acne scars around my jaw which do flare up and become red and itchy from time to time. I found that this product did help with the redness and did soothe the itchiness. I love that it has clary sage extract as one of its main active ingredients. Clary sage extract is known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and calming aromatherapy effect. The texture of this gel is a bit hard to describe. It felt a bit like a mix between a gel and concealer(?). It does absorb almost immediately into the skin but not as quickly as the Calm-Essentiel Soothing Emulsion.
It did not feel "wet" like other gels, but my skin did look and feel hydrated. Once absorbed, you are left with silky feeling skin (no tackiness). In the first few days of using it, I did feel that I got less irritation on my skin. My acne scars also did not flare up and didn't itch as much. I also used it as a makeup base as it has a green tint to it. It worked well as a primer and colour corrector and I found I used less foundation/concealer when I applied this first.
It has a natural scent from the Clary Sage Extract used as one of its main active ingredients. I found this scent to be calming and I looked forward to using this product each day. I would sometimes just wear this as a "base makeup" with a bit of concealer (no need for foundation) and I think I looked "polished" enough. It did give me that "velvet skin" look. I felt that it also balanced my skin out as I noticed less oil and more hydration during the course of the day when I was using it like a makeup base.
I did have some issues with getting the product out initially. First go, I kept pumping and pumping it for several minutes. I found that I had to squeeze the tube while pumping it to get the product out. Once I did that I did not have any further issues with it.
Overall, I would say that this did help reduce the appearance of redness (both from its formula as well as its green tint) and soothed/calmed my itchy acne scars. However, I would recommend that you use it combined with the Calm-Essentiel Soothing Emulsion Gel, as on its own, it did not quite give me the hydration and moisturising effect I wanted during dryer days.
Active Botanicals used:
Clary Sage Extract - sclareolide, which harmonises with the skin and allows it to be instantly soothed and protected.
White Horehound - helps skin fight against the harmful effects of pollution.
Full Ingredients list:
AQUA/WATER/EAU. PROPANEDIOL. CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE. SQUALANE. CI 77891/TITANIUM DIOXIDE. GLYCERIN. AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER. SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE. PARFUM/FRAGRANCE. HYDROXYACETOPHENONE. SCLAREOLIDE. DISODIUM EDTA. MARRUBIUM VULGARE EXTRACT. TIN OXIDE. CI 19140/YELLOW 5. CI 42090/BLUE 1 [V3670A]
My thoughts on Clarins Calm-Essentiel Restoring Treatment Oil
I am a huge lover of skincare oils, and this is now my most used oil. This is my favourite from the trio.
My skin immediately drank this oil up and looked clearer with a more even skin tone. Skin felt so soothed and hydrated. It did not leave any oily feeling at all, just silky smooth skin. It was like drinking a tall glass of ice water after walking through a desert. What amazed me was that this oil is made of only 8 ingredients (see full ingredients list below)! I understand that it is formulated with at least 95% natural ingredients and so that made me instantly comfortable as I am trying to get pregnant. This oil is amazing!
Not only did it soothe the irritation on my face, it also helped reduce the appearance of my acne scars. Also, over the course of the 4 weeks that I used this, I found that I got less bumps. This is probably due to the Clary Sage Extract as its main active ingredient, as it is known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. I also note that it has squalene in it which Is fabulous as squalene is known to best mimic our skin's own oil and hence the quick absorption and fast acting results. This has now become part of my night time routine. I love using this with a face roller or with a Gua Sha and I think this oil enhances those treatments. Over the course of the two weeks that I used it, I found that redness and irritation was significantly reduced, my face looked more hydrated and felt silky smooth.
I apply this at night and I DO NOT wake up to an oily mess. This balances out my combination skin. Leaves it "baby smooth". I love the calming scent of this oil (from the Clary Sage Extract) and my night time skincare routine has now also become a calming ritual. If you are wondering about getting this, don't hesitate at all. Your skin will absolutely love it! You will get to see the great results very quickly!
Active Botanicals used:
Clary Sage Extract - sclareolide, which harmonises with the skin and allows it to be instantly soothed and protected.
Full ingredients list:
CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL. COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE. CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE. SQUALANE. PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) KERNEL OIL. PARFUM/FRAGRANCE. SCLAREOLIDE. TOCOPHEROL [V3668A]
The gorgeous Clarins Calm-Essentiel Restoring Treatment Oil - a perfect addition to your self care regime. Warm it up in your hands, breathe in the calming natural fragrance and press gently onto skin.
I hope you enjoyed this review! Please do subscribe to my blog (see various (they are irritating and I am sorry about that) pop up boxes or sign up in the box below). Drop me an email (tashi@teacupofmakeup.com) or DM me on my Instagram (@teacupofmakeup_bytashijadebell) and let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for me. I always love hearing from you.
Yours Truly with Lots of Love, TeacupOfMakeup. 待会见! 可爱的小茶杯!
Disclaimer: All of the photos here are taken by me. You cannot use them without obtaining my written permission first. These are my personal views and I do not any way guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any message and will not be held responsible for the content of any message. These products were gifted to me by Clarins Australia with no obligation to post about it.
