A few years ago I set out to try some more luxury skincare. My first stop? Face oils, for some reason face oils at a more affordable price point were never quite right for me. So I decided to spend a bit more to see if they would work better for me. Part of that trial is the Herbivore Orchid & Camellia Facial Oil. I already tried the Votary Super See Oil but that is a bit more expensive than this, so I was hoping this would be as nice, but a little less.
Skincare review: Herbivore Orchid & Camellia Youth Preserving Facial Oil
So this is quite possibly one of the most expensive skincare items I ever tried. It is still trumped by Sunday Riley Good Genes as that is twice as expensive. The Herbivore Orchid face oil retails for €68. I believe I bought mine in store from Space NK, but if you would like to buy this you may have to go online. Places like Sephora, Cult Beauty and Lookfantastic all stock the brand. So if you find any store that stocks high end skincare, you will sure to be able to find this.
What does the Herbivore face oil have to offer?
I remember choosing this over their Phoenix face oil as that was aimed more so at anti-aging properties and that is not something I am looking for. What I am looking for is something that is more hydrating. I have dry/ dehydrated skin that can be quite reactive and sensitive so I like it if my products are not aggrevating my skin, but still do enough for it to do something. This should provide moisture and smooth out your skin and there are many other ingredients that should all do something good for your skin. From making it look more radiant, to combatting hyperpigmentation: if you read the claims you’d think there isn’t much this face oil can’t do.
What are the ingredients like?
With skincare we need to always look at the ingredient list. So let’s have a look:
Capric Triglycerides (Fractionated Coconut Oil), Cymbidium Grandiflorum (Orchid) Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Olive Squalane Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Jasminum Sambac (Jasmine) Absolute
One thing that stands out is that this product only consists of oils. There are very little to no filler in this product and yet, while I have enjoyed using this, there is one thing that really surprised me about this. This product doesn’t have any fragrance in it. Still, when I first used this, it was the scent that took the most getting used to. Because I have never tried a product that smells as strongly of flowers as this. It must be because of all the extracts and oils this contains, but for me the scent is going to be the main reason this won’t be repurchased. It just smells to strong and while it didn’t make my skin react, I don’t think I could ever go through another whole bottle again. I am quite glad I am almost done with this.
What does this face oil do for my skin?
Despite not loving the scent of this, I do really like how it works. Yes, it’s an oil but my skin was loving this stuff all winter. It doesn’t feel oily at oil once this is absorbed by the skin and that doesn’t take long at all. My dry skin loved this! My skin felt plump, more hydrated and just so much better. I felt it worked better than the Votary one too, so in terms of a hydrating face oil this one definitely is better. I loved using this, I liked the way the dropper style packaging worked and while this was expensive, it did last months. I think I have been using this since November and it’s still not fully used up. So in the end this is worth it for sure. It just smells like a bouquet of strongly smelling flowers and to me that is just a huge turn off.
My final thoughts
If it weren’t for the scent, the Herbivore Orchid face oil would be one I would repurchase in a heartbeat. This works for my skin so well. It works well with other skincare products too and I love layering this over a serum but under moisturizer so it can really be locked in and just really sink into the skin. I have really enjoyed using this, it didn’t set off my skin and my skin feels soft and hydrated ever since I started using this. So it’s a great product, but the scent just throws me off every time and it has taken quite some time to get used to it enough to be able to soldier on and keep using it. This is a classic case of a product that has no added fragrance, but that still smells so strongly that it sets off my hayfever/ asthma as a result.
Would I recommend the Herbivore Orchid facial oil?
I am so gutted about this one: I want to love it so badly, but with how strong this smells I just can’t confidently recommend it. Yes it works great, the texture is oily but lightweight and is absorbed easily into the skin. For my dry skin this was one of the standout product on my winter skin. This is what kept it hydrated and I experienced fewer dry patches and I feel this product definitely is one of the reasons. I would repurchase this in a heartbeat if it didn’t have such a strong floral scent. Of course, if you dont’mind a strong scent, then this will be great for you.
One response to “Herbivore Orchid face oil review”
[…] is not my first trial of Herbivore products. I reviewed their Orchid face oil last spring and I liked it, but it had too strong of a scent for me. So I was hoping this would […]