Being an entrepreneur, I meet quite a few other businesses and products. But only a few really catch my eye, and not many beauty products attract my attention - mostly because they are often filled with unsafe, cheap ingredients and don't deliver on what they promise.
When I first saw fellow entrepreneur Bethany Hilt's Vertere Skin Care, I was at first attracted to the beautifully designed packaging (of course!) So I took a look. And then looked some more, finding not the usual disappointing ingredients, or typical 'hyped-up' "all talk, no action" market-speak. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the ingredients, reviews, test results and testimonials, and got more interested. So much so, I asked Bethany if she would be willing to send me a sample amount to test on myself. (A first for me: I've never test reviewed beauty products, even all organic ones, which these products are not, by the way) But I was still quite excited when Bethany agreed.
Before I tell you how my test went, let me tell you about her company and products. The name of her
company, Vertere® (pronounced ver-tare-ah), is Latin and means 'to turn'. Bethany had starting mixing up
beauty concoctions as a 6 year-old with her grandmother. She is the creator of a new pair of products that eliminate using multiple products that each address a single issue, but instead effectively work on aging, spotting and adult acne similtaneously. She is also the Founder, President and CEO of Vertere.
From the website:"Vertere is the first and only skin care brand specifically created to improve the appearance of aging, hyperpigmentation and adult acne with one regimen and it may be used by all skin tones. Vertere’s multifunctional, synergistic blend of proven, clinically active scientific and natural ingredients produces visible results rapidly without going through multiple steps, without using multiple products and without breaking out as a result. We use multiple key ingredients at clinically proven levels rather than simply one ‘star’ ingredient or minimal concentrations."
In other words, Bethany made a great effort to make a superior and effective product, and chose to
sell it at a reasonable price. Fabulous!
Now, for my Review Test. I received my beautifully packaged 2 small containers, one with the
Refining Treatment Cleanser, and the other had the Dramatic Transformation Cream - SPF15.
According to the instructions, my samples should have lasted about 3-4 days use, but the way I used it,
my test ran about 7 days of use. I decided give it the "acid test"; using it on the most problematic areas
of my face - the places where other products I had tried failed miserably, affecting no visible change after
6 or more weeks of use.
My test of Vertere Cleanser and Treatment Cream was used:
1. Under my eyes, for slight puffiness, small wrinkles and the dreaded dark circles
2. On a crease-wrinkle that goes horizontally across my forehead
3. Small dark spot at the top of my cheekbone, from sun-damage
I used both products Vertere products together, cleanser, then cream, at least once each day, and twice
a day for about half of the test period.
My Personal Test Results:
- under eye puffiness reduced
- wrinkles under eyes diminished and smoothed
- forehead crease disappeared
- dark spot slightly but visibly lightened (website indicates 1 month of use lightens dark spots)
- only slight diminishing of dark circles. Would need longer use to see if results would improve further
Overall, these lotions are better than any I've tried or used in the past 5 years. And the results I had in
such a short time, as well as how pleasant it was to use, makes Vertere a winner for me.
I'd recommend these multi-tasking products.
Why I'm impressed:
Cleanser: I have disliked every lotion cleanser I've ever tried; they never did what I wanted or expected. They smelled terrible, or didn't cleanse my skin, or wouldn't rinse off easily or they left an unpleasant residue, or worse- had all those faults. Vertere is the only lotion cleanser I've ever used that smells wonderful, cleans off my eye make-up far better than any of my actual make-up removers ever did - without stinging or irritating my eyes,
and it rinsed off cleanly and easily, leaving my skin feeling fresh. I only had to use a very small amount, too.
Cream: Anything that shows such results in such a short time is bound to be a hit. For me, this really did make changes, even though I used an even smaller amount than usual, and only for a very short time. I saw nice improvements in my skin overnight, especially in eye area. I was very happy with what changes I saw in my skin while using this cream. It was a bit thicker and more difficult to spread on the skin than expected at first, but I soon found it 'melted' into the skin and did not leave any greasy coating, but a nice smooth and soft finish.
What I Love
What's NOT In It: anything toxic, no hydroquinone, parabens or phthalates. No SLS (sodium laurel sulphate),
no (petroleum-based) mineral oil, no animal derived ingredients and no animal testing!
What IS In It: non-bioaccumulative preservative ingredients, naturally derived active botanicals and oils,
a high percentage of safe, gentle and botanical active ingredients
Details: Smells wonderful, effective no-sting eye-make-up remover/cleanser, pleasant and easy to use, works well, shows results in a matter of days instead of weeks or months of use.
What I'd Like To See:
1. Substitute some of the ingredients to be organically sourced?
2. Offering both products in smaller size containers for lower pricing and greater availability to more people
3. Alternate ingredient for the Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, which, although used in recommended low amounts and considered safe, also has moderate allergy and irritant potential and is a formaldehyde
releasing type of preservative.
In the interest of transparency, Bethany provided me with the full ingredient list of her products, with naturally active botanical ingredients, and 'currently accepted as safe' and no 'known-as-harmful' ingredients on your skin.
Vertere Ingredients List
Dramatic Transformation Cream SPF 15
Octinoxate (7.5%), Oxybenzone (5%), Octisalate (5%), Aloe Barbadensis
(Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Lactic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Dipeptide
Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside,
Dimethiconol, Caprylic Capric Triglycerides, Stearyl Alcohol, Alpha-Arbutin,
Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein, Oxido Reductases, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein,
Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitus
Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Borago (Borage) Officinalis Seed
Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,
Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit
Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Extract, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid,
Sodium Lactate, Steareth-21, Panthenol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel
Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Sodium
Hydroxymethylglycinate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl
Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Refining Treatment Cleanser
Deionized Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin
Sulfonate, Triethanolamine, Lactic Acid, Lauramide Diethanolamide, Aloe
Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid,
Acrylates/C 10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, Rose Hip
Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Argan Oil, Baobab Oil, Burdock Root Extract,
Calendula Extract, Fragrance, Orange Peel Extract, Red Clover Leaf Extract,
Rosemary Extract, Sweet Orange Oil, MSM, Retinyl Palmitate, Cholecalciferol,
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tea Tree Oil, Xanthan Gum
Visit the website here VERTERE,
and connect with Bethany on Facebook and Twitter!
Till next time,
live beautifully!
stephanie-
