I was introduced to Twelve Beauty in my April Boxwalla subscription box and I've been obsessed with the brand since. Twelve Beauty is created by Spanish native Pedro Catala who is a Pharmacist, Cosmetologist & has a degree in Botany. It's quite the well done green skincare line. He also hand blends his line, I love that small touch in a niche brand. I have a few items to go through from the brand (plus a long wish list). The Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil has totally stolen my heart. Details per Twelve Beauty:
“With a background in natural product formulation, I have spent many years researching the most powerful ingredients of the plant world. I have found that there is one group of ingredients that surpasses all others with its efficacy and natural credentials. They are called Unsaponifiable Oils. These fractions of natural plant oils are brimming with incredible vitamins and antioxidants, and they bring their healing, nourishing and restoring benefits to all skins – repairing the skin’s barrier in a remarkably short space of time. They are expensive to extract and work with, but I chose not to compromise on this when formulating this game-changing product. Just a few small drops of this powerful oil is enough to treat the entire face too.”
Key Ingredients
- Pollen Rich in amino acids, enzymes, sugars, magnesium, zinc and vitamins, and acts a skin revitaliser.
- Glycine (Soybean) Oil Unsaponifiables from a wholly sustainable source: potent unsaponifiables: which act as a soothing skin conditioner.
- Olive Oil Unsaponifiables Contains verbascoside which is a potent radical scavenger – ideal for counteracting oxidation and preventing premature ageing
- Whaeatgerm Oil Unsaponifiables Restructures the skin by protecting some key proteins in the upper layers of the skin which then increases production of molecules essential for the formation of the skin’s own Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF).
- Sunflower Seed Oil Unsaponifiables The ultimate moisturising agent due to its lipid-replenishing ability, which deeply soothes the skin. It also stimulates the synthesis of epidermal key lipids.
Benefits
- Improve skin’s barrier function by increasing the synthesis of key lipids
- Soothe and repair a compromised barrier function – making them ideal for sensitised, damaged and sensitive skin
- Highly pure, bioavailable and easily absorbed for optimal efficacy
With this hand-blended formula Dr Pedro Catala wanted to reclaim and celebrate these powerful ingredients, in a lightweight non-oily oil formula – for maximum effectiveness and visible results in just 7 days.
TWELVE Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil acts as a new ‘cement’ for the skin cells, which in turn restructures the epidermis, lending strength and renewed resilience, which also allows skin to remain better moisturised and retain water more effectively. All compromised skin conditions, including those with acne and rosacea, benefit immensely from improve barrier function, making the Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil a truly universal problem-solver.
I'll start off with the easy part of this review which is the packaging. I love the Twelve Beauty aesthetic. I'm very much into the minimalist, black & white, Miron violet glass bottles. I love it when the bottles are printed with the details versus labels. This oil comes with a dropper which is not my favorite (I'm clumsy and tend to knock things over spilling the inside) but I overlook it due to the fantastic product it holds. I had vaguely heard of unsaponifiables prior to testing this oil but I never much paid attention to them. Unsaponifiables are part of the plant oil that isn't broken down when it's being refined for cosmetic use. Unsaponifiables can be made for the specific purpose as the desirable end result to be used in a product like a facial oil. These unsaponifiables are high in nutrients more so than the traditional oils. "Unsaponifiables are also essential in the biological function of plant oils [44]. They have a high potential for antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity is derived from tocopherols, carotenoids, triterpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic acids that protect from ROS [33,34,35]." Read the full article HERE as it's very interesting about oils if you like that kind of thing. The article talks about plant oils and how they really do benefit the skin. My skin changed dramatically (for the better obviously) when I started using a facial oil in the morning and night. Don't be afraid of oils in the summer (I used to be) as you just need to find the right one for you.
This oil has the lightest texture for a facial oil that I've ever tried. It's almost like a dry oil but it's not. It is so remarkably light yet also incredibly nourishing. I'm just amazed every time I use this oil at the combination of light and nourishing together. It has no scent beyond the natural oils. Even though it contains some essential oils the scent is very minimal which is perfect for sensitive types. I love this as a day oil though it could be used at night as well. Meadowfoam, jojoba and squalane are both really similar to your skins own natural oils so they make a great moisturizer as they're not too heavy for the skin. Sacha inchi is very high in both omega 3 and 6 fatty acids yet it has more omega 3 (most oils have more omega 6), it's also an antioxidant with vitamins E and A. Sacha inchi is a unique oil due to that high omega 3 content as the linoleic acid helps balance out the oiliness in your skin. Pollen is interesting you see that around more now for it's nutrient content.
I love that this uses olive oil unsaponifiables which gives you the antioxidant benefits of olive oil without the heavier texture it can have. Sunflower oil is very replenishing and nourishing. Soybean oil has moisturizing properties, it's high in vitamins B, E & K plus it's a good antioxidant. We all know we love argan oil for its hydrating, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Wheatgerm oil is a rich source of antioxidants, minerals & vitamins. You also have other ingredients like cupuacu butter, sodium hyaluronate, vitamin E, konjac root (humectant, rich in vitamins & minerals), spearmint leaf, orange peel, clary sage (balances skin, antibacterial), ylang-ylang, coriander (antioxidant, high in minerals, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory), roman chamomile (calming, soothing), cardamom & bergamot.
I'm completely in love with this oil. It's such a nourishing oil and the extremely light texture is just divine. It sinks into the skin beautifully. My skin never feels greasy or heavy when using this oil. This is easily in my top favorites for day oils. It's a little pricey but with facial oils I've come to learn you get what you pay for. There are different qualities of oils and this one is by far a top notch facial oil in terms of quality, texture & performance. I only need three drops to nourish my face. My skin feels amazing every time I use this oil. The standout part of this highly nourishing oil is the phenomenal lightweight texture. Well done Twelve Beauty.
Every Twelve Beauty product has a blend of four antioxidants and nutrients which you can read about HERE.
Ingredients
LIMNANTHES ALBA (MEADOWFOAM) SEED OIL, PLUKENETIA VOLUBILIS SEED OIL*, SQUALANE, POLLEN EXTRACT, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES*, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL*, ARGANIA SPINOSA KERNEL OIL*, TRITICUM VULGARE (WHEAT) GERM OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, THEOBROMA GRANDIFLORUM SEED BUTTER*, SODIUM HYALURONATE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL*, AMORPHOPHALLUS KONJAC ROOT POWDER, TOCOPHEROL*, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, MENTHA SPICATA LEAF OIL*, CITRUS SINENSIS PEEL OIL , SALVIA SCLAREA LEAF OIL*, CANANGA ODORATA FLOWER OIL*, CORIANDRUM SATIVUM SEED OIL*, ANTHEMIS NOBILIS LEAF OIL*, ELETARIA CARDAMOMUM FRUIT OIL*, GERANIOL*, NEROL*, ANIBA ROSAEDORA STEM OIL*, CITRUS AURANTIUM BERGAMIA BARK OIL*, CITRUS LIMON PEEL OIL*, LINALOL*
* Organic ingredients