Skin MD Review and Giveaway

As the Winter was gearing up, and I was starting to worry about my seasonal dry skin, as well as the tween's, (can you say itchy flaky gross?) I was contacted by Skin MD about the possibility of doing a review of their product.  It sounded like a good idea to me.
The first thing I did was peruse the ingredient list.  I have been avoiding propylene glycol like the plague, since it's linked to headaches and nausea, both of which I have struggled with since I was about 13, which is also when I started using lots of products containing it.  Since I know everyone has their own list of "taboo" ingredients though, here's what's in this lotion.

Skin MD Natural Face, Hand & Body Shielding Lotion
Ingredients:
Purified Water, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Methyl Gluceth-20, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Extracts of Arnica Montana Flower, Symphytum Officinale Leaf (Comfrey), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria Chamomille), Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow), Acrylates/C10-30, Alkyl Acrylate, Crosspolymer, 1,2 Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol (preservative).
(any errors in transcription mine)

The back of the bottle also proudly proclaims "No animal products or testing. Dermatology tested, fragrance & colourant free, hypoallergenic." Yes, there's a U in colourant, because Skin MD is by a British company. The front also proudly declares that it is Paraben Free.

Since the two things I often hear/read people going on about are parabens and pthalates, you'll be glad to know that both are blissfully missing, even if I don't understand what all the ingredients do, yet.

The idea behind Skin MD is that instead of just sitting on the skin, this lotion creates an invisible shield of moisturizing by assisting the inner layers of skin in absorbing moisture and locking out irritants in your environment. It can't lock out your mother in law, but it can lock out irritants you come into contact with while, for instance, cleaning.

I like it for after I do dishes, since that always dries my hands out.

I did search this product on Cosmeticdatabase.com to see what it's "hazard rating" was, but it isn't yet listed.

So now, the big question- Does it work?
I find that it does work.  It moisturizes my skin well enough to stop the dry-skin itching, and it doesn't burn or sting like some lotions, it doesn't have a headache-inducing or stomach-turning scent, and feels light. I can even use my Blackberry trackball after applying this lotion, without having to wash my hands first, and that's meaningful.

I don't think it's particularly more effective than Eucerin Calming Cream (hazard rating 3), which is one of my winter go-to lotions, but it's easier to apply- much smoother and less diaper-cream-ish, and as I pointed out, I can use my Blackberry after applying Skin MD.
I do feel it works somewhat better than Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion with Natural Colloidal Oatmeal (hazard rating 3), my other winter go-to lotion, and is again, smoother to apply, and again, I can use my Blackberry after applying Skin MD.

I have even used it on my face, and found it to be less greasy than the various Oil of Olay (hazard ratings of 5 for various formulations) and knock off products I've used on my face in the past. I was pleased that it didn't break me out. If anything, my skin has cleared up during the time I've been using it, though I am not crediting Skin MD with helping clear my acne, I am crediting it with keeping my skin from being flaky.

Long story short, I feel better using Skin MD than I do with the other lotions I have around the house, and it is doing a better job.  I love how smoothly it goes on. I love that I can use less of it than other lotions for the same effect, and I extra puffy heart love that it doesn't smell like anything in particular. No cloying baby powder smell like Baby Magic (hazard rating 6) or Johnson & Johnson's Original Baby Lotion (hazard rating 6) or additives like Lavender which have been linked to gynecomastia in pre-pubescent males.

I have used this lotion on my 21 month old, and Jabberwalky's sensitive skin has reacted well. On a side note, he has also decided that every time mommy is putting on lotion, he wants some too.
The tween's sensitive skin has also cooperated with Skin MD, so I'm sold on it's effectiveness.

Other goodies-
Remember how it isn't tested on or made from animals? It's Vegan. Vegan is hot.
Skin MD is made in the USA in a plant that uses solar power,so it's more eco-friendly than your average product.

I like it.

If you want to try some, you can buy yourself a bottle by searching the handy dandy Skin MD Store Locator.

Or, conversely, you can win one.

Skin MD has graciously offered to give one of my readers a bottle of their own.

Mandatory Entry:
Be a GFC follower of this blog and a fan of Skin MD on facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you are both, please include the name you're liking Skin MD under (if you don't want to be un-annonymousified completely, Mary Z., for example)


Please leave your email address in your entry if it is not clearly visible in your blogger profile, as if you can't be notified of your winningness, you can't win. To avoid bots, use a format like username/gmail or usernameofawesomesauce (at) serverofdoom ~dot~ org or some such.  So long as it's pretty simple to figure, you're good.

Open to US and Canadian entrants over the age of 18.
Winner will be selected via Random.Org late on the evening of Wednesday, February 16th and notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to reply.  If a second winner must be selected, I reserve the right to pick said secondary winner on the basis of something ridiculous, like competitive haiku.  Don't make pick an alternate winner. Check your email.

Fine Print

Disclosure: I got a whole 120 ml of skin moisturizing solar power created lotion all to myself, and offspring, for thinking about whether or not I like it, then sharing my opinion with others. Fun times.  Almost as rewarding as having to troll blogs for disclosures on reviews.  


All opinions expressed in this review are my opinions.  If you make a decision based on my opinion, I'm flattered, but not responsible for your decisions and any experiences which may differ from my own. Maybe you're allergic to comfrey. How would I know? I wouldn't. That's why they're my opinions, and not even medical ones, since I'm a SAHM, not a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. So um... yeah. make your own decisions, have your own experiences, baby.