Weleda: Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Body Lotion Review

Weleda is a brand that I admire a lot. It's surprising that I've ever written only one post on it - the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream.

There are many things about Weleda that I find endearing - its roots, its philosophy, its holistic approach to health and skincare, its use of Biodynamic Farming methods (which encompasses much more than just organic farming), its fair trade partnerships and of course, its truly wide range of natural products. This is one brand that I think communicates very well with its consumers, which in turn has certainly helped shape my view of the brand. Is that down to fantastic marketing communications or just plainly effective propaganda? For now, I'd settle for the former.

Weleda revamped its collection of body lotions some months back. They tweaked the formula here and there and made a radical change to the packaging.

The old Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Lotion packaging looked like this:

The new one looks like this:

The Weleda body lotions come in four variants: Citrus, Wild Rose, Sea Buckthorn and Pomegranate. I bought the Sea Buckthorn one as I had already been using this variant in the old version.

Here's what Weleda says about it:

The creamy Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Body Lotion protects dry skin from moisture loss, activates your skin’s self-regulating functions and leaves you with lasting replenishment and renewed vitality.

This unique composition contains organic sea buckthorn’s natural vitamins, carotene and unsaturated fatty acids, which support your skin’s vital barrier functions. Combined with organic mallow extracts, shea butter and macadamia seed oil it helps dry skin regain its vitality and look smoother and softer.

Price: €13.75 for 200 ml

Ingredients
Water, Sesame Seed Oil, Alcohol, Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycerin, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Fragrance*, Macadamia Oil, Mallow Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tapioca Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Geraniol*, Citral*, Farnesol*.
* from natural essential oils

The ingredients are 100% natural and 97% organic.

Shea butter, macadamia oil and mallow extract. The old version didn't have these. It also had a more runny consistency and I went through the bottle like lightning. The new version is a tad creamier, I find.

Speaking of bottles, it's obvious that Weleda has put a lot of thought into the new packaging. The body lotion now comes in a recyclable plastic bottle that actually houses a thin, flexible bag inside. Weleda calls it "bag-in-bottle" and that together with the vacuum dispensing pump means that the contents don't get exposed to air, which works out great for Weleda's artificial preservative-free product formulations. The pump has been working fine. It makes a squishy sound sometimes but there has been no clumping or clogging so far.

Even the shape of the bottle is comment-worthy. You might have noticed that it's asymmetrical. It seems to have been designed to reflect the squiggly lines of the Weleda logo. If you're wondering what the logo represents, you can read about it here.

I'll tell you one thing that hasn't changed - the scent. I adore the smell of this body lotion. The citrus melange of mandarin, orange and grapefruit oils is a great pick-me-up in the mornings!

The body lotion goes on nicely. I didn't find the old version 'potent' enough - it was perfect for summer but it just wasn't moisturising enough for winter. Anyway, I think there has been some improvement in the moisturising efficacy of the new version. As someone with extremely dry skin when the cold season strikes, I won't call it the super ultimate body moisturiser for in the dead of winter but it's certainly a better version of its predecessor. If your skin doesn't get as dry as mine, then I think this body lotion would work very well for you in any season.

If you've never seen sea buckthorn berries before, this is what they look like:

That's the cover of an old Weleda magazine. I've been a subscriber to their magazine for a couple of years and I've learnt a lot about Weleda, its practices and its relationships with farmers through its publications. Weleda websites are chockful of information too.

Interesting fact: The sea buckthorn that Weleda uses comes from a Biodynamic farm in Tuscany, Italy. Mr. Kurt Künzi has been working with and supplying Weleda with sea buckthorn for over ten years.


Please check my first post on Weleda to read more about its history.

Weleda website

Weleda products can be purchased from your local drugstores and also through websites like Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Weleda: Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream

When I think of Weleda, I think natural, no mineral oils, no preservatives and biodynamic farming. However, did you know that the main founders of Weleda were a Dutch lady doctor and an Austrian philosopher?

You know I like to explore the heritage of a brand and this one on Weleda would be no exception. You may skip this section if you only want to know about the hand cream. Please note that this is more a feature than a review. The reason is given at the bottom.

Weleda
Weleda’s main founders: Dr Ita Wegman, a specialist in women’s medicine and Dr Rudolf Steiner, well-known philosopher and natural scientist. Both led the anthroposophical medicine movement in the early 20th century. Dr Steiner, the initiator of the science of anthroposophy, got involved in anthroposophical medicine when he started collaborating with homeopathic physicians and pharmacists.

Anthroposophy is a science that covers all aspects of life, be it physical, psychological and spiritual. In anthroposophical medicine, a person is regarded holistically – body, soul and spirit – and the body is encouraged to heal itself. It was also more about maintaining health than eliminating disease. One can be treated with homeopathic and anthroposophical medicine in conjunction with conventional medicine.

In 1921, Dr Wegman and Dr Steiner, together with a team of physicians and pharmacists, established a pharmaceutical laboratory in Arlesheim, Switzerland, which was also where Dr Wegman had established her anthroposophic medical clinic. There, they produced pharmaceutical products and cosmetics made of natural ingredients and this in effect marked the birth of Weleda.

I’ve read different accounts of the origins of the name. Most say it’s named after a Celtic goddess of wisdom and health. Another says that
Veleda/Weleda was the name of a revered healing priestess and prophetess of the Bructerian nation in Germany. If they are one and the same, I wouldn’t know.

Weleda’s brand logo is a loose variant of the Rod of Asclepius, the symbol of medicine and healing. The two squiggly lines surrounding the Rod of Asclepius were said to have been Dr Steiner’s idea to symbolise enveloping protection and social interaction (give and receive, produce and consume, doctors and patients).

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream
I have been using this hand cream since late last year. Price €8.25 for a 50ml, housed in an old-fashioned metal tube.

I’ve reached that age where my hands should be receiving more intensive care and so, hand creams have become my new obsession! A quick note on the state of my hands: boney and veiny (both hereditary, I’ve had that since young), quite taut, starting to develop fine lines, no age spots.

According to Weleda
Antioxidant-rich, organic pomegranate oil helps reduce the appearance of age spots and improves the firmness of your hands.

Suitable for vegans

Ingredients
Water, Sesame Seed Oil, Glycerin, Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Millet Seed Extract, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Sunflower Petal Extract, Avocado Oil Unsaponifiables, Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance *, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Citral*, Eugenol, Coumarin*.
*From natural essential oils.

Hand Cream
Scent
To me, it doesn’t smell like pomegranate or sesame seed oil. It’s just a tart, slightly citrusy scent. It's neither fantastic nor disgusting.

Texture
It is off-white in colour, not greasy and its consistency is quite thin, but not runny.

Moisturising Effect
Pretty good. I’ve been using it at bedtime (I use another hand product during the day). After massaging it in, it does take a few minutes to get absorbed into the skin, so you’d have to be a bit patient. It leaves the skin feeling a bit tacky (but not sticky) to the touch. In the morning, I do find that the skin on the back of my hands are softer, hydrated and (if my eyes are not playing tricks on me) rather glowing.

I haven’t noticed any difference in the firmness of my skin or a reduction in fine lines, but that’s not to say that it hasn’t worked. I do think that such matters need to be addressed much, much later, after a few years’ use. So, I might get back to you on this in a few years’ time.......or when I reach retirement age and still writing on Witoxicity.

I’ve finished my first tube and am now on to my second. Wish me luck!


More information:
Weleda website