Kimberly’s inquiry: A somewhat new to US product has caught my discerning eye – it is REN out of England it professes to be pure (REN is “pure” in Norwegian or something) and free of toxins like parabens, mineral oil, petrochemicals, dyes, and silicones. Please give me the lowdown, as you see it. Thank you so very much, luv your website yu ROK.
The Right Brain’s REN response:
Thanks for the kind words, Kimberly. I’ve always secretly considered myself the hardest rocking Beauty Brain. Here’s our take on REN.
Scare tactics
First of all, as regular readers of our site know, we’re not big fans of any company that tries to sell products based scare tactics. REN’s website says their products are free of skin-unfriendly ingredients and potential irritants like the ones you sited above, yet in reality, many of the ingredients they avoid have NOT been proven to cause problems. (Mineral oil is a good example.)
But setting aside the ethics issue for the moment, let’s see how REN lives up to their promise of avoiding “nasty” ingredients. We’ll look at their Day Serum as an example.
Revivo-Lift Day Serum ($75 for 1 ounce)
Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Glycerin (Source Coconut Oil), Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (Source Coconut), Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Cetearyl Olivate (Source Olive Oil), Sorbitan Oilivate (Source Olive Oil), Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea (Lingonberry) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (Vitamin C), Zostera marina Pectin (Source Sea Grass), Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans (Source Corn), Gynostemma Pentaphyllum (Jiaogulan) Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Phenoxyethanol (Source Aromatic Ether), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Source Amino Acids), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum (Source Corn), Carbomer (Source Polymer), Parfum (100% natural fragrance), Linalool, Limonene, Farnesol, Faex (Yeast) Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).
Formula base
By listing “rose water” as the first ingredient, REN is implying that there’s no added water in the product. At best, this is a stretch of the labeling laws which state that the first ingredient should be the one present at the highest concentration, which in this case is “water” not “Rose water.”
Thickener/Stabilizer
Carbopol is an acrylic polymer used to thicken and stabilize emulsions. It’s a perfectly fine ingredient but it’s about as far from natural as it gets in the cosmetic world. It’s a surprising choice for REN.
Fragrance
Here’s a fact that you might not know about fragrance: companies are now required to list any known allergens contained in the fragrances they use. And if you take a look at the bottom of the Day Serum ingredient list, you’ll see two chemicals listed after “Parfum (100% natural fragrance).” These chemicals are linalool and limonene and they’re listed because they are both known fragrance allergens. If REN was really avoiding skin unfriendly ingredients you think they would avoide fragrances with known allergens.
Preservative
According to REN’s website, Good Housekeeping states their products are preservative free. But that’s not true in the case of this Day Serum because it contains phenoxyethanol a common preservative in the cosmetic industry. While it’s not as effective a parabens or DMDM hydantoin, Cosmetic chemists like to use it because it provides a rose like odor that helps cover the odor the other ingredients.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
REN has some lovely formulations and it appears that, for the most part, they’ve gone out of their way to avoid ingredients that people THINK are bad for their skin. But their approach of charging exorbitant prices for their scare tactics doesn’t sit well with us. If you’re concerned enough to pay more money to avoid ingredients that haven’t been proven harmful, then REN products may be perfect for you. But we think you can get more value for your money elsewhere.
What do YOU think? Are you queasy about chemicals? Do you pay more for brands that are “safer?” Leave a comment and share your scare with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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I used REN facial foaming cleanser because of a recommendation by a Sephora floor attendant. I found it way too harsh and not all that natural feeling once on. It stripped my face of natural oils and it felt tight and itchy (as in allergy and white pimpleys). Never going there again!
REN sure is goofy! Aside from the things you’ve pointed out, they’ve got other known irritants in there like rosehips and grapefruit, things known to make the skin itchy and red. While not nearly as bad as, say, Juice Beauty, it’s still aggravating to see companies pushing their stuff as being so good for you (and consumers buy into the hype!), and then you look at their ingredient panels and they’re like cesspools. You may as well just save your money and apply Lysol to get the same effect. Grf!
I’ve used REN products since they came out in the UK. They’ve always worked fine for me. Their Omega Serum is fantastic, for example.
Note to Jessica: First, I’m surprised Sephora attendants are giving out recommendations. I thought it was company policy (and training) that they not make product recommendations. In any event, that’s what you get for trusting Sephora sales staff. The problem isn’t Ren, but that you were recommended the wrong product for your skin. Try Ren’s cleanser for dry skin, and I guarantee you you’ll have a very different experience.
Note to Lipstick Face: Rosehips and grapefruit are not inherently irritating. It’s a question of how much is used, and whether it is buffered or not by other ingredients.
This highlights the contradiction between ‘natural’ and ‘good for you’. Many natural ingredients, such as citrus juices, can be very irritationg ont he skin, and Ren seem to have gone for the natural choice whenever possible (unfortunately, there’s not really a natural that works as well as carbomer at thickening without stickiness).
I suspect the linalool and limonene are natural components of the oils used in the natural fragrance, and it is very hard to make a 100% natural fragrance without including at least one of these ‘allergenic’ oils.
Also the Grapefruit Seed Extract is probably there as a natural preservative, although there is lots of debate about whether it actually works.
I’ve been using REN Detox mask for about 3 months now, and it works great for me. I have oily skin and I get white haeds more than breakouts. So Sephora staff recommended me this product based on her experience. But she wouldn’t “recommend” one product over the other. For example, when they ran out of this product, she gave me a sample of other company’s product to see if it fits my skin.
Anyways I love this product so far, works great for me. I use it twice a week. I really think it’s the matter of finding the right product for me. There’s no one solution for everyone. Even for oily skin, everyone can differ.
I appreciate any article that addresses the concerns of false advertising and misleading customers, and brings to light information on products that could give pause to fans of “natural” skin care. However, I disagree that Ren is in the business of using scare tactics to sell their wares.
I am a fan of natural products and have been interested in Ren for some time now, and that in turn led me to this article. I do not believe that listing ingredients that are not in products is scary at all! I appreciate knowing what miscellaneous and potentially harmful ingredients are not going to be contained in something I am interested in putting on my body’s largest organ. Let’s face it – if we were talking about ingesting the stuff no one would question these so called “scare tactics.”
Yes, I think companies should be true to their mission statement(s), but I do not think companies should be condemned for trying to bring about products that do not contain things that have been outlawed in other countries for years.
That said, I am still thankful for the brainy insights.
When will people realize that a GOOD product isn’t necessarily for EVERYONE??
What’s all this nitpicking? Compared to most commonly distributed lines this is one of the most effective and satisfying I found. Great quality and a decent price – I love it.
I tried their rose oil only as well as the rose oil body cream during the 40 celsius hot (and extremely dry) Madrid summer – and it was fantastic. Much better than many more commercial brands that do contain mineral oils.
I´ve tried lots of bodylotions without mineral oil, and REN´s rose oil body cream certainly was the best I´ve tried so far. with the pure oil underneath, it´s even better.
I’ve used REN as my only skin regime for a bit more than six months now, and I absolutely love the products! I’ve struggled with my skin my whole life and tried Decleor, Dermalogica, MD Formulations, Weleda, Dr Hauschka and a bunch of other prestigious brands, but none has worked my skin like the REN products do. I’m using a lot of REN’s stuff for dry skin, and it’s changed my complexion. It even helps in calming down my hormonal breakouts, it’s gotten so much better. Even when some hormonal acne appears, it never gets as bad as before. So for me, REN is pure love <3
HI, I am reading about aromatherapy and would like to know a bit more a about creams and shampoos that are TOTALLY NATURAL, without ANY harmful agents, organic, parabens free, animal friendly etc.
I have found various webs for aromatherapy to purchase bases to which I can add essential oils of my choice, but found agresive ingredients in them.
Any chance you could guide me to some good webs with 100% organic etc ingredients and cream & Shampoo bases please? Thank you very much in advance & happy new year to you all.
I have spent basically my entire life trying to clear up my skin and REN is the first line that has worked consistantly over time and not irritated my skin. I have very very sensitive skin. Most laundry detergents, soaps and face washes make me break out into hives. That said, I have tried upwards of 20 brands when it comes to face cleansers to get rid of my acne problems and clear up the red patches on my face. The REN line actually does that for me. I use the sensitive cleanser, the day cream, night cream and the detox mask. I really do love what it does for my skin. My face stays relatively clear and the redness was completely gone after only about a month.
hey all,
I am big fan of natural type of skincare/organic…as it goes for Organic seem like its a big HYPE now and there are lots of brands now that claim to be Organic but when you read ingredients you find out that they are based on chemicals.Even if you find an Organic product how do you really now if they put pesticides on any components in it? (let say for lavender or rose etc.)
…since I am big cosmetic junkie and like to try new stuff with no chemicals in it (or as little as possible) as for REN goes I am VERY pleasantly surprised ! just after using it for about 2 weeks my skin is VISIBLY brighter,less puffy or saggy -not that I had bad skin prior using it ,I actually always get compliments from strangers ,but I hit 30 and I can see little changes…sagging,puffiness under eyes…and tiny expressions wrinkles around my eyes and mouth.
My skin tend to be sensitive for harsh-chemicall infused cosmetics and purely organic products are doing nothing to my skin just sitting on it and sometimes clogging my pores with heavy oils.
also wanna add there are sooo many natural/organic cosmetic companies now ,but since they new question is ;do they have some prove on individuals that their line really works on targeted skin problems? (wrinkles,dryness etc.)
REN has been around some tiem now,and actually tests stuff on individuals.
I am sold on them after searching soooooooooo long!
try it !!
Hi everyone,
No matter the claims of the company (organic, natural, pure or not) everyone’s skin will react differently to their individual products. This is why i always thought it to be unfair to review an enitre skin care brand, when rather individual products should be assesed instead. The most important thing when trying out a new product, is finding the ingredients (we can only hope that they list them proudly on their website or list all of the ingredients). Overtime we can discover what is good for YOUR skin and what is not. I for one can’t stand some types of talc, mineral oil, a few silicones and sometimes jojoba oil. That being said, I don’t “think” that some of this stuff is bad for my skin, I just know. Ren is trying their best to keep their products as clean. I don’t think their trying to deceive anyone.
Hey all
To get a discount on Nu skin products just become a Nu Skin distributor, and you can purchase all the Nu Skin products at wholesale, saving 30%.
Go to nuskin’s website. Choose country. Click “sign up” then “individual” and in the sponsor distributor Id write: IL1148187 – Fill in the form and save up to 30% on all the products.
Usually there’s a $25 fee to become a distributor, but if you make a purchase it’s free – http://www.nuskin.com
If you just want to purchase NuSkin wonderful products and not to become a distributor, just use this ID number – IL1148187 – to order.
Enjoy and have a young life,
Doron
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Best of luck and thanks for sharing this information.
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Thanks for sharing this important information.
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I have read the given information and I think that this is one of the best and useful information for us.
Hey all,
To get a discount on Nu skin products just become a Nu Skin distributor, and you can purchase all the Nu Skin products at wholesale, saving 30%.
Go to nuskin’s website. Choose country. Click “sign up” then “individual” and in the sponsor distributor Id write: IL1148187 – Fill in the form and save up to 30% on all the products.
Usually there’s a $25 fee to become a distributor , but if you make a purchase it’s free – http://www.nuskin.com
If you just want to purchase NuSkin wonderful products and not to become a distributor, just use this ID number – IL1148187 – to order.
Enjoy and have a young life,
Doron
))
Hey all,
To get a discount on Nu skin products just become a Nu Skin distributor, and you can purchase all the Nu Skin products at wholesale, saving 30%.
Go to nuskin’s website. Choose country. Click “sign up” then “individual” and in the sponsor distributor Id write: IL1138284 – Fill in the form and save up to 30% on all the products.
Usually there’s a $25 fee to become a distributor , but if you make a purchase it’s free.
If you just want to purchase NuSkin wonderful products and not to become a distributor, just use this ID number – IL1138284 – to order.
Enjoy and have a young life,
Ofek
First of all, “REN” is pure in swedish, Sweden is also where the man who created this brand come´s from. I´ve just bought the hole line for problem skin and i rellay hope it works even with all this junk, LOL.
But good work! Even if the products are good and works they shouldn´t been this fake advertising.
Goood work and pls keep it up!
I love REN, however I don’t think they are holier than thou in their chosen ingredients, there is work to be done on that score.
Organic Pharmacy however, based in London is an amazing product range that is also clean for the skin.
Enjoying the articles and responses!
First, surprised to see someone bigging up Organic Pharmacy, as they are the epitome of a cheater organic brand. They claim organic certification, but none of their products are certified. They just use the odd organic ingredient in their products.
And Ren – not organic obviously. Not natural either. And you’re spot on that they base their marketing on not using particular chemicals, but then they use phenoxyethanol.
The one you missed though is Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, a clever and highly irritating chemical that decomposes into formaldehyde to preserve almost all their products.
It is a mystery how they could claim their products to be clean, but then this isn’t the first time a company has claimed to be natural, and a bit of inspection of their ingredients lists shows these claims to be nothing but marketing puffery designed to sell more products to credulous consumers.
Hi to you all, I am looking to change my skincare range and i have been researching the REN collection and you all have some interesting points. Has anyone had an experience with Environ? Its a South African brand.
Right brain doesn’t know much about fragrances and allergens!! Big fragrance corporations like IFF, Givaudan and Firmenich are a self-regulatory billion dollar industry, they created IFRA to regulate what they consider unsafe when it comes to fragrances: allergens. Allergens are sensitizing molecules for the skin, they affect about 2% of the population, rarely more. These companies create synthetic molecules, not natural ones. Unsurprisingly, most of allergens they decided to ban in perfumery are natural raw ingredients like jasmine, oakmoss etc. or old synthetic molecules that became public domain, just about anything they cannot profit from because they don’t own it. IFRA has killed Haute Parfumerie, classic perfumes like Mitsouko, No.5 and JOY have been reformulated with synthetic molecules substitutes, their new formulae don’t have the high quality naturals they used to have and they don’t smell as good and complex. Noone ever died from the natural Grasse jasmine in JOY parfum, however now these huge companies tell us safety in fragrance is no skin allergies, that’s all, there is no study whether of not their synthetic molecules you find in shampoos, deodorants and perfumes are dangerous, toxic or carcinogens molecules. Since governements don’t regulate anything anymore and powerful industries self-regulate, which is a joke of course, don’t think for a minute that corporations care about people’s health, they only care about their interests and huge profits.
Its also about the environment. I chose “natural” just as much for the sake of the environment, as for my skin. And for that Ren is better than lots of other brands!
Hello, really good article ! I just put your blog in my favorites.
For me, Ren is outta the line, I bought their cream for combination skin without reading their composition (naïve I was), and *uck !
Like ingredients, they are carbomer (very bad for nature), phenoxyethanol and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate ! Argh ! Ren is very expensive and claims to be “clean” so I don’t want other than the top natural ingredients ! I stuck with my Dr. Hauschka, logona, santé, lavera for sure ! And they are cheaper ! Shame on ren !
Hi I like that ren tries to bridge the line between ineffective organic brands (of dr haususchka and the likes that contain alcohol as main ingredient) and chemical ones by using bioactives and good plant ingredients without using irritating alcohol. Nice principle. But I agree: I am stunned to see carbomer and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate in there. That’s not clean in the least.
I personally have been having really good results with Ren products, so I want to give them credit for that. I do also appreciate the fact they make an effort to not use certain harmful chemicals. I do think when it comes to things like that, there is a balance. what I mean by it is although we should be conscious with what we put on our skin and into our bodies, we shouldn’t be obsessed over it. Every other year there’s some kind of findings or researches saying this and that is bad for you. I remember a while back supposedly fish was bad for you, now days fish is awesome for you. then there was a rumor saying too much spinach was bad, and I haven’t heard of that for a while now ( might be bad examples but you get my point)…my point is we can only do so much and we can only do what we know (or think) it’s the best for us at the time, who knows down the road what researches or studies will tell us something new that’s harmful to our body. All natural or organic isn’t all good for us. perfect example, poison ivy is all natural and organic, would you put that on your body? If all natural herbs are good for people, Chinese people would never have introduced western medicine and stick with all the herbs… I think at the end of the day all we can do is to use common sense and do the best we can and not to be obsessed over it. If a product works for you and the ingredients are “clean” to your best knowledge, they stick to it.