The new Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum is claimed to soothe skin’s redness, sensitivity and reactivity, and it is recommended by Origins for those with rosacea. Today I am taking a closer look at this product.
The serum has a light liquidy consistency and spreads very easily. This consistency should potentially suit those with combination or oily skin, but I wouldn’t recommend it to those with these two skin types since it contains a lot of (occlusive) plant oils.
(It contains jojoba seed oil (second on the ingredient list), olive fruit oil, meadowfoam seed oil, orange oil, lavender oil, patchouli oil, mandarin orange peel oil, geranium flower oil and olibanum (frankencense) oil in the first half of the ingredient list as well as a small amount of evening primrose oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, mango seed butter, and corn oil.)
The product contains several skin-benefiting ingredients. Turmeric root extract and tocotrienols (vitamin E) carry antioxidant properties, while evening primrose oil has anti-inflammatory benefits. Olive fruit oil and linoleic acid have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and mango leaf extract helps condition the skin.
On the other hand, the product contains several problematic ingredients. They are mainly potentially skin-irritating fragrant plant oils, such as orange oil, lavender oil, patchouli oil, mandarin orange peel oil, geranium flower oil, and olibanum (frankencense) oil. I suspect that, collectively, they may potentially outweigh the positive effects of the skin-benefiting ingredients mentioned above.
In addition, the product contains ginger root extract. While, taken orally, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, it can be a skin irritant when applied topically.
The product does not contain alcohol, mineral oil or parabens.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this product to those with rosacea, who would need far more gentle products without the fragrant plant oils. Those who are interested in trying this product should certainly conduct patch tests before introducing it to their skincare routines.
(The information on the ingredients mentioned in this review is primarily from Paula Begoun’s Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.)
(The product featured in this article is provided by Origins.)
Related posts (on other facial serums):
Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, Origins has very strong-smelling fragranced products which are a bit of a turn off for some…And despite their natural image, their products do contain obvious irritants like mint and citrus etc…
Hi Astrorainfall,
Indeed, not all natural ingredients are beneficial for the skin. Some (mostly fragrant plant oils) can be skin irritants. We should certainly try to avoid these ingredients in skincare products.
Thank you for your comment again! :)
I just started using this product a week ago. I’m 55 with dry skin. I can’t say enough about this product. I love it!! My skin is highly sensitive (not rosacea) and I noticed an improvement in skin texture & hydration the very first day. I’ve actually received compliments on my skin. This is the first Origins product I’ve used, and I intend to purchase more of sensitive skin line.
Hi Sandy,
I am glad that the product is working well for you, and thank you very much for posting your comment! :)
My daughter is allergic to mangos and this product was used at a facial at origins what a horrible rash! Be careful.
Hi Nicole,
I am sorry that your daughter had an allergic reaction. If she is allergic to mangos or any other ingredient, then I strongly recommend reading through the full ingredient lists of all the products that are going to be used for a facial (and/or doing patch tests beforehand, if possible).
On the other hand, I am suspecting that the allergic reaction might have been worsened by some of the fragrant plant oils in this product.
Thank you very much for your comment!
Actually its not entirely accurate to say that “fragrant plant oils” are
“problematic ingredients”. Potentially irritating, yes. Like everything else in the ingredients list. But actually, naturally plant oils are very soothing. Often times, people hear the word “oil” and run. But skin oils are fast becoming go-to serums for even oily skinned gals like myself. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Serum is just a mix of soothing essential oils. Also, Caudalie has a great one in their Vinopure Balancing Concentrate (which is as mix of eucalyptus, lemon peel, melissa, and rosemary oils-among others). Depending upon which oils you use and how pure they are, it can have the opposite effect on oily skin: it can balance it and make your skin less oily because it is absorbing the “good” oils
Hi Dara,
Thank you for your comment.
I have to say I generally disagree with you, and it also appears to me that you may be talking about “fragrant plant oils” and “natural plant oils” almost as if they were the same things.
Some natural plant oils are very good for the skin, and some are very problematic for the skin. In many cases, the molecular structures of non-fragrant plant oils are very similar to that of the sebum that our skin produces. These oils are called Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs) and they can be particularly beneficial for people with dry skin. (People with combination or oily skin can also use these oils, but, due to their occlusive nature, the amount has to be very carefully considered.) These oils include:
– rosehip oil
– olive oil
– avocado oil
– jojoba oil
– sweet almond oil
– borage seed oil
– sesame seed oil
– grape seed oil
– cranberry seed oil
– safflower seed oil
– sunflower seed oil
– wheat germ oil
– apricot kernel oil
– evening primrose oil
– soybean oil
– hazelnut oil
Plus, ingredients such as rosehip oil and cranberry seed oil function as antioxidants.
On the other hand, most fragrant plant oils have a volatile nature. They are potential skin irritants* and they are generally problematic. They include:
– rose oils (such as rosa damascena flower oil)
– lavender oil
– eucalyptus oil
– geranium oil
– orange peel oil
– lemon peel oil
– lime oil
– bergamot oil
– grapefruit oil
– patchouli oil
– neroli oil
– rosewood oil
– peppermint oil
– sandalwood oil
– cedarwood oil
– frankencense oil
– ylang ylang oil
– camphor oil
Generally, these oils should be avoided in skincare products. (Some of the claimed benefits are merely anecdotal and not scientifically established. But these ingredients are very marketable because many of them have a pleasing scent, which evokes romantic associations with nature.) What some scientific research has established is that some of these oils can cause contact dermatitis.
I hope it helps.
* It is reasonable to say, as you did, that all ingredients can be “potentially irritating”. But, in the context of a skincare product review, to say that all ingredients are potentially irritating is not fulfilling the purpose of commenting on a product (even though it is logically sound). When I describe a particular ingredient as a “potential skin irritant” (the term I usually use), it means that the level of likelihood of skin irritation that can be caused by this ingredient poses a considerable or serious concern. I don’t think this is confusing or misleading to my readers.