You must have heard it at least once: “Use cosmetics only on the body-parts that they were developed for.” You heard it and it made sense, after all, a body-lotion might just be too harsh to use on your face. That is because us consumers need body lotion in much larger quantities than facial moisturiser, and while cosmetic companies can afford to create facial products using pricier and better quality ingredients (they will sell those beauty products in small quantities costing relatively more than body-products) they just cannot do the same when it comes to cosmetics of which we need bigger bottles. Therefore, they will often add fillers such as mineral oils, or in the case of make-up, talc. They will also put in ingredients which your body might still tolerate but your face most likely won’t.

Thus, I was properly shocked when one morning back in high-school I saw one of my classmates apply body-lotion on her face, explaining to me that the skin on her face is so dry that normal moisturisers won’t work anymore. I refrained from suggesting that treating her face with body-lotion is not very likely to help her case either, and might even worsen things (if it hasn’t already). For years, the image of her putting that cheap lotion onto her otherwise beautiful (and acne-free!) skin haunted me, and served as a deterrent from using cosmetics inappropriately.

But what if I was wrong? Lately I have been re-evaluating my standpoint after deciding to experiment a bit and be more open-minded when it comes to the rules set up by cosmetic companies. I’m not telling you to grab the nearest and cheapest body-lotion and start using it on your face from now on, especially not before taking a good look at the ingredients list. I strongly advise you to refrain from doing such a thing. But what if you do take a look at that list and find that all the things the product contains are perfectly safe to put on your face, or even better, your skin is simply bound to benefit from them.

Here’s a very brief list of cosmetic products I dared to use on my face and have not regretted in doing so:

1. Weleda’s Wild Rose Body Oil
   I bragged enough about this stuff in a previous post so I shall not repeat myself here.
   
   Let the ingredients list be enough to convince you:
   
   Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus (Sweet Almond) Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Citral Eugenol, Farnesol
   
   
2. LUSH Skin Sin Body Lotion:
   Yes well, there were times when the wind was harsh and the weather was cold and I had no proper moisturiser at hand, and I had to turn to something that had some natural oils and butters in it to protect my fragile skin. Thus, I put Skin Sin on my face and neither did my skin look like an oil-slick nor did it break out, burn, swell or experience any adverse reactions to the body lotion. I was properly amazed, of course, and it was the first time I questioned the beauty rule on top of this post.
   
   Skin Sin body lotion contains:
   
   Water (Aqua) , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Glycerine , Stearic Acid, Tagettes Oil (Tagettes glandulifera) , Tangerine Oil (Citrus reticulata) , Chamomile Oil (Anthemis Nobilis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida) , Triethanolamine , Cetearyl Alcohol , *Citronellol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume , Methylparaben , Propylparaben
   
   * Occurs naturally in essential oils.
   
   
3. Alverde Lime&Cocoa Shower Cream
   Today, I had this idea to use this smooth, non-lathering shower cream as a facial wash in order to remove my make-up without drying out my skin too much by stripping it of its protective layer of oils. In short, it worked like a dream: all the make-up was gone and my face was super soft and hydrated after washing. I could best compare Alverde’s Shower Cream to LUSH’s cream soaps because instead of detergents they both rely on their natural oil and butter content to remove grime from your pores and lift dirt off your skin. Another success story!
   
   List of ingredients is as follows:
   
   Aqua (Water), Glycine Soya (Soybean) Oil*, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Parfum**, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Limonene**
   
   * ingredients from certified organic agriculture
   ** from natural essential oils

Have you ever owned a cosmetic product that you did not use according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer and it still worked well? Please let me know, I’m curious!

alverde