What we put in our bodies is just as important as what we put on them when it comes to achieving a healthy, glowing complexion. There has been a big move in the beauty industry towards natural products and a focus on plant botanicals versus the old cleansers and products that stripped and damaged the skin. However, not all of these products are created equally–sometimes the marketing is better than the product! 

That’s why when it comes to skincare, you want to make sure you’re getting what you pay for. At Hello Joyous we use concentrated formulas that contain the right amounts of the active ingredients to provide incredible results. You won’t find any fairy dusting here! 

Today we want to take a look at how our best-selling Hella Hydrating Serum stacks up against a leading (and expensive) industry botanical serum. You might be shocked at how much more you end up paying for less quality!

Let's start by taking a look at one of the leading industry botanical serums.

1. First ingredient is a filler

The first ingredient in this expensive serum is grapeseed oil. This oil is typically highly refined especially if it's not organic and it is often used as a filler. When an ingredient is listed first on a label, that means the product contains the most of it by weight, so most of this serum is going to be made of grapeseed oil!

2. Contains too many ingredients

After grapeseed oil, this serum contains 22 other ingredients! While this may seem like a good thing, the more ingredients in a product, the more diluted the benefits. When they appear in a formula in such small amounts it’s unlikely they will have much impact on skin health. This process is something we refer to as fairy dusting in the industry, which you can learn more about here. 

3. No cold-pressing or organic ingredients

For a serum that claims to be of the highest quality (and has a price tag to match!) none of the ingredients are organic or cold-pressed to preserve delicate and beneficial plant compounds. Cold-pressing is a crucial component in the processing of plants and oils in order to prevent their antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins from being destroyed before they can be applied to your skin. That could mean that the raw ingredients were sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals that can impact your hormone health. 

4. The bottle isn’t airtight

This serum comes in a dropper bottle and while you may think this is more convenient, it can have a negative effect on the quality of the product. Without an airtight seal, light and air can cause product rancidity and shorten the shelf life. Again, not something you want when you’re paying top dollar for your skincare products! 

5. Super $$$$$

The cost for 30 ml of this serum ranges from $195 on the brand website to $255 at a local Toronto clean beauty shop. When you’re paying this much for a product, it should be of the highest quality. Unfortunately, for the reasons listed above the price doesn't seem to match!

Now let's compare this to our Hello Joyous Hella Hydrating Serum.

1. First ingredient is an active botanical

Our Hella Hydrating Serum is made with only two ingredients: organic cold-pressed rosehip oil + hyaluronic acid, both known for their hydrating, moisturizing, and skin-nourishing benefits. The first ingredient by weight is the rosehip oil, so you won’t find any fillers in this serum, meaning you aren’t paying for wasted space in your product. 

2. Formulated for maximum effectiveness

We make sure that the ingredients are formulated in the proper ratio to ensure maximum potency & benefits. That means we’ve used the proper ratio of hyaluronic acid (HA) to achieve incredible results. You can read all about the benefits of HA and why we chose it for our serum in this post.

3. Cold-pressed and organic 

We use only 100% organic rosehip oil that is cold-pressed to preserve the delicate phytonutrients that deliver skin nourishment & moisturizing benefits. It’s rich in fatty acids, anti-inflammatory + antioxidant compounds, and vitamins C and E which help even out the skin tone, improve elasticity and promote a healthy glow. All of these skin-nourishing and moisturizing ingredients can easily be broken down or denatured if not treated properly during processing. 

4. Airtight packaging preserves freshness

Our Hella Hydrating Serum is packaged in an airtight glass container with an easy-to-use pump. This packaging helps to maintain the freshness and potency of the natural ingredients as the fatty acids in the organic rosehip oil are sensitive to damage from heat, light and air. That’s why we also use opaque glass to ensure that no light comes into contact with the delicate oils. 

5. Great value for your dollar!

The cost for 30ml of our high quality serum is $38- between 5 to 6 times less than the above mentioned formula! When spending your hard earned money on quality skincare products, you want to make sure that you’re getting the right ingredients in the right amounts to achieve maximum benefits. When formulating all of our products every single ingredient is purposeful and functional. With our Hella Hydrating Serum we kept things simple, effective, and pure so that a hella good glow is within everyone’s grasp!

We hope this article has inspired you to look more closely at the labels and products that you use to ensure that you’re getting what you pay for. You can feel confident that every product you purchase from Hello Joyous is made with high quality, functional, organic ingredients designed to support healthy skin and a glowing complexion!