Last week I attended the launch event for an amazing new collaboration by one of my favourite brands, Oskia with one of my favourite beauty people (and very talented photographer), Emma Hoareau; the OSKIA Renaissance Body Scrub, and I couldn’t wait to talk about it.
Emma is all about body positivity and creates beautiful pictures of herself and others focusing on the female form. Her portraits are so gorgeous, have a look at this one and see more on her Instagram. The body is an integral part of Emma’s art, so this collaboration is a dream match. Smoother skin on our bodies (which sometimes we neglect), not to mention nourished!
The tub and packaging are finished with Emma’s drawings of the female form, and since sustainability is very important to her, the product is completely plastic-free. Once empty, it will make the perfect home to jewellery, trinkets, mini beauty products and many more! In case you aren’t familiar with OSKIA, they are cruelty-free and most of their products are also vegan (like this one!).
The brand was founded 10 years ago by Georgie Cleeve, who experienced first-hand the benefits of MSM on her skin, an ingredient also known as ‘beauty mineral’ that does wonders for hair and skin and is an integral part of the brand, that’s created using bio-nutritional technology.
“It’s like no other product I’ve ever tried”
Emma Hoareau
The product
If you are used to harsh scrubs for your body this dream collaboration is here to change your mind. Yes, this will completely shed away dead skin cells but will do so in a gentler, nourishing way.
Let me start by saying how divine this product smells. I am all for beautiful scents, and this – as with the whole OSKIA range – doesn’t have any added fragrance, so the beautiful scent is thanks to the rose and chamomile. It smells good enough to eat, and looks like delicious strawberry sorbet.
I am guilty of neglecting my body, and though I have a very elaborate cleansing and treatment routine for my face, I don’t always do the same for my body. Skin is our largest organ, and our body is its largest part, so it’s a shame to forget about it. I personally think of my legs and the skin of my body more during summer, and in an attempt to change that I have been keeping my body cream on my nightstand to apply before I go to sleep. With this new product taking better care of the skin on my body will surely be easier and more pleasant than ever, even if you only exfoliate during summer!
“Soft, healthy and glowing skin go hand-in-hand with being body confident, and when thinking of who to collaborate with there was only one name that came to mind. We want everybody to be proud of their body.”
Georgie Cleeve, founder of OSKIA
Ingredients
The reason this body scrub is so special is that it is actually nourishing to the body, and doesn’t contain harsh ingredients that will damage it. The renaissance range from OSKIA started 6 years ago with the launch of their cleansing gel (one of the first brands to ever do a cleansing gel), and this product takes the cleansing gel base and has an added pink Himalayan salt as the scrub.
The fermented pumpkin enzymes not only exfoliate (they have naturally-occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acids -AHA’s- ) and help with ingrown hairs, but they also contain Vitamin A and C to reveal smoother and brighter skin. The starflower oil will further nourish the skin post-exfoliation, as it is a source of omega 6 (gamma-linolenic acid). Last, but certainly not least, the Vitamin E that’s included in the formula has excellent restorative and healing properties.
Try out
This scrub feels very lightweight and fine, with tiny grains, nothing like the scrubs I’m used to. Emma recommends to apply on dry skin before you hop in the shower or bath, and this is exactly what I did. If you take a bath, she mentioned that she leaves it on and while in the bath, and lets the product slowly melts away on its own. It comes in a big tub (220 grams), and while I wouldn’t normally prefer a tub in the shower, this will be used before I get my hands all wet so it’s all good.
It’s really easy to rub into the skin, and you can feel the skin is instantly clearer. I applied and rubbed in circular motions, a second after the balm has melted and you are left with the ‘scrub’ part. I continue to rub in the skin some more, particularly in areas like the knees and elbows. I am completely covered in the scrub and then jump in the shower.
I applied a pea-sized amount on each thigh, arm, calf and some more on torso and chest. Because of the consistency of the product I recommend applying it in the shower/tub. I started scrubbing standing in the bathroom and got salts all over the tiles – oops!
Left on for about 5 minutes, and then rinsed off, and I was instantly amazed. I knew my skin would be soft due to the scrub but it also felt moisturised.
Verdict
I’m seriously impressed by this product and appreciate how personal it is as a creation. It’s evident from packaging to ingredients how much care and attention everyone involved has put in, which makes it even more special.
Even though I’m clearly a fan of both OSKIA and Emma, I wanted to give my honest opinion and it’s seriously an amazing product. I didn’t even need moisturiser/body cream afterward! So decided to go in with the OSKIA tan, (which I spoke about here) and went to sleep impressed and happy with the new addition that my skin already loves.
The event
The launch event took place in a beautiful building in Clerkenwell, Ennismore Sessions House, that used to be a courthouse and was the perfect fit for this event. Well done to Klaudia for organising and of course Georgie, and Emma for this beautiful product.
We also had a life drawing session, led by artist Alexandria Coe. This was my first life drawing ever, and it was particularly fitting considering Emma’s art and photography. See some photos from the event below, and let me know your thoughts on OSKIA and if you will be trying this product.
The Renaissance Body Scrub will be available exclusively on oskiaskincare.com from the 6th of June, for £48
Emma has an early access link (see here), that includes the whole press box; body scrub, Emma’s print and some cute silk scrunchies we received at the event, so you can pull your hair up before using the scrub, as Emma said!
