natureshock: dr. hauschka cleansing cream

Dr. Hauschka is one of those skincare lines that has a ton of celebrity cachet: everyone from Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Kate Moss are said to be fans. And even I can attest to the power of the celeb approval factor: I started using this nature-loving brand when I heard that Madonna was a devout Hauschka user. So does it live up to the hype? In a word, yes. It's hard to find reasons not love Hauschka: the brand takes an holistic approach to skincare, meaning that it considers what you put on the outside of your body impacts your overall health and well-being, so all of its ingredients, most of them organically grown and harvested, are ecologically and sustainably sourced. Add to that, amazing plant and botanical ingredients, eco-conscious packaging and no animal testing and this is one line you can feel good about using. And its products are just as good performance-wise, if not better, than many on the market. I'm particularly fond of the Cleansing Cream, a gentle yet super-effective exfoliating daily cleanser that any skin type can use. Based on soothing almond meal, it gently sloughs away dead skin cells, leaving my skin fresh and vibrant (and not at all irritated). (It also has calendula extracts to calm and clarify and St. John’s Wort and chamomile to reduce redness.) Using it is kind of like giving your face a really good splashing of water in the morning, but with better cleansing power.