Natural beauty products are becoming increasingly popular as people are beginning to question and value what they put on their skin as well as what they put inside of their bodies. However, it can be very difficult to make informed decisions as a consumer about which products are the best when the ingredient lists still contain 20 odd substances which are completely incomprehensible to the average person! However, there are some (mostly smaller) companies who are creating beautiful products that are exceptions, setting a new standard in natural skincare. Khloris Botanical is one such example. It is my newest beauty discovery and is everything I aspire to in a beauty product both quality-wise and ethically.

Khloris Botanical is a small Melbourne-based business founded by Suzanne Walker that creates beautiful facial sprays (or tonics as she calls them). Khloris differs from most commercial beauty products in that it isn’t just natural ingredients, it is made up entirely of fresh hydrosols (also called floral water or herbal water) which are sourced directly from the distillers – nothing else!

Hydrosols

Hydrosol or distilled plant water is usually created in a similar manner to essential oil. When distillation occurs, the essential oil floats to the top and what is left is the essential water or hydrosol. This water still contains some essential oil but also organic acids (which are anti-inflammatory) and water-soluble plant components.

The regular distilling process is usually mostly focused on drawing out as much of the essential oil as possible (as it is so valuable) meaning that the hydrosol quality may be compromised as it is being given secondary importance – it is likely to lose more of its essential oil goodness and delicious scent (which also means synthetic products are likely to be added in).

The distillates used in Khloris are slightly different as they are not produced as a by-product to essential oil but rather specifically for the hydrosol. This means that they retain a larger amount of the essential oil and consequently more of the benefits as well as having a stronger fragrance – with no need to add anything extra!

Full disclosure – an ethical product

One of the best aspects of Khloris products is that there is full disclosure about literally everything! The ingredients used in all Khloris tonics are sourced directly from distillers – setting Khloris apart from the vast majority of skincare producers. Each edition of the tonic has a description letting you know exactly where the ingredients were sourced. In the Damask Rose & Frankincense edition that I have, the rose hydrosol is grown and distilled locally on a farm in Victoria, Australia and the frankincense hydrosol is distilled in Oman.

The distillates used in Khloris are fresh. They contain no additives, preservatives or synthetics and are vegan, paleo and only tested on humans – gold stars all around! The list of ingredients on the bottle is literally the two “flavours” of the tonic – Pure distillates of Rosa damascena (flowers) and Boswellia sacra – i.e. damask rose and frankincense distillates.  While is makes the tonic the purest possible product, it also means that you have to be mindful of the product’s shelf life. Because the tonics are fresh, they are created on a seasonal basis. This means that the tonics have a 3 month use-by window from when you first open the product and also have a best before date.

First impressions 

When my bottle of Khloris arrived, it was packaged up beautifully – which always makes opening a parcel much more exciting! All of the packaging (except the ribbon) is cardboard and recyclable and the box has exactly where every element of the packaging is sourced printed on the top! Full marks for being an ethical product!

The product itself is in a dark glass bottle (which I have since learned from Suzanne is because it is UV protected to prolong the shelf-life of the product by protecting it from light deterioration).

When I first sprayed the Damask Rose & Frankincense tonic, I was surprised by how strong it was. It’s such a distinct fragrance, particularly for someone who is used to much lighter scents in my regular commercial natural facial mists. At first I though it was just because Frankincense is an unusual scent that I’m not used to, but I soon realised that it was actually just the true scent of the freshly distilled product with no synthetic additives (as most of us are used to in high street products).

The tonic is light and feels fresh on your skin. The spray gives light but good covering – I find that two to three sprays provides ample covering – and after using my regular moisturiser, my skin felt beautifully light and soft!

After three weeks of use

The true test of a product to me is how it feels after a few weeks of use as using new products often makes your skin feel fresh and soft for a couple of days to a week due to the different ingredients, but may not last much past that. After a few weeks using the Khloris tonic morning and night after washing my face and before moisturising I have continued to love it. The quality of the product shows through time and the tonic still makes my skin feel light and soft over three weeks later. I have noticed a marked difference in the consistency of my skin in this period as well and my complexion which has remained more even since I began using the tonic.

The other thing that I have noticed is that even though I have been using the spray morning and night for three weeks, I have barely made a dint on the bottle – so it will definitely last for the full 3 months. I have the 100ml bottle, though a 50ml bottle is also available on the current edition, so if you’re unsure, it’s an excellent option to try it out.

Overall, I really have a lot of positives and no negatives about the Khloris tonic. The only potential downside is that the product is a bit pricey, but as with everything – you get what you pay for! In this case, you are paying for fresh and high quality, ethically sourced ingredients – and on this basis I think the price is really quite reasonable.

So if you are looking to switch to a good quality and ethical facial spray/toner, I would absolutely recommend Khloris Botanical! The new edition is due to be released in the next month or so on the Khloris website and if you join the mailing list, you’ll know exactly when it’s released to get the freshest possible product! I hope you love it as much as I do! I’d love to hear of your experiences with it! xx

* I was sent a bottle of the Damask Rose & Frankincense tonic by Khloris Botanical in exchange for a review on this blog. The opinions contained in this post are my own unbiased and uninfluenced opinions.