AM/PM: Botanical B Cleansing Oil | $42

If you’ve heard of OLO, this is probably the product you’ve tried. It’s their number one best-selling product—and for good reason. It works to remove makeup and dirt and grime, it feels and smells great AND IT MILKS. This is one of the first oil cleansers I ever tried that gives you that satisfying light foaming feel when you add water, all without stripping skin. Papaya, pumpkin, and sunflower oils synergistically work together to deliver gentle, yet powerful cleansing action while providing essential B vitamins to nourish your skin. 

Plus, can we talk about the scent?! It’s like if a pina colada and a white gummy bear had a baby and it takes you to a happy place instantly. 

A super quick note we wanted to clarify…this product isn’t ECOCERT® certified like the others we’re mentioning, so we asked specifically about it, and here’s what OLO’s founder said:

“The B Cleansing Oil is crafted in our ECOCERT® licensed facility, ensuring high-quality production standards. Although it is not ECOCERT® certified, this product contains over 70% organic ingredients. While two ingredients did not meet the ultra-strict ECOCERT® guidelines, it’s important to note that the B Cleansing Oil complies with all the rigorous standards set by our clean beauty retailers… it has to do with environmentally friendly production and waste management, not anything to do with naturalness or safety. Rest assured, it is not the fragrance. That was approved by ECOCERT® and is in other ECOCERT® certified organic products.”

And we were like THANK YOU FOR THE TRANSPARENCY. 

What we like:

• Scent
• Ingredients
• Feel on skin
• Foaming ability that still rinses clean
• Papain and papaya enzymes exfoliate gently
• Synthetic fragrance-free
• Cruelty-free

What we don’t:

• 🦗(well, Nicolle wishes it didn’t contain beeswax, because she’s allergic, but that’s a bit of an outlier when it comes to critiques)

AM: Botanical C Facial Serum | $75

This is a final step in your morning skincare routine and a great choice for dry and sensitive skin types. The formula is intended to be moisturizing rather than exfoliating, and it takes a triple-action approach to help boost skin dulled by stress and environmental elements: 

1. Vitamin C ester: a potent, moisturizing and stable form of Vitamin C to boost radiance.
2. Plant-powered C Complex of rosehip, baobab, acerola and seabuckthorn to receive the benefit of the full range of C nutrients.
3. Green tea and vitamin E naturally boost their effectiveness, and a clinically proven botanical extract of hops works to increase luminosity and nourish skin for a more radiant, even-toned appearance.

What we like:

• Non-phototoxic formula is safe for daytime use
• ECOCERT® certified natural and organic
• Multiple types of vitamin C to target skin unevenness
• A little goes a long way
• Silky feeling post application
• 88% of the total ingredients are from organic farming

What we don’t:

• If you use too much, the serum feels like it sits more on top of skin than soaking in right away

AM/PM: Love + Rose Hydrating Serum | $78

Remember how brands started going all high-tech with “blue light blockers,” from skincare and makeup to those blue light glasses? Well, that’s a trend that is sticking around, especially since we’re all zombies who stare at our screens 1 million hours a day. This hydrating serum from OLO helps combat that with an anti-blue light active derived from rice. Combine that with high molecular weight hyaluronic acid to create a breathable barrier on the outer layer of the skin to prevent evaporation and hold in moisture to boost hydration and improve the look of skin’s texture, and you’ve got a win-win. Use this after misting and before moisturizing. 

What we like:

• Uber hydrating, as it’s formulated in a base of aloe and contains high molecular weight hyaluronic acid
• Has a silky finish that you don’t expect from a cream
• ECOCERT® certified natural and organic
• Synthetic fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free
• Anti-pollution and anti-blue light natural active ingredients reduce the effects of environmental and screen-light stressors
• Acts as a primer, hydrating, conditioning and smoothing skin

What we don’t:

• It’s a great addition to a skincare routine, but not always necessary—like if you already use a serum / oil and a moisturizer on top, do you need this? 

AM/PM: Brand New Day | $49

This face scrub satisfies that deep down desire to get up close and personal with an exfoliant while still maintaining skin integrity. The texture of this formula is a gentle micro grit thanks to mineral-rich clay, which OLO says binds to unwanted congestion, and ultra-fine polishing minerals to whisk away additional buildup. But the exfoliation fun continues with added tropical fruit enzymes to double down bringing a gentle chemical exfoliation as well. It also delivers mango butter rich in antioxidants, vitamins C and E and moisturization. 

You can use this straight up or leave it on for 5 minutes before using light pressure to massage in circular motions and then rinsing. Love the versatility. Love the (signature white gummy bear OLO) scent. Love the smooth and moisturized feel of my skin after using it. CAN’T 👏GET 👏ENOUGH 👏.

What we like:

• A micro-grit texture that VERY gently exfoliates, but still scratches that deep positive neural pathway for face scrubs that I got from being an 80s baby
• Added tropical enzymes add a chemical exfoliation to the manual scrubby feeling
• THE SCENT
• Can be a quick scrub OR a quick, glow-inducing face mask
• Moisturizing while still clearing away dead skin cells
• ECOCERT® certified natural and organic

What we don’t:

• 🦗

PM: Botanical A Bio-Retinol | $78

For people who don’t want to or can’t use retinol…there’s another alternative! THIS. It’s a combo of 3 acids:

1. Lactic acid (a moisturizer and an exfoliator),
2. phytic acid (derived from rice that helps to brighten the skin)
3. and salicylic acid (derived from the wintergreen plant extract to help refine the look of pores and helps with blemishes)

This blend is added at 4%, which is the sweet spot for where it can still be effective without causing flaking, rashes, redness or irritation and why it is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. 

THEN on top of this, OLO added in a bio-alternative retinol from the cockspur plant (backed with clinicals), which works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helps with blemishes and refine the look of pores. But the cool thing about this ingredient is it actually works to support the skin’s microbiome too. 

Another cool thing? You can pat it along the orbital bone to exfoliate the eye area (!!) AND, Botanical A was also dermatologist tested with people who have sensitive skin and it came out with a 0 irritancy score. Woo. Hoo. 👏👏👏

What we like:

• Great (and gentle enough) for sensitive skin
• We can see visible smoothing results after using
• Synthetic fragrance-free, cruelty-free, vegan
• ECOCERT/COSMOS® certified natural and organic
• 42% of the total ingredients are from organic farming
• Doesn’t have harsh side effects like real retinol at high levels can
• Can be used as a spot treatment to help clear pores
• Can be used as an eye treatment, which is another bonus for sensitive-skinned people

What we don’t:

• It’s not as strong as real retinol, which my skin can tolerate