I have been sitting on this gorgeous collection of skincare from Dr Althea for almost a year now, as I desperately wanted to feature it, but I also knew that the products were furthering my skincare issues and I wanted to work out why before moving forward with a review. Kosame Beauty kindly sent me this collection to try out when my skin was playing-up last year; it was breaking out, drying out and just generally getting very upset and it was so hard to pinpoint why, then I started to see a pattern forming when certain ingredients featured in my routine, and these were rose oil or rose in any form, Niacinamide (and that bad boy is in everything!) and Dimethicone. All three of these ingredients cause problems with my skin, but I really want to point out that most people are absolutely fine with them, and most breakout-prone skin types should also see some benefit from products that include the aforementioned ingredients.
Althea Skincare is a really special brand that I think is perfect for gently tackling issues with breakouts, particularly for those who have sensitive or combination skin and need something calming, soothing and kind that’ll reduce inflammation rather than just dry everything out in sight. The Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser (£16 here – link) is your typically lovely K-Beauty treat, providing a creamy, foamy cleanse with a formula packed full of skin-loving amino acids designed to help protect the skin barrier whilst also lightly hydrating, plus, it’s a bubble number, so you get that strangely satisfying bubbling cleanse!
There are two creams that I feel are the superstars of the range, the Resveratrol 345NA Intensive Repair Cream (£22 here – link) and the Azulene 147HA Intensive Soothing Cream (£22 here – link) and these are both just gorgeously formulated for tricky skin that needs to be calmed and soothed. These are very much my type of products as they feel so amazing on – instantly calming, light and repairing – but Dimethicone sits quite highly on the ingredients list for both, plus, my skin has struggled with Resveratrol in the past too, so I gave these a good go a few times, and the deep, cystic acne and redness calmed right down, but I then got the little white spots that I always get when my skin is protesting against certain ingredients. If your skin is fine with Dimethicone, I could not recommend these highly enough as they’re full of things that are so good for your skin in a light formulation that should balance, hydrate and calm.
Finally, the products my skin happily accepts are the sheet masks, and I love them! I’ve tried both the Herb Therapy Velvet Mask (£3 for one here – link) and the Essential Skin Conditioner Mask (£4 for one here – link) and I think the latter is my favourite of the two, but both are brilliant examples of good quality face masks, with a comfortable fit, long-lasting stick (I hate masks that start drying immediately and lifting from the face!) and really lovely formulas that feel so good on the skin, I really recommend trying the range, particularly as they have some other gorgeous-sounding options.
I know I keep saying it, but I really would implore you to give the Dr Althea range a go if you’re having problems with breakouts (or the dread Maskne!) as it’s a brilliant price point, wonderful formulations and very much the sort of range I’d recommend going for for breakouts as it’s just so gentle and kind to skin. I also have a lot of love for Kosame Beauty, a British K-Beauty destination that provides some of the best Asian beauty brands available, and as it’s UK based, you don’t have to wait forever for delivery! Find the site here – link.
Disclosure: Unpaid ad – PR samples
