Aura Organics : Mango & Orange Cleansing Oil

How do you cleanse? Is it with a one-off cleanse and rinse? Or perhaps, it was like us, with a double cleanse using a cleansing oil and then followed by a water-based toner. Whichever way it is, we want to introduce you to a single cleanse, with this oil-to-milk Aura Organics Mango & Orange Cleansing Oil from Aura Cosmetics. It's a discovery from Edwina's 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards judging; and one that also wowed us with its exceptional performance and moreish fruity fragrance. A little while ago, on The Amazing Blog, we also reviewed their wonderful Exfoliating Face Mask, see here.

Aura Organics are a London-based indie natural and organic skincare brand. Founded by the holistic practitioner, formulator, and spa owner Danielle Andrean, whose experience in working in mainstream skincare revealed many unnatural and problematic ingredients, which were not only lacking in nutritional value but causing skin irritation in her clients. This began her mission to launch her own skincare with Aura Organics, a name that comes from the Latin word for a ‘breath of fresh air’. Alongside her existing knowledge, and study of organic cosmetic chemistry, it was the start of this natural, organic and cruelty-free skincare range. All products are made in small batches and are free from harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, and harmful toxins. It's important to Danielle that her products contain natural and organic ingredients that align with her holistic brand ethos. This small, family-run business seeks to inspire and educate people on the importance of natural skincare and is committed to sustainable living with both products and packaging materials, that are recyclable, biodegradable and refillable to reduce pollution and waste.

 In addition to developing an organic skincare range, Danielle also launched Aura Organics Spa. The spa uses its own range of holistic and organic products paired with ancient healing remedies, allowing them to create individually tailored treatments and globally inspired wellness rituals. They aim to provide a relaxing experience that promotes physical and mental well-being. Apart from treatments, their wellness studio offers a variety of yoga, pilates, and meditation classes to suit all levels. To adhere to their sustainability ethos, even the yoga mats are made with renewable harvested tree rubber and recycled materials that are free of PVC and latex. They also run a free community meditation class to make yoga and meditation accessible to all. 

Their award-winning Aura Organics Mango & Orange Cleansing Oil , really caught our eye. It’s packaged in a stylishly frosted metallic glass bottle, which protects the special ingredients from harmful sunlight and contamination from plastics. A vegan blend of mango extract, organic orange peel oil, vitamin C, and magnesium helps to hydrate, soothe, brighten and fight acne breakouts. Organic gotu kola (AKA centella asiatica) has been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and strengthens the skin while brightening dull-looking. Finally, beta carotene, a natural vitamin A form, helps boost the skin's defence and signs of ageing.

All the organic oils present are for cleansing and nourishing. The grapeseed and sunflower oil are rich in vitamin E, for the repair of the skin’s barrier, both are highly absorbent and won’t clog pores. Olive, peach kernel, castor, orange peel and rosehip are all rich in antioxidants and offer anti-inflammatory properties that fight bacteria and moisturise. Rosehip and sweet almond oil are is high in vitamins A, E, zinc and linoleic acid, all of which boost collagen production and hydrate.

If you wonder why oils are used for cleansing, it’s because they are non-comedogenic and bond with any makeup or grime. Did you know that your skin is home to over 1,000 species of bacteria? Quickly added, these are not all bad bacteria, in fact, the skin offers a variety of distinct ecosystems, with communication between bacteria, skin cells and immune cells. Unfortunately, washing the skin is completely out of sync with the needs of our skin, and damages the good bacteria making it harder for the skin to retain moisture. As a result, it disrupts the skin’s pH level. However, by using an oil cleanser, you are supporting your skin’s army of healthy bacteria. This interaction helps to reinforce, repair and bolster the barrier formed by the skin, and acts as a barrier to protect the skin from pollutants locking in moisture. Why do we like cleansing oils? It’s because they work to remove any stubborn residue from sunscreens and are also very adept at dissolving all types of makeup. Many cleansing oils and balms now contain an emulsifier; this allows the oil to mix with water to form a milky emulsion, making only a single cleanse necessary, as they remove all makeup and grime, and rinse away without leaving any greasy excess.

As mentioned earlier, this organic cleansing oil has a delicious smell of mango and orange. We found the scent uplifted our spirits, and left our skin beautifully fragranced. We found that by massaging a small amount of this oil to milk cleanser, the light and silky texture dissolved makeup, and the deep cleansing oils targeted pollution and grime leaving skin soft and squeaky clean. For stubborn eye makeup, we used a reusable makeup pad, wet hands and a splash of water, then massaged the cleanser until it became a milky white emulsion - best of all, no eye stinging!. Then, with a quick final rinse, we were left with a clean, hydrated, glowing complexion! It gets top marks from us and is another of our #amazingfinds. To purchase your bottle of Aura Organics Mango & Orange Cleansing Oil at £17.95, see here.

Aura Organics : Mini Microdermabrasion Tropical Honey Exfoliating Face Mask

Let’s talk face masks; it’s something that we love at The Amazing Blog, and consider an essential part of our regular skincare routine. We were lucky enough to test out The Mini Microdermabrasion Tropical Honey Exfoliating Face Mask from Aura Organics, which won Best Exfoliating Product at the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Aura Organics was founded in 2015 and is a small family run business by Danielle Andrean. It is a London based spa and beauty brand focusing on both beauty and wellbeing. Their motto is "Pura Vida", which translates to "pure life" and ties into their mission statement as a natural, organic and holistic brand. As they proudly state, "Our company policy is to always be environmentally friendly, always keep up to date on the most interesting new remedies from around the world. We are organic. We are natural." The brand was also awarded the "Silver Award" at the 2018 Free From Skincare Awards and was nominated again the following year too. Aura Organics has a physical space in London where they offer spa and yoga services. "We welcome you to Aura Spa. Our sacred space is where you can indulge in guilt-free beauty and wellbeing. We pride ourselves in high-quality service with our friendly all-female team." Their treatments range from facials and pedicures to massages and CBD tanning. Their yoga and wellness studio provides a variety of physical classes. You can pick between a relaxing yoga class or a high-intensity pilates class. Got a little one? You're in luck because Aura Organics also offers baby yoga. In addition to this, their wellness studio provides more spiritual workshops such as angel readings and meditation. The skincare range from Aura Organics is cruelty-free, as well as paraben and sulphate free. The brand is also free from harsh chemicals as they have an extensive knowledge of healing plants. They even use natural preservatives such as fermented radish and coconut (see below). Most importantly, the brand strictly highlights being an all-natural and organic range of skincare. Danielle said, "My experience in working within the mainstream skincare industry revealed many problematic, unnatural and cheap ingredients in a lot of products that lack nutritional value and cause skin irritation. This initiated the beginning of a mission to apply the knowledge I had learnt, alongside studying organic cosmetic chemistry to create wholesome and organic products." Aura Organics also uses special coloured glass bottles to help protect the product from harmful UV rays and keeps products free from contamination by plastics. Overall the brand offers a wide range of both skincare and services to help keep the skin glowing, the mind healthy, and the body active. 

What we loved was the Mini Microdermabrasion Tropical Honey Exfoliating Face Mask, which is said to help reduce clogged pores and leave the skin firmer, moisturised and radiant, The star ingredient here is honey. The brand specifically uses acacia mangium honey, which some have compared to manuka honey, but this is far more sustainable. The honey is imported from the Borneo rainforest, with the bees pollinate the abundance of acacia mangium trees. This honey (like most) is rich in nutrients and minerals like iron, zinc potassium calcium and copper, vitamin C and other antioxidants. However, acacia mangium honey, like manuka, it’s thought to help improve the healing time of wounds; making it a great choice to use if you have scarring or any common skin conditions like acne. Aura Organics says that they chose this honey as it's completely free from pollutants and supports the delicate ecological balance in its surroundings.

The Exfoliating Face Mask has a base of kaolin clay which is purifying and detoxifying, it gently cleanses the skin to remove dirt, grime, and general pollutants. It’s also infused with organic sweet orange oil and beta carotene-rich organic mango butter and extract. These both moisturise, are rich in antioxidants, stop dryness and help soothe any skin irritation.

For the exfoliant, the organic pineapple powder complements the bamboo extract, for a natural and gentle way to remove dead cells from the skin’s surface. Not only is bamboo high in antioxidants, but it contains large amounts of natural silica which strengthen and tighten the skin, that naturally retains moisture keeping the skin hydrated. It also naturally absorbs dirt and bacteria to keep pores clean, exfoliating the skin for better absorption of serums or moisturisers, in order to give a healthier-looking complexion. Finally, the fermented radish root and coconut are here as pure and natural preservatives - giving the product a safe and longer shelf life.

Packaged in a small metallic rose gold jar, we can only describe this mask as uplifting with its fruity and zesty scent. It smells almost good enough to eat! Whipped into a creamy paste, the kaolin clay combined with all the ingredients gives it a good thick texture, making it easy to spread generously and evenly on the face, neck and décolletage. We applied it as a mask and kept it on for about 10-15 minutes to hydrate and moisturise. Then gently massaged it in, using slow circular motions to exfoliate and eliminate all the dead skin, before rinsing off and patting dry. We love the natural and organic ingredients, and also how it leaves the skin super-soft and looking refreshed. Aura Organics recommends using this once or twice a week, followed by a soothing moisturiser. For us, it’s a keeper and another of our #amazingfinds. You can purchase the 100g Mini Microdermabrasion Tropical Honey Exfoliating Face Mask here for £12.