Alba Botanica Facial Moisturizers

Alba Botanica, made by Avalon Natural Products, is a vegetarian line of body care products. They do not test on animals nor buy products that were tested on animals. However, a small few of their products contain beeswax, lanolin, and/or honey and are not appropriate for most vegan sensibilities (Lipcare 18 SPF, Terra Tints, Sugar Cane Body Polish, Multi-Purpose Jelly, and some lip balms that were reformulated [check labels]).

I am reviewing three similar vegan facial moisturizing products from Alba Botanica's Advanced product line; the Sea Moss Moisturizer, the Sea Lipids Daily Cream, and the Sea Plus Renewal Cream.

Alba's Sea Moss Moisturizer is very light and absorbed quickly into the skin. I wear make-up over it all the time with no problem. The Sea Moss Moisturizer's signature ingredients are aloe vera, green tea, vitamin C, and their Marine Complex (5 algae extracts). It also has SPF 15 and very little smell. I suppose it kinda smells sea-like, but it wasn't really noticeable. I like this moisturizer when I need something really light on my skin.

Alba Sea Moss Moisturizer
Ranking: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

Alba's Sea Lipids Daily Cream is a very nice moisturizer for daily use. It also contains aloe vera and the Marine Complex but includes almond and macademia oils. It mositurizes better than the Sea Moss, but also absorbs well into the skin and is easily wearable under make-up. Something in this product helps clear up acne, not miraculously, but still somewhat noticeably. I have put this on before bed many times and woken up with visibly clearer skin in my trouble areas. I don't like strong smells or florals, which is why I totally love the smell of this one. It has a light sea-like scent, which disappears fairly quickly as it is absorbed into the skin. I definitely like this one the best overall.

Alba Sea Lipids Daily Cream

Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.
 

Alba's Sea Plus Renewal Cream is definitely a night time moisturizer. It contains alpha lipoic acid, DMAE (from soy), vitamin C, and that Marine Complex. The Sea Plus doesn't really have a particular smell and is much thicker and greasier than the other two. In fact, my face feels slightly greasy for several hours after application. For me, I think this would be an occasional-use product. My hair and skin tend to be a little combination, dry and oily, and so most conditioners and lotions that are heavy are too much for me. I would only use this one on those days where my face felt super dried out.

Alba Sea Plus Renewal Cream

Ranking: **

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

I feel a little bit like Goldilocks...this one's too light, this one's too heavy, this one's juuusst right! Since everyone has different skin types and needs, my recommendation is to try the Sea Lipids first and go from there.

[Alba Botanica can be found at Sprouts, Fry's Marketplace, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Ulta, and Walgreens.]

For more information about companies that test on animals as well as those that are cruelty-free, please see CaringConsumer.com.