The power of gentle skin care (and gentleness in life in general) is not to be belittled. The English brand Pai Skincare knows this very well. It is an effective skin care line designed for sensitive skin. Gentle yet effective skin care, sounds good to me!
A look into Pai´s world is a good theme for this week as a follow up to my POD skin care study (where I just updated some pictures of Minna). When this brand found it´s way to Finland last fall I instantly ran for the rose hip oil, but to my delight I got a whole goodie bag of Pai loveliness.
The product line of Pai is very simple but is able to cover the needs of all skin types fairly well. The products are vegan and very suitable for sensitive skin, if for instance you suffer of POD you should give Pai a go. The scent of the products comes completely from the raw ingredients and essential oils and therefore have no added fragrances.
The line carries only one cleanser, but there is no need for an other. The Camellia & Rose Cleanser is by it´s raw ingredients, formula, effectiveness and scent one of the best cleansing balms I have used. This creamy cleanser is completely in line with my skin care philosophy with no surfactants or detergents that would harm the hydrolipidic film. Camellia oil is a beauty oil favored by Japanese women containing plenty of omega fatty acids and vitamins A and E. It helps in maintaining the skins moisture balance. The rose oil moisturises and renews skin. The cleanser comes with a muslin cloth which is used to wipe the cleanser off with. The cloth gently peels the skin intensifying the cleanse and bids a fair well to clogged pores. The fresh scent of the precious may chang essential oil makes cleansing a delightful experience. It´s scent is very similar to that of lemongrass but much more delicate. The cleanser is available in a smaller 100 ml package as well.
For the toner I got to try the Rice Plant & Rosemary Tonic which goes well for normal, combination, and oily skin. I actually used a bottle of this about a year ago and really liked it back then as well. The active ingredients in this toner are rice plant water, geranium water and rosemary water. The rice plant water contains calsium, potassium, magnesium and sodium which balance the skins hydrolipidic film. The rosemary water cleanses the skin and refines pores and simultaneously calms and strengthens the skin. Rice Plant & Rosemary Tonic is ideal for sensitive acne skin. The scent is clean and gently refreshing.
From the four moisturisers of Pai, in my goodie bag I found the Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream which is one of the cult products of the brand. I am super picky with moisturisers and I am happy to say that this one has become one of my favorites! The cream has a heavenly formula and it smells like cinnamon rolls. As I mention in my book, a good product maximises the use of plant based raw materials and minimises unnecessary fillers. In this cream that philosophy is realized perfectly with zero fluff trying to replace the use of genuine cold pressed plant oils.
Very delightful in the Pai line is also the fact that they use a lot of CO2, carbon dioxide plant extracts that are far more nutrient rich than for example extracts made in glycerin or alcohol. The Chamomile & Rosehip moisturiser contains CO2 extracts of chamomile and rosehip that act as healers of the skin. Chamomile contains plenty of skin calming azulene and rosehip contains omega fatty acids and vitamin A that restore and regenerate the skin. The cream is very calming and suits all skin types but works especially well for sensitive, irritable skin that is prone to redness. The formula is light and very moisturising and non comedogenic. It contains apricot seed oil, jojoba oil and safflower oil that are all suitable for oily skin. I must mention also the rare manuka essential oil that is called New Zealand´s tea tree oil, alongside being antibacterial it has several medicinal properties.
Rosehip Oil is definitely Pai´s cult product number one. As far as I know, this is the strongest rosehip oil available from any brand. Instead of using traditional cold pressed oils Pai´s rosehip oil contains only CO2 extracts from rosehip seeds and the berry and uses vitamin E and rosemary extract as preservatives. This is why the oil has a very strong rosehip scent, which may not please everybody, but if you want to you can add a few drops of essential oil into it. I love this oil just as is, especially because of it´s high beta carotene concentration which gives an instant tanned glow to the face.
Rosehip oil protects the skin from free radicals and external disturbances and this is a must have product for under the sun. It heals sun burned skin, scars and effectively smoothes wrinkles and fine lines. The list of it´s wonderful properties is long. The oil can be used both morning and evening daily or a couple of times a week and can be used as a power boost as needed. You can use the oil on top of a toner underneath a moisturiser or you can mix it with a moisturiser as well.
In my goodie bag I found the Kukui & Jojoba Skin Brightening peel and Cobaiba Deep Cleanse AHA mask. Pai´s products are very gentle, and I have to say that the peel is a bit too gentle for me. As far as the peel goes, I do not share the same skin care thoughts with Pai (because I’m the lover of AHAs), but for someone else this could be a favorite product, it would work especially well for highly sensitive and dry skin. The peel is an interesting product and once again l was able to find a purpose for it that resonates with my own skin care philosophy.
The Kukui & Jojoba peel has gentle jojoba granules which mechanically peel the skin without being harsh. They are in a very thick oil base which actually looks like a gel but is an oil. It rinses off with water because of it´s surface active agent (Sucrose Laureate) which does´t over clean the skin. In my own routine this product is a perfect addition to a cleanser, but purely as a peel it is a bit too soft for me even though it does clean out old skin cells and deep cleanses the skin.
The Copaiba AHA mask is a deep cleansing mask containing grapefruit extract with natural fruit acids. The AHA content of the product is relatively mild and should not be confused with a fruit acid peel and their effects. The grapefruit extract gives the mask a a brightening effect and balances the hydrolipidic film. Copaiba oil cleans the skin and helps in healing bumps. For sensitive acne and rosacea skin this mask is ideal because it doesn´t dry on the skin. It works wonders after a fruit acid peel and contains precious rare nutrient rich plant oils such as the Hawaiian Kukui oil and Carapa oil from the Amazonian, which works as a natural moisture factor (NMF) because of it´s oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acids. As far as it comes to skin care for oily skin, I absolutely agree with Pai philosophy : gentle is definitely better.
So here is my look into the Pai brand. To sum it up I can say that with these products it is easy to beatify and the price quality ratio is on point.
Have you had time to beautify?
Pictures and text Katja Kokko
Translation Mariko Pajalahti
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