When I made my foray into skincare, one of the first ingredients that piqued my interest was Hyaluronic Acid (HA). The idea that a small molecule can help deliver hydration 1000-fold was very fascinating and wanted to incorporate it into my skincare routine.
I had just spent a pretty penny on getting some products shipped from the UK, and I didn’t want to break the bank for more products. I remembered seeing sheet masks with Hyaluronic Acid on Nykaa, and a little while later after a bit of digging landed me at the product we’re reviewing today – The St. Botanica – Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C & E Professional Facial Serum – a product that literally made me understand what happy and healthy skin looks and feels like!
*Suitable for all skin types, but best suited for normal skin type, dry skin types and combination skin types.
St.Botanica products are available in a lot of beauty stores like Health & Glow, and I have even seen them on the shelves of some of the larger supermarkets (usually their shampoos). They also sell via their online platform, and other e-commerce websites like Nykaa.
This serum retails for INR 1,799 for a 20 ml bottle.
Nykaa is my go-to for almost everything because there always seems to be an offer running, and I picked this up for INR 1,499. I have seen this product being sold for half-price as well, so if you’re looking to buy it, keep this wishlisted.
St.Botanica – Scientifically Natural
St.Botanica is a premium Indian brand that sells across India, USA, Australia, Singapore and the UK. With the tagline “Scientifically Natural,” St.Botanica believes in using science to bring the best out of nature and natural botanics, to deliver to their customers that perfect skin or hair care product.
All of St.Botanica’s products are designed and manufactured in India, and they claim that all their ingredients are ethically sourced, natural, safe and skin-friendly. They are PETA certified cruelty free & vegan, and are also a member of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program. St.Botanica does not use mineral oils, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and are dermatologically tested.
On St.Botanica’s international website, the brand mentions that they do not use silicone, however, it is not clear if that means even the products available in India are silicone free as well. They have cleared all the quality tests by CTFA, the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrances Associations of the United States, and their products and ingredients are tested and approved by SGS Hong Kong and Analycen Sweden – I am assuming this is more from an international sales perspective.
What’s in my product?
Ingredients: Purified Water, Botanical Hyaluronic Acid (Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide), Dimethyl Sulfone (MSM), Vegetable Glycerin, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana) Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Cold Pressed Oil, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Di Sodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Essential Oil
Green - Yay!! Blue - Good/Fair Orange - Bleh! Red - Nope!
This is one of the better ingredient lists that I have come across from the brand. They do have geranium essential oil to provide fragrance and horsetail extract that can be skin sensitizing, but the other ingredients have skin soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.
The other ingredients (in grey) are solvents, stabilizers and preservatives.
With that let’s jump right into the wonderful ingredients in this serum –
1. Botanical Hyaluronic Acid (Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide)
Hyaluronic Acid is something you definitely want in your skincare routine, and I’ve spoken in great detail about its benefits and shortcomings in the blog post “What’s on the Label | Hyaluronic Acid”.
However, botanical HA isn’t exactly the same as sodium hyaluronate. Botanical HA is a sugar (polysaccharide) that’s found in the seeds of the Cassia plant, popularly known as the Senna plant in India. The reason it’s called botanical HA is because it has a similar structure, and claims to mimic the effects of HA in terms of its ability to attract and lock in moisture, soften the skin and plump out fine lines and wrinkles.
Please do keep in mind that there are limited studies or proof regarding botanical HA. The reason this works as well as it does is because it is a good polysaccharide, and polysaccharides have the ability to bind water to them. When applied on the skin, and followed by a good moisturizer, these polysaccharides will bind water to them and in effect to your skin.
2. Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Extract
One of the popular natural ingredients out there, and is well known for its ability to deal with sun burn, pimples & acne, condition hair etc.
Aloe vera is a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, sugars, salicylates, amino acids and sterols, all of which is included in 1% of the plant as about 99% of aloe vera is water! If you want to understand more on Aloe vera, what its benefits are, and how it delivers those benefits to our skin, do read “What’s on the Label | Aloe Vera”
3. Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract
I have raved about green tea, one too many times on my blogs.
I love green tea and everything it can do for me, my health, my hair and my skin. If you’re not incorporating green tea into your daily routine, or at least your skincare routine, please read “What’s on the Label | Green Tea” to understand why you need this in your life NOW!
Others – Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Witch Hazel and Centella Extracts – are all wonderful ingredients that can even be used by themselves to deliver a host of benefits for you. I have spoken in depth regarding these ingredients in the previous St. Botanica blog post – you can access it here.
My thoughts on the product
I love this product, and I have literally finished the 20ml bottle in the 6 months I’ve had it.
As usual, we’ll break this down into packaging, touch & feel, how-to-use, and changes I’ve noticed in the time frame that I’ve been using the product.
1. Packaging
The outer packaging is a thin but sturdy
cardboard box in the colours of the product line, in this case, white and blue. The packaging speaks about the product and who it is best suited for, the ingredient list, how to use the product, storage instructions and precautions.
The product comes in a dark brown solid glass bottle, with a dispenser pump as well as a cap for the dispenser to ensure that the least amount of light and air enters the bottle. The dispenser pump doesn’t seem to work correctly, either dispensing too much or too little of the product. I have also noticed a similar issue with another product, and it seems to be an issue with the design.
I like that the bottle also mentions the how-to-use which is great for folks like me who throw away the outer packaging once I open the product.
Neither the outer packaging nor the colour schemes is particularly eye-catching, and especially if I were someone who spent INR 1,799 for this, I’d want this to look amazing on my nightstand or dressing table. I like the glass bottle, but the labelling isn’t that great.
2. Touch & Feel
The serum is a lightweight product with the slightest gel consistency, and spreads quite well. I use about 2 pumps for both my face and my neck.
The product has the slightest tinge of white (slightly milky) but is transparent once spread.
It definitely has the geranium fragrance to it, but isn’t too strong or overpowering, and dissipates quite quickly post application. Additionally, once you apply a moisturizer, you can barely smell it, if at all.
The product absorbs well into the skin and forms a nice hydrated yet breathable layer on top of your skin. The product is the slightest bit tacky but in the best possible way, and it honestly makes my skin feel really good post application.
3. How-to-Use
The general rule of thumb while using any skincare products is to go from thinnest to thickest in terms of consistency
The packaging of the product recommends to “Using gentle, upward circular motions, apply desired amount onto clean skin. Follow with facial moisturizer or cream”
It is imperative that you follow application of hyaluronic acid, be it botanical or not, with a good water-based moisturizer. HA works by absorbing water from the atmosphere, and if you live in cooler regions, or in Air conditioned spaces, humidity would be low causing HA to reach deeper in your skin to draw the moisture it needs. This could lead to drying out of your skin in the long run.
Even if you stay in a humid region and/or are an oily skin type, it would be safer to use atleast a light gel-based moisturizer that can provide the water HA would need to deliver its benefits.
4. Changes I noticed in a week
I have normal to combination skin (oily T-Zone), my skin doesn't breakout very often, but I do get very painful deep-seated pimples during my time of the month. My skin concerns are mostly unevenness of skin tone, dark spots/moles on my face - I lost count of how many of those I have, whiteheads on the nose, appearance of fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes, and a small degree of sensitivity. I also have dark circles that refuse to let go despite everything I do for them. My skin tolerates acids quite well, and I have not had any skin irritation or peeling even with higher concentrations of acids.
When I initially used this product, I did have a pimple or 2 crop up – I do not completely understand why this could have happened, but I’m assuming that it could have been due to the presence of Vitamin C or witch hazel in this.
These pimples didn’t last more than a few days and I did not see any other reactions to this on my skin.
5. Changes I noticed in over a month
It took about a week for my skin to probably adjust to this, but after that, it was just a love affair.
My skin was a delight after I started using this, and I could feel the difference and see it as well. I am not lying when I say that I did a little jiggy almost every night after applying this, cuz seeing my skin happy made me happy.
I used this as a part of my night routine, and I would cleanse and tone my skin and use this serum.
Pairing this serum with the right products / ingredients is key, and you can get the best possible results when properly paired. I found the results were most effective when I started using my Glycolic Acid toner alongside with this and complimented the serum with a moisturizer that had ceramides in them. This worked like a charm on my skin, and winters couldn’t bother me.
In summers, this can be followed with a lightweight water-based gel moisturizer but do keep in mind that your moisturizer doesn’t also contain HA, this could be over kill for your skin.
Final Thoughts
I love this product – those are my final thoughts!
Would I buy this product again, well maybe not – While I’ve started experimenting more with my skincare routine, I’ve learnt that I prefer my HA either in my toning step or as a moisturizer, and prefer stronger actives for serums.
IF I had to purchase a HA serum however, this would be the one I would reach out to over and over again (or atleast till I found one better than this).
The only things I don’t particularly like is the fact that it does contain an essential oil as well as the low value for money. INR 1,799 is too much for a 20ml bottle with a dispenser pump that can’t seem to make up its mind!
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
I would recommend this for all skin types, however, would recommend those with sensitive skin types to definitely patch test before using as there are ingredients in here that have the potential to sensitize the skin.
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The product review is my personal opinion on the product, and what I understand from articles available online. The overview on ingredients has been sourced from websites that specifically look to provide information on commonly used ingredients in skincare and make-up.
Wherever I have mentioned a specific fact or figure, these have been sourced from published Journals, Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. Information gathered from specific websites will be referenced as well.
I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim is to help people understand the various ingredients in their skincare and how those ingredients work, to help make intelligent purchase decisions with regards to skincare. If I have made any error or mistake, please do let me know, and we can work together to make the necessary changes.
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