Review: Burts Bees Serums

Nearly all my facial skincare products are from Burts Bees – including my cleanser, toner, moisturiser and blemish stick. I like using their products because I want to have youthful looking skin – but I also want to minimise my absorption of potentially harmful chemicals.In this post I’ll be discussing their skin serums – as I’ve now tried out all 3 serums in their range.

Description:a) Repair Serum (99.94% natural) – Helps reduce lines and wrinkles, Antioxidants repair sun and environmental damage. Helps achieve healthy skin with Rosehip Seed oil, Green Tea Extract, Borage and Evening Primrose oils.b) Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum (100% natural) – Antioxidants to fight skin damage, Oils to strengthen moisture barrier and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Includes Pomegranate extract, Borage and Evening Primrose oils.c) Radiance Serum (99.86% natural) – Nourishes and moisturises for radiant and even-toned skin using royal jelly, licorice root extract and glycerin, nutrients including vitamins A, C, D and K, minerals and 17 amino acids.Price: The Repair (1 oz) and Radiance (0.45 oz) serums are $18 USD, the Ageless (0.5 oz) serum is $25 USD (on the Burts Bees website.) I’ve paid more for my serums as I purchased them in Canada (from Walmart, Shoppers drug mart and Well.ca.)Packaging: The serums come in small glass bottles – which can be hard to travel with. I place mine in mini-ziploc bags and carry them in a cushioned toiletry bag. The Repair serum comes in a vial-like tube – you can shake out drops of serum as you need it. The other 2 come with glass droppers built into the lid – this makes it easy to use only as much product as you need.How to use it: These are meant to be used as a spot treatment on target areas – you place a small amount on your eyes, lips, forehead and wrinkles. I use them as a night moisturiser AND eye cream I put 3-4 drops on my hand and massage it all over my face, and then I pat 1 drop around my eye area. Each bottle lasts me around 3-4 months.My experience: Across the board, these do a great job at moisturising my skin and they don’t break me out – even though 2 of them are oil-based, and I have oily, blemish-prone skin. They are light enough to use in the summer, but show their true strength in winter. I managed to survive the whole season without any dry patches or “tight” feeling skin.My favourite is the Ageless serum – it makes my skin feel moist and plump. I find the Repair serum a little too thick – almost like cooking oil. The Radiance serum is a too “dry” for me – it doesn’t glide as easily across the skin. This is because it is glycerin based and doesn’t contain the natural oils that the other 2 serums do.Would I buy them again:a) Repair serum – I will keep a bottle on hand to use once in a while in the winter.b) Ageless serum – yes, without a doubt – it’s my favourite one and suits my skin the best.c) Radiance serum – no, it is does not do anything special to my skin. However, if you are cautious about using oil-based products, this serum would be a good alternative as it has natural anti-ageing ingredients without the oil-base.Final thoughts: I know that Burts Bees products don’t work for all skin types – several of my friends can’t understand my love for the brand, as the products break them out. So although this product may work for me, it may not work for you. However, if you’ve been thinking about trying their products, I hope that my review helps you make your decision.Disclaimer: I purchased these products myself, and was not paid to review them.Footnote: I love reading the ingredient list of Burts Bees products and seeing natural items rather than unpronounceable chemicals. Here are the contents of the serums:a) Full ingredients: rosa canina (rosehip) seed oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, tocopheryl acetate, oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, corylus americana (hazelnut) seed oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange/neroli) flower oil, rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, calendula officinalis flower extract, camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, beta-carotene, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, retinyl palmitateb) Full ingredients: Rosa canina (rose hip) seed oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, corylus avellana (hazel) seed oil, oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, tritium vulgare (wheat) germ oil, calendula officinalis (calendula) flower extract, camelia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) oil, rosa damascena (bulgarian rose) flower oil, punica granatum (pomegranate) oil, tocopherol, glycine soja (soybean) oil, vegetable oil, beta carotene c) Full ingredients: Water, glycerin, alcohol denat., royal jelly, glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract, glucose, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, sodium chloride, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, caramel