Hi Everyone!
I thought that while I have the time this week-end I would post twice as work and life are busy in the run-up to Silly Season. This is a product that I've had for almost a month so I feel like I've had ample time to use it and gather my thoughts.
Sanoflore is a French brand, and when I search it online I only find French results so I can't comment on the availability of it outside of France - however, if you're in another country and have seen it let me know! As far as I can tell, they are owned by L'Oreal, and the lady who sold it to me told me that it was the 'bio' arm of LPR - more concentrated on natural ingredients. I've seen numerous advertisements for the brand on YouTube and French TV but this was my first purchase.
I am prone to impulse buys (aren't we all?!) and this was definitely one of those occasions. I was in my local French plarmacy on a Saturday with my daughter back in October picking up the usual baby shampoo, toothpaste etc. when I saw the Sanoflore section and had to have a nose. I swatched some of their moisturizers and had a sniff of some of their lotions and potions - I will just say here that everything from this brand smells incredible - and my eye was drawn to Rosa Angelica. What drew me was the description of it being a '48hr re-hydrating balm containing natural hyaluronic acid'. Like everything else on the stand it smelled gorgeous, a light rose scent and not at all over-powering. I'm also a sucker for basically anything marketed as a balm...! One of the girls who was organizing products on the other shelves came over to talk to me and I was pleasantly surprised - Paris is not the greatest city for customer service unless you're shelling out a lot of money. She herself was very enthusiastic about the brand, explained it's connection to LPR which is undoubtedly the Holy Grail of French pharmacy brands, and had a real in-depth knowledge of the ingredients and how the product performed. She admitted to being a big fan of the range and said she could honestly recommend the products. I had just run out of Emma Hardie Brilliance Oil (review here) so I told her that I was searching for an over-night product. She told me that she herself uses Rosa Angelica, and between her extremely knowedgeable and sunny attitude and the curiosity about this brand I bought it.
The formula is like a gel-balm consistency. It's quite light, not greasy at all, and is absorbed rather quickly. This concerned me a bit during my first use as I'm more accustomed to an oil or mask (think Kiehl's Overnight Hydrating Mask) that sits on the skin and is a bit greasy. Some people don't like the feel of heavier products on the skin at night, I'm not one of them - I'm happy to go to bed with a face full of product as long as I wake up looking good😂 I've actually grown accustomed to the feeling of heavier products on my skin at night and I missed the feeling a bit. But...when I woke up in the morning my skin just looked really good. Not in an over-night miracle type of way but just brighter, softer and more hydrated than usual. The mix of Rosa Angelica which hydrates and brightens and hyaluronic acid which helps your skin to retain moisture is a winning one.
Would I buy this again? Can't say I wouldn't. I've been using it for a month straight, love how my skin feels and looks in the morning and have nothing negative to say about it. That said, if you are extremely dry/dehydrated, this won't be enough for you - I'd say that this would perform best on slightly dehydrated/normal and oily skin. Oilier skins will probably love it as it doesn't give you that greaseball effect before bed.
The balm cost me €27, and for me it was a good investment. As I said, I've been using it for a month and am about half-way through it so I expect it to last until at least early December. You don't need a large amount, about the same amount as you would use for your regular moisturizer. The lady in the pharma said that you can get away with using it every second night, but I use mine every night - cleanse, acid tone, moisturizer, balm.
I have to say I'm really glad I tried this product and I'm really looking forward to trying more from Sanoflore. I'm expecially interested in their Jelly Cleanser (about €16) and Aqua Magnifica Botanical Essence (around €14)
Edit - I just found Sanoflore on an English language site called soin-et-nature.com, if you click on this link it wll take you straight to the product. The prices are in euros and the balm is €27.90. From there you can also explore other French brands that may not be widely available where you are like Cattier (brilliant for cheap and effective clay masks around the €3/4 mark), Filorga who do a GORGEOUS moisturizer called Absolute Time Filler, and Avene who do the best thermal water spray around. Happy Shopping!
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Have a great Sunday all
Ax
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