Sustainable Skincare from Germany : Babor

I was first introduced to the German-born skincare company, Babor when I tried their serum ampoules. I can’t think of any other brand that I’ve tried that store their concentrated serums in completely sealed glass ampoules that you need to break open to use. I was immediately intrigued by its luxe and straight-out-of-a-laboratory design. I always felt so fancy using them so I would always stretch out the usage of each one as best as I could. I didn’t know much about the brand other than that they had a rather extensive line of ampoules to choose from — and so many more that I wanted to try!

When I was sent a box of their most popular products, I felt it was a good time to take a look at the brand that was beautifully packaged, yet I knew nothing about it. Turns out that Babor was created in the fifties by a German chemist who formulated their award-winning HY-OL cleansing oil,  a unique bi-phase cleanser that utilized natural oils to cleanse the skin. Over the years, Babor developed award-winning sophisticated formulas backed by scientific research for each skin type– all while keeping sustainability in mind. 

Babor is a CO2 neutral company, and accomplishes that by using “green” electricity, climate-neutral eco natural gas, and offsetting their CO2 emissions by funding a wind farm in the Philippines. They also work with the Plastic Bank initiative to help clean beaches and recycle those plastics to be made into new things. I find their forward-thinking approach admirable when we see where things are heading these days. But Babor doesn’t stop there, they make sure that all their product packaging is 100% recyclable, and plastics are reduced by 30%.  And to keep with their green initiative, Babor’s newer formulations are made free of microplastics or synthetic polymers, and by 2023 they hope to update previous formulas as best as possible. 

I have to admit that the first time I tried their HY-OL product I used it wrong. I had no idea it was part of a 2-step deep cleansing system and I wondered why it felt so weird. Babor HY-OL is a cleansing oil made for all skin types and is step one to apply to the skin. When combined with the appropriate herbal complex in step 2 (Phyto-active), you are able to remove all traces of makeup, dirt, oil, and pollution without stripping the skin. HY-OL contains quillaja extract which acts as a dirt magnet, while bisabolol soothes, and a blend of oils break down other impurities left on the skin. If you are like me and thought that this step alone would emulsify in water you will quickly realize something went wrong and wipe it off with a towel. It is not until you layer Phyto-active that the magic happens. The HY-OL alone feels like a typical oil-based makeup removed with a delicate scent to it that feels luxurious as you massage it into the skin. It’s recommended to use four pumps but I can easily see that 2-3 would suffice to save the product. This is the perfect time to give yourself a facial massage as you work the oil all over your face.

Phyto-Active comes in four different options depending on your skin type (dry, combo, sensitive, and dull). I received the dry skin type, which made me worry a bit since we are in the thick of a very hot Summer. To my surprise, this worked just as well for me during Summer and never felt like it was the wrong choice. As your layer Phyto-active over HY-OL, you see the emulsifying happen before you rinse. I take the time to massage well over my eyes to get all traces of mascara, liner, and that foundation that hides just beneath my jawline before rinsing with water. For those of you sensitive to scent, I found that the dry version (hydro base) has a stronger scent — probably due to the fact it has a blend of mint, birch leaf, and rosemary. It didn’t bother me one bit, but I know some of my readers cannot handle scent at all. 

To my delight, my skin is left feeling clean and refreshed, never oily or heavy because it’s a “dry skin” formula — and all my makeup, even stubborn mascara is completely gone after using this two-step system. I also don’t see it aggravating the mild breakouts that I’m prone to getting on the lower half of my face from my workouts. 

I usually like to follow with a toner after cleansing to catch any remaining dirt, makeup, and even cleanser I didn’t rinse off, so I moved right along to trying their alcohol-free Rose Toning Essence (suitable for all skin types). Not only does it soothe the skin will allantoin, bisabolol and panthenol but also contains a detoxifying extract for full-body toning action.

Serums then follow while my skin is still moist from the toner. The Power Ampoule package I received is more of a sampler set with one ampoule of Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C serum, and retinol serum. They provide a plastic piece that helps your break the ampoule open safely so you can pour the liquid into your hand. I find their serums more liquid-y so I am careful when I pour so I don’t look any between my fingers and pat onto the face. I am a huge fan of using Hyaluronic Acid for it’s skin plumping abilities and Babor’s version is always a hit with me. It has four different types of HA in it along with tripeptides to help deliver hydration deep into the skin. 

If you use serums, you must follow with a moisturizer to ‘seal” it all in. It’s hot in Arizona so a heavy moisturizer is gonna be a big NO for me, but to my relief, I found that Babor Instant Lift Effect Cream felt silky and light and absorbed beautifully whether it was morning or night. I think firming and smoothing results take quite a bit of time to observe but I can say that the feel of this moisturizer is lovely and doesn’t leave my skin feeling sticky or tacky at all. The packaging is quite substantial and makes you feel like you are using a seriously fancy product. The formula includes their proprietary LFT Smooth Complex that works in three ways: to smooth fines lines, reduce the depth of wrinkles, and improve facial contours which I interpret as firming the skin. 

Overall, I enjoy using the entire system sent to me from Babor. They have something to fit everyone’s needs and even have a makeup line that caught my eye. I will always believe that their concentrated ampoules are the winning products from this brand so if you have a chance to try them –go for those first!

Have you tried Babor before? What did you think?