Never heard of this brand…
MOA is an organic skincare brand that (surprisingly) is Made in England. Yarrow, the product’s magic sauce ingredient is sourced out of a farm in Somerset, England. Did I mention its a squeaky clean natural brand?
The marketing blurb says…
The (endless) uses of the product are:
- Can be used soothe, nourish and renew dry itchy skin, bumps, bites, stings, bruises and so on.
- Perfect as a facial cleansing balm.
What do I think?
I love this as a lip balm and to put on my face if it feels a bit stretched / dry. But if I do use it on my face, then after 5 minutes I have to wipe if off, as its too oily. It does soothe my hands – especially now with all the extra handwashes.
It’s a pleasant addition to my collection of body and lip products, that I’ll reach out if its there, but won’t miss if it is absent.
What is inside the product?
The ingredient list is seriously simple and inoffensive (but not if you have acne). The product is basically a bunch of oils and 2 extracts. This is great because it means there are sufficient quantities of all ingredients for the product to really work…
Ingredient list…
Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Sunflower Seed oil, Yarrow Extract, and Tea Tree Leaf Oil.
Coconut Oil works wonders on extremely dry skin but at the same time it can be terrible for acne prone skin. It can be very highly comedogenic. Many South Indians use coconut oil all over their face and body for most of their lives and don’t break out. It depends on person to person. It suits some folks but not others.
Almond oil is an emollient: it smoothens the skin and makes it soft and supple to touch
Sunflower Seed oil is one of the most common ingredients used in skincare – it repairs the skin barrier within minutes of application
Beeswax is essentially a thickener
Yarrow Extract has wound healing properties. I have included a reference in the footnotes for the more enthusiastic amongst you.
Tea Tree Leaf Oil is an anti-septic oil.
What’s my problem with the product?
When I looked online at the reviews, most of them were for using the balm as a “cleansing balm” When I read such reviews I put myself in exactly the position of the writer – I think yes, I need to use a cleansing balm that is calming but also, this reader says I need very little of it. It’s a win-win situation.
Of course, its seldom that reality actually mirrors the fiction inside my head, especially about product reviews/
This product is no different.
I hope this photo captures what I can visually see – it’s a semi-solid concoction. There is no way that in April in Dubai, that this has the solid consistency I would expect of a balm.
Could I use this runny liquid as a cleansing balm?
No.
Would you use straight up oil to clean make-up off my face?
Maybe, but only as part of a double-cleanse method. In which case this is a super-expensive product to use as part of a double cleanse.
Plus it contains coconut oil, which is atrocious for acne prone skin.
In conclusion…
Please use it for its intended purpose – soothing and calming the skin down…