I had the opportunity to try True Botanicals natural anti-aging skin care, so I decided to photograph my progress to provide an in-depth True Botanicals review for you. True Botanicals takes anti-aging skincare very seriously. It’s the green beauty world’s equivalent to La Mer or La Prairie.
And what happened to my skin surprised even me.
The products I used were appropriate for all skin types, including sensitive.
I was able to get smoother and more even skin, but without undesirable skin thinning. There was also the added benefit of no downtime and no risk of additional discoloration or scarring on the skin (which is a major bummer when you’ve shelled out money to fix those types of problems).
Now on to the good stuff…
My True Botanicals Before & After
This is a face that developed melasma when I was pregnant with my daughter, battled cystic acne when my autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s) was at its worst and went through the hormonal roller coaster of two miscarriages. The last couple years have been hell on my skin. Yet—surprisingly—it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be.
The way I see it, I wear my battle wounds on my face.
And I’m ready for serious improvement.
My general complaints about my skin are: uneven pigmentation, especially on the forehead and cheeks; uneven texture on forehead and cheeks; some enlarged pores; horizontal lines on the forehead; overall “ruddiness”; some residual blemishes. (And if you’re wondering, I take diligent care of my skin and use sun protection every day. For all its faults, my skin is not neglected.)
I used True Botanicals products each night in the prescribed manner, for 30 days.
I’m blown away by the results. Normally, rapid improvement like this would require a peel, laser or harsh ingredients like a bleach. But instead, without any downtime or further irritation to my sensitive skin, I’ve seen massive improvement.
Most noticeably, hyperpigmentation has decreased, especially on the cheeks. The little brown spots and the overall mask-like ruddiness have both improved. There is an improvement to the horizontal lines on the forehead and a reduction in enlarged pores. There are no new breakouts or inflammation. To the touch, my skin feels softer and plumper. There’s an overall brightness to the skin that wasn’t there before.
Another improvement I’ve noticed is that my skin glows in a way it didn’t before. Although part of that is related to an overall evening of skin tone, a big part of it is that my skin is now smoother, and light reflects differently off of it.
Who knew 30 days could be so productive, without extreme measures?
The photos you see I took on Day 1 and Day 30 of the regimen for the purposes of this True Botanicals review. No makeup, except eyebrow pencil. I don’t mind showing my bare skin, but so-help-me-god no one is gonna see my brows undone. No retouching. I did my best to create identical lighting, a mixture of daylight and a studio light to show as much detail as possible—basically, the opposite of flattering light.
The True Botanicals Anti-Aging Regimen
To fully reap the benefits of the what True Botanicals has to offer, here’s the full nighttime regimen I used:
RENEW Pure Radiance Oil
True Botanicals RENEW Pure Radiance Oil is $110. each day and night. It’s a remarkable product for dry and/or aging skin.
This vibrant red facial oil has helped balance my dry and oily areas without causing breakouts. I use a little bit less during the day (about 3 drops) and a bit more at night (about 5-6 drops).
GET THE PURE RADIANCE OIL HERE
True Botanicals RENEW Repair Serum
The RENEW Repair Serum, RENEW is $140. Use every other night. This orange-red serum helps to reverse skin damage from sun exposure and aging, while softening wrinkles. What really makes it extraordinary is its mix-in, which is up next…
True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster
The Vitamin C Booster is $90. Use 3 shakes mixed into the Cellular Repair Serum.
I love this product! Most skin care aficionados know all about Vitamin C, how it can brighten and firm skin. But Vitamin C is also notoriously unstable, rendered impotent by light and air. So here is True Botanicals’ brilliant solution: maintain maximum potency by mixing this powdered C into the serum. It’s easy to do, and makes the nighttime serum go so much further. I think it’s safe to say that the Vitamin C Booster played a significant role in improving my hyperpigmentation issues.
GET THE VITAMIN C BOOSTER HERE
This unique powdered formulation is incredibly potent and effective. For more information about the True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster, check out my full profile of the Vitamin C Booster here.
True Botanicals Resurfacing Moisture Mask
The Resurfacing Moisture Mask is $90. Use 1-2x per week. I was skeptical about using this mask more than once a week, because my skin is so sensitive, but my skin never became irritated. I can consistently use this mask twice weekly with great results, and making my other products more effective.
It’s citrus-smelling and cantaloupe-colored. You can check out my full profile on this mask here.
True Botanicals switched up their product offerings since I did this 30-day skin experiment. Because the Topical Marine Treatment ($375) was BY FAR the priciest product in my regimen, I’m thrilled that True Botanicals has since replaced it with a much more reasonably priced Antioxidant Booster ($90). You can read my full experience with the Antioxidant Booster here. Spoiler alert: I love it. It’s what I now use nightly, and my skin has continued to improve by using it.
True Botanicals was kind enough to give me this regimen in exchange for an honest review of my experience. I’m already a fan of their products (their Deep Repair Eye Serum alone turned back the clock on my eye area), but the results from this anti-aging and repair regimen have far exceeded my expectations.
Another User’s True Botanicals Review
Last year, I introduced my mom Laura to True Botanicals, because I felt it was the best natural anti-aging skincare line available. She’s 56, takes great care of herself, and is, well, gorgeous.
Last time I visited her in California, I was immediately struck by the visible change in her skin. She always looks good, but suddenly her skin looked incredibly smooth and bright. It didn’t have a telltale waxy post-peel look; it simply looked radiant in both texture and clarity. And although I had never noticed enlarged pores on her skin, the texture reminded me of porcelain.
At that point, she’d been using the Cellular Repair Serum, RENEW with the Vitamin C Booster for 3 weeks. She wasn’t even done with her first 30 days yet, and I wanted what she had!
When I asked her if the price of the products was worth it, here’s what she said:
“It is expensive. But I would rather use these than get a peel, laser or chemical treatment.”
I love mom wisdom.
How to build your own True Botanicals regimen
True Botanicals products aren’t sold everywhere like some department store skincare lines. So the easiest place to get any True Botanicals product is their website. It’s an awesome, non-glitchy website full of useful information if you’re interested in knowing more about the products, their ingredients, and the ethos behind the company!
Here are the links to the awesome products mentioned on this page:
- Pure Radiance Oil, RENEW. Note: if you’re prone to blemishes, be sure to check out their Pure Radiance Oil, CLEAR. It rocks.
- Repair Serum, RENEW
- Vitamin C Booster
- Antioxidant Booster
- Resurfacing Moisture Mask
And if you’re looking for an extremely gentle, non-drying facial cleanser, be sure to check out the RENEW Nourishing Cleanser.
GET THE NOURISHING CLEANSER HERE
Inside the Ingredients
True Botanicals’ ingredient lists are everything potent anti-aging products should be: safe, effective, free of cheap fillers—True Botanicals spends 5x as much on product formulation as their competition. These ingredients are potent, yet extremely safe.
And although everyone needs to make their own informed decisions about which products to use when pregnant and breastfeeding, I personally felt confident enough in the quality and safety of these products to use while pregnant.
Over on their website, under “Ingredients,” True Botanicals gives information on each and every ingredient in this serum. Just click on an ingredient, and voila! you now know the backstory and purpose of each ingredient.
For instance, click on resveratrol, and you’ll find that “Resveratrol is an extremely powerful antioxidant with extraordinary anti-aging properties. It preserves the skin’s youthfulness by protecting stem cell niches and mitochondrial DNA and reduces the signs of aging by redensifying the extracellular matrix.” I love that True Botanicals is proud enough of each and every ingredient in their products to brag about it with the consumer.
Their ingredient lists reads like a who’s who of effective skincare superstars.
Highly Recommended
These products are part of my popular guide to natural skin care, 97 Remarkable Natural Skincare Products.
Affiliate Links, Baby
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*This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.
**Products get makeovers too. Be sure to check if this product has been recently re-formulated before using it yourself.
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