A while back I promised a full and in-depth review of the Foundation Retinol & Vitamin C lotion. I did a first impressions post, which you can read here. The reason it’s taken me so long to write this review, is that it’s one of those products you need to really test. Retinol is a strong product, and it takes a while for your skin to build up to it. It also take a while to start working it’s magic on dark spots and other skin concerns – so a few good months is really needed to form a solid opinion. I used this product for about four or five months, which I felt was enough to build a strong and balanced opinion, so today I thought I’d share how I found this product and whether I recommend it or not.
ABOUT RAW KANVAS
Raw Kanvas are an Australian/NZ brand that specialise in natural skincare. They have a huge range of pure, natural product designed for all skin types and stages of life. I used a number of their products over the space of about six months and had mixed results, but I’m no longer using this brand anymore as I’ve found products that work better for my skin type. Raw Kanvas is run by two lovely ladies who are so friendly and are happy to help with skincare or product recommendations. They also do their bit for the planet with eco-friendly and recyclable packaging, which you can see more about on their website here.
WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION?
The Foundation is the name of the Raw Kanvas natural retinol and Vitamin C product. It’s designed to be used by all skin types, and is one of the very few all natural retinol products that I’ve come across. It comes in a glass bottle with a pump that distributes the perfect amount of product. You only need a tiny amount of the product, so a little goes a long way. When I shared this on my Instagram stories, I had so many people thinking it was actually a makeup product due to the name and the colour of the product, but it is in fact a skincare product and doesn’t do anything in terms of makeup.
WHAT IS A RETINOL?
Retinol is another name for Vitamin A, and it’s one of the most powerful vitamins you can use on your skin. It helps to increase the cell turnover, which means that existing lines are smoothed and new ones are minimised as well as pores are kept from clogging up (therefore preventing acne). Retinol also exfoliates on a cellular level, meaning that it helps to keep your skin looking bright, smooth and glowing. Basically it’s a fantastic skincare product to ensure your skin is turning over regularly and keeping as fresh and smooth as possible.
WHO BENEFITS FROM RETINOL?
Literally everyone! Retinol can be used for preventing and assisting with anti-ageing and anti-acne, reducing the signs of acne pigmentation and other skin pigmentation, and also helps to brighten and even out the skin. So no matter what stage of life you are at or what skin type you have, there’s a good chance that a retinol is a good item to add into your skincare regime.
APPLICATION & WARNINGS
When you first start using a retinol, it’s a good idea to start slowly and build up your skins tolerance to the product. I have fairly normal skin, so I started using this product twice a week and slowly built it up over a few weeks to the point where I was using it every second night. Perhaps if you had sensitive skin, you might want to build this up slower or maybe opt for using slightly less each week, but even the most sensitive of skins can still use this product even in smaller doses.
I applied my retinol at night, every second night. I would double cleanse, then apply the Foundation product. If my skin was feeling a bit dry, sometimes I might also apply a moisturiser over the top.
When using retinol its super important to be careful of the sun. Retinol can make your skin a lot more sensitive to UVA and UVB rays, so when you are using a retinol based product you need to wear sunscreen and sun protection. This product does not have any UV defence in it, so it’s incredibly important to wear sun protection while using this product.
EFFECTIVENESS – TONE & TEXTURE
So let’s talk noticeable results. I started to notice a change in my skins texture and tone within 6 weeks of using the Foundation Retinol. My skin did have a bit of a purge right after I started using this product, and then within 6-8 weeks had cleared up. I had a lot of little closed comedones on my chin and these vanished and stayed gone with regular use. As well as that, my skin also looked a lot more even and glowy then it used to, and my makeup applied so much more evenly. I noticed I didn’t even need to wear as much makeup as my skin was just so much better. In this regard, I noticed a huge difference!
EFFECTIVENESS – PIGMENTATION & SCARRING
I had melasma from pregnancy, which popped up not long after I had Jack. Just very subtle little brown spots on my face, that no one else would probably notice, but enough that annoyed me! This was one of the main reasons I started using a retinol regularly, and I was hoping to fade them dramatically, if not completely remove them.
At the start, I noticed a huge improvement in the marks. They started to fade quite a bit and I was thrilled with the results, so much so that I shared on my Instagram how amazing this product was. I actually feel terrible about this now, as I really didn’t leave it long enough to fully experience the product – this is the issue with first impressions!!
However it wasn’t long until I noticed more dark spots popping up on other parts of my face. Before long, I actually had more dark spots than I began with. I do wonder if this was because the retinol made my skin super sensitive to UV rays, and therefore more pigmentation actually developed as a result. I did wear sunscreen/hats at much as possible, but it’s pretty much impossible to keep your face out of the sun 24/7. I stopped using this product a few months ago and instead replaced it with a different brightening serum that actually contains a UV blocker, and have noticed that the spots have now started to fade again.
OVERALL – RAW KANVAS RETINOL REVIEW
I am very in two minds about this product. At the start I was blown away at how glowy and smooth my skin looked, and I love it for improving the tone and texture. However, the issue with the pigmentation isn’t ideal at all, and the fact that it actually made the dark spots worse makes me extremely unlikely to repurchase this one. I feel like overall, I couldn’t really recommend this one anymore – I’d opt for this brightening serum instead if you are looking to reduce dark spots and pigmentation!
