Pacifica Beauty is a 100% vegan and cruelty free brand that was founded in 1996 by Brook Harvey-Taylor. It all began in Brook’s kitchen, where she would create perfumes out of essential oils, eventually selling them locally in Eugene, Oregon. In fact, Brook told Well + Good that she would sell her perfumes at The Grateful Dead shows when they came into town.

What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2023?

Today, Pacifica has expanded to offer an extensive fragrance collection, as well as hair care, skin care, makeup, and more. In this review, we’ll focus on the Pacifica skincare products. We’ll review the product formulations through a scientific lens, meaning we’ll give you the research that supports (or doesn’t support) the ingredients that you’ll find in these products. We’ll also share Pacifica skincare reviews so that you can get an idea of what customers really think of these products.

Is Pacifica Skincare Worth The Money?

A common question about this brand is if the products are worth the cost.

In our opinion, Pacifica products deliver value for money, but take a look at other brands that don’t require you to sacrifice your precious money.

We recommend brands that are committed to developing clean yet effective products.

One brand is Carrot & Stick, a clean skincare brand that perfectly balances the gentle nurturing of plants with the powerful results of innovative science.

Carrot & Stick intro bundles deliver great value for money because you can bundle 3 full-size products worth up to $240 for $88.

What’s Inside Pacifica Skincare?

Like we mentioned above, all Pacific skincare products are cruelty free and vegan. The brand also doesn’t use harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, SLS, or mineral oil in the Pacifica skincare products. 

As for the key ingredients that you will find in Pacifica skincare products, this brand doesn’t use just one key ingredient throughout their skincare collection. Rather, each product contains unique key ingredients. 

Generally speaking, the Pacifica skincare products contain plant-derived emollients like sunflower seed oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, coconut oil, and several others. 

Vitamin C, retinol, peptides, and vitamin E make up the core ingredients for the Pacific skincare line. These ingredients should all be part of your skincare routine.

Vitamin C
We’ve been hearing for years that Vitamin C is the best anti-aging ingredient. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that protects the skin from free radicals, the unstable molecules that contribute to the formation of premature wrinkles and fine lines on the skin.

Vitamin C also has the ability to reduce the appearance of dark spots and improve uneven skin tone. Therefore, the Pacifica skincare products with vitamin C — such as Pacifica Sea & C Love Vitamin Serum — can help to tackle multiple signs of skin aging while improving skin tone and brightness. 

But our favorite Vitamin C serum is Carrot & Stick The Defence Serum. It contains 3 distinct types of Vitamin C that work together to help fight free radical damage. We recommend using it every morning.

Peptides
As you age, your body’s production of collagen and elastin slows down. These two proteins are responsible for your skin’s structural support. As a result, the skin loses its natural plumpness and smoothness. 

While collagen is necessary for maintaining youthful-looking skin, the collagen protein is too large to absorb into the skin topically. That’s why applying skin care products that contain collagen won’t provide the anti-aging benefits you’re looking for.

This is where peptides come into action. Peptides are the building blocks of protein, and they are easily absorbed into the deeper layers of skin due to their smaller size. 

Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream contains acetyl hexapeptide-3 and palmitoyl tripeptide-3. 

We recommend Carrot & Stick The Repair Serum. It contains 7 plant-based peptides to promote plumper and smoother-looking skin.

Retinol
Retinol is the go-to anti-aging ingredient recommended by dermatologists and skin experts. While retinol provides many benefits to the skin, it’s also known to cause side effects like skin dryness and irritation. 

Pacifica Wake Up Beautiful Overnight Retinoid Cream contains Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, an ingredient that provides the same benefits of retinol but without the irritation. 

Another product with Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate that we recommend is this retinoid oil serum. 

Vitamin E
Similar to vitamin C, the use of vitamin E in Pacifica skincare products helps to protect the skin from free radical damage that can lead to signs of aging. In addition, vitamin E is known to strengthen the skin’s barrier function and helps to reduce transepidermal water loss.

It’s excellent that the brand combines vitamins C and E in several of their products, such as the Pacifica Vegan Collagen Overnight Recovery Cream, Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream, Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash, and others.

This is because these antioxidants are synergistic, which is why they are referred to as “network antioxidants”. A publication in the journal Dermatologic Therapy explains, “because vitamin C regenerates oxidized vitamin E, the combination in a cosmeceutical formulation is synergistic – particularly in UV protection.”

Everything Else

Fragrance
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that nearly all Pacifica skincare products contain fragrance ingredients, primarily fragrant essential oils. And we understand why — remember that Pacifica founder Brook Harvey-Taylor began the brand by creating perfumes out of essential oils. While these fragrance ingredients do make the products smell lovely, they could be damaging your skin.

This is because all fragrance ingredients (whether natural or synthetic) impart scent through a volatile reaction, and this natural reaction almost always causes a sensitizing reaction on skin.  In fact, according to a 2016 publication in the scholarly journal Dermatitis, nearly 80 essential oils have caused contact allergy.

Even if you don’t have a full blown reaction to the ingredient, the damage may still be occurring every day. Ultimately, this can cause mild problems for your skin in the short term and worse problems in the long term.

What Are The Top 10 Best Pacifica Skincare Products?

Pacifica has an extensive collection of skincare products, including cleansers, scrubs, masks, serums, moisturizers, face mists, treatments, peels, eye care, lip care, and more. With so many products to choose from, you may not know where to get started with this brand. Don’t worry; below we’ll give you a breakdown of the top 10 best Pacifica skincare products.

Pacifica Pore Warrior Soft Scrub

• A gentle facial scrub that uses plant-based scrubbing beads to remove dead skin, dirt, toxins, and other impurities that can clog pores
• Key ingredients include sunflower seed oil, jojoba esters, niacinamide, vitamin E, cucumber fruit extract, and rosehip oil
• Contains fragrant essential oils

Pacifica Eye Bright Undereye Vitamin C Spot Serum Mask

• Bio-cellulose eye patches that are said to help brighten and boost hydration in the undereye area
• 2 individual single use undereye spot masks
• Key ingredients include aloe and glycerin
• Contains less than 1% of “key” ingredients (vitamin C and marine plant extracts)
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream

• Anti-aging facial moisturizer that is said to deeply moisturize and improve skin’s youthful glow
• For all skin types, especially dry
• Key ingredients include sunflower seed oil, acetyl hexapeptide-3, palmitoyl tripeptide-3, shea nut oil, grape seed oil, aloe vera, kelp extract, and vitamins C and E
• Contains fragrant essential oils

Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream

• A tinted BB cream that hydrates, primes, illuminates, and perfects, leaving a sheer bare skin finish
• Available in 3 shades (dark, medium, and light)
• The sheer application can be built up for just the right amount of coverage, while helping diminish the appearance of pores, fine lines, and uneven tone
• Mica and titanium dioxide reflect light from the face, creating the illusion of a smoother, softer, and more radiant skin tone
• Additional key ingredients include caprylic/capric triglyceride, jojoba esters, coconut water, kelp extract, and hyaluronic acid
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash

• Foaming, sulfate-free facial cleanser that is said to gently remove makeup, oil, and impurities
• For all skin types
• Key ingredients include coconut-derived surfactants, aloe vera leaf juice, vitamins C and E, papaya extract, lemon bioflavonoids, coconut oil, and coconut water
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Vegan Collagen Overnight Recovery Cream

• A rich, anti-aging facial cream that is said to help revive and hydrate for more dewy, youthful looking skin
• For all and aging skin types
• “Vegan Collagen” refers to the ingredient sr-hydrozoan polypeptide-1, a certified-vegan marine collagen produced in a sustainable, 100% plant-based fermentation process using zero animal inputs
• Additional key ingredients include sunflower seed oil, vitamins C and E, and emollients
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Vegan Collagen Recovery Eye Cream

• A rich, nourishing eye cream that easily absorbs into skin to boost hydration and help the delicate skin around your eyes feel supported and energized
• For all and aging skin types
• “Vegan Collagen” refers to the ingredient sr-hydrozoan polypeptide-1, a certified-vegan marine collagen produced in a sustainable, 100% plant-based fermentation process using zero animal inputs
• Additional key ingredients include caprylic/capric triglyceride, chamomile flower extract, calendula flower extract, caffeine, allantoin, and panthenol
• Contains fragrant botanical extracts

Pacifica Sea & C Love Vitamin Serum

• A vitamin C serum that is said to help fight the effects of blue light and aid in a brighter, tighter, healthier appearance
• The form of vitamin C in this serum is 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid
• Additional key ingredients include aloe vera leaf juice, sea kelp extract, green tea extract, turmeric root extract, hyaluronic acid, and spirulina extract
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Stress Rehab Coconut & Caffeine Facial Mask

• 100% cotton single-use sheet mask that is said to tone skin while reducing redness and puffiness
• All skin types, especially stressed
• Key ingredient is glycerin
• Contains less than 1% of green tea leaf extract, caffeine, coconut fruit extract, chamomile flower extract, and turmeric root extract
• Contains fragrance

Pacifica Sunscreen Coconut Probiotic SPF 30

• This Pacific sunscreen contains the mineral sunscreen zinc oxide to provide broad spectrum SPF 30 protection
• Water resistant up to 80 minutes
• Additional key ingredients include bentonite, bisabolol, and caffeine
• Contains fragrance

Where to Buy Pacifica Skincare Products?

Pacifica skincare products are sold on the brand’s website, as well as several third party online retailers such as Target, Ulta, iHerb, and more. Pacifica skincare products are also sold in physical retail locations. The brand has a store locator on their website so that you can find a location that sells Pacifica skincare products near you.

What is The Pacifica Return Policy?

The Pacifica return policy states, “At Pacifica, we want you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase and experience. That is why we offer an easy return process. Returns are accepted within 30 days after purchase from Pacificabeauty.com only. Items purchased from a Pacifica retail partner will not be accepted. Bundles, samples & free gifts with purchase are not returnable. If you receive a promotional item with purchase, you will be charged for these promotional items if you return the qualifying item. We cannot accept returns from outside of the US. Shipping charges are non-refundable.”

Is Pacifica Cruelty Free?

Yes, Pacifica is cruelty free and is a PETA certified Beauty Without Bunnies partner.

Pacifica Skincare Reviews

Pacifica Skincare reviews on the brand’s website are overall very positive, with most products receiving four and five-star ratings. The product with the most reviews is the Pacifica Eye Bright Under Eye Vitamin C Spot Serum Mask, which has received an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars after more than 700 customer reviews.

The positive Pacific reviews for these vitamin C under eye masks mention that they really do help to soothe the under eye area while also promoting brighter, plumper skin. For example, one review says, “I love these!! Would use them everyday if I could. They make my under eyes look instantly more plump and bright.”

The negative reviews for the Pacifica Eye Bright Undereye Vitamin C Spot Serum Mask were from customers who found these masks difficult to apply or “aggravating” to wear. Some customers saw no difference in their skin after use, and some noticed that their skin looked worse after using these masks!

For example, one Pacifica review says, “Had high hopes for these but sadly was disappointed. I thought the patches would be like a gel, but they were thin paper strips that were tough to remove from the packaging, stuck to itself, and were difficult to apply. My eyes looked worse after using – the skin under my eyes was all wrinkled after removing them. Smelled nice though.”

Our Verdict

Overall, we think that most of the Pacifica skincare products are formulated well, with the exception of the fragrance ingredients in the products.

Pros

• Affordable (most products available for less than $20 USD)
• Many positive Pacifica skincare reviews
• Pacifica is cruelty free
• The brand uses beneficial key ingredients, such as emollients, humectants, antioxidant vitamins C and E, and botanical extracts with soothing properties

Cons

• Nearly all Pacific skincare products contain fragrance
• Some products contain low concentrations of “key” ingredients

What Are Some Alternatives to Pacifica Skincare Products?

There’s no need to compromise when it comes to finding skincare that’s effective and safe.

If you’re looking for effective skincare products that skip harmful toxins, one brand we recommend is Carrot & Stick.

Carrot & Stick is committed to creating plant-derived formulas that deliver extraordinary results without relying on toxic chemicals or standard preservatives.

Carrot & Stick takes a tough love approach to skincare, perfectly balancing the gentle nurturing of plants with innovative science.

References:
Well + Good “Meet the Woman Who’s Bringing Crystal-Infused Beauty Products to Ulta” June 2018
Dermatol Ther Sep-Oct 2007;20(5):314-21.
Indian Dermatol Online J. 2013 Apr-Jun; 4(2): 143–146.
de Groot AC, Schmidt E. Essential Oils, Part IV: Contact Allergy. Dermatitis. 2016;27(4):170-175. doi:10.1097/DER.0000000000000197