The story behind REN Skincare
Founded in 2000, REN Skincare has a simple skin care philosophy: give you visible results from skincare with ingredients that work with your skin, without causing irritation. The brand uses ingredients from sustainable sources and also uses sustainable packaging, such as bottles made with ocean plastic and tubes made from post-consumer-recycled plastic.
What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2023?
If you’ve been thinking about trying a clean, eco-friendly skin care brand, you may be considering REN Skincare – but is this brand really right for your skin type? Read our review to learn more about the best selling REN Skincare products, key ingredients (and a few ingredients that are potentially problematic!), REN Skincare reviews from real customers, and more.
What’s Inside REN Skincare?
Here’s a closer look at the active ingredients commonly used in REN skincare products. Vitamin C, peptides, and retinol make up the core ingredients for the REN 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. It’s 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 helps fade dark spots, evens out skin tone, and increases radiance. As if that wasn’t enough, research suggests that when vitamin C is applied to the skin, it significantly reverses aging-related structural changes by influencing collagen and elastin synthesis.
It’s in REN Glow and Protect Serum.
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.
REN Keep Young And Beautiful™ Firming And Smoothing Serum contains hexapeptide 11 from yeast fermentation to help improve skin firmness.
If you’re looking for a peptide serum, we recommend Carrot & Stick The Repair Serum. It contains 7 plant-based peptides to promote plumper and smoother-looking skin. It also has skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
Retinol
Retinol is the go-to anti-aging ingredient recommended by dermatologists and skin experts. It’s clinically proven to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve uneven skin tone, restore skin firmness, and shrink the appearance of enlarged pores.
The only downside? Retinol can often lead to side effects like skin dryness, peeling, and irritation.
REN Skincare has a line called “Bio-Retinoid” that includes a serum, oil, and cream. The key ingredient is a plant-derived alternative to retinol called Bidens Pilosa.
Use retinoids at night. We recommend this retinoid oil serum. It contains Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, an ingredient that provides similar benefits with less irritation.
What are the best selling REN Skincare products?
The REN Skincare product lineup includes a wide variety of items that include facial cleansers, anti-aging products, and products for dry, acne-prone, and sensitive skin. The collection also includes body washes, all-over body cream, retinoids, toners, masks, and eye and lip care items. Since there are way too many products for us to cover in this review, we’ll focus on a few of the best selling REN Skincare products: Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser, Glow Daily AHA Tonic, and Glycolic Lactic Radiance RENewal Mask.
The REN Skincare Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser is a three-phase, gentle oil-based cleanser that removes waterproof makeup, SPF, and pollution. This cleanser provides a deep clean without stripping your skin of essential moisture. What’s unique about this cleanser is that it shifts three times while you cleanse, starting as a jelly and shifting to an oil and then milk, to gently wash away dirt, makeup, and pollution for soft, clean skin.
The REN Skincare Glow Daily AHA Tonic is said to be like a face exfoliator and resurfacing toner in one. This REN Skincare toner stimulates natural cell turnover to help even tone, diminish the appearance of pores, and promote a healthy glow.
The REN Skincare Glycol Lactic Mask is said to brighten skin and tighten the look of pores – in just ten minutes. This rinse-off mask contains natural fruit-derived acids to help smooth skin texture, firm, lighten the appearance of hyperpigmentation, and restore a healthy-looking glow to skin.
Where are REN Skincare products sold?
REN Skincare products debuted in England and then spread out over the UK and other countries, including the United States. Today, you can find their products in department store skin care counters, pharmacies, and at select spas. REN Skincare products are sold on the brand’s website, as well as third party sellers like Amazon, Sephora, and more.
What is the REN Skincare return policy?
The REN Skincare return policy states, “If you are not completely satisfied with your order we can offer a refund providing that goods are returned to us within 30 days of purchase. Please note that if you have purchased your products via one of our retailers you will need to arrange your return or exchange with them directly.”
Is REN Skincare cruelty free?
REN Skincare is cruelty-free. The brand does not test finished products or ingredients on animals, and neither do their suppliers or any third-parties. They also don’t sell their products where animal testing is required by law. However, it should be noted that REN Skincare is owned by Unilever, a parent corporation that does test on animals when required by law.
REN Skincare reviews
REN Skincare reviews on the brand’s website are overall pretty positive, with most products receiving 4 or 5 star ratings. There are actually quite a few positive REN Skincare reviews from those with sensitive skin who mention that they have no problem using these products and that they work well.
However, there are a handful of negative REN Skincare reviews with one common theme: these products cause skin irritation, redness, itchiness, and allergic reactions. We believe these reactions are most likely due to the amount of fragrance in REN Skincare products. For example, one REN Skincare Glow Daily AHA Tonic says, “Used this for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Face went really red and stung. Still have an underlying pinkness to my complexion and my skin is very sensitive now. Needless to say I didn’t use it again and really regret ever using it in the first place.”
What are some alternatives to REN Skincare?
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.
We recommend this serum & moisturizer.
