The Story Behind Sanitas Skin Care
The word Sanitas means “good health” and “wellbeing” in Latin, and the meaning embodies what this skin care brand stands for. Lisa Crary is the sole owner of this female led, eco-conscious manufacturing company, and she’s very proud of the fact that the brand formulates and manufactures their own products in Boulder, Colorado. This allows Sanitas to control every part of the process – from inception until the product touches your skin.
What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2023?
Sanitas calls their products “smart skin care”. That’s because the products are formulated to adjust to what your skin is lacking and retrain it to do what it was intended to do naturally: heal and strengthen itself. All Sanitas Skin Care products are non-toxic, pharmaceutical grade and the formulas contain clinical dosages to ensure maximum results. In this review, we’ll discuss the brand’s best selling products, key ingredients, Sanitas Skin Care reviews from real customers, and more.
The Top 5 Sanitas Skin Care Products
Sanitas Skin Care has an extensive selection of products for every step of your skin care routine, including cleansers, scrubs, toners, solutions, exfoliants, targeted treatments, moisturizers, serums, masks, mists, sun protection, eye care, lip care, body care, and more. With so many products to choose from, you may not know where to get started with this brand. If so, we’d recommend considering one of the top 5 best selling Sanitas Skin Care products.
Brightening Peel Pads
Sanitas Brightening Peel Pads are a professional strength, corrective treatment that utilize a triple acid blend to brighten, tone, and reveal clear, radiant skin. There are two alpha hydroxy acids in the formula (glycolic and lactic acid) and one beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid). The formula also includes witch hazel to minimize the appearance of large pores and fine lines.
Lemon Cream Scrub
Sanitas Lemon Cream Scrub is a dual-action manual exfoliant that buffs away dead skin cells and impurities without tearing or irritating the skin. Silica crystals, immersed in a citrus-infused jojoba oil emulsion, deeply cleanse pores, help prevent imperfections, and resurface your complexion.
Vita C Serum
Sanitas Vita C Serum is a high potency vitamin C serum that addresses the visible signs of aging, brightens, and delivers hydration. The formula also contains plant-based emollients to hydrate and smooth skin, as well as squalane to enhance nutrient delivery and prevent signs of aging.
Topical C
Sanitas Topical C is a moisturizing and reparative balm that nourishes severely dry skin and addresses the visible signs of aging. It is said to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, brighten dark spots, and speed skin renewal.
PeptiDerm Eye Treatment
The final best selling product by Sanitas Skin Care is the PeptiDerm Eye Treatment. This anti-aging eye treatment contains a blend of peptides and vitamins that are said to help reduce dark circles, diminish fine lines, and relieve puffiness.
What Are The Key Sanitas Skin Care Ingredients?
Sanitas uses a variety of different ingredients throughout their collection of products. However, we did notice that the brand uses a few of the same key ingredients in multiple products, including vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids, and peptides.
As you probably noticed, vitamin C is a key ingredient in two of Sanitas Skin Care best selling products: Vita C Serum and Topical C. These formulations actually contain a fat-soluble vitamin C derivative called tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It is believed that this form of vitamin C can penetrate the skin better than other water-soluble forms because its fatty acid component helps aid penetration. Once inside the skin, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is converted to ascorbic acid (the active form of vitamin C). Ascorbic acid is a potent antioxidant, acts as a coenzyme for enzymes involved in collagen synthesis, and inhibits the synthesis of melanin. According to the Indian Dermatology Online Journal, clinical studies have shown that the topical use of L-ascorbic acid increases collagen production in both young and aged human skin. Due to these actions, ascorbic acid is able to improve radiance and skin texture while diminishing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet.
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) are found in many of the Sanitas Skin Care products, including their Brightening Peel Pads and most of the exfoliant products. AHAs are excellent skin care ingredients because they have the ability to exfoliate the skin, stimulate the skin’s natural regeneration process, and help the skin to retain moisture. AHAs exfoliate the skin by targeting corneocytes (dead skin cells that make up the top layers of skin) in a process called corneocyte desquamation. By enhancing their breakdown and increasing the separation of skin cells, the rate of cell turnover is increased, leading to smoother, brighter skin.
Peptides are used as key ingredients in several Sanitas Skin Care products, including the best selling PeptiDerm Eye Treatment. Peptides in skin care products work by mimicking peptides in your skin that are released when collagen is broken down. As collagen deteriorates due to age and environmental factors, it produces peptides that signal skin cells to generate more collagen. By mimicking these naturally occurring peptides, synthetic peptides cause your skin to “think” collagen is deteriorating and therefore it needs to produce new collagen.
Where Are Sanitas Skin Care Products Sold?
Sanitas Skin Care products are sold on the brand’s website, as well as several third party online retailers, such as Dermstore.com, Pharmaca.com, Amazon.com, and more. Sanitas Skin Care is also sold in spas and by skin care professionals. Sanitas trained estheticians have access to professional-only products and treatments that they custom blend just for you. They can also recommend a Sanitas Skin Care regimen for home to ensure the lasting benefits of your facial. The brand has a store locator on their website so you can find a location near you that sells Sanitas Skin Care products.
What is the Sanitas Skin Care Return Policy?
The Sanitas Skin Care return policy states, “If you are dissatisfied with your product for any reason, product return(s) will be accepted up to 30 days from purchase for a full refund (minus any shipping charges) to your original form of payment. Your return package must be postmarked within 30 days of purchase to be eligible for a refund.”
Is Sanitas Skin Care Cruelty Free?
Sanitas Skin Care is cruelty free.
Sanitas Skin Care Reviews
Sanitas Skin Care reviews are overall very positive, with most products receiving 4 and 5 star ratings. The product with the most reviews is the Sanitas Brightening Peel Pads. Reviews for the peel pads rave about how well they work, calling them the “holy grail” of peel pads.
For example, one Sanitas Skin Care review says, “These peel pads play a huge part of my skincare routine. I use these a few times a week and it really does help my skin clear up, even my skin tone, my pores become minimized. This, more than anything else has taken care of the hyperpigmentation around my mouth and eyes. I also have dry/ combo skin and use this before my night creams. I don’t find it to be overly drying after going in with the rest of my skincare. So worth it.”
There aren’t many negative Sanitas Skin Care reviews, but those that we did read were from customers who experienced negative reactions to these products (burning, redness, breakouts, etc.) Others comment that the effects of the products don’t last that long. For example, one review for the Sanitas Brightening Peel Pads says, “I initially loved this product. I feel like the following morning of using it my skin is noticeably so smooth and more even. I feel torn because I thought with continued, consistent use over time my skin tone and texture would change. I’m about two thirds done and I feel that my skin looks great but only for a short time, about a day, directly after using the product. On the hunt for something a little stronger and with longer lasting effects.”
What Are Some Alternatives to Sanitas Skin Care?
Overall, we think that Sanitas Skin Care products are formulated well. We like that the brand uses high concentrations of active ingredients, and that they use a variety of beneficial ingredients, such as vitamin C derivatives, AHAs, BHAs, peptides, and more. However, if you’ve tried Sanitas Skin Care products and didn’t see the results you were looking for, we have an alternative skin care brand for you to consider: Formulyst. We recommend Formulyst due to their fragrance-free formulations packed with high concentrations of actives without any fillers or unnecessary additives.
For example, Formulyst’s Clarifying AHA Cleanser contains the AHA glycolic acid, which helps to refine pores, control excess oil, and smooth away any surface-level roughness. The formula also contains ingredients to moisturize and soothe the skin, such as rosehip seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and chamomile flower oil. Overall, Formulyst’s Clarifying AHA Cleanser can help your skin to feel clean, clear, and beautifully refreshed.
There’s no need to compromise when it comes to finding skincare that is effective and safe. Carrot & Stick takes a tough love approach to skincare, perfectly balancing the power of plants with cutting edge science. Not only is Carrot & Stick good for your skin, it is also good for the environment as the formulas skip harmful chemicals commonly found in skin care products.
References:
1. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2013 Apr-Jun; 4(2): 143–146.
