The story behind Weleda
Weleda is a natural skin care brand with origins dating back to 1921 when the company was first founded in Switzerland. It all began with a hospital and a pharmaceutical laboratory with its own medicinal plant garden. Weleda grew quickly due to the increasing worldwide demand for medicinal products and natural cosmetics.
Today, Weleda is represented in over 50 countries on five continents and has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of holistic, natural, organic cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Perhaps you’ve heard of Weleda Skin Food, one of the brand’s most popular products that has now become an entire range of personal care products. In this review, we’re going to cover these natural personal care products, key ingredients, Weleda Skin Food reviews from real customers, and more.
What is Weleda Skin Food?
Weleda Skin Food is a line of moisturizing face, lip, and body products that was inspired by the brand’s best-selling Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream, formulated in 1926. There are a total of four products in the collection.
The Original Weleda Skin Food is a rich moisturizer for dry, rough skin on the elbows, hands, and feet. Due to its rich, thick base of oils and beeswax, this product is not recommended to be used on the face (but you’ll see down below in the Weleda Skin Food reviews section that many people do in fact use the original cream on their face with pretty good results).
The Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream is a more light and fluid version of the Original Ultra-Rich Cream. You can use this product on your face in order to hydrate while giving skin a healthy glow.
Rather than a base of oils and beeswax, you’ll find cocoa and shea butter in the Weleda Skin Food Body Butter. This product is recommended to be used after a bath or shower to lock in moisture and help protect skin from drying out.
The final product in this collection is Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter, which contains a rich botanical blend to leave lips feeling soft and supple with a slight glossy sheen.
What are the key ingredients in Weleda Skin Food?
We’ve already alluded to a few of the key ingredients in the Weleda Skin Food products, but let’s dive a little deeper into how these ingredients will affect your skin.
One ingredient that is used in all four of the Weleda Skin Food products is sunflower seed oil. Sunflower seed oil functions as an emollient, which means it works to soften and smooth the skin while also acting as an occlusive agent. Upon application, sunflower seed oil forms a film on the skin that helps to prevent evaporation of moisture. Sunflower seed oil provides anti-inflammatory effects due to its high composition of linoleic acid. The anti-inflammatory properties of sunflower seed oil make this an excellent ingredient for those with symptoms of dry, flaky, or irritated skin.
Lanolin is another key ingredient that can be found in all of the Weleda Skin Food products except the Body Butter. Lanolin is a yellow wax secreted by the sebaceous (oil) glands of wool-bearing animals, such as sheep. In nature, lanolin’s role is to protect wool and skin from climate and the environment. It is thought that applying lanolin to human skin can help to protect against dry, chapped skin and other skin ailments. Lanolin is a long-chain waxy ester that contains cholesterol, and is actually very similar to the chemical structure of the oils produced by human skin. Due to its high lipid content, lanolin is occlusive, meaning it prevents the evaporation of water from the skin (transepidermal water loss).
Sadly lanolin is not cruelty free. Most of the time, lanolin a by-product of the meat industry. We recommend looking for formulations that do not rely on lanolin. One product is Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer. It’s overflowing with potent plant proteins, vitamins, peptides and amino-collagen.
The final key ingredients in all Weleda Skin Food products include the following botanical extracts: Viola tricolor extract, Calendula officinalis (marigold) flower extract, and Chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extract.
Viola tricolor, also known as wild pansy, contains an active chemical principle called violine, in addition to flavonoids (rutin), mucilage, salicylic acid, tannins, and tocopherol (vitamin E). Viola tricolor is also rich in polysaccharides, which when utilized on the skin, can boost the capacity to retain water.
Calendula officinalis (marigold) flower extract is packed with beneficial nutrients, notably triterpene saponins, flavonoids, and carotenoids. The flavonoids function as antioxidants that protect the skin from free radicals, and the carotenoids in this extract moisturize the skin and brighten the complexion.
Chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extract contains flavonoids and other components that provide anti-inflammatory effects when applied to the skin, making this a very soothing botanical extract.
While Weleda Skin Food products do not contain synthetic fragrances, it should be noted that the formulations do contain fragrance components derived from natural sources. Whether natural or synthetic, fragrance has the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity.
Where is Weleda Skin Food sold?
Weleda Skin Food is sold on the brand’s website, as well as third party online sellers such as Amazon and eBay. You can also find Weleda Skin Food at physical locations such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Whole Foods, and more. Weleda has a store locator on their website so you can find a location near you that sells Weleda Skin Food products.
What is the Weleda return policy?
The Weleda return policy states the following, “If for any reason you are not satisfied with a Weleda product you purchased from us or one of our authorized sellers, you may request a refund or product exchange within 45 days of the date of purchase. Please note that because we are unable to control the quality of our products sold by unauthorized sellers, the Weleda 45-Day Satisfaction Guarantee is not available for products purchased from unauthorized sellers.”
Is Weleda cruelty free?
Weleda is cruelty free. The brand does not test finished products or ingredients on animals, and neither do their suppliers or any third-parties. Weleda does not sell their products where animal testing is required by law. However, Weleda products contain lanolin, which is often a byproduct of the meat industry.
Weleda Skin Food reviews
Weleda Skin Food reviews on the brand’s website are overall very positive, however, there aren’t many product reviews so far. Plus, there are only 5 star ratings, which makes us wonder if the brand only displays positive reviews. Thus, we turned to Amazon to get a more accurate picture of Weleda Skin Food reviews.
There are nearly 5,000 Weleda Skin Food reviews for the Original Ultra-Rich Cream on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Interestingly, many reviewers mention that the original cream, which is very thick and rich, works really well as a face moisturizer. For example, one very positive Weleda Skin Food review states, “This is a MUST have! A MUST! I am always looking for that rich moisturizer that leaves your face so hydrated that you look fresh and rejuvenated, that is this stuff!!!! This is the most luxurious cream that truly continues to work, I never break out or become too greasy, yet my skin looks HYDRATED and beautiful!”
However, there are several negative Weleda Skin Food reviews with various reasons for consumers not liking this product. Some reviews mention that it is too thick and hard to apply. Others mention that Weleda Skin Food made their skin itch and break out. And there are a few reviews that mention the product they received from Amazon seemed like a counterfeit (this is why it might be a better idea to purchase Weleda Skin Food from the brand’s website or an authorized third party seller).
What are some alternatives to Weleda Skin Food?
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.
