REN Evercalm Day Cream Review

 

I’ve been using this REN Evercalm Day Cream for a couple of weeks now and I am ready to share my thoughts… So it’s time for a review!

Promises REN Evercalm Day Cream

I think it is kind of funny that the promises of Cult Beauty on the REN Evercalm Day Cream are slightly different than that of REN’s website itself. For example, Cult Beauty promises that it is “free from any potentially unsettling ingredients”. I mean it contains perfume and ingredients such as linalool and limonene. I would say these can be considered as unsettling ingredients by some.
So what does REN promise? They keep it short and simple and state the following: “Enriched with a protection complex, it leaves the skin hydrated, replenished and better protected against moisture loss, pollution and external aggressions.”

In the subheading “Yay or Nay” I will discuss whether or not I think this REN Evercalm day cream holds up to its promises.

Price & Availability REN Evercalm Day Cream

I am so happy to have been able to buy this day cream in a store. The Dutch people are probably not THAT into skincare (like Americans) because we have barely any access to certain brands. So I would say the availability is of REN is pretty good! Both online and offline. You can buy it at Cult Beauty. 
It costs €38 // $49, for 50 ml. Which is not cheap of course. 

Packaging 

The packaging is an airtight container that has that kind of push up system. I do not know how that’s called, sorry. But it makes sure the product doesn’t oxidize and stays clean and fresh. I also think it lengthens the shelf life. Also, a plus is that this means you can get all the product out without a hassle! 

What’s special about the packaging of REN skincare is that they use a recycling technology that’s called “infinity recycling”. This basically means that their products are easily recycled into brand new products. That’s not always the case with plastics!

The cream itself

I feel like this cream is slightly different from others. First of all, I can’t really specify what kind of smell it is, it should be slightly citrusy by looking at the ingredient list. I just don’t smell it. It is, however, a pleasant smell, so I don’t really mind.
Second thing is that the cream does not absorb into my skin immediately, it needs a little bit of work to get into the skin. It will cost a few seconds at most but still, but other creams don’t do that. I don’t know why it does that, but the website of REN does say “to gently massage until absorbed”. So they are aware of this phenomenon. 

Ingredients REN Evercalm Day Cream

Antioxidants

There are 5 different antioxidants in this day cream, some well known (vitamin E, Calendula and Rosemary extract), but it also features two that were unknown to me. Which are “oryzanol” and “Pueraria Lobata (kudzu) Symbiosome Extract”. I looked it up and Oryzanol is extracted from rice bran oil and even has some sun protecting qualities to it! The Pueraria Lobata (kudzu) Symbiosome Extract comes from cassava and it seems that only REN uses it in its skincare. 

Skin Soothing Ingredients 

I can honestly say I did not know these ingredients by looking at their name. Let’s start with Bisabolol, which is the active part of chamomile which has anti-inflammatory benefits for the skin. Also from chamomile is Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, which offers similar benefits.

Last but not least is Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, which comes from the so-called candle tree (which grows in Mexico, apparently). It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits for your skin and helps protect your skin from UV rays. 

Emollients

There are 11 different emollients in the REN Evercalm day cream. Some I am more familiar with, such as shea butter, cetearyl alcohol (the good type!), sunflower seed oil, and caprylic/capric triglyceride. Others, I think, are less well known. For example, the sesame seed oil, cranberry seed oil, and black currant seed oil. I will discuss a few interesting ones. 

Camellia Oleifera Seed oil

One emollient that really stood out to me is Camellia Oleifera seed oil, which I thought would be olive oil. I was wrong (haha). It comes from the Camellia tree, which is native to Asia. It’s often referred to as the olive oil from Asia, which means I was still kind of right. Right?
It has similar benefits as to other plant oils, it’s high in oleic acid which has shown some anti-acne benefits in early research. To explain: It is now thought that acne-prone skin is low in oleic acid, and by applying oleic acid ingredients that balance might be restored. Camellia Oleifera Seed oil is a quite common ingredient in REN skincare and Grown Alchemist. 

Myristle Myristate

Another emollient that I did not know yet. It is however quite commonly used by brands such as Laneige, La-Roche-Posay, and Kate Sommerville. This ingredient is, however, better to be avoided as it does show some comedogenic tendencies. It is pretty high on the ingredients list (#5). I myself don’t notice any clogged pores, but it’s just something you should know!

Other

Other ingredients consist of ingredients such as preservatives (2), solvents (2), viscosity controlling ingredients (3-4), and surfactants (3). Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything special about these ingredients. The ingredients used are pretty common and when you look at the other REN skincare products they contain the same ingredients when it comes to these “others”. This means that if you can handle one of their products, you can probably handle the others. 

No-No’s

Okay, to be fair, I don’t personally think of these ingredients as No-No’s but some people do and therefore I wanted to create a separate category. It contains perfume, which some people avoid. It’s natural perfume though.
Also spotted on the list are Mandarin Orange peel oil, citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool and Limonene. These are all pretty similar to each other. They provide a nice scent to the product but also can cause some sensitivity. I personally do not get any sensitivity from this product, but if you have very sensitive skin this is probably not for you.
Also, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower oil can be sensitizing to the skin, even though it also gives antioxidant properties to the product.

REN Evercalm Day Cream: Yay or Nay?

I will first discuss the promises made by REN.

“Enriched with a protection complex, it leaves the skin hydrated, replenished and better protected against moisture loss, pollution and external aggressions.”

Protection complex: Yes it has antioxidants that will protect against external aggressions such as free radicals and pollution.
Hydrated: Yup, many emollients!
Replenished: Uhm, I am not sure. I would say replenished when it contains ceramides of vitamin C. These are well known to be depleted over time in your skin and can be restored by creams and serums. 

I personally really like this day cream and how it makes my skin feel, it feels enough to moisturize my skin. Often that’s not the case, even though I do not consider my skin to be extremely dry. I would say YAY.
I would recommend the REN Evercalm Day Cream to anyone who can handle a cream that might have some no-no ingredients but is after a soothing and soft cream.

Btw, this photo belongs to an upcoming blog post about my morning routine. As you can see it’s in my everyday routine!

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost! My next blog post will be up Tuesday 12 May!

Love,
Romina

Ps: you might also like my previous post on the Summer Fridays Butter Balm. 

Full ingredient list REN Evercalm Day Cream

Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Myristyl Myristate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triheptanoin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Myristyl Laurate, Oryzanol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil, Bisabolol, Ribes Nigrum Seed  Oil, Carbomer, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Tocopherol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalloliferum (Ho Wood) Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Pueraria Lobata (Kudzu) Symbiosome Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Glucose, Parfum* (Fragrance), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool * 100% Natural Fragrance – Parfum 100% Naturel