I have a tremendous amount of respect for the creator of the skincare brand Odacité. After a battle with breast cancer, Valérie Grandury detoxified her entire life. She realized that not only did most skincare products contain harmful chemicals, but that even the products tagged as natural had no expiration dates, meaning the antioxidant value of the product would be severely compromised. What’s a girl to do in such a situation? Well, if you’re Valérie, you go back to school to study plants, become a health and wellness coach and start blending your own skincare products using natural active ingredients. Her logic in offering made to order products that have a “freshiency date” is that if you wouldn’t eat a 3 year old apple, why would you use 3 year old skincare? Makes sense, right?
What strikes me about Odacité is how wildly popular they have become without any fancy marketing strategies. Celebrity following? Check. Recognition from all the top media outlets? Check. And all this with no gimmicks, no celebrity endorsers…no nothing. In fact, the brand’s popularity is largely attributed to word of mouth. In my opinion, a company that can rely solely on word of mouth and still be profitable is a company worth its’ salt.
Another aspect of the brand worth mentioning is their customer service. If you want to try out the line but don’t want to commit to buying full sized products (which can be a little pricey), they offer a 10 day “discovery kit” along with a free skin consultation by a licensed esthetician for $29. My esthetician Anne asked me several questions to which I gave a detailed response. Here is when I was half expecting the standard reply urging me to buy 25 different products that were “necessary” for my skin type. Oh how wrong I was! She sent me the discovery kit and told me that of the products in the kit, I only really needed 4. I was taken aback, as I am used to consultations actually being thinly veiled sales pitches with a goal of up-selling at all costs. Anne was refreshingly honest, well-informed, and keen to share the brand’s unique vision on skincare and health. Actually, everyone I spoke to at the company was similarly pleasant. Must be something in those natural active ingredients that gives everyone a mood boost.
When I received my discovery kit, my first impression was that it would definitely last me more than 10 days. And it did. The kit contained 7 of their basic skincare products along with a small plastic spatula and 2 facial sponges. Each product comes with its’ own product description card complete with directions and complete ingredients list. This little extra just makes the package feel that much more special. To sum things up, there really was not a product in the batch that I did not enjoy using. Here is breakdown of the products and a brief description of each:
- Rejuvenating Cleanser: A creamy, non-foaming cleanser
- Jojoba Beads Exfoliant: Smooth jojoba beads that exfoliate gently, while hydrating
- Immortelle Toner: I normally don’t enjoy toners too much, but this one wasn’t drying at all.
- Beautiful Day Moisturizer: A great moisturizer. Tip: If you end up a tad shiny by the end of the day, try using a little less product.
Worked for me! - Night Time Repair Serum: Feels more like a moisturizer, but does a fantastic job of replenishing skin at the end of the day.
- Hydration Masque: My mother’s new favorite item. You can use it as a masque or wear it overnight or on long-haul flights.
- Ultra Effective Eye Cream: A nice eye cream, particularly for those winter months when the moisture sucking vampire heaters are on. Note: A little goes a long way.
My favorite products have to be the Hydration Masque and the Rejuvenating Cleanser. The mask is perfect for those cold blistery days when you’re outside and your skin hates you because you opted not to wear a full ski mask. The cleanser is creamy, has a subtle scent, and does not cause any dryness. You remove it with the facial sponges, but I also used a muslin cloth. I wish it was slightly less expensive (retails for $40), but then again, the quality of what you’re getting is second to none.
All in all, Odacité is a natural skincare champion. You will be hard pressed to find a better line in terms quality, purity and freshness of the ingredients. Because the line is made in small batches, it is not widely available. However, you can find it at The Detox Market, along with other natural skincare, makeup and home goodies.
Have you tried Odacité? What do you think? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Squeaky Clean Beauty 