You’ve seen Dr. Hauschka in my AM routine as well as PM routine posts, and it made an appearance in my lineup of winter moisturizers, but I haven’t really dedicated a separate post to the brand that’s I’ve been actively using for many years now. After testing these products for so long, I thought it’s finally time to share how I feel about this company in general, my likes, dislikes, and favorites.
ABOUT THE BRAND:
Dr. Hauschka is a namesake brand, named after the founder Dr. Rudolf Hauschka, whose natural medicines were very unconventional at the time. Dr. Hauschka founded his business in 1935, and opened two international subsidiaries in Vienna and London shortly thereafter, due to high demand for his ointments. During WWII, Dr. Hauschka and his future wife Dr. Margarethe Stavenhagen were imprisoned by the Nazi, and the company was relocated several times before finally settling in Bad Boll Eckwälden in 1950, where its offices, gardens, and farms remain today. Dr. Hauschka wanted to launch a range of personal everyday skincare, but his ideas only became a reality in the early 1960s when he met a Swedish esthetician Elisabeth Sigmund, who had been using WALA remedies in her own skin care products, and that was the beginning of a brand we know today.
“The revolutionary and novel concepts Elisabeth Sigmund and Dr. Hauschka developed in the 1960s are now the standards by which superior natural skin care products are defined today.”
MY PICKS:
Just a little disclosure for you guys before we begin: I have bought Dr. Hauschka products on my own before, but everything I currently have here was sent to me for editorial consideration.
Note: For ingredient safety ratings I will be referring to EWG database, mostly due to its vastness, and not because I think it’s the be-all-end-all of consumer safety databases.
There are very few toners I actually like enough to use daily. I am just not a toner person, and I actually prefer to avoid alcohol-based products in general. However, something in Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Toner makes it pleasantly gentle, so it doesn’t aggravate my sensitized skin. In fact, I used it twice a day during my Clean Beauty Month in April without any issues. This toner is best used as an herbal astringent for oily and combination skin types. The formula contains bacteria-fighting witch hazel, brightening calendula flower, and a handful of other skin-loving botanicals to detox and refresh troubled skin.
Toners are not a necessary step my a beauty routine. Whether you need one or not really depends on the rest of the products you use and your skin’s needs. Personally, I only use them when my skin is on the extreme end of things: either too oily, or too dry. When it’s acting tight and dehydrated, I always add two or more layers of moisturizing toner [following the famous Korean 7-skin method]. When my face becomes too shiny in the summer, that’s when I try to incorporate astringent skincare, including toners, to help contain the situation.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol, Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Bark Extract, Echinacea Pallida Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Bark/Leaf Extract, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Natural Fragrance, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, Lactic Acid.
Another product that you’ve seen me mention on this blog several times is Dr. Hauschka Melissa Day Cream. It is actually one of my favorite moisturizers for combination skin, green or not. This lightly scented cream balances out my face so well, there’s not a trace of dryness left on my cheeks, and the oil production in the T-zone is normalized [unless I’m stressing out, in which case, no skincare can help with that]. I’ve been rationing it to use on days when I want my skin to feel comfortable and look good, that’s why there’s still some left. If you use it daily, one tube will last about a month and a half.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Glycerin, Manihot Utilissima (Tapioca) Starch, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Melissa Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Bark/Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Bran Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Natural Fragrance, Citral, Limonene, Geraniol, Citronellol, Linalool, Hectorite, Lysolecithin, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947).
I had a chance to try some of the brand’s less talked about offerings, like Dr. Hauschka Almond Soothing Bath Essence. It’s fairly common to splurge on skincare; nice bodycare is another common indulgence. However, most of us rarely spend more than necessary on bath & shower products, and I definitely don’t judge that at all. Fancy bath essences are not a must have by any means, but whenever I feel overwhelmed with life, projects, and unanswered emails, I hide in the bathroom, take a relaxing bath, and play with new skincare. Dr. Hauschka carries six different “flavors” of bath essence, and Almond Soothing Bath Essence is recommended for dry and sensitive skin types. I usually dissolve two or three capfulls of essence under the running water to fill my tub with soothing aroma and nourishing botanical oils that calm the skin and leave it lightly scented after the bath. Dr. Hauschka non-foaming bath essences are part aromatherapy and part skin treatments, so if you take baths often, these might be worth looking into. I know I am enjoying the Almond one a lot, so now I kinda want to try Rose and Spruce essences, too.
I want to bring up the ingredient list, because I’m sure the number of yellow and red names stood out to you, too. The majority of the yellow and red flags are actually various essential oil derivatives that Dr. Hauschka, and many other natural beauty companies, like to use to scent their products naturally. These compounds can be sensitizing in large quantities, but since we’re dissolving a tiny amount in a huge bath, I honestly wouldn’t worry about any of these.
Ingredients: Sulfated Castor Oil, Glycerin, Alcohol, Natural Fragrance*, Limonene*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Citronellol*, Linalool*, Geraniol*, Farnesol*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Eugenol*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Coumarin*, Citral*. *From natural essential oils.
Speaking of bath & body products, I’ve also been using Dr. Hauschka Lemon Lemongrass Vitalizing Body Milk lately. I tried a foil sample a long time time ago in a different scent, and liked how it felt on my skin, so I’ve always wanted to purchase the full-sized bottle. What’s nice about these body milks is how lightweight they are. I honestly hate using body moisturizers when it gets hot, but Vitalizing Body Milk just might be light enough for my combination skin. If you decide to try this one, keep in mind that most Dr. Hauschka products are heavily scented [with natural essential oils and their derivatives]. This might not be a huge deal for skincare, but considering that a body product covers a large area, it can and will overpower your perfume. It also means that you better really like the fragrance, because you’ll be catching whiffs of it for the rest of the day. I happen to adore all things lemongrass, so I just skip perfume all together on the days I use this body lotion.
One thing I don’t love is the lemon essential oil, since it contributes to photo-sensitivity. I wear sunscreen daily and try to stay out of the sun as much as I can, but knowing there’s citrus oil on me kind of makes me nervous sometimes.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Prunus Spinosa Fruit Extract, Pyrus Cydonia Seed Extract, Glycerin, Cymbopogon Citratus (Lemongrass) Extract, Prunus Spinosa Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Natural Fragrance (Parfum), Citral*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Geraniol*, Farnesol*, Coumarin*, Citronellol*, Eugenol*, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Algin, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrated Silica. *From natural essential oils.
Now that you’ve learned a little bit about these products, ingredients, and my general thoughts on each one, I bet you have questions about pros, cons, and whatnot.
The biggest con I can think of is fragrance. Yes, everything is scented with natural essential oils and their derivatives [not lab made synthetics], so it’s more about the potency of the scents rather than the actual ingredients. The fragrance in the products I used is fairly strong, so I wouldn’t recommend any of these for people with scent sensitivities.
Among the pros I want to point out the packaging: Dr. Hauschka almost never uses jars, and everything is housed in aluminum tubes and glass bottles with pump dispensers. These are the most sanitary ways of using skincare, and I appreciate the effort.
So, do you need these?
Although I liked the bath essence, the body lotion, and the toner, I wouldn’t say they are necessarily my must haves. The Melissa Day Cream, though, is absolutely fabulous for combination skin! You’d think that a cream formula would be too heavy and greasy, and maybe something more gel-like is better suited for this finicky skin type. However, this lovely little moisturizer always makes my face feel comforted and soothed while normalizing the oil production in the T-zone and softening the dry areas. It actually makes me look like I have normal skin type rather than combination, since my complexion looks even all over. This is by far my favorite Dr. Hauschka product and I keep raving about it to my friends and fam!
I will keep exploring other offerings from this natural beauty brand in the hopes of discovering more of these hidden gems to share with you.
Have you tried Dr. Hauschka skincare? How do you feel about essential oils in skincare? What’s your favorite natural beauty brand? Let me know in the comments below!
