Refreshments at Ipsy: What It Is and How It Works
If you are an Ipsy subscriber, you might have already noticed something different in your account – a new Refreshments tab on the website that wasn’t there before. Well, the cat’s finally out of the [Glam]bag and we have some info about this new service!
Starting November 2020 you can sign up to receive a monthly shipment of bathroom essentials for the face and body. To kick things off, Ipsy released a starter kit with three products: Luscious Hand Cream, Cleansing Face Wipes, and Velvety Body Cream that can help tackle winter dryness. Come January, you will also be able to try the 5-Blade Razor, Pillowy Shave Cream, and Pearly Body Wash, with more releases to come throughout 2021.
My first impression so far is very positive. The body cream and the hand cream are both rich and moisturizing, and the wipes are thoroughly soaked in makeup remover, making it super easy to cleanse the skin. I can’t see the “Refreshments” tab in my account yet so I don’t know if there are other scents available, but my body cream and hand cream are scented with Citrus Spritz fragrance that smells like sweet lemons and limes. The body lotion is very heavily scented and will probably be too strong for scent-sensitive people. I like it though!
All Refreshments products are expected to be fully vegan and cruelty-free and formulated with skin-friendly ingredients that were clinically and dermatologically tested. Keep in mind that “clinically tested” and “dermatologically tested” are both unregulated marketing terms, they could mean a number of things. The brand also promises that all current and future Refreshments offerings will be fully paraben-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, gluten-free, and also free of potentially allergenic nut oils. I had a lot of time on my hands this year and decided to refresh my cosmetic science knowledge. I also looked into the “free of” claims and checked to see if there is any new data regarding the so-called “nasties”. Let’s just say, I was surprised how many of the “dirty” ingredients are unjustly vilified.
- On parabens: Personally, after doing a ton of research, I came to the conclusion that parabens are not any more harmful than paraben alternatives such as phenoxyethanol. In fact, there is a mountain of data proving their safety when used within regulations, so I’m not longer affected by fear marketing regarding parabens and preservatives in general. But everyone’s skin is different, if you think you might be sensitive to parabens – you do what’s best for you, boo!
- On phthalates: Phthalates are usually present in fragrances, nail polish, hairspray, and certain color cosmetics, and they’re banned in the EU. Based on my research, I have a reason to believe that phthalates are totally sketchy, so I try to avoid them when I can. Our skin is pretty resilient though, and it does a really good job rejecting harmful substances unless you bathe in them, so I don’t sweat it if I unknowingly use a product with a sneaky phthalate [as a fragrance component, etc].
- On sulfates: Sulfates is another group of ingredients that have a bad rap in the clean beauty community. Again, based on my own research, when used within regulatory limits sulfates are proven safe to use in skin and hair products – as per a science-backed body of evidence. Some people claim they get irritation from products with sulfates, but personal ingredient sensitivity does not equal general safety concerns. Just like not everyone is allergic to the same foods. I personally used to avoid sulfates in the past too, but no longer see the reason to do so.
Ipsy Refreshments will operate on a subscription basis, much like the Glam bags. The starter kit will renew at $11 after the first month, and you will be able to customize your monthly shipments by adding or removing products [starting at $5 per additional product], skip a month, or cancel altogether. The program is slowly rolling out across the platform, so if you don’t have access yet it will be available soon!
What do you think about this concept? Will you try Ipsy Refreshments?
