VIVI Naturals Review – Let’s welcome a new woman-owned wellness brand!
About 2 months ago I was approached by VIVI Naturals, a new beauty and lifestyle brand based in Los Angeles. As a WOC and a first-generation immigrant, founder Claire Hui faced many obstacles on her journey. Despite the challenges, her experiences and love for wanderlust inspired Claire to eventually launch her own company – and that was the beginning of VIVI Naturals. Claire’s vision for VIVI was clear: she wanted it to be a brand that respects centuries-old holistic traditions and herbal remedies, and also explores the latest scientific innovations, while being kind to the planet. That is why VIVI is committed to using sustainable ingredient sourcing practices as well as recycled/recyclable packaging materials.
Vita+ Gel ($10) hand sanitizer is one of the best I tried this year! It doesn’t dry out the skin, never flakes, and smells like lavender. By buying this hand sanitizer you’re also contributing to a good cause – VIVI Naturals will donate 100% net proceeds to organizations that help fight the devastating effects of the pandemic – World Vision and Hunger in America, although I could not find much information on the latter when I was researching. I hope they add more info to their website because I would love to learn more about these companies and why the brand chose those two in particular – there’s always a story!
Edit: Since publishing this blog post, VIVI Naturals updated their website with links to both organizations: World Vision and Hunger in America project by Feeding America. I really appreciate a brand that listens to constructive feedback!
Ingredients: Ethyl Alcohol (62% w/v), Purified Water, Carbomer, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Lavandula (Lavender), Sodium Hydroxide.
Vita+ Spray ($10) is another fantastic hand sanitizer, this time in spray form. It smells just as good as the gel and keeps the hands clean and soft, plus you could use it to sanitize surfaces in a pinch. I used it on grocery cart handles and even on a water faucet in a public restroom once.
Ingredients: Ethyl Alcohol (62% w/v), Purified Water, Carbomer, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Lavandula (Lavender), Sodium Hydroxide.
Daily Vivant ($54) beauty gummies worked wonders for my hair! After finishing the jar, I noticed a real difference in the fullness of my eyebrows and lashes, and my nails are looking stronger, too. Also, these gummies taste like berries, and who doesn’t love that? Yum! Each gummy contains a blend of multivitamins, biotin, and wellness hemp extract with 10mg CBD. On the website, the ingredient list only mentions Nano-emulsified Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract but the ingredients on the jar clearly state that it contains CBD. There are a lot of shady companies that claim their products contain CBD when in fact they don’t, so it was nice that VIVI Naturals provided test results from a previous batch – you can look them up on this page. According to the certificate, Daily Vivant gummies that were used in the test contained 9.3mg CBD per gummy.
Ingredients: Carbohydrate, Vitamin A (Retinyl Acetate), Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Vitamin E (dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin), Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (Calcium D Panthothenate), Iodine (Potassium Iodide), Zinc (Zinc Sulfate), Nano-emulsified Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Water, Citric Acid, Pectin, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavors, For Colors (Annatto, Elderberry Juice & Grape Juice Concentrate), Coconut Oil, Carnauba Wax.
CBDetox ($68) is a scalp serum that can help nourish the skin and hair follicles and soothe itchiness. My scalp has been super dry and itchy this year which I think was caused by stress (2020 has been an absolute nightmare), and a combination of this serum after every wash, once weekly argan oil treatment, and a hair conditioner with zinc pyrithione made it all go away. Just like with Daily Vivant gummies, the website doesn’t have CBD on the ingredient list. This report suggests that CBDetox from a previous batch contains 3.533mg CBD per one mL of serum, but I think measuring out a precise amount to use on the skin could be challenging for someone who isn’t familiar with the metric system. In short, I really enjoyed this serum, but I wish the labeling was more clear.
Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Panthenol, Caffeine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glycerin, Hemp Oil (Phytocannabinoid Rich Extract), Phenoxyethanol, Lactobacillus Fermentum (Probiotic), L-Arginine Hydrochloride (Amino Acid), Serine, Alcohol, Biotin, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride Monohydrate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Sodium Benzoate, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Abies Sibirica (Siberian Fir) Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Oil, Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) Extract (Sachitin®), Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Artemisia Maritima (Sea Wormwood) Herb Oil, Salvia Rosmarinus (Rosemary) Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6.
Root 66 ($60) was designed to help strengthen the roots and promote hair growth. It comes in a little spray bottle to make the application easier – you just spray on the roots and style as usual. I haven’t used it enough to notice dramatic changes in the actual hair structure yet but I love how soft it makes my hair feel and my roots always look light and airy, plus it smells so good! This spray also majorly helped my overprocessed ends – they are looking very healthy and lustrous these days.
Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Panthenol, Caffeine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Lactobacillus Fermentum (Probiotic), LArginine Hydrochloride (Amino Acid), Serine, Alcohol, Biotin, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride Monohydrate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Sodium Benzoate, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Abies Sibirica (Siberian Fir) Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Oil, VIVI Naturals Adaptogen Blend (Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) Root Extract, Ocimum Tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) Oil, Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) Extract, Salvia Rosmarinus (Rosemary) Oil, Panax Ginseng (Korean Ginseng) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) Extract (Sachitin®), Lepidium Meyenii (Maca) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Extract), Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Artemisia Maritima (Sea Wormwood) Herb Oil, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6.
BOTTOM LINE:
I loved using these products for the past few weeks, but I still have a few questions.
- I mentioned this in the beginning, but I couldn’t find much on “Hunger in America”, an organization that VIVI Naturals donates to. Google search didn’t yield any useful information but since all non-profits must be registered with the IRS, I decided to check there as well. There was one Hunger In America Corporation on the list with EIN 33-0111548 and the company is registered in Palm Springs, CA (anyone can look it up, this is public information). However, that company had its tax-exempt status revoked in 2011. I don’t really know what to think about that, for all I know this could be a totally different company. Honestly, I love that VIVI Naturals generously donates to charitable organizations, and would like to learn more about them!
- On the company’s website, none of the products specifically list CBD/cannabidiol on the ingredient list. Instead, we see things like “phytocannabinoid-rich extract” and “nano-emulsified broad-spectrum hemp extract”, neither of which are in the official international database of cosmetic ingredients aka INCI.
- For products that contain CBD, why aren’t they clearly marked as such on the brand’s website?
All VIVI Naturals products are vegan & cruelty-free. They’re sustainably made without animal-derived ingredients and never tested on animals. All hemp used in VIVI Naturals formulations is organic, non-GMO, sustainably grown and CO2-processed in the USA using good manufacturing practices throughout the supply chain. The products are proudly made in the USA as well.
EDIT:
A representative from VIVI Naturals PR got back to me with clarification!
- The company donates to Hunger in America program operated by Feeding America. I’m happy to hear that because Feeding America is a well-established and respected charity, and we donate to them as well! 🙂 But just to clarify – “Hunger in America” is not a charity but a project by Feeding America. This is why I was initially confused.
- The brand chose to avoid listing CBD/cannabidiol on the ingredient list on their website because they’re “running ads and the term CBD gets them banned due to Facebook policy.”
- Regarding the non-standardized ingredient naming, she said that “phytocannabinoid-rich is a more careful way for CBD extracted from a Hemp plant, not Marijuana plant.”
Regarding Facebook, I constantly see ads for Lord Jones on my feed, and last I checked they list CBD on their website without issues, so I’m not sure how VIVI Naturals got on Facebook’s bad side. I know I’d be bummed too if I couldn’t promote my company without getting creative with the wording. Here’s hoping VIVI can resolve those issues soon – the products are seriously so good and deserve more recognition!
Visit vivinaturals.com for more details about the brand and their mission.
