Dry, flaky skin is a common skincare woe when it comes to us Singaporeans. Unbeknownst to many of us, though, it has less to do with genetics and more to do with our current environment than anything.
Yup, don’t go blaming your parents just yet— your skin’s number one enemy has to do with the spaces you inhabit frequently more than anything. Or, to be specific, the air-conditioning in your office, home, and or lecture hall. Eek!
Considering Singapore’s impossibly hot and humid climate, air-conditioning is almost impossible to avoid. From our shopping malls to our MRT stations, you can’t go anywhere without feeling that freezing-cold gust of wind against the back of your neck. And while that may provide relief from the relentless heat, it does no favours for your skin. Sigh!
Air conditioning: why it is your skin’s worst enemy
While nothing sounds more tempting than blasting your air-conditioning after a hot day out in the sun, it is actually a lot more detrimental for your skin than expected! This is because air-conditioners work to suck the moisture out of the air around you, which results in your skin losing moisture too.
This, naturally, leads to dry, flaky skin, pre-mature ageing, and skin degeneration. Yikes!
The solution? Well, you could try to avoid air-conditioned rooms all together, though it is a pretty impossible feat when it comes to Singapore.
Our recommendation? A good moisturiser that works to hydrate as well as seal said moisture into your skin. One that we’ve been hearing about more often than most is the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream Skincare Range.
What is Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Skincare Range about?
Nope, you’re not reading that wrong! This natural Vitamin E skincare range is actually developed by Australia’s leading natural health brand, Blackmores. It is their first foray into the skincare scene, with the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Skincare Range working to hydrate and protect impossibly dry skin.
All products are made of the most high-quality ingredients sourced from nature, and they also happen to be free of fragrance and artificial colours. This thus makes it suitable for those with even the most sensitive of skin. Hmm, how intriguing!
But can they actually hold up against one of the coldest places in Singapore— an office environment? We have our doubts, too. With this in mind, we decided to let our writers take one of the products out for a test drive.
Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Skincare Range Review
Reviewer: Emily
Skin prior to using Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin
My skin tends to be more towards combination than dry, but there’s no disguising how dry certain areas of my face and body can get. This especially applies when I’ve been cooped up behind my desk all day!
What’s worse, I’m seated directly in front of two air-conditioners. This means that on longer days, my skin gets about as dry as the Sahara Desert. It doesn’t show up much on my face, thankfully, but you can really see it on my elbows and along my arms. It really doesn’t help that my wardrobe is filled with more sleeveless tops and short-sleeved dresses than anything.
So I was pretty excited to hear that I’d be trying out the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin. Not only does it deeply moisturise dry, parched skin, I’m also told that the inclusion of lanolin— the purified secretion from sheep sebaceous glands that is found on sheep wool— contains penetrating emollient properties that form a thick layer on the surface of the skin. This, in turn, helps to reduce the evaporation of water from the deeper layers, maintaining the skin’s hydration and protecting it from drying out.
Hmm, sounds ideal, but can it really counteract the multiple air-conditioners I have to face everyday?
To test this out, I first took note of my moisture levels prior to applying on the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin.
27%. Eek! It’s hardly surprising, though, considering how I’ve been in office for about two hours now.
The next step? Actually using the product at hand.
It comes in a convenient squeeze tube, and I like how it didn’t smell of anything when I unscrewed the cap (living up to that fragrance-free claim, phew!). Feeling apprehensive but also excited, I set about applying it to my arms and elbows, concentrating my efforts on the dry and scaly patches. I also liked how lightweight the formula felt on my skin, absorbing instantaneously and leaving no greasy residue behind.
I then went about my day, which comprised of sitting behind the desk for several hours and squinting at my screen. Other than a quick lunch break in between, I was pretty much chained behind my desk all day, right by the brutal cold winds that the air-conditioner was emitting.
To my surprise, my skin did feel a little less tight and uncomfortable than before when I was approaching the end of my work day. I reached for my trusty moisture detector, expecting a slight increase in my moisture levels…
Only to be floored at how much my skin’s moisture levels have increased! My skin was close to twice as moisturised with just a thin layer of the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin.
With this experiment proving to be such an success, I decided to begin using it on my face as well, and I’m pleased to report that it now feels a lot less dry and even appears slightly brighter than before!
Image on left: skin prior to using the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin. Image on right: skin after sustained use of the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin.
Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Skincare Range Review: what are my final thoughts?
I would say that it is a great option for anyone with dry, parched skin that is looking for a no frills or fuss option! In fact, I’m told that the combination of Vitamin A, E as well as lanolin works to not just hydrate skin, but also to preserve healthy sebum and protect the skin from environmental damage. Nice! It also helps combat signs of ageing as well as nourish and smooth skin.
There are other products within the line as well, such as the Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Bright, Natural Vitamin E Cream Firm & Smooth, as well as Natural Vitamin E Cream Skin Barrier.
Skin Bright doesn’t just moisturise dry skin, but works on brightening dull, uneven skin tones too. Firm & Smooth, on the other hand, helps combat the appearance of fine lines, whilst Skin Barrier specialises in protecting skin against environmental pollutants.
A moisturiser that is suited to combat the 24/7 air-conditioning in Singapore? No doubt about it.
Watch our thorough review of the products and how we observe it performs under a magnifying device:
Blackmores Natural Vitamin E Skincare range is available at Guardian, Welcia-BHG, Blackmores flagship store, as well as major departmental stores such as Robinsons, Metro, and OG. You can also purchase it online at Qoo10, Lazada, and Shopee. Each item is priced between SGD19 and SGD30.
