my sustainable skin savior / peet rivko skincare review

I discovered Peet Rivko at the height of my hormone-inflicted pimply misery (refer to this post about my IUD’s side effects), and was instantly drawn to their minimal approach to skincare. While trying to find new skincare solutions for my changing skin, I became overwhelmed with all the choices out there—I didn’t the time and money to try out a bunch of products which may or may not make my skin freak out more!

But with only three products in their line, all of which contain zero irritants or toxins, Peet Rivko strips the weird chemicals and confusion out of skincare. Read on for an in-depth review.

Peet Rivko’s philosophy is that all skin is sensitive skin, so their products don’t contain any known irritants or toxins. This means that their products don’t contain parabens, sulfates, phthalates, PEGs, phenoxyethanol, silicones, petroleum, harsh actives, fragrance, and well-known irritants like essential oils, nut oils, limonene, and floral extracts. Every ingredient is listed on their website.

While some of these chemicals are linked to potential health risks (like parabens being linked to breast cancer), others are just irritating to your skin and not necessary (like fragrances). They follow the European Union’s regulations on comestics, banning over 1,400 ingredients from their line while the US only bans…11. Scary stuff.

I’ve never considered my skin to be sensitive, but I know the products I’ve been using my whole life contain quite a few of the irritating ingredients that Peet Rivko excludes. Trying out Peet Rivko is a commitment to learning how to treat my skin better.

I also love the company’s values and commitment to sustainability. They’re transparent about their supply chain and manufacturing, their factory in southern California is wind-powered, and their packaging is made with sustainability in mind. They’ve joined 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses committed to environmental preservation. 1% of sales will be donated to local environmental nonprofits this month. Could this be the simple, clean, sustainable skincare line of my socially and environmentally conscious dreams???

Also, Aubrey Plaza is their brand ambassador and childhood friends with Peet Rivko’s founder and I basically worship Aubrey Plaza, so yeah.

To test out their products, I bought their travel kit, which comes with mini sizes of their essentials: gentle cleanser, daily moisturizer, and balancing facial oil for $46. It also comes with a little travel pouch from Baggu. I brought this kit with me on my recent 10-day trip to Spain and used it in the morning and at night; I had also been using it for about 2 weeks before my trip.

For reference: I have combination skin, with my oily T-zone and areas in the center of my face that tend to get dry and flaky. I’d say my problems are hormonal acne and keeping my skin hydrated.

Cleanser: I massage this into wet skin first thing in the morning and after taking off my makeup at night. You only need a little bit of product for your whole face. I was really surprised at how clean my skin feels afterwards, since the product doesn’t contain any harsh surfectants. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t dry out my skin, either.

Moisturizer: Wow, I was pleasantly surprised with this one! I’m always skeptical of moisturizers that aren’t heavy creams because my skin is a desert, but this moisturizer leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated for the day! Like the cleanser, a little goes a long way, so I only have to use a smaller-than-dime-sized amount for my entire face.

Oil: I enjoy using oils in general because they just lock in the moisture and keep your skin from drying out throughout the day. And they give you that dewy, fresh look that’s perfect for spring and summer. This oil is thicker than other facial oils I’ve tried (I used Kiehls’ Daily Reviving Concentrate for a year or so) and like the other products, has no fragrance. I put 2-3 drops on the back of my hand and pat on my face with my fingers. Pretty sure this oil saved my skin after all those plane rides!

Overall impressions: 

My skin didn’t freak out when I started using Peet Rivko, which makes sense because there are no irritants that could cause weird reactions. After the terrible hormonal journey that my birth control took my skin through, it felt great to use gentle products. I also found these products really soothing to use after a long flight, when my skin is really dehydrated and irritated. I love knowing that these products don’t contain anything bad for my skin and my face feels so soft and soothed after using this line.

If you have very acne-prone skin, the moisturizer does contain shea butter, which is a comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredient. The moisturizer hasn’t given me any acne problems so far, though; in fact, I think these products have soothed my breakouts even through all the travel and sleep deprivation and eating lots of yummy food that’s bad for my skin.

At the price point, it’s a relatively affordable mid-range skincare routine, comparable to brands like Kiehl’s at $115 for the full size collection. I think it’s a great first foray into the overwhelming world of higher end skincare because there shouldn’t be any ingredients that would irritate your skin or cause more problems.

If you’re interested in trying out Peet Rivko, you can use my referral link for $10 off your first purchase: http://fbuy.me/fqU2H

Are there any other sustainable skincare lines you love? Let me know!