re•view: amara organics

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Would you disagree with me if I told you vitamin C was good for you? Of course not! It's no secret that the stuff offers major health benefits. Even nasty processed food companies add to their products to lure you in.

But, did you know vitamin C is also beneficial to your skin when applied topically? I didn't realize this until 3-4 years ago! More and more skincare companies are wising up to this (my beloved Arbonne jam-packs the stuff into their best selling anti-aging line!) and including it in their products. Heck, since I received the product I'm reviewing, another company asked for a review for their own version of the same product! People are definitely taking note that vitamin C has an important role in skincare and I could not agree more!

After doing some research on the company and ingredients, I agreed to try Amara Organics' vitamin C serum (their first and currently only product)  and share my opinion.

First, a little serum 101 - people often ask me what the role of serum is and whether it is really necessary. Do you have to have it? No. But you will most certainly benefit from its use! The consistency of serums make them more potent as they can deliver benefits (like anti-aging) deeper into the skin. You would apply serum after cleansing and before moisturizing for optimal results.

Now, it's no secret that I'm an Arbonne junkie. I'm always willing to try another safe and natural products, but Arbonne tends to be the best in my experience - tough competition!

After working with Amara and trying the product, I will say these guys are on the right track. Take their formulation standards:

• No Petrochemicals
• No Parabens
• No Artificial colors
• No Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates
• No DMDM Hydantoin/Diazonial Urea
• No EDTA
• No TEA, DEA, or MEA
• No Phthalates
• No Methylisothiazolineone

They also don't test on animals which is a big plus in my book. I love that they share ingredients both on their product website and their amazon.com listing. I didn't see their stance on animal-derived ingredients, so I contacted them via Facebook and they were quick to confirm that they do not use these in their products! Whew.

I didn't see any results after using the serum for two weeks in place of my own, but for me personally, that isn't a negative - I use very high-quality skincare, so the fact that my skin didn't get worse but rather stayed the same when changing a product is great news! If I just grabbed a product off a drugstore shelf, I could guarantee you my skin would look a lot worse!

The biggest plus for me about Amara is their awesome customer service. They didn't just want this review for awareness - they truly want to be the best they can be. This was evident from their initial communication (and thorough product instructions provided pre-shipment)  all the way through the review process. I have written several reviews, but Amara was the first company to directly ask me my opinion before I presented a review. I shared the above pros with them as well as these cons:

The serum currently comes in a bottle with a dropper. It is thinner than most serums I used which made it more difficult to apply appropriately. I do believe it is an effective product, but application is a nuisance (and I ran out of serum super fast because of this) because of the bottle and consistency.

When I mentioned these cons, they continued to talk to me and asked for suggestions to improve on these points! That has never happened to me before! Conversation was friendly and constructive - I was able to suggest a different bottle type and consistency. Most companies I know of would likely say "deal with it!" and move on. The whole experience gives me the impression that Amara intends to grow - but only with their clients in mind!

For now, I'll continue on my own skincare regimen, but I will be keeping an eye out for these guys because if my experience was any indication, Amara is going to be an awesome brand on the market if they continue on the path they have started. I am so excited to see what they will do next!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.