Although I have stockpiles of lotion on my nightstand, in my bathroom and at my desk, I am usually one of those people who find themselves out in public without lotion but with very dry hands; I depend on the selflessness of my friends to loan me whatever they have on hand. Finally I put a stop to this foolishness and slipped a new lotion into my purse—and I am so thankful that I did. I don’t plan on being without this great new find for a long time.
Benecos Natural Beauty’s Hand Cream for Happy Hands is perfectly sized for purses. The company, which is fairly young, offers reasonably priced and affordable beauty products as well as a variety of cosmetics. Among their natural cosmetics standards, products from this company must be sourced from a plant or mineral; the plant ingredients must be sourced from organic growth or wildly harvested whenever possible; packaging must be ecologically conscious; genetically modified, synthetic or petroleum-based ingredients are not allowed; and animal testing is not allowed. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the ingredients this hand cream actually uses.
Photo courtesy Benecos Natural Beauty
Benecos Natural Beauty’s Hand Cream Ingredients
Benecos stays true to its ethical standards with this natural hand cream. Here is a full list of the ingredients:
aqua (water), helianthus annuus (sunflower) hybrid oil, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate citrate, glyceryl stearate, prunus amygdalus dulcis (almond) oil, calendula officinalis flower extract, arctium lappa (burdock) fruit extract, tilia cordata (linden) flower extract, rosa canina (rose) fruit extract, sambucus nigra (black elderberry) fruit extract, hypericum perforatum (st. john’s wort) flower extract, urtica dioica (nettle) root extract, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin, sorbitan caprylate, tocopherol (vitamin e), *potassium hydroxide, ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin c), xanthan gum, sodium phytate, sodium salicylate, dehydroacetic acid, citric acid, fragrance (natural)
Looking through this last, I found that only one ingredient raised a concern—and a mild concern at that—with the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database: potassium hydroxide (ranks 3).
My Thoughts
First things first: I love the bright and cheerful packaging. I am a sucker for pretty packaging, so let me admit that, yes…that’s the first thing that stood out to me. It’s girly, colorful and just tons of fun. I am also digging this price—it is only $7.50!
What’s more, this is a high-quality lotion, especially for the price. The consistency is just right—not too thick, not too thin—and it doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy. Plus, the lotion is not overly scented. Most lotions I’ve tried recently have played with their fragrance a little bit too much. I swear…some have even left me smelling like Fruity Pebbles. So the very light herbal tones in this product were a refreshing change. I was also delighted to read the names of so many healing herbs in this blend, including St. John’s wort, nettle, calendula and burdock.
My hands feel well moisturized and ready to take on this crummy season. (Ugh, I am so over winter. Bring on summer!) If you want to toss this product in your purse, buy it online or find it at a store near you.
Gina DeBacker is the associate editor at Mother Earth Living. She loves that part of her job entails testing beauty products enriched with natural ingredients.
