Weleda Skin Food
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Expert Review
Does the Weleda Skin Food deserve its holy grail status?
Skin Food is something of a holy grail cream for natural beauty lovers. It’s a face and body moisturiser, but people have sworn by its use as anything from a highlighter to a cuticle cream.
As someone who loves no-fuss skincare and is always looking to streamline my skincare routine, I wanted to see whether Skin Food was as moisturising as the hype made it up to be, and whether a face and body moisturiser could actually do a good job at both.
The cream
Skin Food was formulated all the way back in 1926 as a moisturiser for dry and rough skin. It’s designed to nourish and regenerate the protective barrier of your skin and smooth rough patches, making it suited to those in harsh weather conditions or who work with their hands.
It’s a blend of plant oils, lanolin, and beeswax, which all nourish the skin, and pansy, chamomile, and calendula extracts, which soothe and calm the skin.
It’s cruelty-free and sulphate-free, and has NATRUE certification, which means it only contans natural, derived natural, and nature-identical ingredients. This also means that there may be potential allergens, so those with sensitive skin may want to do a patch test before using the cream.
The effect
I started using this Weleda moisturiser right when the days started to get a little chillier and my skin started to get a lot more thirsty. To say that this cream is moisturising is an understatement.
Skin Food somehow made even limbs that hadn’t been moisturised in quite a few days glow, giving them a nice sheen that made it seem like I was totally on top of my moisturising game - which is far from the truth, by the way.
It made my callused hands and dry elbows and ankles look a lot more sightly pretty much immediately. The cream was also a godsend during a weekend getaway to the Blue Mountains, and helped me stay on top of my skin even when it was constantly being dried out by high winds.
My favourite way to apply Skin Food was as a night cream on my face and neck, because it pretty much guaranteed I’d wake up with glowing skin in the morning. As a night owl who feels far from alive in the AM, I appreciated this a lot.
The feel
This cream is thick with a capital T, with a consistency that reminds me more of a body butter than a regular moisturiser. Because of this, a little goes a long way.
It takes a bit of elbow grease to rub Skin Food in, but oh boy, the effort you put into rubbing it in is so worth it, because it absorbs into the skin so nicely.
Because I have combination skin, I was a bit ambivalent about using Skin Food on my face - I just didn’t want to put such a dense product on oilier parts of my face. This didn’t end up being much of a problem, though, as it didn’t feel too heavy on my face.
On days that I felt a bit more shiny, I used my regular facial moisturiser and just used Skin Food on drier areas of my face, usually around my eyes and nose.
The brand did come out with a more lightweight version of their iconic cream, Weleda Skin Food Light, which is designed to be more quick to absorb. I haven’t tried this product, but it could be worth checking out for those who want intense moisture but don’t want such a thick consistency.
The look
Skin Food was also delightful under makeup. It provided an even base that helped me blend in my face products for a natural, dewy look.
I had also seen some videos of people using it as a face highlighter, so I tried that too, dabbing a tiny amount on my cheekbones after I had finished my makeup. The result? A subtle shine that gave my skin a healthy glow.
The smell
Weleda’s website mentions that Skin Food smells like orange and lavender with notes of vanilla, and I agree. The citrusy scent is the most obvious, but it’s not at all overpowering (as I find many natural products tend to be).
The value
I bought a 75ml tube for $26.95, but you can score one for yourself for as little as $20 from a few online retailers. This is less than what I’d normally pay for a face moisturiser but a lot more than what I'd typically pay for a body moisturiser, so I’m still a bit undecided about where it sits on the budget to luxe spectrum.
$26.95 for over a month (which is how long a tube lasted me) of extremely nourished skin that looks and feels great does, however, represent pretty good value for money for me.
The verdict
While I can’t say that I’ll still be a fan of its thick consistency in the sweatier summer months, Skin Food has been something of a saviour for my dry winter skin.
I’ve already repurchased it, because its ability to smoothe and add shine to even the driest skin is unmatched. I think it’s fair to say that Weleda can safely claim holy grail status for its iconic cream.
You can buy Weleda Skin Food 75ml from the Weleda website, Adore Beauty, Priceline, iHerb, Nourished Life, and other select retailers.
The nicest product I've ever found for my face. I love their day and night cream and the body cream. The day cream in particular is great for crapey skin under the eyes. I wake up to moisturised skin. One of the supermarket products made my skin look like an 80 year old...one of those retinol creams. This product returned my skin to normal ....also Affordable! Show details
My daughter put me on to these products. I generally use an expensive brand but sometimes need to watch the budget. These products are made in Germany and really deliver good results. The three products I use are the Light Skin Food, Skin Food and Skin Food Body Lotion. Pros- The first two products are great for hand care and a quick moisturiser… Read more
for your face- great lemony fragrance and good coverage. The body lotion is also great in that it is compact- you can easily pack it in luggage, not overpowering scent so that it does not compete with your perfume and a lovely, smooth finish to your skin. The price for these products is very reasonable given the good results. Cons- can sometimes be hard to find but some supermarkets sell them and most chemists. I generally buy three of the ‘light skin food’ - one for my back pack, one for the car and one for the bedside cabinet so that I can always have moisturised hands and face.
Good but didn’t live up to the hype – I had extremely high expectations for this cream having seen influencers using it, however I wasn’t blown away. It is a thick moisturiser, with a kind of citrus fragrance which is ok, not offensive. I bought it to use on some extremely dry patches I get around my eyebrows, unfortunately after regular use it didn’t make any difference to them. I… Read more
would recommend this cream for regular dry skin but for my extreme dry areas, I wouldn’t purchase again.
Healthy Food For Your Skin! – Weleda is one of the greatest all natural skincare brands I have come across where all of their products across a range of categories actually work brilliantly well. Not only is their Skin Food product a magnificent all rounder at hydrating and healing the skin, their natural deodorants although a little pricey actually work and their natural… Read more
toothpastes are also a great alternative to other chemical filled brands.
Really love this brand and their products. Great quality, highly recommend!
Amazing – I love this product. It is thick but absorbs into the skin nicely. It was the only moisturiser that actually worked for my dry skin during this past winter. It also helped my rashes, which the normal fragrance-free dermatologist-approved moisturisers that I tried couldn't do. It is fantastic under make-up. It also has a really nice smell but not overpowering. Show details
So hydrating! – I had heard so much about this product on podcasts, facebook groups etc so I just had to try it. It is literally the most hydrating thing I have had put on my face. Slick it on before bed over some face oil and you'll wake up glowing in the morning. Absolutely love it, and it's natural too. Show details
Great product for dry skin – I adore this product! This is perfect for winter and turns my dull and dry skin to a beautiful hydrated one. Very rich, nourishing moisturiser. I use this after having a shower and apply it generously all over hands and dry areas. It absorbs immediately without making my skin feel greasy. You only need to apply a very small amount so the product… Read more
will last. Very handy to take it with you anywhere. I think it would be suitable for all skin type, especially dry types. Love the ingredients on it. It contains organic ingredients.
Still the best – Just went to Green Organics to purchase a tube of the Weleda Skin food and new Weleda skin food light and loving it. Normal skin food is ideal for those with super dry skin while the light version is good as a hand cream or for the face. Creates a nice protective barrier for allergy prone skin. Show details
Incredible results in a short time – I have recently spent a fortune on multiple products to try to improve the sensitive and very aged looking skin on my neck. Nothing seemed to make a difference at all .I then tried the skin food and can’t believe the results. In just a couple of weeks of applying twice a day my neck is feeling and looking much smoother and younger. It finally feels moist all day long. I’m so relieved to have finally found something that works!
I am still using this since my review in 2013 – Lovely feel to this cream and it doesnt clog your pores or feel heavy at all after application. You can put it around your eyes, on lids etc and it does not irritate them in any way. Great cream!
Wonderful stuff – Currently using this as a night cream. The texture is very thick so I recommend rubbing together with fingers to soften/warm the product before application, then just press into the skin without rubbing if using on the face. I used it on cracked heels today for the first time and this product is definitely going to be a multi purpose saviour!
Amazing Value for Money – As someone who is always looking for new skin cream, I've no idea how I've never heard of this until 2016. Anyway - this cream is absolutely amazing. It's marketed as a hand / body cream, but it is the lushest face cream I have ever used. My skin is combination / dry, and quite sensitive. I have been using a very expensive facial cream happily for… Read more
several years, but noticed it didn't seem as effective recently. I decided to give this a go, and my skin feels amazing. It quite thick going on, but absorbs quickly and will leave your skin feeling soft and nourished. I have only used this in the winter so far, but have been using it night and day. I suspect for summer it may be a night only cream, but we'll see.
It's all natural, all ingredients are ethically sourced and not tested on animals which is a huge plus. The price point of around $20 cannot be beat. Try this cream - you have nothing to lose.
Nourishing and Very Thick – Love this product, I am pretty sure it is all natural and lanolin based (unfortunately I no longer have the box that lists the ingredients but I'm sure you could Google for them). It smooths away wrinkles and goes a long way. I only use natural products on my skin plus this is lightly scented with lovely natural plant essences. It works and is cheap
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