TIFFANY DULIEGE

Mokosh is a clean beauty brand that is transparent about the shelf life of their products (2 years), and even more transparent with their ingredients.

I have tried many body moisturisers over the years; from L’Occitane to Johnson & Johnson’s. I found most of these moisturisers would evaporate too quickly and would leave the palms of my hands feeling dry.

I learnt that almost all commercial moisturisers contained alcohol and water (check the ingredients on your moisturisers). Ingredients are listed in order of proportion, so you can almost always find “Water” being the first ingredient on the list. Marion O’Leary, a medical scientist by education and trade further confirms this.

“Many of us don’t realise that all nearly all of those moisturisers are made from around 80% water and 20% oils.”

The oils do the moisturising, while the water evaporates after around 15 minutes. It is the presence of water in the moisturiser that allows microorganisms to grow in it, and therefore needs a preservative or alcohol added. By leaving the water out of a moisturiser and just retaining the pure oils, preservatives aren’t needed because bacteria cannot grow in oil when in the absence of water.

A preservative is designed to kill bacteria and fungi in a skin care product. When that product is applied to our skin, it is also capable of killing the microorganisms that live in our skin, including the ones that are good for us. This disrupts our skin’s microbiome. Our skin’s microbiome has been proven to be important for the health of our skin. It strengthens our immune system and protects our skin from harmful microorganisms. Furthermore, preservatives are not natural. All the preservatives currently available are synthetic. Although they may be considered safe for our bodies now, in some years they may be found to be less safe than was originally thought.

The team at Mokosh didn’t want to put their customers’ health at risk, and believe in the importance of not interfering with the natural microorganisms living in our skin. Instead, Mokosh focuses on safely nourishing the skin.

Without water in the formula, there is no need for emulsifiers. Emulsifiers are detergent-like molecules that allow water and oil to mix. Almost all emulsifiers are palm oil-derived, and because they are detergent-like, they are not good for your skin. Marion wrote an article about how emulsifiers can affect your skin here.

“By removing the water, our moisturisers are 5 times more concentrated than a water-containing moisturiser. You need to apply only one-fifth to get the same effect, simply by applying to wet skin. This means significant money saving for the consumer, and at the same time reduces its environmental impact.”

Because my skin covers me, because my skin protects me, I love my skin. So naturally, I want to look after my skin, and give my skin something better, something purer.

Living in Darwin Australia, we are daily face with sun, heat and dusts. On top of that we can be found in the swimming pool almost daily. Our pool is treated with chlorine and salt and I do admit to indulging in hot showers. All these actions take a toll on my skin. Despite the humidity, I started getting dry skin, particularly on my legs, and especially after shaving. Applying previous moisturisers used to sting my legs, probably due to the fragrances and alcohol. Since my Mokosh Sesame and Frankincense Body Oil is naturally scented and doesn’t contain alcohol, it gently moisturises, making it the perfect after sun/swim/shave soother.

At the end of my shower, I pat excess water off my skin with an absorbent towel and then apply the oil while skin is still moist. This helps with absorption. By the time I finish towel drying my hair the oils are absorbed and I can feel my skin, particularly the palms of my hands feeling soft and supple. As for this naturally scented aroma, it takes reminds me of the aroma diffusers usually used in massage spas.

This oil though concentrated, isn’t heavy and it doesn’t leave an oily feel on your body either. Overall I love this beautiful Body Oil and I’m happily replacing my lotions with this perfect body oil from now on.

You can find this Australian owned and made brand at www.mokosh.com.au.