Review (4/5): Weightless, Skin Feels Silky, Makeup Lasts Longer, Blurs Lines-Odd Smell, Skin Gets Weird Sensation
This Grown Alchemist Anti-Pollution Primer has a gel texture that feels weightless on my skin. This doesn’t have a lot of ingredients and lacks chemical fragrance, but I find the scent is moderately strong. I assume it’s mostly from natural lavender, rose and grapefruit oils. I really don’t love the scent as it smells odd to me, but it mellows out and doesn’t really bother me. The lavender and grapefruit oils are potential irritants, but my sensitive skin hasn’t had any visible reaction or real discomfort using this primer.
I have dry skin and when I apply the primer my skin feels a weird initial sensation that reminds me of alcohol, but so far it hasn’t caused any visible dryness. I do always apply a hydrating essence, serum and cream before the primer and I see the primer has glycerin, so that may be why I don’t see dryness or maybe something in this just feels mildly irritating to my skin. This does have benzyl alcohol pretty low on the list, so maybe I’m feeling that but the good part is that I haven’t had any real issue. I can’t say if daily use might dry my skin.
This primer is super lightweight, so sheer it’s invisible and I don’t feel any sticky residue. It makes my skin feel silky, and my cream and liquid foundations spread smoothly and evenly over it. I do notice a blurring effect, especially around my mouth area where I need all the help I can get. My makeup holds up well all day even though the weather has been so really hot lately. Other than that weird sensation I get that does eventually pass, my skin generally feels comfortable. Like it. 4 stars. Made in Australia.
Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4 (Prebiotic-Peptide/Peptides Prébiotiques), Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin (*Plant/Plante), Fructose, Withania Somnifera Root Extract (*Plant/Plante), Ganoderma Lucidum ( Mushroom) Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute/Rose Absolue) Flower Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid. (*Plant Derived/Dérivé des Plantes).