Skin Care with Icelandic Ingredients
**Skyn ICELAND gifted me the products in this post for consideration. All links are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking them.**
I was super excited when a surprise package from Skyn ICELAND arrived on my front stoop awhile back! The brand very kindly sent me a bottle of their Icelandic Youth Serum and a 4-pack of Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. I had heard about their eye gels, but wasn’t aware of their full skin care line until recently. Iceland is VERY high on my “I Want To Go To There” travel list, so anything containing Icelandic ingredients sounds extra intriguing. Clearly, I was thrilled for the opportunity to try a couple of the brand’s products. Thank you, Skyn ICELAND!!
About The Brand
Skyn ICELAND is all about skin care that helps treat damage caused by stress. Their products contain a proprietary Icelandic Complex, a blend of ingredients sourced from pollution-free Icelandic ingredients like glacial water, minerals, and anti-oxidant-rich oils. The brand is vegan and cruelty-free, and their products are also free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, and petrolatum. And Skyn ICELAND is owned by a woman, Sarah Kugelman. Hooray for female founders!
The Eye Gels
The Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels ($17.50 for 4/$32 for 8/$$58 for 16) have been on my radar for some time now. In an episode of Natch Beaut, Rachel Bloom talked about using them. I’m 99% sure Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) wore them in an episode of Schitt’s Creek. And I feel like I’ve seen Kristen Bell and Chris Pratt post about them on Instagram.
Key ingredients, per the brand’s website:
- Hydrolyzed extensin helps skin cells lock in moisture, instantly plumping fine lines and wrinkles and helping to restore tone and firmness.
- Ginkgo biloba leaf extract improves blood flow to brighten the under-eye area and help reduce puffiness.
- Coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant, fights free radicals which lead to premature aging.
- Acetyl hexapeptide-8 helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by calming muscles under the skin.
- Icelandic Complex, a proprietary natural blend that replenishes the nutrients that stress depletes. Sourced from Iceland’s pure and potent environment, it contains pollution-free Icelandic Glacial Water with 6 essential minerals to hydrate and detoxify skin, Arctic Cloudberry and Cranberry Seed Oils “super fruits of the Arctic” rich in Omega Fatty Acids, Vitamins and potent antioxidants as well as Pure Molecular Oxygen which delivers energy into skin’s deepest layers to bring back a youthful glow.
Eye Gel Impressions
I appreciate that the packaging shows which way to place the gels under your eyes. Sometimes it’s unclear which way to orient eye masks (i.e., fatter side at the outer edge, or at the inner corner?).
These eye gels have a cooling sensation, which is such a treat. My eyes are always a little puffy in the morning, so I like some soothing before I start my day. I’ve used two packs of these gels so far; below you can see before and after photos. Guys….these eye gels are LEGIT!
Although the lighting isn’t completely the same in the above photos, I do see a difference. The after photos show a slightly brighter under-eye.
The difference between the before and after is even more pronounced in the photos for my second set of eye gels:
Now if only they could do something about my puffy morning brow bones…I would 100% use eye patches there. Just saying.
So…these eye gels are great! I have a couple of the gifted packs left but I would totally spend my own money on these.
The Serum
The Icelandic Youth Serum ($45) sounded right up my alley! This serum is meant to help brighten stressed skin using an antioxidant called astaxanthin. A-what? This ingredient is harvested from red algae that Skyn ICELAND says is 6,000 times more powerful than vitamin C. And as you may know, skin care experts highly recommend vitamin C for brightening.
Key ingredients, per the brand’s website
- Zinc PCA, a natural skin-conditioner that helps calm and soothe distressed skin while reducing redness and regulating oil production for a clearer, more matte-looking complexion.
- Fullerene, a Nobel prize-winning delivery system with antioxidant-rich technology, these microscopic spheres act as free-radical fighting “sponges” to allow potent ingredients to penetrate deeper into skin. They provide complete and long-lasting protection against oxidative stress.
- Ergothioneine, a naturally-occurring amino acid that shields skin from the harmful effects of environmental toxins such as UV rays, pollution and oxidative stress while fighting free-radical damage.
- Camelina Oil,a light emollient rich oil in essential fatty acids, natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
- Astaxanthin harvested from Icelandic micro algae, using 100% renewable geothermal energy, this powerhouse carotenoid is one of the most potent antioxidants on the planet. 6000 times stronger than vitamin C and deep red/orange in color, it boasts natural anti-aging properties and powerful anti-inflammatory protection against free-radical damage and hyperpigmentation while dramatically boosting moisture levels and suppleness.
- Icelandic Complex (same as above)
Here you can see the serum’s reddish-orange hue:
Serum Impressions
The serum has slight ocean-y fishy odor, which must be from the algae. Normally I abhor fishy smells, but this one isn’t terribly off-putting to me, probably for a couple reasons: 1) I know that the product doesn’t *actually* contain fish, and 2) the scent dissipates very quickly. The serum feels sticky going on and leaves a slight orange tint. Fortunately, the orange blends out when you apply the rest of your products. And the serum plays well with my other products; I just give it a minute or two before applying moisturizer.
I’ve been really happy with my skin tone lately; it’s looking pretty bright and glowy (brag!). It can be hard to tell if happy skin is due to one particular product, but I’d like to think the Icelandic Youth Serum has something to do with it. I’ve only been using this serum in the morning, and I use a different serum at night. But you can use it morning and night if you’d like.
I think Icelandic Youth Serum is a really nice product at a reasonable price point. I’m interested in trying Skyn ICELAND’s Arctic Elixir too, but I’ll consider buying this serum in the future!
To Sum It Up
All in all, I’m very pleased with both the eye gels and the serum. Both are effective and not overly expensive. Skyn ICELAND is a brand I’d like to play around with more. Again, a big thank you to Skyn ICELAND for sending me these products to try!
