My Travel Skincare Essentials with MOA (ad)
Magic Organic Apothecary (MOA) has been one of my go-to skincare brands for years now. I am very, very fussy about the products that I use on my face, body and hair - I only use natural products that are not tested on animals, and always do my research to check that the brands I am using are both sustainable and ethical. MOA ticks every box.
Owner Charlie started the brand following the birth of her daughter, when she began researching into the ingredients used in the prescribed creams she was using to treat her eczema. She was horrified to discover these products were filled with nasty ingredients including petrochemicals and dreamt of creating a natural alternative to soothe her daughter’s skin. When creating her iconic Magic Balm and the rest of the MOA collection, Charlie looked back to her childhood spent outdoors and making ‘potions’ (yep, I did that too - was anyone else obsessed with rose petal ‘perfume’?) and became fascinated with herbalism and the folklore surrounding wild plants such as yarrow. Yarrow has been used for millennia for its soothing, healing and repairing properties, and it is this miracle ingredient (grown on an organic farm in Somerset) that forms the base of MOA’s skincare products.
The MOA collection also includes a fortifying bath potion, mineral soak and a mystical toner, but there are three of their skincare products that are amongst my most-loved and that always accompany me on my travels. The Magic Balm and Aprodite Facial Oil are both under 100ml, and fit into my hand luggage even on short trips - while the Hello Sunshine Energising Body Oil is a larger bottle, but I will take it with me if I’m travelling within the UK or with check--in luggage. Read on to discover the benefits of each product.
The Magic Balm
There’s a reason this is called ‘magic’ balm. If you already know Magic Organic Apothecary, you will probably know this as the Green Balm - the recipe is exactly the same as it has always been, but the balm has been repackaged and now has an embossed metal lid. It’s almost too pretty to recycle, and I imagine I will clean out my jar to reuse when the balm has run out.
I’ve been using this balm for years and I swear by it. Ask my friends - I’ve bought it as a gift for all of them. The main ingredients are yarrow and tea tree, both of which have been used for thousands of years as natural remedies. Yarrow is a natural antiseptic that helps to reduce inflammation, calms sensistive skin and even staunches wounds whilst promoting circulation to the area. Tea tree is also antiseptic, as well as antiviral and antifungal. It can be used to fight acne, prevent insect bites, hydrate dry skin, and to soothe dry and itchy skin. The Magic Balm can be used as a facial cleansing balm (alongside MOA’s bamboo face cloths) but it has so many other uses. I have applied it to burns to prevent scars, to soothe stings and grazes, to nourish dry skin and eczema, and to calm and protect my skin after shaving. It’s an essential part of my skincare collection that I always take with me when I am travelling.
Aphrodite Facial Oil
I use a facial oil every day as part of my evening skincare regime, so I always take one with me when travelling. At home, I alternate between a couple of different oils but the Aphrodite Facial Oil is always the one I take with me when travelling. The bottle is small and easy transportable, but it’s also a light oil with a calming blend especially for sensitive skin - which is ideal when you’ve been out in the sun all day. I don’t want to use anything more harsh on my face when it’s been slathered in spf and exposed to sunshine and salt water all day, and find this to be the ideal oil for holidays.
My evening skincare rituals are simple: I spritz either Rowse’s Neroli Water or Avène Thermal Spring Water on my face and then apply a facial oil. MOA’s oil contains four ingredients that hydrate and calm the skin. Rosehip seed oil (rich in anti-oxidants, calms redness and protects against signs of ageing), damask rose (hydrates, especially beneficial for dry, mature and sensitive skin), rose geranium (helps balance and tone the skin) and marshmallow root (soothes irritation and hydrates the skin).
(Also, why would you travel to Greece and use any other oil than one named for the Goddess of Beauty?!)
Hello Sunshine Energising Body Oil
I love a body oil. I rarely moisturise my body, and prefer to use an oil to soften my skin while also acting as an alternative to perfume. When I’m travelling, I apply a body oil either after a shower or in the evening when I’m getting ready to go out for dinner. It’s one of my absolute favourite products to take with me on my travels, as it’s a nice little ritual at the end of the day but also I like to choose body oils with scents that evoke summer. MOA’s body oil is exactly what they say it is: ‘sunshine in a bottle’.
This energising oil is packed with organic, natural ingredients that promote healthy and vibrant skin. Marjoram helps relieve painful joints and achy muscles, lemongrass also reduces joint pain and also speeds up healing of wounds, eucalyptus is antibacterial and antiseptic and has been used for centuries to treat infections, heal wounds and reduce inflammation and pine wakes up circulation and helps relieve inflammation. I find that when I wear this oil, not only does my skin feel amazing and smell incredible, but it also seems to ward off insects as an added bonus.
