I was recently contacted by Purpicks, a user-generated reviews platform for clean beauty products, to review one of the brands on their website. I’ve worked with Purpicks previously as a judge for their Clean Beauty Awards – next Awards review coming soon! – so immediately said yes to this opportunity. Moor Spa is a Canadian 100% natural skincare brand championing their signature ingredient the Austrian deep moor, ‘a nutrient-rich peat created by the gradual transformation of herbs, plants & flowers that have been permanently submerged under water or underground’. What does this magic ingredient look like? It’s a thick black substance that smells of rich mud. Doesn’t sound very appealing, but does it work? With its antioxidants, proteins and mineral salts, does it enhance my skin’s health and appearance? I spend two weeks testing a selection of skincare products from the range to find out.

Cleansing Gel for normal/oily skin

First up is the cleansing gel. I receive three full size products which turn out to be the main items I use in my skincare routine, namely a cleanser, a moisturiser and an oil. Perfect. Additionally I have a couple of samples to trial, a pumpkin peel and a facial mask. The cleansing gel comes in a pump dispenser and carton, with a very clean and calming colour palette of frosted white and turquoise accents. So far so spa. One pump dispenses a very generous dose of liquid, probably more than I would need to wash my face, but I use the excess to cleanse my neck too which I’m guilty of neglecting (it’s on my list of new year beauty resolutions though!). The pearlescent white liquid has a pleasant gel texture, but the best part is the scent: refreshing and aromatic thanks to lemongrass yet calming thanks to lavender. This is a low-sudsing formula (as it’s sulfate-free) so don’t expect lots of foaming, regardless it gets the job done and removes all dirt and excess sebum. I’m impressed at its ability to remove all make up too, as I find I typically need an oil cleanser to do the job efficiently.

Clarifying Cream oily/combination skin

Next up is this light, fast absorbing moisturiser for oily/combination skin. This product’s perfume is completely different to the previous one: this smells sweet but not overly so thanks to – I’m guessing from the ingredients list – sugar cane and marshmallow! Not sure what the benefits of marshmallow are for my skin (fluffiness? airiness?) but the scent gets a thumbs up. I find that after the cleansing gel I need to apply this cream quickly to my skin before it starts drying out. And although I would describe my skin as combination (the classic oily t-zone and dry cheeks), whilst this product works wonders to mattify the skin on my forehead and nose, it doesn’t do the dry patches on my cheeks any favours. It seems to sucks all the oils out of my skin due to the clay. So this is where the oil comes into play.

Nourishing Facial Oil

Just in case I haven’t said this enough, I’m a big fan of facial oils so this should be right up my street. Featuring the classic vitamin-rich rosehip and nourishing argan oils, a few drops of this ultra-rich oil provides skin with fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Go easy on the dosage though, 2-3 drops is all you need as this oil is on the heavy side. Worth noting the beautiful scent thanks to rose otto oil.

Pumpkin Peel

This is the product I was most intrigued by. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a skincare product featuring pumpkin in it, certainly not so prominently, so I was excited to find out what benefits this Halloween favourite would bring to my skin. With pumpkin pulp and carrot extract it’s no surprise the formula is orange. But what I was surprised by was the scent: it really does smell of pumpkin, like the pumpkin pie my mum would make from our Halloween pumpkin. Delicious. Applied as a thin layer on skin after cleansing and left on for 10 to 15 minutes before gently wiping off with my favourite Pai dual-sided cloth, this exfoliant left my skin looking glowing and smoother to the touch.

Facial Mask

This is Moor Spa’s signature skin treatment, featuring the Austrian moor complex and nothing else. Just pure organic mud. Put like that it doesn’t sound very appealing, especially when the product smells of mud, feels like mud and looks like a very rich deep mud. Oh and it’s touted as ‘excellent for skin repair following […] plastic surgery’. Great. But nutrient-rich muds are the basis of many spa brands so there’s got to be a good reason for it. So I smear the entire sample onto my face and it feels amazing. Instructions say to only leave it on for 3 minutes and gradually build up to a maximum of 10 minutes. Not sure what the implications are of leaving it on for longer, but after the prescribed 3 minutes I wipe it off with a muslin cloth and reveal healthy looking supple skin.

My favourite product in this skincare line up has got to be the pumpkin peel. That scent! Which product are you tempted to try? Please leave a comment below to let me know.

Features gifted product