Brand Focus: Boo Bamboo (+ a Giveaway!)

As you may have noticed, I get pretty excited to share new Canadian brand discoveries.  Boo Bamboo is a company I'd seen on shelves before, but I'm a little embarrassed to say, had never given much attention to.  A few weeks ago, they reached out to me and I finally gave the line a good, thorough browse.  Started as hair care, Boo Bamboo now also makes baby products, skin care, and sun protection, and as the name suggests, everything is made with certified organic bamboo extract.  Bamboo is a rich source of natural silica, as well as other minerals and proteins that serve a number of purposes.  They strengthen hair and create shine, and, in skincare, are powerful hydrating and anti-aging substances.    

I had the opportunity to choose a few products to try and I opted for the Exfoliating Body Wash, Line Lifting Face Cream, and Makeup Remover Wipes.  Keep reading to see how I fared with these three products...



Exfoliating Skin Refining Body Wash
I feel like exfoliating body washes toe a fine line.  They need to exfoliate, but they can't be too scrubby for everyday use, and they still need to mainly be the consistency of a body wash.  Boo Bamboo gets it just right!  The exfoliation comes from a combination of bamboo stem powder and apricot seed powder, suspended in a creamy body wash base.  It has a light berry scent and provides a gentle exfoliation, without being rough or overly coarse.  Definitely something you could use everyday without issue.  



Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Lauryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl, Hydroxysultaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Stearyl Citrate, Natural Fragrance (Parfume), Glycerin, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Oats, Bamboo (Bambusa Arundinacea) Extract, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot), Seed Powder, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide. 

Anti-Wrinkle Line Lifting Face Cream
It probably goes without saying that, at 26, I don't have a big problem with wrinkles, so you might be wondering why I chose an anti-wrinkle face cream.  I do have a couple fine lines, but the main reason was because of the inclusion of hyaluronic acid.  I have normal-to-dry skin and I've had good experiences with products containing hyaluronic acid in the past, but it's an ingredient that usually only pops up in more "high end" skincare lines.  I was curious to see how it would do in Boo Bamboo's very affordable lineup.  

The moisturizer has a light, almost whipped consistency that I really like.  It sinks in quickly and I do notice it slightly plumps the skin, diminishing the appearance of fine lines.  I don't have any way of judging if it gives me "4 times more hydrated skin for 24 hours," as the packaging claims, but I will say that I haven't experienced any dryness while using this cream.   My only complaint is the scent.  I realize I'm very used to essential oil-based scents and while the ingredients list "natural flavour," it's the one product out of the three that just doesn't smell completely natural to me.  I'm not saying the scent is actually artificial, but I am a little put off by how the cream smells, even though the product itself is really lovely.



Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride, Glycerin, Shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Stearic acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetrearyl alcohol, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Sesame (Sesamum indicum) oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bamboo (Bambusa Arundinacea) Extract, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Natural Flavour, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Gluconolactone.

Skin Balancing Bamboo Makeup Remover Wipes
I go back and forth on whether wipes are too wasteful for everyday use, but if you're going to use them, these are probably some of the best you could choose.  The wipe itself is made of 100% unbleached bamboo - a sustainable, renewable resource - and is fully biodegradable.  They also work better than any other wipe I've used.  All my makeup comes off easily - even mascara and eyeliner - and my skin is left feeling fresh.  I still prefer to do a second, regular cleanse, but there isn't any makeup left behind after the wipe.  

The package also has a double closure, so the remaining wipes won't dry out before you can use them.  I'm still not sure wipes are something I want to use all the time, but I can definitely see myself buying these for travel or other special circumstances.



Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Acacia Gum, Xantham gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Bamboo (Bambusa Arundinacea) Extract, Dodecyl Polyglucoside, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Natural Fragrance, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

The Bottom Line
Overall, I'm impressed with Boo Bamboo.  The products are affordable and fairly widely available (at least in Canada!), and they also perform really well.  The ingredients are not the absolute cleanest, greenest, most natural out there, but there's nothing in these three that raises any serious red flags for me.  (Most of the hair products do contain silicones though, so keep that in mind if you are 'cone-free.)  

Of what I tried, my favorite was definitely the makeup wipes, but I've also really enjoyed using the body wash.  I'm a little more iffy on the face cream, just because of the scent, but if you're less sensitive than me in that regard, it might be a non-issue.  Either way, Boo Bamboo is certainly a brand I'll be keeping my eye on in the future.  

And, the best part?  Boo Bamboo has offered to give one reader these same three products to try out as well!  The giveaway is going to be Canada only, but for all my international lovelies, there will be other international ones in the future.  To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter widget, below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: Products provided for  review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for free product, nor was I compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own. 

7 comments

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am always iffy about wipes as well as they do not seem environmentally friendly. However, for travel they would be a dream. I could see them being especially wonderful on long flights. (ignore the above deletion... I freaked out when I saw it linked back to Blogger which I thought I had deleted a coons age ago... evidently you cannot delete a blogger account without deleting your good account. FYI)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The wipes, because I often am so tired at night and just want to skip washing my face. It's really hard to find good, natural face wipes, so I am really excited about these!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The face cream looks amazing, I am a huge fan of hyaluronic acid as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm most excited to try the face cream

    ReplyDelete
  6. I get what you mean about smelling "natural" I'm trying out a cleanser at the minute and although the ingredients are pretty decent when it comes to natural, it leaves a weird smell on my face and an odd taste on my lips that puts me off slightly! The face wipes sound great though :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would like to try the wipes because I am currently on the hunt for a good makeup remover wipe to use while travelling. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete