The Story
The Earthwise Beauty face balm collection has long been missing a product for very dry skin. Our Isadora Face Balm fills this gap. Boasting a buttery, creamy, delicate texture, Isadora offers outstanding hydrating, conditioning, emollient, and protective qualities.
This lush, elegant, easy-to-spread face balm is named after Isadora Duncan, the pioneer larger-than-life American modern dancer who stirred dance audiences, particularly in Europe, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Duncan's dance style was lyrical and feminine, yet had a certain intensity and was often read as provocative. She loved to perform in flowy, ancient-Grecian-inspired gowns. Duncan's mission was to choreograph for women and express through her dance pieces the full range of what a woman could be, in opposition to the prevalent view of the time which said a dancer must be a barely-there nymph imprisoned in a corset and toe shoes. Duncan held bold views and was a thought pioneer, while as a dancer she was full of originality, artistry, and femininity.
For a product named after a light-footed dancer like Isadora, the scent of course had to be lifting, elevating, ethereal, with rose and neroli in the mix. Of course, even the lightest and airiest of dances is underpinned by a strong sense of connection to the ground, and we added a smoky component at the base of this scent to offer balance and originality.
Benefits
Face balms come in a wide range of textures, which is one reason they often attract skincare texture collectors and connoisseurs. Isadora Balm is created without any potentially pore-clogging waxes, and has a fine, delicate, slightly powdery but still juicy texture. This balm delivers deep and lasting moisture, a dose of antioxidants, and protective qualities from a wealth of ultra-effective plant oils and butters.
Shea butter: Our hand-extracted, unrefined, undeodorized shea butter from Ghana smells smoky, yet also woody. Because shea butter does not become fully absorbed, but remains on the surface of the skin, it offers lasting protection from moisture loss and from harsh wintry or windy weather.
Tomato seed oil: An especially effective oil for dry and mature skin, tomato seed oil dramatically improves the appearance of wrinkled, sun-damaged, dull, or neglected skin. It contains protective carotenoids (lycopene, zeaxanthin) and vitamin E, and has a delightfully creamy texture.
Baobab seed oil: Our sustainably sourced baobab oil is a thick oil that is indispensable for alleviating very dry skin. Baobab seed oil is rich in vitamins E, D, and F, and also contributes firming and pore-minimizing properties.
Prickly pear seed oil: We source our precious prickly pear oil from a certified organic grower in Morocco. This noncomedogenic oil is high in vitamin E and linoleic acid, has a fine, silky texture, and is very promptly absorbed by the skin.
Moringa seed oil: Unrefined moringa oil smells of freshly picked, homegrown string beans, so perhaps unsurprisingly, this superfood oil is as healthy for our skin as fresh vegetables are for our diet. The moringa leaf is used in Ayurveda as a tonic and detoxifier. The oil is thick and dry, contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals, and hydrates the skin. It also helps to extend the shelf life of the balm.
Copaiba balsam resin: This cold-press, wildcrafted resin is a traditional herbal medicine in the Amazon region, revered for its antiseptic and pain-relieving properties. In skincare, copaiba offers powerful long-term skin-firming effects, anti-inflammatory soothing properties, and protection against acne breakouts.
Vitamin C: We have included a relatively low percentage of oil-soluble active vitamin C in the form of tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. We have found that many customers with sensitive or dry skin have trouble tolerating products with a high percentage of active vitamin C, as they can cause persistent skin dryness. We experimented and found that low-percentage oil-soluble vitamin C is very well tolerated by these groups, and still delivers results. With daily, consistent use of this face balm, you can expect to see a brightening effect from the vitamin C, as well as a reduction in skin discoloration.
Carrot seed oil: Carrot seed oil is one of leading aromatherapist Valerie Ann Worwood's top recommended oils for mature and wrinkled skin. We have also found that it benefits skin types with psoriasis or eczema.
The Scent and Energetic Impact
The scent of Isadora starts with a base of fresh yet smoky shea butter, which is elevated by high notes of Tunisian orange blossom, green and subdued Moroccan Rose de Mai, pink lotus from India, invigorating citrus leaf, and marzipan-like ambrette. Overall, the scent is light and is designed to dissipate quickly.
The energy of Isadora is like that of a dancer: It lifts you off your feet with thoughts of air, a light breeze, and running barefoot on fine sand on the beach.
Color: A pale opaque yellow with a hint of green.
Compare
Choose Isadora Face Balm if you are seeking an intensely hydrating and emollient face balm for dry skin or facial protection from harsh winds and cold. The next step lighter product is Thelma Lip Treatment, which makes for an excellent healing, soothing, and deeply penetrating all-over-the-face balm. While all dry skin types will benefit from incorporating both of these products into their routines, very dry skin types, especially with eczema or roughness, will benefit most from layering Thelma and then Isadora as a facial treatment, especially for nighttime.
Acne-prone and combination skin types may choose between Tigress Face Balm and Yasuni Face Balm. Tigress contains antibacterial and anti-acne ingredients along with dry, noncomedogenic oils and butters. Yasuni Face Balm is a versatile, multitasking, noncomedogenic light face balm.
Normal, combination, and young skin will do best with Yasuni Face Balm most of the year, but keep in mind that you should boost your routine with a face oil underneath the balm whenever Yasuni seems too light. Ruby Face Oil is our lightest face oil and Black Locust Firming Concentrate is a second, richer choice.
Isadora was a dancer who revolutionized the world of dance, setting aside stiff tutus, perfect bows, and ostentatious sets. She danced imitating the waves of the sea, with flowing fabrics, bare feet, and long hair in the wind, with her chin held high. Her personality speaks to those that do not belong to any era or to any fashion, but only to themselves. There are people who not only formulate amazing cosmetic products, but make art out of them. Isadora is like a poem, a song, a painting in a museum... And, like any work of art, it does not end with its creator, but rather with the person who receives it, interprets it, and lives it. Ava has that ability to make art with her products, to bring them into the world with a soul that grows and matures in each person who receives them.
– Delia
Skin Types
All skin types, especially dry to very dry and with eczema or psoriasis. We also recommend this balm for daytime protection for use on ski slopes or when traveling to windy or high-altitude destinations.
Ingredients
Butyrospermum parkii (shea) nut kernel butter†, Moringa oleifera seed oil† or *, Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter†, Adansonia digitata (baobab) seed oil†, Opuntia ficus indica L. (prickly pear) seed oil*, Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seed oil, Argania spinosa (argan) nut kernel oil*, Copaifera officinalis (copaiba balsam) extract†, Citrullus lanatus (Kalahari melon) seed oil†, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (active vitamin C), Rosa centifolia (rose) extract, Daucus carota (carrot) seed oil*, Oenothera biennis (evening primrose) seed CO2 extract*, Abelmoschus moschatus (ambrette) seed CO2 extract, Citrus aurantium var. amara (orange blossom) extract*, Citrus aurantium (bitter orange leaf) extract*, pink Michelia champaca L. extract†.
*Certified organic. †Responsibly wildcrafted.
All absolutes are hexane free whenever available.
Certified cruelty free, vegan, handcrafted, small batch. Gluten free.
Directions
Massage into freshly cleansed skin day and night. We particularly recommend using Isadora as a nighttime nourishing and protective balm-mask. Massage a relatively generous amount into the skin thirty minutes to one hour before bedtime using outward circular motions. If using for daytime for very dry skin or as a means of protection from wind and cold, follow with a mattifying foundation, tinted moisturizer, or face powder.
Full size 30 ml (1 fl oz); travel/sample size 6 ml (0.2 fl oz).
Due to the very high cost of our ingredients and the labor-intensive (highly time consuming) small-batch production process, we are unable to accept returns of opened or unopened products at this time. But most products have a sample size option for purchase, so we encourage you to buy a sample first to ensure that the product suits your skin's needs and that you enjoy the texture, fragrance, and healing properties.
