Krave Beauty: The Indie Brand You NEED in Your Life

 Early in February, I was facing a common winter dilemma: my skin was dry. Namely: it was showing signs of a damaged moisture barrier, which couldn’t be repaired by my everyday routine. Even with my most trusted masks, my skin would remain parched and textured. I wrote about the importance of a healthy moisture barrier in an earlier post, but generally, without a healthy moisture barrier, your skin is no longer able to contain moisture, encouraging  texture and acne to develop.I needed something that I could implement into my daily routine, something gentle but effective. That’s when I decided to try out Krave Beauty.

I first heard about Krave Beauty from my favorite esthetician Sean Garette (on Instagram and Twitter), who raves about the Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser and Beet Shield SPF. Their brand is focused on “resetting” the skin and bringing skincare back to the basics. Each Krave product has simple but effective formulation and is focused on repairing the moisture barrier.

I was so excited to try out the Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser because my skin gets very dry, especially in the winter, and I’ve found that hemp oil provides deep hydration and soothes redness. It also contains matcha, which is filled with antioxidants, helping slow down the effects of aging. Together, you get a powerfully nourishing cleanser. This gel cleanser leaves the skin feeling soft and plump, not overly stripped like most cleansers. Thanks to Krave, washing my face has become one of my favorite parts of my skincare routine.

On top of a weakened moisture barrier, I am often trying to fend off acne scars, which can stick around for weeks or even months. That’s why I was excited to try the Great Barrier Relief, a serum heavily concentrated with replenishing oils. The texture is watery enough to layer under other skin treatments but also creamy enough to serve as a light moisturizer.   The GBR serum is formulated with tamanu oil, which helps to even out the skin tone and heal scars. Krave Beauty’s founder Liah Yoo even believes that it is more effective than Vitamin C in clearing hyper-pigmentation! It also contains safflower & rosehip seed oils, ceramides, niacinamide, and squalane, all extremely nourishing ingredients. After applying GBR nightly for some weeks, I have seen my acne scars fade away in place of an even glow.

Ever since I’ve started using these products, my skin has been consistently soft, glowy, and even. I’ve seen my texture and acne scars fade away, really giving me confidence in my no-makeup looks. I love that these products, and this brand as a whole, are meant to bring everyday nourishment, not just quick solutions. Focus on long-term health makes for happier, healthier skin!

*Additional note, after a month of use: the Matcha Hemp Cleanser continues to leave my skin soft and bouncy, a great way to start a daily or nightly routine! I’ve also found with GBR, since the tamanu oil is so heavy, using other heavy oils at the same time (such as The Ordinary Plant-derived Squalane and CeraVe’s Healing Ointment, both great occlusive products BTW) may make your skin too congested. I’ve found that layering a light moisturizer or sleeping mask afterwards makes for the best results!

Krave currently offers three other products, each with stunning reviews: the Beet Shield SPF, the Kale-lalu-yAHA Glycolic Acid Treatment, and the Oat So Simple Water Cream. I hope to try these in the near future, especially the Beet Shield which is reported to be #BlackGirlFriendly.

Krave Beauty is a brand on a mission to educate customers not just through its products but also its online presence. Each product has a detailed description on the ingredients used and for what skin concerns they’re used for. Plus, they have a blog filled with testimonials, ingredient guides, and relevant social issues.

I encourage you to visit the Krave website to check out their blog and products. Note that Krave products are not yet licensed to be sold on third-party sites like Amazon, so their quality cannot be guaranteed. You can also follow Krave Beauty on Instagram to see what’s next from this exciting new brand!