Herbalife SKIN, explained
Herbalife SKIN is a face care line, and this guide covers three of its products: a day moisturiser with SPF 30, a night cream and a clay mask. Each one suits all skin types and is made for men and women.
What Herbalife SKIN is
Protective Moisturiser SPF 30 is a 50ml day cream with broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Herbalife designed it for ordinary daily sun exposure, absorbing quickly without a greasy finish.
Replenishing Night Cream is a 50ml rich cream for the evening, made with aloe vera, vitamins and botanical extracts. Herbalife describes it as delivering moisture to the skin at night.
Purifying Mint Clay Mask is a 120ml bentonite clay mask, scented with spearmint and rosemary, for use one to three times a week.
Collagen Skin Booster also carries the SKIN name, but it is a food supplement you drink. These three are cosmetics that only go on your skin.
What's in it, ingredient by ingredient
UV filters: Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Benzophenone-3, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane and Octocrylene
These five are sunscreen filters, ingredients that absorb ultraviolet light before it reaches your skin. Each one appears on the UK's legal list of UV filters allowed in cosmetics, with a legal maximum strength.
Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane is often called avobenzone, and benzophenone-3 is often called oxybenzone. A mix of filters is used because each one covers a different part of the UV range.
They are only in the day moisturiser, which is why that is the only product here with an SPF.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: They give Protective Moisturiser its SPF 30 and broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
The NHS recommends sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and at least 4-star UVA protection, reapplied every 2 hours and after swimming or towel drying.
Bentonite
Bentonite is a natural clay formed from weathered volcanic ash. It swells when mixed with water and forms a smooth paste.
It is the second ingredient in the mask after water, so it makes up a large share of it. Two other clay minerals, illite and magnesium aluminium silicate, are also in the mask.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: Herbalife says the bentonite clay cleanses and purifies the skin, drawing out impurities and absorbing excess oil.
Niacinamide, Ascorbyl Glucoside and Tocopheryl Acetate
These are skin-care forms of three vitamins. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, ascorbyl glucoside is a stable form of vitamin C, and tocopheryl acetate is a form of vitamin E.
All three vitamins appear in all three products, in the middle of each ingredient list.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: Herbalife lists vitamins B3, C and E as part of each formula, and describes them in the night cream as antioxidant vitamins.
These vitamins are on your skin, not in your diet, so food vitamin claims do not apply to them.
Plant oils in the night cream: sunflower, corn, macadamia, olive and sesame
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is sunflower oil and Zea Mays Oil is corn oil. Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil comes from macadamia nuts, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil is olive oil, and Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil is sesame oil.
Sunflower oil is the third ingredient, so it is one of the main oils in the cream. The night cream also contains Juglans Regia Seed Extract, which is walnut.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: These oils are emollients, which soften the skin and give the night cream its rich texture.
The night cream contains macadamia nut oil, walnut extract and sesame seed oil, so check with your GP before using it if you have a nut or seed allergy.
Sodium Hyaluronate and Glycerin
Sodium hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid, a substance your own skin makes. It can hold a large amount of water for its weight.
Glycerin is a clear, slightly sweet liquid found in plant oils and animal fats. Both are humectants, which means they attract water and help keep it in the top layer of skin.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: They help the night cream hold moisture on the skin. Glycerin is also in the day moisturiser and the mask.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (aloe vera)
Aloe barbadensis is the botanical name for aloe vera, a succulent grown in hot, dry, subtropical regions. Leaf juice is the watery liquid from its thick leaves.
It appears in all three products. It is fifth in the clay mask and further down the list in the two creams.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: Herbalife includes aloe vera across the SKIN range and names it as part of the night cream's blend with vitamins and botanical extracts.
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil and Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Mentha viridis is spearmint and Rosmarinus officinalis is rosemary. These are essential oils taken from the leaves of each plant.
They are only in the clay mask.
Why it's in Herbalife SKIN: They give the mask its spearmint and rosemary scent. Herbalife says the spearmint gives an immediate sensation of freshness.
Thickeners such as xanthan gum, carbomer and stearic acid set each texture, while emulsifiers like polysorbate 20 keep oil and water mixed. Phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin and caprylyl glycol preserve the products, and parfum with named fragrance substances adds scent.
Reading the label
Cosmetics have no nutrition panel. Each product carries an INCI ingredient list, the international naming system for cosmetic ingredients.
- Aqua: First in all three. Aqua is water, and it is first because each product is mostly water.
- Order of the list: Descending order of weight. UK rules list ingredients from most to least by weight. Ingredients under 1% can appear in any order at the end.
- SPF 30: Day moisturiser only. SPF measures protection from UVB, the rays that mainly cause burning. Broad spectrum means it is designed to cover UVA too.
- Latin plant names: For example Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract. Plant ingredients use their botanical name plus the part used. That example is chamomile flower, found in the night cream and the mask.
- Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal: At the end of all three lists (the mask lists only Limonene and Linalool). These fragrance substances must be named when they pass set levels, because some people are allergic to them. For creams you leave on, the trigger level is 0.001%.
- CI 77288: Clay mask only. CI numbers are colours. CI 77288 is a green mineral pigment, and titanium dioxide in the mask is a white one.
If you have a nut or seed allergy, the plant names matter. Macadamia, walnut and sesame appear in the night cream's list under their Latin names.
The UV filters near the top of the day moisturiser are what give it SPF 30. A night cream or mask without them gives no sun protection.
The products
Purifying Clay Mask 120ml
Replenishing Night Cream 50ml
Protective Day Cream SPF30 50mlHow to use it
Morning
Apply the SPF 30 moisturiser generously, 15 minutes before you go out in the sun. Herbalife suggests using it throughout the day for best results.
Evening
After cleanser, toner and serum, apply the night cream before bed. It is suitable for daily use.
One to three times a week
After cleansing, apply the clay mask and leave it to dry. Wash it off with warm water, pat your skin dry, then follow with serum and moisturiser.
Most people use the day moisturiser every morning and the night cream every evening, with the mask on one to three evenings a week.
For a long day outside, the NHS advises reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours and after swimming or towel drying.
Good to know
Who it suits
- All three products suit all skin types and are made for men and women.
- The night cream and the clay mask have no added parabens and are dermatologically tested.
- Herbalife tested the night cream on 29 women aged 40 to 64. After at least 21 days it minimised the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, measured by instrument.
- In a test on 31 women aged 20 to 44, the clay mask improved the appearance of pores after one use, graded by an expert.
Check first
- The night cream contains macadamia nut oil, walnut extract and sesame seed oil, so check with your GP before using it if you have a nut or seed allergy.
- The night cream and the mask contain chamomile flower extract, which can affect people allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds or chrysanthemums.
- These products are for external use only. Stop using any of them if irritation occurs.
Questions people ask
Which product goes on first?
In the morning, put the SPF 30 moisturiser on after cleansing. In the evening, the night cream goes on after cleanser, toner and serum. The mask goes on clean skin and is rinsed off before your serum and moisturiser.
Is SPF 30 enough for a sunny day?
The NHS recommends at least SPF 30 with at least 4-star UVA protection, and says not to rely on sunscreen alone. Herbalife designed this moisturiser for ordinary daily sun exposure, so check the pack for its UVA rating. For long days outdoors, reapply every 2 hours, as the NHS advises.
Does the night cream contain nuts?
Yes. Its ingredient list includes macadamia nut oil and walnut extract, as well as sesame seed oil. Check with your GP before using it if you have a nut or seed allergy.
How often should I use the clay mask?
Herbalife recommends one to three times a week. Leave it until it is dry, then rinse with warm water.
What do the night cream results mean?
Herbalife tested it on 35 women aged 40 to 64 and saw improved smoothness, glow and radiance after 60 days. Those results were self-assessed and checked visually by an expert grader.
Can I use the night cream during the day?
You can, but it has no sun filters. Herbalife designed it for the evening, so in the daytime the SPF 30 moisturiser is the one that protects you.
Where these facts come from
- fs_0828: Herbalife product information and label
- fs_0827: Herbalife product information and label
- fs_0773: Herbalife product information and label
- gov_annex_vi: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/1223/annex/VI:
- gov_inci: gov.uk/government/publications/cosmetic-products-enforcement-regulatio
- nhs_sunscreen: nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/:
- nccih_aloe: nccih.nih.gov/health/aloe-vera
- pmc_hyaluronic: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8347214/
- inci_roles: Herbalife product information and label
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