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Rachel-Elise Cotter

Is There Good Skincare in Israel?

I have something to admit: Right now, my usually-content skin is not so happy. In fact, if skin actually had feelings, it would be depressed. This is because, since moving to Israel, I haven’t found a complete skincare regimen to replace my old one, and it’s catching up to me.

I used to use  the entire Aveda line, in case any of you know what that is. When I moved, I didn’t think that finding a new line would be a problem. After all, Israel has the Dead Sea!

Well…

There are lots of great skincare products to be found in Israel. The problem arises when one looks for a skincare line that is high-quality yet not overpriced, readily available without having to travel to the Dead Sea, and that provides ALL components of a skincare regimen.

I’ve tried so many Israeli skincare products since moving! In fact, here’s my list:

Grocery store products

I give the off-brand grocery store items I’ve tried two stars out of five. This is because, while not being fabulous, they did not absolutely ruin my skin, and were inexpensive enough to justify the risk of a cheap product. Overall, however, they just don’t do enough to qualify as true skincare.

Premier Dead Sea

I shelled out copious amounts of money to try Premier Dead Sea. PDS really is a fantastic line. It’s also a comprehensive line, with everything that a person needs to keep her/his skin looking great. However, their prices are absolutely ridiculous–and I say this as a professional. I know how inexpensive PDS is to make! Overall, I give them four stars, because even though they are over-priced, the stuff works.

Moraz

PDS was just too expensive a habit to keep up, so I turned to a line called Moraz, found in SuperPharm. It’s a quite natural product, feels nice, and is inexpensive. I have to say that I am quite pleased with Moraz, and have bought several of their products. My one problem with this line, however, is that they make only creams! Because of this, even though Moraz’s existing products are fabulous, I will give them four stars, not five. They need to expand their line!

Pevonia

In 2010, I got a job at an upscale spa in Tel Aviv. When I was hired, we went to visit two different lines’ headquarters. The first one was Pevonia. 

I fell in love with Pevonia. The line is similar to Aveda, with the added advantage of having many more sunscreen-laced products, necessary for us in the Middle East! Pevonia has complete, comprehensive lines for each type of skin. They have spas and spa treatments that are top-of-the-line… but not within Tel Aviv. What? 

I give Pevonia four and a half stars, because, aside from being extremely hard to find, they are a little expensive. However, Pevonia is much less expensive than Premier Dead Sea, and works just as well, if not better. Too bad we in Tel Aviv can’t find it anywhere!

Holy Land Cosmetics

The other line that the spa considered was Holy Land Cosmetics. HLC are, by and large, little more than glorified mineral oil. However, we from the spa were sent home with copious amounts of free samples when we visited the headquarters of HLC. Guess which line the spa ended up carrying?

I did eventually try the HLC samples, and was unimpressed by every single item, except for their creamy cleanser with exfoliating fruit enzymes, which was great! This is impressive, considering that I had never before found a creamy cleanser that I liked. My current problem with this cleanser is that I can’t find it in Tel Aviv. Again, how can I use it if I can’t find it?

I give HLC one star out of five, only because that cleanser is great.

The Oil Cleansing Method

I ran out of the HLC cleanser. Having read about the “oil cleansing method” online, and having been taught how to create my own natural skincare products, I thought, “Why not just make my own?” I did. I started using the OCM. OCM is supposed to be great for both fine lines and wrinkles and acne–the science of which I will explain some other time.

OCM worked well at first, and, overall, I felt and looked fantastic.  However, I have tricky skin, and within weeks of it clearing up, it got worse. OCM is inexpensive, natural, and can produce good results, but it did not for me. I give it three stars.

It’s time for me to go back to a proper skincare line. However, if I’m going to do so, it needs to be a complete line that isn’t too expensive, and that I can actually find. So far,  Pevonia seems the most promising, expensive or not. Now if I can just actually find it!

What is your favorite Israeli skincare product?  Why?

About the Author
Rachel-Elise Cotter moved to Israel from the USA in 2009. She's a lifelong dancer, a published model, and a professional in the beauty industry. In 2011 she represented Israel in the International Look Swimwear Bikini Contest, and was 4th runner up overall, out of hundreds of entrants. She loves making people feel beautiful, inside and out!