I like to introduce the products I review with a little story.
Sharing some memories or something new I learned with you that somehow is related to the product I am talking about feels more like girl´s talk and less like an advertisement.

But some of the products leave me clueless.
I knew I wanted to tell you about Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum.
Now how to start? And what on earth does Hosanna really mean?

Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum

Of course, I turned to Wikipedia.
Hosanna (or Hosianna) is either a cry of joy or a cry for help directed at God in times of need and very often used on Palm Sunday to address Jesus.
Very interesting, but it still left me wondering what Antipodes wanted to tell us with naming their serum this way. Is it the answer to a cry for help when it comes to dehydrated skin?
Let´s see.

What Antipodes claims:
Plump up your skin contour with this water-charged and oil-free bioactive serum that immediately quenches thirsty skin while helping to intensively improve skin appearance over time. It keeps skin super-hydrated, while revolutionary antioxidant Vinanza Grape antioxidant from New Zealand sauvignon blanc grapes helps powerfully protect and build resistance damage caused by environmental aggressors and pollutants. Extract of mamaku black fern helps foster cell renewal, making this an everyday essential for plump, healthy, youthful skin. Perfect for all skin conditions, especially dehydrated.

Facts:
One bottle contains 30 ml (1.0 fl oz) and retails for around 38 € in your local pharmacy or on Amazon here.
The container is one of the typical Antipodes apothecary bottles with a little pipette. I know many people dislike them, and while I agree they are impractical when it comes to traveling and not air-tight, I love the retro feel and the way they look on my shelves.

Antipodes products are vegetarian (sometimes vegan), 100% natural and 95% organic.

Using it every morning the bottle lasted me around three months. It took three drops to cover my entire face and neck.

The pipette and the product

The smell is herbal, but not unpleasant and doesn’t linger to long.
What took me by surprise was the yellow-brownish color: I would have expected something clear, but it should be about the ingredients, not the color anyway.

After application the serum feels quite tacky on the skin, but that dissolves after a few seconds.


Favorable ingredients:
– Lavendula angustifolia distillate: Antibacterial, balances dry or oily skin
– Waiwera artesian water: Water, but rich in minerals like magnesium and calcium.
– Mamaku black fern leaf: Promotes cell renewal.
– Vinanza grape grapeseed extract: Rich in antioxidants, hydrating.
– Xanthum gum: Improves skin firmness

Unfavorable Ingredients:
– Essential oils: Can be irritating to sensitiv skin

My biggest surprise was that it didn’t contain any form of Hyaluronic Acid, the one ingredient found in almost anything claiming to be hydrating and the one thing I associate the most with the tacky feeling I got.

Does it live up to its claims?
Maybe.
The claims are quite big (intensively improve, super hydrated, revolutionary antioxidant complex), and I haven’t really found too much scientific backup on, lets say, the benefits of “charged water”.
But it contains a nice blend of antioxidants and other beneficial ingredients to back up at least part of the claims.
My skin did feel hydrated and it helped in reducing some dry patches I had acquired during my travels earlier this year.

Will I rebuy?
Most likely.
I still have a shitload few other options waiting to be tested, but I really liked this one and can see me repurchasing it in the near future.

Who do I recommend it to?
If dehydrated, aging skin is your concern and you are looking for a serum that can be worn under makeup to add to your morning skincare routine, give this one a go.
If you are looking for an all natural approach to skincare, Antipodes have some great stuff to offer.
But please stay away if you are sensitive to essential oils.
So is this the answer to your skins cry for help? I guess that depends on your needs and how strongly you want to believe in a miracle.

How about you:
Does this sound intriguing?
And would you have known the meaning of Hosanna?