Weleda Skin Food – Review

This post will review the cult-classic moisturiser Weleda Skin Food.

I remember buying the 30ml version of this moisturiser a couple of years ago and immediately hating it.

I had seen the product everywhere and wanted to try it like I always do.

After opening up the tube to dispense, the intense citrus fragrance threw me off immediately.

For some reason, it was so strong, and despite being able to use fragranced products once in a while, I couldn’t use it.

But then I started seeing many people recommending it online recently, and I thought it was only fair to give it a second chance.

So, I bought another tube; surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad this time.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still heavily fragranced, but it was a lot more bearable, so I could use it on my skin.

I was shocked to discover that Welda is a Swiss brand founded in 1921 that produces beauty products and naturopathic medicines.

They’re the original ‘clean beauty’ brand; hence, I didn’t pay too much attention to the products.

But curiosity eventually took the better part of me, and I had to see the hype, especially after seeing how incredibly popular this moisturiser is.

In 2021, Weleda turned 100, meaning it has spent the last century becoming the world’s leading manufacturer of holistic, natural, and organic cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

They offer a wide range of skin care products for everyone, including mothers and babies.

Now that we know a bit of the brand’s history, let’s dive into the details of the moisturiser.

First Impressions Of The Weleda Skin Food

According to Weleda;

If there’s just one thing you need to take with you to a desert island, it’s this little green hero. Skin Food is a universal saviour of dry, rough skin on faces, elbows, hands and feet – wherever you take a lot out of your skin, let Skin Food put it back in.

Rosemary stimulates circulation, while sunflower and sweet almond oils deeply nourish. Beeswax and lanolin lock in softness for long-lasting, versatile, and extremely good value care.

With extracts of gentle viola tricolour, calendula and chamomile in a rich, thick base of pure plant oils, Skin Food loves your skin back to its best. First formulated in 1926, this cream is adored by all, and its original cult following has grown to an inclusive cross-generational fan club.

Benefits:

Intensively moisturises very dry skin areas

Nourishes and regenerates the skin’s protective barrier

Ideal for smoothing rough skin patches

Soaks in well, leaving skin softer and calmer

Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredient List & Fragrance

As I have mentioned previously, my biggest issue with this moisturiser is the intense fragrance.

Unlike many brands’ options for subtle or no fragrance, Weleda Skin Food is heavily fragranced, showing how ancient this formula is.

With that out of the way, let’s see what other ingredients make this moisturiser tick;

• Sunflower Seed Oil
• Lanolin
• Sweet Almond Oil
• Beeswax
• Alcohol
• Glycerin
• Rosemary Leaf Extract
• Chamomile Flower Extract
• Calendula Flower Extract
• Arginine

So you have a couple of plant oils formulated with plant extracts and finished with two heavy-duty emollients: Lanolin and Beeswax.

I’m pretty sure this is one of the few times a brand has completely skipped Shea Butter in favour of Beeswax.

Not forgetting the Alcohol and Fragrance, which completely throws off the formula.

But for some reason, this moisturiser has been a bestseller for a century, so they must be doing something right.

The only problem is that combining plant extracts and fragrances completely alienates people with sensitive skin.

I don’t really have sensitive skin, and I was thrown off by it.

Imagine someone with actual sensitive skin using it.

After 100 years, I’m hoping they can renew the formula by eliminating the alcohol, fragrance and any sketchy plant extracts that trigger sensitive skin.

They can also continue to retain this old formula, giving people options.

Packaging, Texture & Consistency

Perhaps my only favourite thing about this moisturiser is that it comes in two sizes: 30 and 75ml.

If you want to try this product, I suggest you get the 30ml first.

That way, you don’t have too much to lose if you don’t like it.

It is packaged in a distinctive green tube that is functional and amazing for hygiene.

The tube dispenses a thick, creamy, rich moisturiser that requires a bit of effort to blend, but eventually blends in.

As expected, it feels waxy due to the Beeswax in the ingredient list and dries down to a natural, non-greasy finish.

If you’re used to a lot of the recent modern moisturising formulas like Cerave, this will feel very different for you.

So, give it some time. It might not be love at first sight, but it can quickly become a staple in your dry winter skincare routine.

Start slowly by using a pea-sized amount and work with it until you find your sweet spot; then, decide if you like it.

Price & Availability

As a popular cult classic moisturiser, you’ll find Weleda Skin Food in most drugstores for around $10- $15, which isn’t too bad.

It is also the only product I see across pharmacies during my travels.

So you’ll definitely not have any issues with availability.

Review Of The Weleda Skin Food

Because this moisturiser is so waxy, I only use it as the last step in my nighttime routine.

I’m currently on my Tretinoin journey using the sandwich method, and I use the Elf Hello Hydration Face Cream as my first moisturiser and the Weleda Skin Food as my second moisturiser.

This method has been perfect for me because it seals in hydration, combined with Tretinoin, and keeps my skin moisturised and plumped.

So far, I haven’t had to deal with any dryness and flakiness using this method.

What can I say?

It has a rich texture which is guaranteed to moisturise the most ashy skin, particularly in the wintertime.

So, if you can’t be bothered to layer hydrating products or you want to simplify your skincare routine as much as possible, try this moisturiser.

Aside from my issues with the fragrance, it is a very decent moisturiser worth trying.

If you like and want a bigger size for your body, try the Weleda Skin Food Body Butter or the Body Lotion.

If you also find the original formula too thick, you can try the Light Version.

In Summary

This is a great moisturiser for anyone dealing with dryness or itchiness caused by a damaged skin barrier.

While it might not be the best for people with sensitive skin, it is great for all skin types.

Remember, if it doesn’t work for your face, you can always use it on your body.