Pai Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream review

I bought my sister the Pai Tranquility Bath & Body Oil gift set for Christmas, and as my christmas present shopping does tend to work on a one-for-you-one-for-me basis, I also added a couple of skincare bits to the order for myself.

The Chamomile & Rosehip Skin Cream isn't quite rich enough on its own for my skin in winter and works better for me with the Lotus & Orange Blossom Bioaffinity toner. I know this because I dropped my bottle of toner and broke it (me and glass in a steamy bathroom is always a potentially hazardous combination) and found that my skin still felt a bit dry and parched after applying the moisturiser to a face dampened with just water. I've been adding a drop of argan oil before the Chamomile & Rosehip Cream which works fine to add the extra moisture I need, but I prefer using the Lotus & Orange Blossom Bioaffinity Toner and I'll be purchasing that (despite the glass bottle).

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. A reactive/sensitive skin isn't always very dry too, and this cream would be sufficiently moisturising for normal to moderately dry skin on its own, or you could just use a little more layered over particularly dry patches (for me, at this time of year, my forehead and cheeks). Pai also sells a Rosehip fruit & seed oil blend which can be used to supplement the skin creams.

On to the very good stuff: this cream is a godsend for reactive skin. It feels instantly soothing and comforting. The formulation is simple but cosmetically elegant; it's a rich lotion texture you don't have to wait half an hour to sink into the skin or blot away a layer of shine after applying it. I purchased it as a night cream, but I've been using it during the day too on days when I know I won't be seeing much daylight. As well as avoiding the usual mineral oil/silicones/parabens, Pai creams are also free from alcohol and beeswax (beeswax is a good barrier/sealant, but can also be occlusive and clog pores for some people). I've experienced no clogged pores or spots while using this cream.

Chamomile & Rosehip Skin Cream has a light, slightly earthy, scent - I mostly smell the chamomile with a hint of the rose geranium oil (I can barely detect the lavender in it at all). It is not floral or overpowering.

Pai lists the ingredients of all their products in full on their website (I wish more brands would do this) so just for the sake of review completeness, here is the ingredients list:

I bought mine from www.paiskincare.com and www.beingcontent.com also stocks Pai. Chamomile & Rosehip costs £24 for 30ml, which is at the reasonable and sane side of luxury skincare prices.

Content are offering a £50 Pai skincare bag with a 60 minute Pai facial in January 2012 (which costs £65) - details are here: Content/Pai January facial offer.