In general, I tend to favour skincare from brands that specifically tailor to men’s needs, rather than brands who only target men in a small percentage of their offerings. I had never heard of Belnatur, a prominent Spanish skincare brand that has been running since 1979, for this reason and was unsure what to expect when I was gifted samples of their men’s collection.
Belnatur, according to the website’s blurb, means “natural beauty” and the company promotes the fact that its products use natural ingredients to provide a non-artificial experience to users. I was curious about these promises and wanted to test both products to see if they were the natural bounties the brand promised and how they performed over the course of a 2-week period in my routine. A summary of my experience and thoughts can be found below:
Quality – 4/5
It’s clear from when you first squeeze out a little of this product onto your hand, it’s not your average men’s skincare cream. The energy fluid/moisturiser, for example, is a creamy, tan colour (similar to the colour of liquid foundation, but more viscous) which I will admit was a tad disconcerting when I first saw it. The After Shave Comfort balm is slightly less unorthodox and is a translucent orange gel. Both boast a variety of natural ingredients including Vitamin C, E, Aloe Vera and White Willow making them somewhat ideal for sensitive or damaged skin and especially great for preventing razor burn/shave irritation.
Once applied, the energy fluid smooths out naturally and (thankfully) leaves no orange residue but instead has a long-lasting cooling effect on the skin. After a few minutes my skin felt springy and refreshed without any stickiness or shine, after one week of application I noticed the dark circles under my eyes looked fainter and my skin felt smoother. The after shave balm is also a pleasure to use, it instantly soothes the skin with an icy gel that helps reduce irritation in problem areas (even under the neck and jaw). Overall, they’re not what you expect when you first see them, but it’s certainly a great experience every time you use them.
Fragrance – 5/5
Fragrance is a big factor for me in skincare, the feeling of cleanliness and freshness should be enhanced by your routine and far too often it can be drowned out by sickly/artificial smelling products. However, Belnatur have played to their strengths here and given a wonderfully natural and fresh scent to both products that keeps your skin feeling clean.
As soon as you apply one to the face, you’re immediately greeted with a fresh, slightly sweet fragrance that is perfectly balanced so as not to be too sickly after the first few seconds. I’ve rarely come across skincare ranges that use similar basenotes, with many brands favouring sharper scents like lemon or lime, so this was an enjoyably unique experience for me. If you’re looking to move away from the stereotypical scents of men’s grooming then this is certainly a range worth looking into.
Packaging – 4/5
The Belnatur range doesn’t rely on extravagance in the way they’ve designed their products, each tube is simply coloured using a grey, navy and white palette to give a subtly masculine look to their mens’ range packaging. I’ve said before that I don’t like it when brands give their products “unique” names and I feel Belnatur calling their moisturiser “Energy Fluid” is not necessary for this reason. As a collection though, it’s one that’s suited to any gentleman’s shelf or wash bag.
Price – 4/5
With both items in the collection coming in under the £20 mark these are, by no means, the cheapest skincare products on the market. However, considering their performance and all-natural formulas, it’s fair to say that you are paying for quality rather than simply forking out for a brand name. Also, considering some of the prices of their other facial skincare products, they are fairly reasonable by comparison. If you wanted to test one before investing in both, we recommend the After Shave Comfort balm as it’s bound to make your weekly shave a more pleasurable experience.
Overall – 4/5
It seems Belnatur have delivered on their promise of an all-natural experience for skin that compliments and improves the health of men’s skin. A fresh-feeling, organic product range that is both a pleasure to use and keeps skin in a clear and healthy state. For any gentleman with sensitive skin or who suffers from skin irritation after shaving, this is definitely a collection worth looking into.
