It's not often that I get the chance to review products from different countries, but Avril contacted me from France to try out some of their products. They launched in 2012 with the mission to make organic products that are affordable for everyone, with four main values: quality, ecology, price and service. Avril means April in France, which reminded them of the spring season, renewal and nature which fits in with the brand overall. I'd never heard of them before so thought it would be nice to give a bit of background to help more people from the UK see what they're about.
The products themselves are certified by Ecocert which means their packaging is biodegradable and recyclable, the products are free from GMOs, parabens, synthetic colours and fragrances and are not derived from animals unless they're naturally occurring such as honey and milk. Their products contain at least 95% natural ingredients which makes me believe that my skin will be better for it! They sent over 5 products for me to try: Colour Shine Shampoo for coloured and highlighted hair €7, Hair Mask with Mango €7, Face Oil with Argan Oil €7, Cleansing Oil €7 and the Face Serum €9.
I'll start with haircare as there are two products from this range that I chose. Firstly, there is the Colour Shine Shampoo for coloured and highlighted hair (Le Shampooing Éclat Couleur). This shampoo aims to bring softness to fragile hair due to colouring. The formula includes pomegranate, honey and camellia to protect the hair whilst maintaining your colour. The second product is the Hair Mask with Mango (Le Masque Capillaire) which was made to repair damaged hair. The mango butter softens the hair with the organic aloe vera to protect the hair from dryness with an added shine. I adore the smell of this and I'll have to purchase this when I've run out as it's one of my favourite hair masks I've used.
One product I was intrigued to try out was the Face Oil with Argan Oil (L'Huile Visage). I regularly use facial oils as I have combination skin and learned that adding oil to oily skin was actually a good thing. This Face Oil contains organic sunflower and olive oil, and argan oil which are known for their anti-aging properties. It rubs into the skin well and doesn't leave you feeling too oily. The Cleansing Oil (L'Huile Démaquillante) dissolves makeup including mascara as it contains sunflower seed oil and sweet almond oil to gently remove it from the skin. It's not often I can get my mascara off with a cleansing product but this works! Finally, there is the Face Serum (Le Sérum Visage). I love serums for the same reason I love facial oils; they don't produce excess oil and sebum. This one leaves the skin soft and a great base before applying primer.
I'm quite impressed with the Avril products overall. I wish the packaging could be a bit prettier but I understand there may be limits to what they can do when they want the packaging to be biodegradable. I'd definitely recommend popping over to their website to have a look at the products for yourself since they're affordable in price.
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