Sibu Beauty: Review

When a representative at Sibu Beauty contacted me regarding a blog partnership a couple months back, I wasn't initially sure if it would be a good fit. Why? Well, I (mistakenly) assumed the product focus was on cosmetics or "traditional" skin care methods. Admittedly, I rarely wear makeup and don't follow a daily skin care routine, so I would hardly be qualified to write a review on such topics! A visit to the company website quickly changed my mind, however, as I learned about what Sibu's really all about from their welcome message:

Introducing Sibu Beauty, premium skin care products made from the Himalayan sea buckthorn berry. Known as the “beauty berry” across Europe and Asia, sea buckthorn contains over 190 bioactive compounds that restore, revitalize, and protect youthful beauty – from the inside-out AND outside-in. These hardy berries help nourish skin, hair, and nails with powerful antioxidants and essential fatty acids, including the rare Omega 7 – a key building block to healthy skin, hair, and nails, and also aids digestion and may help you maintain a healthier weight. Sibu Beauty features luxurious natural skin cleansers, moisturizes, and other topical treatments as well as dietary supplements that beautify and protect from the inside-out.

As a strong believer in holistic approaches to health and wellness and "treating the cause, not the symptoms", I appreciated that Sibu places equal (if not greater) importance on an "inside-out" approach to beauty. I was also intrigued by this mysterious sea buckthorn berry as I had never heard of it before. Its composition and health/beauty potential seemed almost too good to be true, however, so I did some research. Evidently I've been living under a rock as there is all kinds of information out there on this exotic fruit, and everything I came across supported the notion that its nutritional profile is exceptional indeed.

A visit to Sibu's FAQs page really sealed the deal for me. All of the company's products are 100% natural, fair-trade and free of all that "bad stuff": preservatives, parabens, dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast and cruelty. That's quite the long list! Finally, Sibu Beauty is a Sustainable Green Company, which means that "Every effort has been made to produce the finest nutritional product possible with the least amount of impact on the planet."

I was offered the option to review any of their individual product offerings. This was a tough choice, as a few particular items really caught my eye:

• Sea Buckthorn "Revitalize & Renew" all-natural liquid dietary supplement - I love that this product aims to improve skin tone and support nail and hair growth. I've historically had issues with back acne and hair which is beginning to thin (and tends also to have prominent shedding cycles). My nails are on the weak side as well. Since I became pregnant, my back acne has improved tremendously but I haven't (yet) seen the same improvements in the other areas.  
• Sea Buckthorn "Cleanse & Detox" facial soap - I have occasional acne on my face as well, and somewhat large pores. I also have an oily "T-Zone". Existing reviews of this product have generally been glowing which was another reason I wanted to try it. 
• Sea Buckthorn "Cellular Support" soft gel supplement - This product soothes and repairs linings of uro-genital tracts, which caught my eye as I have a sensitive bladder (and am prone to infections), and I also suffered a fair large tear when I gave birth. A product that could potentially assist with both of these conditions would be wonderful!

I ended up deciding on the "Revitalize & Renew" as I thought this product had the most potential to make some noticeable improvements.

One of my first actions upon receiving the product was to scan the ingredient list. I was happy to see sea buckthorn fruit puree listed as the first ingredient (rather than a "filler" juice like apple or pear) and certified organic evaporated cane juice as the sweetening agent. The entire list is 100% natural, as advertised.

Next step: taste test! I wasn't disappointed here. The blend is, indeed, invigorating, and plays out on the tongue as a lovely balance of tart and sweet.

The directions suggest drinking 1 to 3 fl. oz. per day, so this is what I did during the course of my testing. I had on average 2 fl. oz. per day, and I mixed up the approach. Sometimes I drank it "straight up" and other times (when I felt I could use some extra hydration) I diluted it into a glass of water. I finished the bottle in about two weeks.

So now the big question - any appreciable effects? Well, my nails did feel possibly a tad stronger, but that was about all I noticed. That said, I wasn't about to turn around and label the supplement as ineffective. In hindsight, there are a few challenges inherent in reviewing a product like this. First of all, it may take more than a single "round" to begin seeing improvements; second, there are so many confounding variables which could skew results (for example, our family came down with a cold while I was taking the supplement - not the most ideal time, huh?) and finally, Sibu itself recommends that its products be used together as a system for optimal results. With that in mind, I'm not surprised that results from a single round of a single product were fairly minimal. All in all, I do have respect for Sibu Beauty as a company and feel that their offerings have potential. I'd definitely be interested in experiencing one of the complete packages all together as I feel that this is how the products would truly have the opportunity to shine. 

Buy It:

You can purchase Sibu products and packages directly from the company website, or use their Store Locator to find a retailer online or in your local area.