My recent inclination towards Natural or Ayurvedic beauty products made me discover an Indian luxury Ayurvedic brand from the majestic land of Kerala. Sadhev was launched in 2019. In their own words, all their products are “infused with precious insights from traditional Ayurveda, delicately blended with pure ingredients, sourced responsibly and carefully from Sadhev’s own 80-acre sustainably grown organic sanctuary- Sadhevana in South India.”

Sadhev offers an exciting range of Face care, Hair care and body care products. The most amazing part is that all their products are “natural, vegan, cruelty-free, plant-based, free from petrochemicals, parabens, phthalates, sulphates, synthetic colours, artificial fragrances, additives and other synthetic substances.” They source most of their natural ingredients either from their own 100% organic firm or in a sustainable way from other exotic locations. Their packaging is made in a way to preserve the bio potency of the ingredients.

In this post, I will review Sadhev’s Aloe Vera and Saffron Gel with Kumkumadi Tailam.

Price

Sadhev Aloe Vera and Saffron gel with Kumkumadi Tailam comes in 3 sizes. The 15 gm tub costs Rs 375, the 50gm tub costs Rs 1100 and the 100 gm one costs Rs 1950. I bought the trial version of 15gm at first. The pricing of course put the product in a luxury brand category for the Indian market but if you really want great quality chemical-free products for your skin, then this price makes sense. Also, they are sometimes on a 5-10% discount on the Nykaa website. So, you can buy it from there as well. Another option is to buy a refill pack of 100gm which costs Rs 1650. This is again a thoughtful attempt towards sustainability.

Description

I got to know from Sadhev’s website that they came up with the aloe vera and saffron gel after getting inspired by Mughal empress Nur Jahan’s secret rich beauty ingredients like Saffron and the Green Aloe Vera that grew in her royal gardens.

My Take on the Sadhev Aloe Vera and Saffron Gel

Ingredients

I love using aloe vera gel all year round. One of my favourite Aloe Vera gel is from Tony Moly. Primarily in summer I sometimes use only aloe vera gel as a moisturizer and don’t put anything else on my face. It contains vitamins C and E and is known for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. It works for all skin types. Sadhev’s product has added a nice twist to the otherwise popular aloe gel by adding saffron sourced from the valley of Kashmir. Saffron contains an active compound known as Crocin which has antioxidant properties. It protects against UVA rays and fights inflammation/redness of the skin. The most amazing thing is that I could actually see the saffron strings in this product.

They have added ‘Kumkumadi Tailam’ which is basically saffron oil. It used to be this miraculous elixir in the Indian mythological scripts describing the skincare routines of the queens. This is known for healing wounds. However, as per recent studies, for oily/combination/sensitive skin people, this oil may cause acne. They use 50mg of Kumkumadi Tailam in each 10 gm of their product. In my personal experience, I did not find this product to be greasy at all and it did not cause me any breakout.

This product use preservatives like undecylenoyl glycine, capryloyl glycine and benzoic acid. It also contains perfum and natural oil in their base.

Texture

It has a light and airy formulation. You can compare the texture to widely popular gel-based moisturizers like Clinique Moisture Surge or Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel. I can easily use it in hot and humid weather. It does not make my skin oily but I don’t go all out as I do for my other aloe vera gels. I treat it like a face moisturizer and just put 4 dots around my face, partly because it is quite expensive and partly because it contains saffron oil.

Did I notice any benefits?

Yes I did. The texture of my skin became super smooth and soft after using this. Also, it gave my skin a very radiant glow which I usually notice only when I use Niacinamide based serums. I do not have any acne at the moment. So I can’t comment anything on its acne healing properties but it definitely did not cause me any breakout. So far I have only used it in summer and it kept my skin hydrated throughout the day. I usually spray the Kama Ayurveda Rose toner on top of it and it keeps the moisture locked.

What I did not Like

One thing that bothered me was that they use perfum/fragrance. Saffron already has a very distinctive smell, so, I don’t understand the need for using additional fragrance even if it is natural fragrance derived from essential oils. The perfum did bother my sensitive nose. This is why I don’t use it before bed because strong scent troubles my sleep. Also, both artificial and natural fragrance can be drying for skin and may cause irritation in the long run.

Overall I liked the Sadhev Aloe Vera and Saffron Gel for its efficacy but I did not like the fact that they use ‘perfum’ in their natural base.

Hope you found this review helpful. If you have used this product, please let me know what you liked or disliked in the comments section.