Huxley Skincare is a popular Korean brand that uses prickly pear oil as the star ingredient of its cosmetics. This oil made from Opuntia cactus seeds is a skin superfood with the highest level of Vitamin E of any oils used in the beauty industry.
Prickly pear oil hydrates, nourishes, protects, and rejuvenates the skin, calms irritations, and restores the skin’s natural protective barrier. Here is a list of the best products that Huxley makes using organically grown cactus oil that you’ll wish you’d known about sooner.
My top 3 picks
Best Huxley Skincare Products With Prickly Pear Oil
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Oil Essence
This essence is one of Huxley’s best-selling products for a reason.
The oil essence is a hybrid product that has the texture of essence but works like skin oil.
So if a regular facial oil is too heavy for you you can use this product instead.
It’s light but your skin will receive the necessary moisture and restoration, and won’t be feeling greasy.
The prickly pear seed oil concentration in this product is 81%.
Huxley only uses organic Moroccan prickly pear oil and prickly pear cactus water.
In addition to that, the essence contains Vitamin E and açai berry extract (a powerful antioxidant).
So it’s intensely moisturizing and nourishing.
It’s also rich in antioxidants that protect the skin from free radicals and prevent aging.
The product comes in a bottle with a dropper applicator.
Place a few drops onto the face and gently pat the oil essence in until it gets absorbed.
Use it after cleansing and after applying the Secret Of Sahara toner.
Apply the Anti-Gravity cream after the essence.
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Antigravity Cream
This anti-aging cream is another top-selling Huxley product.
The cream has a 51% prickly pear seed oil concentration.
So this product is antioxidant-rich and has a strong firming and rejuvenating effect.
It also protects your skin from free radicals and negative environmental factors.
In addition to cactus oil, it contains hyaluronic acid and SC-glucan that hydrate the skin and help it retain moisture.
The cream is formulated with hydrogenated lecithin that strengthens the skin’s protective barrier.
This cream is rich so it’s perfect for the winter season and doubles as a night cream.
Huxley Secret of Sahara Glow Awakening Cream
This light cream is perfect as a daytime moisturizer and is great for reviving dull and dehydrated skin.
The cream is formulated with antioxidant-rich prickly pear seed oil and brightening niacinamide.
It’s a brightening and hydrating cream that at the same time protects the skin from free radicals and other environmental aggressors.
It contains special components that have an anti-pollution and detoxifying effect.
This cream will leave your skin fresh and glowing.
You can even use it at night to reverse the damage that your skin receives during the day and to moisturize it.
Huxley Secret of Sahara Extract It Toner
Toners are a type of prep product for extra hydration and skin nourishment.
A toner also acts as a carrier for the products you use after it.
Huxley Extract It toner contains prickly pear oil, antioxidant-rich opuntia cactus extract.
90% of the toner’s formula are naturally-derived ingredients.
These ingredients include rosa centifolia and crape myrtle extracts that soothe the skin, hydrate it, and balance its pH.
The toner is very soft and helps to clear acne-prone sensitive skin
Use the toner two times a day right after the foam cleanser.
Wipe it over the face with a cotton pad.
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Oil and Extract Sheet Mask
This high-end sheet mask contains an essence rich in organic Moroccan prickly pear seed oil that moisturizes and protects the skin.
One half of each package contains a thin microfiber sheet soaked in a greenish liquid, the other half contains a yellow liquid.
You must mix these two parts when you open the package so that the liquids emulsify.
After that, unfold and apply the sheet mask, align the holes with your eyes, nose, and mouth, and keep the mask on the face for 15-20 minutes
Then, after you’ve removed the sheet, pat the remaining emulsion into your skin gently.
This mask will leave your face shiny, soft, and smooth.
It’s suitable for all skin types but is especially great for soothing dry and dehydrated skin.
Use the mask after the cleanser, toner, and essence.
You can even incorporate it into your everyday skincare routine.
It’s non-toxic and free of parabens, artificial dyes, or mineral oils.
This set of masks contains 3 sheets.
Huxley Secret of Sahara Good Night Sleep Mask
At night your skin needs to regenerate from the damage it receives during the day.
Huxley Skincare sleep mask contains prickly pear seed oil and hyaluronic acid that hydrate and nourish the skin, while Centella Asiatica extract calms it.
The mask is also formulated with SC-Glucan, which is a powerful antioxidant that will help your skin to recover from the negative effects of UV rays it gets exposed to during the day.
Leave the mask overnight instead of night cream and it will work while you sleep.
This mask is good for dehydrated and sensitive skin and has a cooling and refreshing effect.
It gets absorbed quickly and your face won’t be sticky when it’s time to go to bed.
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Sense of Balance Oil Mist
Facial mists are very popular in South Korea.
They are used for keeping the face fresh, glowing, and moisturized throughout the day.
Mists aren’t used as part of a skincare routine.
You can apply a mist as many times a day as you like. Whenever you feel the need for hydration.
A little spritz and your skin will feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
Huxley facial mist is formulated with ultra-hydrating prickly pear seed oil.
It also contains andiroba seed, olive, and black seed oils that smooth, nourish, and moisturize the skin and restore its natural protective barrier.
The mist consists of oils and cactus water so you’ll need to shake it well before application to mix the two substances that tend to separate.
This product is lightweight and has a pleasant scent.
Huxley Secret of Sahara Cleansing Foam
Foam cleansing two times a day is extremely important
You should always cleanse your skin before you use any other cosmetic products.
Huxley Skincare foam cleanser will remove any dirt and debris from your skin and will clean out pores.
This prevents outbreaks and lets other cosmetic products penetrate your skin deeper without any impurities getting in the way.
The cleanser contains ultra-hydrating prickly pear oil, which makes this product suitable even for the driest and sensitive skin.
Huxley foam cleanser is also formulated with blue lotus extract that calms irritation, moringa seed oil for cleansing and soothing the skin, blue agave extract for making the skin softer, and tangerine extract for improving the skin’s texture.
Use this cleanser on its own or after you’ve removed makeup with oil or micellar water, but before you apply toner or any other products.
Massage it over the face and rinse it off with water.
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Deep Clean Deep Moist Cleansing Oil
This lightweight cleansing oil contains prickly pear seed oil that hydrates the skin and protects it from free radicals.
It’s also formulated with annatto and sea buckthorn oils, and pot marigold flower extract.
The plant oils alleviate irritation and improve the skin tone, and the flower extract soothes and protects the skin tone.
Use this oil cleanser as the first step in your cleansing routine to remove makeup or oil-based impurities before using a foam cleanser.
When you apply it to dry skin and add water it turns into an emulsion that’s perfect for removing waterproof makeup and any oily dirt, debris, and skin sebum that can’t be dissolved with water alone.
Huxley Secret of Sahara Be Clean Be Moist Cleansing Water
This micellar water is an excellent and gentle cleanser and makeup remover.
It’s formulated with 74% prickly pear seed oil extract, hyaluronic acid,
Centella Asiatica extract, orange extract, Betula Alba bud extract, and hazel bud extract.
Prickly pear oil and hyaluronic acid moisturize the skin, while plant extracts calm the skin, tighten pores, control sebum, and soothe inflammations.
You can use this micellar water in place of an oil cleanser to get rid of makeup, oil, and sebum without irritation.
It’s even good for erasing waterproof makeup.
Apply the water cleanser onto a cotton pad and sweep it over the skin.
Huxley Skincare Secret of Sahara Grab Water Essence
This is another popular essence from Huxley.
It’s a water gel-like product that is formulated with prickly pear oil and antioxidant-rich plant extracts — berry complex, yerba matte leaf, and peppermint.
All these components calm irritation and are great for soothing, cooling, smoothing, and hydrating dry skin.
Use this product as a serum treatment, after you’ve applied the toner.
The essence comes with a dropper applicator, just like a serum.
Apply a few drops of the product onto the face and gently pat it in.
About Huxley Skincare
The popular contemporary Korean skincare brand Huxley takes its name after the famous English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley.
Aldous Huxley wrote fifty books, including the dystopian novel “Brave New World” and was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature seven times.
The manufacturer of Huxley skincare likes the phrase “Brave New World” and has decided to create a whole new world of cosmetics by discovering new ingredients and starting new beauty trends.
Huxley Skincare ingredients
Huxley Skincare creators use ingredients found in extreme environments in their formulas. For example, extracts of plants found in high mountains, deserts, and deep seas.
Prickly pear seed oil
The star component of Huxley cosmetics is prickly pear seed oil that the manufacturer uses in its Secret of Sahara line.
It’s a natural plant oil derived from the prickly pear cactus, also known as Opuntia.
Prickly pear cactus grows in a hot and sunny desert climate.
For example, in Mexico, Latin America, South Africa, and Mediterranean countries.
This cactus is edible. And is part of the Mexican diet. It’s a healthy eating choice, a kind of superfood that’s beneficial for your health.
In addition to that, it’s a traditional remedy for diabetes because it can lower sugar levels.
Prickly pear cactus is also a traditional remedy for skin conditions ranging from bug and mosquito bites to sunburns.
The oil that’s extracted by cold pressing the seeds of this cactus has many beneficial ingredients, including a large amount of linoleic acid, antioxidants, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K.
Prickly pear oil has soothing, hydrating, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
Who would have thought that a prickly cactus that grows in desert areas would be so great for the skin?
Linoleic acid
Linoleic acid that is part of the Opuntia oil repairs the skin’s protective barrier by hydrating it intensely.
The human skin cannot produce enough linoleic acid on its own. So it’s important to receive it with skincare products.
Vitamin E
According to the manufacturer, prickly pear oil also contains the highest amount of Vitamin E of any oils used in the beauty industry. Even more than the vitamin-rich argan oil.
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant.
It has photoprotective qualities and can lighten dark spots, strengthens the skin barrier, and helps the skin retain water.
As an antioxidant, Vitamin E reduces the damage that pollution and chemicals can cause to your skin.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps blood clotting.
It’s a great remedy for bruises and helps in healing wounds.
Vitamin K helps to improve dark circles around the eyes.
It strengthens the capillary walls of the blood vessels under the eyes and reduces the visibility of these vessels. So your dark circles become less visible.
Prickly pear oil is a great ingredient for moisturizing the skin, enhancing its natural protection, preventing aging, evening out the skin tone, healing acne, and erasing small wrinkles.
It’s not an essential oil but it works great either on its own or when used for diluting essential oils.
Huxley sells prickly pear seed oil as part of an oil blend that you can use on your skin as well as a key ingredient in cosmetics.
Ethically sourced, organic, and sustainable
The company sources its cactus oil in Morocco.
Huxley promises that their sourcing only involves fair trade.
All the oil that Huxley uses in their skincare line is certified organic and sustainably farmed.
Huxley skincare routine
Most Korean beauty routines require 10 steps for the best results.
You can use shorter 5-step routines if you’re busy.
Here are the short 5-step morning and evening routines that Huxley recommends you to follow.
Huxley Skincare morning routine
Cleansing
The first step in any K-beauty routine is cleansing the skin from any dirt, oils, sebum.
You can use Huxley Skincare cleansing foam for this step.
Just remember to never rub your face too intensely while cleansing it, as this can irritate it.
Toner
The next step is the application of toner.
Toner is an important prep product.
It prepares your skin for the application of other products.
Toner helps the skin absorb these products and restores the skin’s pH balance to prevent dryness and dehydration.
Use Huxley Skincare Extract It toner for this step.
Essence
The essence is a special treatment that is a key component of the Korean skincare routine.
This product was invented in Korea.
It’s a cross between a toner and a serum.
An essence is meant to prepare your skin for the products you’ll be using next, to help your skin to absorb them, and to deliver high concentrations of active ingredients into your skin.
Essences can penetrate your skin even deeper than moisturizers and provide extra hydration.
Huxley Skincare has two great essences with prickly pear oil.
Moisturizer
A moisturizer is necessary to seal moisture in your skin and enhance its protective barrier.
It prevents dryness of the skin and replenishes its hydration.
Moisturizer is a key product to make your skin healthy and glowing and to prevent aging.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen is the ultimate protection for your skin.
It saves your skin from the negative effects of UV rays and prevents the aging that they cause.
It’s a common misconception that you only need to wear sunscreen if you spend a lot of time outside in sunny weather.
Sunscreen is always necessary because it blocks harmful UV rays indoors too.
The SPF in your makeup is not enough to protect you from bad UV radiation.
So never skip sunscreen products in your morning skincare routine.
Huxley Skincare evening routine
Cleansing
The cleansing process is especially important during your evening skincare routine.
Never go to bed without removing makeup and cleansing all the dirt, oils, and sebum that accumulate on your skin throughout the day.
Exfoliating
You should exfoliate your skin 2-3 times a week.
This will help to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. And this will prevent breakouts.
Essence
Don’t skip the extra treatment and hydration that an essence provides.
The essence should be a key step in your evening routine too.
Moisturizer
You need to use a moisturizer while you’re sleeping too.
It seals the moisture in your skin and continues to hydrate it all night.
So you’ll wake up with healthy and glowing skin.
Eye cream
No need to use sunscreen at night.
So the last step in the Huxley evening skincare routine is the application of eye cream.
Eye cream treats and protects the delicate skin around the eyes that receives a lot of strain.
It reduces eye wrinkles, bags, and puffiness.
And prickly pear oil, which is the key ingredient in Huxley skincare products, helps to lighten dark circles under the eyes.
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