Answers to your questions

Not at all! Very often, people think products are greasy because they contain a lot of oils. This makes products rich, but this is something completely different from being greasy. Quite the contrary! The idea behind our SELF products is that they absorb quickly in order to nourish the skin intensively.

This means that our products don’t contain any synthetic additives. We work exclusively with natural preservatives, no perfumes, healthy alcohol, and plant-based oils.

Natural products are not the same as organic products. “Organic” is not a protected title, and the same applies to the term “natural”. Any producer can claim this, even if it’s not true. SELF was founded because our products are truly 100% natural, and this is not just a loose claim. To speak of an organically grown ingredient, the grower must be able to present a certificate. Such a certificate is not cheap. At SELF, we always look for growers who work organically, but they don’t always have the certificate. We think it’s important to work according to the rules of organic cultivation, but we also understand that not all growers can afford this audit.

Just because a product is natural does not mean that it’s necessarily better. What you should look out for is the percentage of active substances contained in the product. You can check this at the list of ingredients, also called the INCI list. You can apply a natural product to your skin, but if it contains hardly any good substances, it’ll do nothing for your skin. The composition of the ingredients is also very important. Certain substances make a good team, but if you have several healthy substances that don’t match, it will not work. Some ingredients break each other down and others strengthen each other. SELF is full of ingredients that form a perfect team and reinforce each other. If you look at the long term, natural skin care is much better for the skin in most cases. Traditional skin care often contains up to 550 different chemicals, most of which are toxic to the skin. These synthetic ingredients can confuse the endocrine system and even lead to various diseases including cancer. So choose natural and mild products for a healthy skin!

Indeed, many natural products use alcohol, and oftentimes, it’s “bad” alcohol that dries out the skin. At SELF, we use a “healthy” kind of alcohol, an oily alcohol. You can also find this in the INCI list. This alcohol is not at all harmful and will not dry out your skin. With natural products, always pay attention to which form of alcohol is listed in the INCI list, so that you don’t use products that can dry out your skin.

SELF loves bunnies. Animals are for cuddling, not for testing. SELF does not conduct any form of animal testing – not for production, development, or quality control purposes, nor do we commission third parties to do so.

All our products are 100% vegan.

YES! I developed the SELF products specifically because I was confronted with our daughter’s eczema skin myself. I’ve also tested the products on her. They’re 100% safe for babies, new-borns, and pregnant women.

What your skin needs depends not only on the season, but it can vary from day to day. That’s why it’s important to check the condition of your skin every day. Is your skin drier? Then you should apply more often. Does it feel restless? Then skip the scrub and opt for the mild cleansing. Do you have more pimples? Then you should cleanse more thoroughly and use the scrub more often. Taking a good look at yourself every day is a must! Now you have the perfect excuse to spend a little more time in front of the mirror and enjoy your SELF moment.

When you start using new products, your skin has to get used to them, which can take up to 2 months. Especially with natural products, you’ll feel that it is different. Maybe your skin will feel a bit dry and tight in the beginning, but this is because you no longer use products that contain petroleum. Your skin will have to produce its own fats again. After a few weeks, your skin balance will be back to normal, and your natural sebum production will be balanced out again as well. Even if your skin feels tight, it’ll still absorb the healthy and intensely nourishing ingredients. It’s like water on a very dry earth. After a while, you’ll notice that your skin has completely recovered!

An eye cream can often be a commercial extra for a brand: the products for the face contain too few active and often irritating substances, so a milder cream is developed for the eyes. However, a separate eye cream is actually not necessary. The skin under your eyes is thinner and requires a mild cream, but the same applies to your entire face. Your face does not need aggressive substances. A good, mild cream is perfect for your face and eye area. Our SELF products are packed with cell-stimulating ingredients, both in our day and night creams, and they’ll certainly tackle those crow’s feet too!

Thoroughly cleansing your skin is essential, both in the morning and at night before you go to bed. However, always make sure to cleanse with mild and gentle products that do not irritate or dry out your skin! A facial cleanser that foams contains aggressive and dehydrating ingredients, which damage your skin barrier. Clean your skin with a mild, milky cleanser that also contains oil and that you can rinse off afterwards. It sounds strange, but the oil dissolves dirt and bacteria without drying out your skin. A cleanser with oil is also highly recommended for combination or oily skin, as oil attracts oil.

Exercise and sweating are certainly beneficial to your skin. Perspiring detoxes your system and exercising gets your blood flowing, which is both good for your skin’s health. I always exercise without make-up. After my workout, I take a shower and then moisturise my skin with our nourishing body butter. I also cleanse my face during the shower with our mild facial cleanser so that all the sweat is rinsed off. After the shower, I provide the necessary hydration with our All Day Dreamer day cream. It’ll restore your moisture balance! And of course, make sure to drink enough during and after exercise, because your skin needs hydration – on the inside and on the outside.

Yes, you can be allergic to anything, including natural ingredients. Just because an ingredient comes from nature doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for your skin. Certain substances can irritate and damage the skin. That’s why I always recommend testing new products on the inside of your elbow, so you’ll know if you’re allergic to the product. SELF’s ingredients include macadamia, argan, shea butter, coconut oil, aloe vera, and mandarin and geranium essential oils. These are all safe ingredients, but if you’re allergic to any of these substances, a reaction can occur. So always test the products on your arm first.

It’s not recommended to use a product that already contains SPF. It’s best to apply SPF separately after the cream. Why? Because SELF needs to penetrate the skin and SPF doesn’t. Additionally, you always need to adjust SPF depending on the weather and seasons. So always choose a separate day cream and sunscreen.

The myth goes as follows: active ingredients expire faster in a jar than in a tube. According to some sources, when substances such as antioxidants or vitamin C come into contact with oxygen, the effectiveness of these ingredients is reduced. In addition, bacteria can get into the jar more easily because you put your fingers in it. This information is not correct. All active SELF ingredients undergo several tests to ensure that the active ingredients do not deteriorate, and that the formula remains stable. In skincare, stable vitamins are used that are not converted to an active form by oxygen, but by the skin enzymes found in your skin. In other words, the vitamins remain stable until you apply them to your skin. Secondly, it’s not true that a tube or pump is better than a jar. Both types of packaging have to be closed off, and the active ingredients continue to work. In addition, tubes and pump bottles can clog up and you can never get the residue out. The idea that jars are a breeding ground for bacteria is also a wrong one. Yes, bacteria will end up in your jar, but this also counts for the cap of a tube or a pump. Bacteria are everywhere, also on your favourite pump. Before you start panicking and disinfecting, don’t worry, because it’s okay! There are already billions of bacteria on our skin, and we are constantly in contact with them. Think of the door handles, your keyboard, or your phone – they’re full of bacteria. With our SELF bamboo spatula, you can now apply the cream on your skin without having to use your fingers.

You read a lot about toners these days. According to many sources, it’s the must-have to cleanse your face, but at SELF, we’re not fans of it. This is because a toner contains far fewer cleansing ingredients and consists mainly of water. The toners on the market usually also contain a high dose of alcohol, which only dehydrates the skin! In addition, some toners only contain a very small dose of good ingredients, so they just dry out your skin and don’t provide any nourishment. At SELF, we offer a mild cleansing milk with a dual effect. It cleanses the face by removing sebum, impurities, and makeup, and the pure oils will nourish the skin at the same time.

Every skin needs healthy nutrition and moisture, so this includes both young and mature skin. Still, we often choose our skincare products according to our skin type. If you have to believe many skin care brands, you also have to take your age into account. This is certainly not true. It’s most important to look at your skin type! Do you have dry skin, do you suffer more from oily skin, or is it a combination of the two? SELF is suitable for both young and mature skin because the products nourish, protect against external influences, and intensively moisturise. Age is absolutely irrelevant. Mature skin can use the night cream specifically because this formula has an even more intensive effect on fine lines, stimulates cell renewal, and minimises moisture loss.