You probably know the online beauty retailer Allbeauty.com, dating as it does all the way back to 2004 (under its previous incarnation Cheapsmells.com). The site carries pretty much every beauty brand you could think of, and now they’ve developed their own in house brand – At1.
A big site like this can bring knowledge of what works and what customers are looking for, plus the buying power to do things well at scale. So it’s good to see that they’ve gone for a natural, sustainable, vegan theme.
The idea behind At1 is that these are natural, vegan-friendly products with a luxury feel at a slightly more affordable price. The name refers to being ‘at one’ with nature. All of the packaging is recyclable, with information directly etched on to the jars to avoid having to use labels and glue..
Formulations are deliberately kept simple. Everything is free of sulphates and silicones and is suitable for vegans. Given that vegan skincare is so ubiquitous nowadays, I don’t think that’s the selling point that it once was. However, being silicone-free is a big plus because it will help stop skincare pilling and interfering with any make up you might put on top.
Three of the best from At1
BTW these are small sample pots I was sent for review purposes. The actual containers are much larger and the eye serum normally comes in a sealed pump.
Speaking of which:
At1 Restorative Eye Serum
This has a light texture and feels very soothing around the eye socket. It contains Persian silk tree extract to deal with dark circles. I didn’t notice any difference on that front, but you might do with prolonged use.
Our old friend hyaluronic acid puts in an appearance to plump and hydrate and diminish the appearance of fine lines. Very nice if you’re in the market for a new eye serum and prefer a more natural product.
At1 Skincare Deep Cleansing Balm
I really like this cleansing balm. It was my favourite out of the three products I tried. It’s gentle enough that you can also use it to remove eye make up, which normally isn’t the case with balms. Melts into an oil as soon as you scoop it up, cleanses effectively, rinses off easily and leaves skin feeling soft.
Star ingredients include: grapeseed, sunflower seed, echium, apricot and blackcurrant oils. As with the other products, there is fragrance in the shape of various essential oils, but it’s definitely not an obvious fragrance at all.
At1 Skincare Hydrate & Nourish Day Cream
I was a little bit wary of this moisturiser because it contains shea butter, which I always find blocks my pores. Luckily this time there were no issues.
Other interesting ingredients include: oat extracts, giant kelp and cocoa seed extract. It’s designed to both moisturise and provide protection against pollution, so if you’re outdoors a lot this could be a good pick for every day use. It’s nice and nourishing without being heavy.
The At1 products I tried didn’t madly blow me away, because as we’ve seen, there is an awful lot of good vegan skincare out there now. It’s a nice range, and I liked these products, but I think it will have to fight hard to be distinctive. The lack of silicones could be the thing that makes skincare consumers plump for At1.
Product details:
Skincare Deep Cleansing Balm (50ml, RRP £24).
Restorative Eye Serum (30ml, £29.50).
Skincare Hydrate & Nourish Day Cream (50ml, £30).
Available here at Allbeauty. Use code LAUNCH to get 10% off.
*PR samples
Find more reviews of vegan products here