FrEquently asked questions

About Witlof Skincare

do our products contain preservatives?

There are three main ways in which we preserve our products:

1. We use ingedients containing preservative properties, such as benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, potassium sorbate and citric acid.

2. The antioxidants in our products also have a preservative effect.

3. Most of our packaging is airless, which again, ensures our products are preserved for longer.

WHy are you called Witlof Skincare?

We chose the name Witlof because it is the Dutch name for Chicory, a fresh, nutritious vegetable full of vitamins and antioxidants. Just like our products that are food for the skin. And, of course, because it refers to ‘with love’ in English ;).

HoW can i do A Skin detox?

To do the skin detox, follow these steps:

1. Stop using all products, such as make-up, foundations and sunscreen where one of the following ingredients is listed on the ingredients list: mineral oil, paraffine/paraffinum/paraffinum liquidum, microcrystalline wax/cera microcristallina, petrolatum, vaseline, ozokerit/ceresin, dimethicone/cyclomethicone.

2. Clean your skin twice a day with the Witlof Skincare Cleansing Mousse and Balancing Toner, to bring the acidity of the skin back to the right level. As an extra step in cleansing, we strongly recommend using the Smoothing Peel once or twice a week.

3. Continue this routine for at least two, preferably four weeks, without using a cream or oil. In an average of 28 days, all the skin cells of your face have been renewed and your skin has rid itself from most of the residues of synthetic substances, perfumes and mineral oils that had previously been stored in the upper layers of your skin.

WHat Happens to my skin if i do a skin detox?

When changing from regular products to natural cosmetics, the skin can sometimes have a reaction. This is because your skin recovers from the use of mineral oils and/or synthetic ingredients such as perfumes. This is a type of detoxification response and can include dry skin, flaking, tightness, or pimples. Don’t worry, it’s temporary and often you won’t notice anything (except that your skin will improve). If you have any doubts or questions, please send us an email, to hello@witlofskincare.com for professional advice. We are more than happy to help you.

why would i change to witlof skincare products?

We will keep it as short as possible:

a) Witlof Skincare is made from only natural raw materials, partly of an organic nature (the plant oils for example). By taking care of your skin with Witlof Skincare, it will be deeply nourished, resulting in skin that is healthy and more balanced. Your skin will look calm and radiant, with a natural glow.

b) Many mainstream brands are made mostly of synthetic ingredients. These are not of natural origin which is also reflected in the price. Natural raw materials are more expensive, but they also give our products that extra strength and dimension. You can compare it with food: would you prefer fresh vegetables from the garden, or vitamin juice with sugar and synthetic vitamins from the supermarket to nourish your body? Incidentally, synthetic vitamins are less well absorbed by your body and you actually need more of them for the same effect.

c) Most mainstream brands still contain substances that can irritate your skin immediately or in the long-term, such as phenoxyethanol or sulfates. Some products contain PEG, which is a skin-drying substance that still has residues of dioxane, a carcinogenic substance, in 65% of the tested cases. Alternatively, they may contain mineral oils or silicones. Silicones work like a kind of ‘light’ mineral oil and they are also bad for the environment.

d) Sustainability is more strongly represented at Witlof Skincare than at regular brands. We work with recyclable packaging and we have a recycling program: receive 5% off on your new purchase if you have disposed of your empty packaging in the designated waste bins. And that’s just the beginning! Visit the sustainability section of our website for more information on our recycling scheme.

e) We have kept the price as low as possible for the quality of a natural product. So for what you get, Witlof Skincare is not expensive.

f) Our products are highly effective, but not too intense. We respect your skin and don’t want to irritate it. Look at our Smoothing Peel for example, which has an amazing effect but is mild enough to use once or even twice a week.

g) All our products are vegan.

h) Our products are designed, developed and produced in the Netherlands, we go local as much as possible, also with our ingredients!

ARE the products free from animal cruelty and vegan?

Witlof Skincare products are cruelty free and not tested on animals . The skincare products are also vegan, meaning that they are free from ingredients extracted from dead or living animals. Do you want to know exactly which substances the products contain, and what exactly they do for your skin? On all product pages you will find a detailed overview of the ingredients used and their effects.

ARE YOUR products also suitable for dry or aging skin?

A dry, dehydrated skin is often confused with a dry skin type. But they require different care. To be able to make a good skin analysis, we recommend that you do the skin detox (see above: how to do a skin detox). Only then you can see what your skin really needs. Our years of experience have shown that most people have much less dry skin after the skin detox and need to use less or no cream anymore.

We don’t specifically have a line for anti-aging. We actually don’t even support the term anti-aging – our bodies age, that is nature and can’t be stopped. We can slow down this process though, that’s what healthy skincare is all about. All our products help to slow down skin aging through healthy ingredients that support the skin. We do not use ingredients that make the skin age faster, which many other brands do, for example drying agents such as PEG or sulphates.

For dry skin, we recommend using the Cleansing Milk, Smoothing Peel and then the Balancing Toner, with the Regenerating Oil Serum and the cream on top. This is very suitable for a dry type of skin, to nourish and retain moisture so that your skin feels soft and supple.

Is it normal for my skin to get red after using the Smoothing Peel?

It is indeed normal if your skin gets a little redder after using the Smoothing Peel, but that should have gone away after 30-45 minutes. If it lasts longer, it is recommended to let the peeling take effect for a shorter time, e.g. 1-2 minutes. If your skin starts flaking, which is possible, we recommend that you reduce the use, so at most once a week or two weeks and then let it soak in for 1-2 minutes. If your skin is used to the product, you can always increase the use to once or twice a week, or keep it on for a longer period of time. We recommend using it basically once a week and then letting it act for about 5 minutes.

If you used a regular skincare brand before Witlof Skincare, you can also get flaky skin because your skin recovers from using those products with drying ingredients. In most cases it will eventually pass and your skin condition will improve enormously. Just less dry and no more flakiness. Just, as a precaution, limit the use of the peeling or stop the use if you react strongly to it and do not hesitate to email us at hello@witlofskincare.com for any questions or personal advice.

WHERE can i find Witlof Skincare products and can i try them somewhere?

Witlof Skincare products are available online via the Witlof Skincare webshop and at a number of beauty salons, skin therapists and points of sale. Look for a point of sale near you on this page Sales points.

To what extent are your products natural or organic?

Our products are 100% natural and some of those natural ingredients are also organically grown. Our ingredient lists on our product pages indicate which ingredients are from organic farming.

do you use palm oil?

No palm oil is used in our products. You can read the ingredients list/inci on the product pages of our website as well as on the packaging. Or visit the ‘What we use’ section of our website.

Why do you use boxes around the products?

We are still looking at whether or not we will continue with boxes as an outer packaging, but for a starting brand in this segment, there is a lot to be said for keeping these. This has to do with damage-free shipping, and visibility in stores. A box also gives us the opportunity to explain more about the product, how it works and how to use it. This is appreciated by many customers. Our boxes are made of FSC certified paper, which is a sustainable type of paper and should be disposed of with paper waste to recycle.

Do you use alcohol in your products?

There are different types of alcohol. The alcohol in Witlof Skincare products is from a type that is used to dissolve certain plant extracts so that they can be used in the products (just like homeopathic drops, for example). It ensures that the extracts are absorbed even better by your skin and in our case that is exactly the intention. The vitamins and antioxidants penetrate deeper into the skin where they can do their good work.

Furthermore, the percentage of alcohol in the Nourishing Facial Cream, for example, is only 0.17% of the entire formula. Very little and necessary to be able to add the extracts of ginger (for pro-vitamin A) and rosa canina (for vitamin C). In a cream that is applied, this natural and safe ingredient is harmless and has no negative effects on the skin.

You should, however, avoid hard alcohols in cosmetics, such as ‘alcohol denat.’ This is stated on the ingredient list of products and is, for example, very drying.

Does the Cleansing Mousse also cleanse make-up or sunscreen?

The Cleansing Mousse is very suitable for removing make-up (including non-waterproof eye make-up) and, for example, sunscreen. We do recommend that you cleanse twice, once to remove make-up residue, and a second time to properly clean the skin itself.

You can also do a double cleanse, in combination with the Argan oil. First massage the Argan oil in, to dissolve the make-up and cream residues. Then you can remove them with, for example, a warm, wet cloth. You immediately clean your pores better, which will have opened due to the heat of the cloth (as is also done with beauty treatments). Then cleanse again with the Cleansing Mousse and your skin is super clean! Don’t forget to spray the Balancing Toner on your face to finish the cleansing routine. Your skin is then hydrated and protected again, and at the right pH-level.

What is the difference between the rich facial cream and the nourishing facial cream?

The Rich Facial Cream is somewhat thicker in structure than the Nourishing Facial Cream. This is mainly because there are more vegetable oils in the cream, such as avocado and argan oil.

About your order

How can i pay?

It is possible to pay with iDeal, Mastercard, Visa, Maestro and Paypal in our webshop.

What are your shipping fees?

Our shipping fees are €4.99 for shipment of your order to the Netherlands and Belgium, and €6.99/£5,99 for shipment to all other EU countries and the United Kingdom. Shipping within the EU and to the UK is free for any order over €45/£45. The shipping costs for the US are €25, shipping to the US is free on orders over €250.

WHat are your delivery times?

Our goal is to deliver your Witlof Skincare order as quickly as possible.

Take into account a delivery time of no later than 5-7 days. However, when you order before 10 pm, it is often processed and shipped the same day (excluding weekends & bank holidays).

You will receive a track & trace code from GLS as soon as the package has left our warehouse.

We are doing our utmost to send orders as soon as possible. However, keep in mind that the delivery time can be longer due to busy times at post offices.

If your order needs to be delivered quickly, please send us an email so we can keep an extra eye on the shipment of your order.

I am not satisfied with the product I bought. What can I do?

You can return your unopened and undamaged products within 7 days of your delivery.

If you have opened and tried the products and are not happy, please contact us at hello@witlofskincare.com and we’d love to help.

Do you have samples?

We are able to send you samples of most products. For €1/£1 + shipping (envelope) we send you the sample(s) of your choice! Contact us at hello@witlofskincare.com and we’d love to help you!

about natural skincare

What is mineral oil?

Mineral oil is a derivative of petroleum and is a fat or wax, such as paraffin, petrolatum or petroleum jelly. Mineral oils (or sometimes called ‘petroleum derived ingredients’) seal the skin and disrupt the skin’s natural oil balance. Your skin gets used to products that contain mineral oil and feels tight and dry when you don’t use the product. In that case, we speak of a ‘paraffin addiction’ of the skin. This is a well-known phenomenon with lip balms, but facial care products with mineral oil have the same effect. A skin detox will help you get rid of the addiction.

What is the difference between natural and organic cosmetics?

Manufacturers are allowed to put the slogan “natural” on the packaging if a small percentage of the product’s ingredients are of natural origin. We only sell products that are 100% natural and all or part of it is organically grown. The ingredients that are from organic origin are listed on the packaging. If you have any further questions about this, you can always send an email for more information to hello@witlofskincare.com.

about natural suncare

Why SPF 30 and not SPF 50?

SPF 50 provides you with 99,8% coverage while SPF 30 provides you with 99,3% coverage. The difference is only minimal while the effect of adding more SPF will make the cream more white. That’s why we have chosen to keep it at SPF 30. Same protection, better product!

Why don’t you have product for medium to dark skin?

With the launch of the Tinted Day Cream SPF30, you will have noticed that some skin tones are missing. With the development of this product we started with three shades, light to medium, medium to dark and black. Only after several tests we were not yet satisfied with the medium to dark and black shades, especially on the deeper skin tones. As a brand, we think it is important that our products are of the best quality for everyone, so we have decided to work even longer on the formulas for the other tinted variants, in order to allow everyone to enjoy our products.

We are open to all forms of advice on this subject and are happy to work together to achieve the best quality. Do you want to help us or do you have tips?

Mail us at hello@witlofskincare.com.

What’s is UVA & UVB?

UVB rays are mostly responsible for sunburn and redness, while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin, causing lines, wrinkles and even skin cancer. That’s why both types of protection are important.

Why is natural sunscreen important?

Often, a standard sunscreen with chemical filters contains drying mineral oils and perfumes that can react with sunlight and the filters are sometimes even toxic. A natural sunscreen with zinc oxide forms a harmless barrier on the skin. Recent studies show that chemical sunscreens can cause itching and eczema on the skin, whereas a natural filter in a sunscreen does not (NCBI – WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic, 2003).

Natural sun protection does not contain chemical sun filters, but is made based on the mineral filters zinc oxide or titanium dioxide