One Brand: IKAROV Products (EN)

Hello ❤

Today’s post is all about one of the most popular & iconic Bulgarian cosmetic brands – IKAROV. IKAROV’s products are available in any pharmacy, cosmetic store or drugstore, they’re quite affordable but with great quality – in care you’re interested, here is a link for their English website Home • Ikarov

I’m always supporting as much as I can Bulgarian brands so I decided to do a full review on all of IKAROV’s products I’ve used throughout the years, plus a few I was sent recently. Side note: I wasn’t obligated to share my thoughts on the gifted products, I decided to do so in order to support this Bulgarian brand, as always, my opinion is absolutely honest!

IKAROV is family brand that was launched in 1991 and they are the first to offer almond oil on the Bulgarian market. Nowadays IKAROV offers wide range of haircare, skincare and bodycare products, made with natural ingredients and pure organic raw materials. IKAROV’s products are certificated as natural cosmetic, not tested on animals, do not contain any petrol derivate, artificial scents, preservatives or colorants, no added water and vegan-friendly.    

Sounds good, right? Let’s move on my review & impressions on the products, starting from the haircare:

Hair growth stimulant IKAROV*

To me this is IKAROV’s signature product! It’s been on the market from a while, I remember using it back in 2010, when I suffered from bad hair fall and I was trying really bad to stimulate my hair growth. It was big hit then and it was sold out everywhere! When I got my hands on it I used it regularly for months, I even slept with it in order to elongate is effect on my scalp. Right after I started using it I saw a lot of new baby hairs all over my hair that grow really quickly and I think this was thanks mainly to this hair growth stimulant. It has herbal scent and it’s quite oily and thick as consistency, contains nettle and yarrow absolu, natural essential rosemary, lemon, lavender, geranium and ylang-ylang oils. My recommendation is to apply the hair stimulant on the scalp, gently massage it, then leave it for at least 2 hours to overnight with plastic cap and towel turban on top and then rinse with shampoo and conditioner as normal. It contains 100 ml of product which lasted me for about 2 months as I apply it before every hair wash. I highly recommend this hair stimulant to those of you who are suffering from hair loss, it’s worth it. Link: HairGrowth Stimulant • Ikarov

Nourishing hair oil IKAROV*

Contains argan, sunflower, coconut and macadamia oil, grapefruit and rosemary essential oil and Vitamin C and E extract. Smells super fresh and realistic on grapefruit ❤ It has oily consistency, very similar to the one on the hair growth stimulant but a bit lighter, placed in identical pump tube that contains 100 ml of product and has the same usage description: apply directly on the scalp with massage motions, leave for at least 30 minute and then rinse off with shampoo. 4 pumps on the scalp and 6 on the length (I apply it there as well) is my recommended ratio, I leave it for an hour to two and the rinse – hair gets super shiny, soft, flexible and with soft grapefruit scent. I don’t think this hair oil takes off my hair dye (for example coconut oil takes off my hair dye like crazy), which I also consider as plus.  I’m using it since October and I’m halfway through it, I’m super impressed and I think it’s great for dry and exhausted hair, highly recommend. Link: NourishingHair Oil • Ikarov

Let’s move on to the face products I own:

Autumn nourishing face oil with Rose Damascena and ginger IKAROV*

I was a bit scared to give this one a try at first, because I have really oily skin in general and face oils are tricky to use on this type of skin, plus I have big fear of clogged pores. This autumn nourishing face oil contains Rose Damascena oil, ginger and lemon, geranium, sunflower, olive essential oils and Vitamin E and C. It’s placed in stable dark bottle with pipette, contains 30 ml of product and it’s suitable for both daytime and night time usage (does not contain any ingredients that make the skin photosensitive).  Smells so gingerly refreshing <3  I started using it back in September when I came back after long sea vacation and although my skin is super oily, as I already mentioned, this oil absorbs quite quickly in it and it does not feel heavy or sticky. I always put really tiny amount of it and use it 2-3 times per week. I put it also on my neck and chest and although it absorbs slower than regular face cream, it leaves the skin so much more elastic, hydrated and nourished. A few weeks ago I burned my face badly and my skin became red, irritated and sore and as we all know we should place some kind of oil on burnt skin. I started applying this oil few times per day and my skin got well super-fast, the oil nourished the irritated skin, softened the crust no scars appeared. I really appreciate what this oil did for my skin! I recommend it mostly to women with dry or normal skin, in case you have oily skin like me I suggest you to apply carefully and keep in mind a little goes very long way. I would love to use it again next autumn and I’ll even bring it with me on my sea vacation in order to apply it after beach. I already used up this bottle by the moment of finishing this post so my impression is full and in depth, I’ve used it up from September to late January. Link: AutumnNourishing Face Oil • Ikarov

Winter nourishing face oil with orange and calendula IKAROV*

I want to point out that I’ve never seen any other brand that offers such type of seasonal products -  beside autumn and winter face oil, IKAROV also offers spring face oil, that’s so unique, innovative and cool that I can’t admire enough this conception! Winter oil contains orange, calendula, and cinnamon essential oils, calendula absolu, rosemary and menthol extract and Vitamin PP. It’s suitable for all skin types and for daytime and night time usage because it does not contain any ingredients that make the skin photo sensitive.  This winter oil it’s supposed to strengthen skin’s natural defense power in winter, nourishes and moisturizes and restores it after cold exposure. I just started using this winter oil recently so I can share with you just my initial first impressions: it’s thicker and absorbs slower into the skin compared to the autumn face oil, smells nice and orangy-zesty, nourishes and hydrates the skin and adds shine. Due my oily skin type I also apply this quite carefully and again, little goes long way.  I also like mixing it with my face cream and body lotion and I’m quite satisfied with the effect: soft, nourished, protected and hydrated skin. Link: Winter Nourishing Face Oil • Ikarov

Detoxifying shower body scrub with brown sugar, coffee and orange IKAROV*

As far as I’m informed this product it’s brand new and it’s not released yet and it’s their first body scrub. All of the products I mention in this review are having great scents but this in particular…so good! I wish you could feel it – it smells just like these soft and moist buttery cocoa-orange cookies, accompanied by cup of fragrant coffee. Winter in a box ❤

This exfoliant is showering – when applied on damp skin it turns into exfoliating foam with particles that. Particles are fine but they effectively remove the top layer of dead skin – you know that I’m fake tan fan and my criteria if a body scrub is good is to see how it works on my old fake tan: if it’s good it should remove all of the old tan and release clean tan-free skin, ready for a fresh new coat. 

This scrub passed the test, it took off my old tan easily with no residues and it left my skin soft, smooth, nourished and hydrated. It contains 150 ml of product, placed in stable aluminum tin and after use you don’t need to deep clean your bath once again (this issues I had with other exfoliants). The scent is ah-mazing! I love it and this scrub is among my favorites ❤

Winter magic body butter with cinnamon and clove IKAROV*

Well here’s one product I’m not a fan of. Mainly because of the scent – I don’t like neither cinnamon, neither clove. As you knew scent preferences are strictly subjective and the fact that I don’t like this particular scent doesn’t mean the product is bad at all. I admire launching a products with more non-typical scents like this one, this combination of cinnamon & clove I haven’t see yet anywhere else so it’s nice twist I think. This butter has such a thick formula you can cut with knife, absorbs slowly and leaves a film on the skin, it’s hydrating, nourishing and softening, on my opinion it’s suitable for application on the rough skin parts (elbows, knees). Packaging is cute with these snowflakes on and the name correspondents to the scent – winter magic. As I said I’m not a fan of the scent but the product itself is good and works great on the skin. Link: WinterMagic Body Butter • Ikarov

Winter hand balm with shea and cinnamon IKAROV*  

I don’t know about you but my hands are super dry and my cuticles are peeling so bad due all hand disinfecting situation and cold, so I have one hand cream in every bag and in every room and I’m constantly applying new layers of hand cream to my hands in order to keep them hydrated. This hand balm has soft, buttery consistency that melts into your skin, it’s non-sticky and leaves thin layer after application. It’s soothes and definitely has a great effect on my dry cuticles. I’m using it regularly ever since I got it and in this cold weather is a game changer.

 My hands are soft, hydrated and nourished and the small packaging I bring always in my purse. It contains 60 ml of product which is placed in stable aluminum tin and despite what’s says on the packaging to me it doesn’t smells like cinnamon at all, but on orange cookies. Not only the scent is cozy wintery, but the packaging too, I really like the stamped snowflakes on it. I highly recommend this hand balm, super universal and must have for this cold weather. Link: WinterHand Balm • Ikarov

Hand balm with orange and shea IKAROV*

This hand balm wasn’t with me when I took the photos but I use it a lot so I decided to include it in this post. It has thick, balmy consistency which melts into the skin, it feel really rich and nourishing,  it’s not sticky but it leaves thin film once absorbed and absorbs slower compared to regular hand creams. It contains shea, coconut and orange oils, smells really fresh and orangy, placed in metal tin and contains 50 ml of product where a little goes long way.  This balm is great for really dry, itchy and flaky skin and also works great on the cuticles. Both me and my mom are so impressed with this one and can’t recommend it enough. It’s great for cold weather and literally saves the hands from the cold and harsh wind. Link: OrangeHand Balm • Ikarov

Cleansing hand lotion with lavender IKAROV

One more product that I bought but by the time of writing this post isn’t with me since I got it for my mom. It contains over 70% alcohol but also high percentage of lavender oil which works against drying. It’s milder than the typical harsh disinfectants, placed in classic bottle and contains 100 ml of product. It’s not your typical disinfectant but it’s more like oily-balmy type of lotion that cleanses and disinfects your hands but leaves them hydrated. This one combined with the above mentioned hand balms are great for your hands in the winter! Link: Cleansinghand lotion with lavender • Ikarov

Almond oil IKAROV

I’ve been using it ever since I was at high school – I use to apply this on my lashes, brows and hair for nourishing and growth stimulation. I often mix this with some olive oil and leave it on my hair for an hour or two and the hair becomes super soft, shiny and smooth. You can also use it as hair finish and place 2-3 drops onto your ends to seal them, without rinsing. This is such a basic oil which you can you however you like! Link: AlmondOil • Ikarov

Organic coconut extra virgin oil IKAROV*

Coconut oil is super popular for the past few years and IKAROV offers 2 types of it: 100 ml and 500 ml ones, both cold pressed, raw and organic, with natural coconut scent. I personally prefer to use it as my hair mask, but keep in mind that it takes off my hair dyes really bad. 

 Sometimes I also use it on my lips for additional hydration and I know from my friends that this is great against stretch marks. Coconut oil has high comedogenic index and for myself I decided to not put it on my face because I’m afraid it’ll clog my pores, so I’m using it only on my hair and body. Link: OrganicCoconut Oil • Ikarov

Let’s finish this post with some products from my wish list:  

Floral rose water IKAROV

I recently used up my bottle of rose water and since this is such a must have for any Bulgarian, I’m looking for a new one with natural ingredients so I’ll get this one – here’s link: FloralRose Water • Ikarov I like applying rose water on clear skin, as toner, before applying face cream and/or serum.

Bi-phase cleansing lotion with rose water and jojoba IKAROV

Back in the days I used such type of cleansing lotion that I did myself with equal parts jojoba oil and rose water and I liked it, so I’ll give it a try again. Here’s link to it: Bi-phaseCleansing Lotion • Ikarov

Coffee oil IKAROV

I’ve been using since 3 years already The Ordinary’s caffeine eye serum and I recently read that coffee oil does wonders for your eye contour so I started researching where can I get one and I found out that IKAROV have one. Link: CoffeeOil Arabica • Ikarov

Cocoa organic body butter IKAROV

This butter brings me so many memories! Back in the days when I was a kid I spent every year on the beach in Varna and one of my grandmother’s best friends always brought cocoa butter in and old NIVEA cream tin and applies it on me and my brother to protect us from the sun. I’ll never forget this aroma! As I started researching for oils that have natural SPF I found out that cocoa butter has and that’s why I want to buy one to apply on the beach next summer, just like the grandma did ❤ IKAROV has 2 variations of cocoa butter, here’s the organic one OrganicCocoa Butter • Ikarov and here’s the cosmetic one: CocoaOrganic Body Butter • Ikarov

I’m super impressed by IKAROV’s products: clean and gentle formulas, interesting scents, effectively in terms of nourishing, hydrating and soothing, affordable prices and Bulgarian <3 I’m fan of their hand balms, multifunctional base oils, face oils, haircare, skincare and bodycare products.  Recommend!

Have you tried any of IKAROV’s products?

*Marked with * products are being sent to me as gift

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