Hey, everyone! Hope you’ve all had a great St. Patty’s Day- we sat at home and watched TV…lol!
As a sci-fi and fantasy lover, I like all things, well, sci-fi and fantasy! There’s a really neat company called Morganna’s Alchemy, and they were kind enough to send me their legendary Bellatox to try out. Morganna’s Bellatox contains four active ingredients that purportedly help minimize wrinkles in a flash.
Morganna’s Alchemy was started by a chemist, Maya Hyppolite-Williams, who began creating skincare products with her family in mind. Her aunt had been suffering from the side effects of Botox, and needed something (Morganna’s Elixir) to help reduce her treatments (Morganna’s Alchemy, n.d.).
Perhaps one of the most interesting ingredients is spilanthol, which according to the brand, is a local anesthetic that can reduce muscle contractions and relax your features, particularly around the eyes and between the eyebrows (Morganna’s Alchemy, n.d.). When I first found out about Bellatox, this is the ingredient that really excited me.
If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you know one of my pet peeves is when companies make outlandish claims, or portray non-scientific research as “clinical research.” The impressive thing about spilanthol is that there is actually peer-reviewed, scientific research to back up the claims. Research shows that spilanthol, indeed, has cosmetic applications due to the anesthetic effects. The molecule size also appears to be small enough to penetrate the skin, as well as mucus membranes (Barbosa, Carvalho, Smith & Sabaa-Srur, 2015).
Additionally, Morganna’s Bellatox contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which forms a coherent film on the skin’s surface, visibly improving the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Imperata cylindrica, or blady grass, can survive even on saline soils. This South American extract helps supply the skin with moisture for up to four hours. Finally, together with lipids, hyaluron creates a slight swelling on the skin, and helps prevent moisture loss (Morganna’s Alchemy, n.d.).
Now that you know what’s in it, let’s get on with the fun part- testing it out! Morganna’s Bellatox is housed in an opaque pump bottle. This makes me very happy, as it’s not only sanitary, but the packaging prevents degradation from light and air exposure (Kaur, Kapila & Agrawal, 2007). The pump is also easy to use, and I can dispense more or less, depending on my needs at any given time.
If you’re sensitive to fragrance, you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t detect any scent. The formula has almost a jelly-like consistency, so it doesn’t run all over, yet it’s very easy to spread, and is readily absorbed. It’s not sticky, and it wears well under other skincare products, and under makeup.
I don’t have a lot of wrinkles, but I do have a very fine line under my right eye, and I’m starting to develop those dreaded “elevens” between my eyebrows. I did notice a slight plumping effect, and those lines weren’t as obvious, which made me very happy! My skin also stayed hydrated throughout the day, without looking greasy.
I get really excited over trying out new brands, especially those founded by an actual cosmetic scientist. Overall, this is a pretty awesome product, especially for the price of just $39.99. It’s available at MorgannasAlchemy.com.
Sources:
Barbosa, A., Carvalho, M., Smith, R. & Sabaa-Srur, A. (2015). Spilanthol: occurrence, extraction, chemistry and biological activities. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, 26(1). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from www.sciencedirect.com.
Kaur, I., Kapila, M. & Agrawal, R. (2007). Role of novel delivery systems in developing topical antioxidants as therapeutics to combat photoageing. Aging Research Reviews, 6(4). Retrieved June 16, 2016, from www.sciencedirect.com.
Morganna’s Alchemy (n.d.). Bellatox. Morganna’s Alchemy. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from www.morgannasalchemy.com.
*Sponsored review
