Have a Spa Day with Caviahue Thermal Mud and Thermal Water

Hi everyone,

Last year, the kind folks from AcquaEssentials.com contacted and sent me a package of samples to try. After trying the samples, I liked Caviahue Thermal Mud very much and they were kind enough to send me full size containers of Caviahue Thermal Mud and Thermal Water to use and review. For those who are not familiar with AcquaEssentials, this website sells exclusive spa products.

The Caviahue skincare line contains ingredients from Neuquen Province, at the heart of Pantagonia, Argentina. This remote area is considered to be one of the ecological reserves on Earth. The entire region contain a varied and complex thermal activity that results in highly mineralized water and muds. People spend a lot of money to travel to Pantagonia to enjoy their exclusive spas. Now, with the Caviahue Thermal Mud and Water, you can bring the spa to your home.

(L-R): Caviahue Thermal Mud and Thermal Water

Wanna know what I think about these two products? Jump!

Caviahue Thermal Mud ($74.90)

The jar is large (300g of products) and the sponge is used to remove the mud once the mask is dried

The mud is dark and smells slightly floral

After trying the sample, I chose the Thermal Mud as a product to review. Every time I used this mask, I had to suppress the urge to quote Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder (in strong Australian accent: "I'm a dude playin' a dude disguised as another dude.") Since I'm used to the green or white clay masks, this black mud mask took a while for me to get used to. Unlike clay masks, the texture of Caviahue Thermal Mud is not as smooth. You can feel the earthy texture. However, it spreads out quite nicely. While the company scented this product, I can still smell the sulfur in the bentonite clay and volcanic earth.

Ingredients: bentonite, volcanic earth, kaolin, petrolatum, glycerin, cetilic alcohol, isopropyl myristate, triethanolamin, ethoxylated lanolin, polysorbate 20, carbopol, pentaglycan, methylparaben, propyparaben, parfum, deionized water.

This mud mask is clarifying, thanks to betonite clay and kaolin. The top 3 ingredients contain a lot of minerals and with bentonite being the most abundant ingredient, sulfur is also available in this mud mask. This means those who are prone to acne may benefit from this mask. The moisturizing properties come from glycerin, isopropyl myristate and petrolatum (an occlusive.) So far, this mud mask haven't made my skin break out yet. However, if you have congested skin, you may want to veer away from petroleum-based skincare products. Ethoxylated lanolin is the soluble form of lanolin, which is a moisturizing ingredient. Polysorbate 20 is an emulsifier while carbopol is a thickening polymer. What interests me is the presence of pentaglycan, a combination of glycosaminoglycans that has an ability to reduce hypertrophic scars when used with allium cepa and allantoin.

The instruction stated that you should wait for 10-15 minutes to dry before removing and in my experience, this mud mask takes that long to dry. Upon drying, my skin felt tight and I splashed water on my face to loosen up the mask. If I jumped right into the shower, I would not need the orange sponge since it is quite scratchy. However, the sponge makes removing the mud a lot less messy. Once, I came out of the shower realizing splatters of dark mud spots were all over it.

After washing the mud off my face, I follow up with this:

Caviahue Thermal Water ($24.90)

For those who are familiar with Evian Mineral Water Spray, the Caviahue Thermal Water is very similar. Basically, it's a can of pressurized water to spray on your face when your skin feels dry or overheat. The source of water in Caviahue contains zinc, selenium, aluminum, cadmium, chlorides, sulfates, and boron. The instruction stated to spray 15-20cm (6-8 inches) away from the face and wait for it to air dry.

Ingredients: water, HFA-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluorethane), EDTA, chlorhexidine digluconate.

Tetrafluorethane is a gas used to increase pressure inside the can to help propelling water into mist form. EDTA is a chelating agent used to bind to metal ions and add stability of the product toward air. Chlorhexidine digluconate is a powerful antimicrobial agent that is effective against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

 While the Thermal Water feels nice, I would prefer an actual moisturizer after I did the mask. For the size and price of this product, it is actually more expensive than Evian mineral water spray. A can of Evian spray contains 10 oz of water and costs $15 at Sephora. This one contains 7.78 oz and costs almost $25. However, for a short period of time, when you buy the mask from AcquaEssentials, you get the spray for free.

Since I'm in the middle of winter when it's cold and dry, I don't use these two products as much. The mud mask is a nice product that I can enjoy over and over again while the thermal water spray is a nice add on. Would I buy them again? Probably not, since the prices are expensive. These two products do make me feel pampered without having to travel all the way to Argentina.

Disclaimer: the products were provided for PR purposes. The opinions and experience, however, are my own. I thrive to provide honest product reviews to benefit you, my readers.

So, what do you think about these products? Do you have a favorite mud mask or water spray? Please let me know in the comment section. I'd love to hear from you.

Addendum: The kind folks at AcquaEssentials kindly pointed out to me that they have a sample pack that costs $6 that includes a sample of Thermal Mud. I received the sample pack before and the sizes of the samples are quite generous. For those who are interested, the link is here.

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