Botanical Skin Cream
A fragrance-free moisturizer for face and body.
Complimentary shipping in the United States. Unopened jars may be returned within 14 days of delivery.
In brief
| For | Face and body |
|---|---|
| Scent | Fragrance-free |
| Coconut oil | None |
| Ingredients | 22, each with its amount |
| Size | 4 oz / 113 g |
What it is
A rich cream with a triple-butter system of shea, mango and rare Bornean illipe. On that base sit the actives: niacinamide to strengthen the barrier and even tone, bakuchiol as a gentle plant alternative to retinol, and hyaluronic acid with glycerin and betaine to hold water in. Olive squalane, jojoba and marula absorb rather than sit on top. Coconut-oil-free and fragrance-free, in 4 oz amber glass.
Made in Charlevoix, Michigan.
Before you buy
For external use only. Contains oat, shea and soy. Patch test if sensitive.
Fragrance-free. No essential oils, no synthetic “Parfum” — the only scent is the soft natural note of the botanical base.
Why it is built this way.
Made to be rich enough for the body and good enough for the face, to one rule: an ingredient goes in only if it does a job nothing else in the jar does, and nothing cleaner could do it better.
01
Three butters, three jobs.
Shea for the soft cushion, mango for body, and illipe, the firmest, for the rich set in the jar.
02
Actives at working levels.
Niacinamide sits fifth on the label, above most of the oils. Bakuchiol, the plant alternative to retinol, is in at the level its published studies used.
03
Water held in, three ways.
Glycerin draws it in, betaine softens the tack glycerin can leave, and hyaluronic acid holds it at the surface.
04
Light oils, so it absorbs.
Olive squalane, jojoba and marula sit between the butters, so it goes on rich and is gone in a minute.
05
Nothing for show.
No fragrance, no essential oils, no coconut oil, nothing from petroleum, and no extract added in a pinch to be named on the front.
06
Checked past the label.
Every raw material is checked against a published clean-beauty standard, including the preservatives that can arrive hidden inside another ingredient.
The whole label, by amount.
Every ingredient on the label, in order, with how much of it is in the jar and the reason it is there. Nothing is left off.
WaterThe carrierthe carrier, and most of the jar
Aqua (Water)
Other creams give their water a trademarked name and a backstory. Meria calls it water. It is listed first because there is the most of it, and it carries everything else: the butters and oils, held through it as fine droplets, and the ingredients that only dissolve in water: niacinamide, panthenol and betaine. Without it the jar would be a solid balm. That is the whole secret.
Shea butterMajora major ingredient
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
The melt-in. Softens at skin temperature, so the cream breaks down on contact instead of sitting on top.
GlycerinMajora major ingredient
Glycerin
A humectant — it pulls water in and holds it. Plain, cheap, and one of the most reliably useful things in any moisturiser.
Mango butterKeya key ingredient
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
The middle butter — firmer than shea, lighter than illipe, and low in odour. Body without heaviness.
NiacinamideKeya key ingredient
Niacinamide
The most-studied ingredient in the jar. Supports the skin barrier and evens the look of tone and texture.
Olive squalaneKeya key ingredient
Squalane
Olive-derived. Absorbs rather than sitting on top, which is what separates a cream that softens from one that coats.
Illipe butterKeya key ingredient
Shorea Stenoptera (Illipe) Seed Butter
A rare high-melt butter from Borneo. The firmest of the three butters, and the reason the skin cream sets richer than it spreads.
BetaineKeya key ingredient
Betaine
A humectant from sugar beet. Holds water without the tack that glycerin alone can leave.
Plant emulsifierKeya key ingredient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
The emulsifier that makes oil and water into one cream. Plant-derived, and gentler than the PEG-based emulsifiers it replaces.
Jojoba oilKeya key ingredient
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Technically a liquid wax rather than an oil, and the closest botanical match to what skin already makes. It absorbs instead of pooling.
Marula oilKeya key ingredient
Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil
A light oil, high in oleic acid, that absorbs quickly rather than sitting on the surface.
Fatty alcoholKeya key ingredient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Not the drying kind. Fatty alcohols are waxy and conditioning — the opposite of the drying alcohol on a toner label. Stabilises the emulsion and carries the texture.
Provitamin B5Supportinga supporting ingredient
Panthenol
Holds water and gives the cream its slip.
Colloidal oatSupportinga supporting ingredient
Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour
Soft, comforting feel on the skin.
GluconolactoneMinora minor ingredient
Gluconolactone
Part of the preservative system, with sodium benzoate and calcium gluconate. A cream that is mostly water will spoil without one — this is the gentler way to prevent that.
BakuchiolMinora minor ingredient
Bakuchiol
Smooths and renews in the way retinol does, gentle enough for daily use. The purified Sytenol® A grade, not a crude babchi extract.
Hyaluronic acidMinora minor ingredient
Sodium Hyaluronate
The salt form of hyaluronic acid, which is the form that actually absorbs. Draws in water for immediate plumpness.
Vitamin EMinora minor ingredient
Tocopherol
An antioxidant. Its first job is keeping the oils in the jar from oxidising, which is what makes a natural formula go off.
Sodium benzoateMinora minor ingredient
Sodium Benzoate
Part of the preservative system. Unglamorous and necessary: an unpreserved water-based cream grows things within days.
Sodium phytateMinora minor ingredient
Sodium Phytate
A chelator from rice bran. It binds the trace metals that would otherwise turn the oils, so the cream keeps.
Calcium gluconateMinora minor ingredient
Calcium Gluconate
Part of the preservative blend, named because it is in the jar. A mineral salt of gluconic acid, the same family as the gluconolactone beside it.
PantolactoneTracea trace
Pantolactone
A trace that arrives with the provitamin B5. It is part of how panthenol is made, so it is listed rather than left off.
Amounts are shown as bands, not exact figures. The order is by weight, as on every label, and each level shows the scale. Tap an ingredient for its label name and the reason it is there. The exact recipe is kept private so it cannot be copied; nothing in the jar is unnamed or left off this list. Fragrance-free: no essential oils, no synthetic “Parfum.”
The full list
Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycerin, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Niacinamide, Squalane, Shorea Stenoptera (Illipe) Seed Butter, Betaine, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Gluconolactone, Bakuchiol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Phytate, Calcium Gluconate, Pantolactone.
A formulation built around what skin actually wants.
Meria’s skin cream is a water-based cream layered with a triple-butter system — shea, mango, and rare Bornean illipe — and olive squalane, an emollient identical to the skin’s own oils, so it absorbs instead of sitting on top. On that base sit the actives that do the visible work: niacinamide to strengthen the barrier and even tone, bakuchiol as a gentle plant-based retinol alternative, and hyaluronic acid with glycerin and betaine to hold water in. Rich enough for the body, refined enough for the face. Coconut-oil-free, and fragrance-free for the most sensitive skin.
To use
Apply generously to clean skin. Massage until absorbed. Use daily on body, hands, and face. For external use only.
What it leaves out
- Silicones
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Petroleum
- PEGs
- Phthalates
- Coconut oil
- Synthetic fragrance
What it will not do.
- It will not hide forty secret ingredients behind the word “fragrance”.
- It will not open with something from an oil well.
- It will not put a trademark where an ingredient should be.
- It will not promise you a new face in fourteen days.
Questions, answered.
Is it safe for the face?
Yes, for most skin types — designed for the body and gentle enough for the face. Patch test first if your skin is highly reactive.
Is it coconut-oil-free?
Yes. There is no coconut oil in it, and no fractionated coconut. Two ingredients, the fatty alcohol and the emulsifier, are of a kind commonly made from coconut or palm, so anyone who reacts to coconut derivatives should patch test first.
Will it feel greasy?
No. The squalane and triple-butter system is chosen to absorb rather than sit on top. Rich, not greasy. Squalane mimics the skin’s own oils, so it sinks in instead of staying on the surface.
Both creams, together.
The pair is $140, $16 less than apart.
