I’d been looking for a vegan and ethical skincare brand that doesn’t use harsh detergents for a long time without any luck, until I came across NueBar - the tiny Australian beauty and skincare company.
I generally struggle when buying soap and face wash. I hate the dry, stretched feeling that comes after using soap on my skin - it feels as though my skin will shrivel unless I moisturise immediately, and I just don’t think skin is meant to feel that way.
When one of my readers commented on my Caring for Natural Hair post asking for a vegan shampoo bar recommendation, I came across NueBar and realised it basically had everything I was looking for.
NueBar has a full range of vegan, cruelty-free, CG-friendly (more on that later) and natural beauty products, and everything has been formulated by the owner Katie, who also happens to be a naturopath. All shampoo bars, conditioner bars, body washes and face wash bars are handmade in Australia, all packaging materials are plastic-free and recyclable, and the ingredients are natural, organic and Fair Trade.
I didn’t think it was possible to incorporate all those things, but omgosh it’s the dream.
I am very grateful to have been gifted these products to try, but I am not being paid to write this and I am under no obligation to give them a good review. This is my honest opinion. SO, let’s get to it.
(Note: This post has affiliate links but clicking on them doesn’t cost you anything extra - you just get some super karma points :) )
NueBar Vegan Face Wash Bar
I opted for the Normal Skin bar because my skin tends to err on the side of dry if anything, but you can get different bars for oily or acne-prone skin, mature or dry skin, or fragrance-free bars if you’re sensitive to scents. If fragrance is not a problem for you, I do recommend choosing the scented option - it smells phenomenal.
The first thing I noticed when I took the square face wash bar out of the box was how light and ever so slightly textured it felt. Not grainy, but definitely a natural surface compared with the impossibly smooth feel of mass-produced soaps.
I could feel the essential oils lightly on my fingers when I held the dry bar, but it didn’t dent when I touched it - a good first indicator as to how quickly it will disintegrate in water, and how long it will last.
On top of all that, NueBar say their wash bars are soap-free, which basically means that they don’t use lye to make them (this is what makes soap alkaline, definitely not the correct pH for skin which has a mildly acidic pH). NueBar also don't use harsh sulfate based detergents so the wash gentle and good for skin health, and have managed to achieve it all without the use of palm oil - which is great because it destroys rainforests - which is a pretty big achievement, given how much hidden palm oil is found in hair and skin products.
Before
I workout six days a week, which means I sweat six days a week and my face doesn’t like it. I tend to break out along my hairline and around my chin where natural oils build up.
I have tried a few different products over the last six months, including natural scrubs, gentle foamy cleansers and a charcoal face wash bar, and none of them really got rid of the problem, so I figured breaking out was likely a byproduct of working out, and I would have to live with it.
Test one: Without Make up
After the gym, I wet my face with warm water and smoothed it over my cheeks and forehead. I find this easier than rubbing the soap in my hands first, and I’m the only one using the bar sooo it doesn’t matter. Despite the bar’s textured feel, the product was smooth on my skin and didn’t feel grainy at all. It also didn’t foam much, or start to soften or disintegrate in my hand.
When I thought I had enough on, I used my fingers to gently move the product over the rest of my face, the way I usually would to cleanse it. It felt light and smooth, and smelled amazing - not overpoweringly so, it was nice and subtle. I rinsed it off, dried my face and noticed I didn’t get that dry and stretched feeling on my skin, but it definitely felt clean. I moisturised like I normally would, with coconut oil, and that was it.
Test two: with make up
I wear sunscreen, primer and foundation if I’m leaving the house for any reason other than to go grocery shopping or to the gym, so cleansing products I use need to be able to get it all off. After a day of wearing a full face of cosmetics, I basically followed the steps above, but I made sure to rub a little more product on my face this time, and spent more time using my fingers to really make sure it was lifting the cosmetics off.
Because it doesn’t really foam, it doesn’t really feel like it’s getting everything off so I was a little skeptical as to how it would go in the make up department. Once I thought I’d rubbed it all away, I rinsed my face, dried it, and got a clean make up removal pad with some toner to see if there was any residual make up left on my skin.
It was clean.
result
My skin hasn’t broken out in almost three weeks, which is a first since I started working out profusely. I found that surprising because it honestly doesn’t really feel like NueBar is doing anything better than other products while you’re using it, but the results are noticeably better. Not only have I not broken out at all, but my skin feels hydrated, cleansed and fresh.
The bar itself hasn’t disintegrated at all, and I use it once a day - so that’s almost 14 uses and it barely looks touched - the big F on the top has shown no signs of fading. Other bars I’ve used have become slimy and/or noticeably smaller after just a few uses, which ultimately means you’ll have to buy a new one sooner.
NueBar recommend letting each bar dry after use to avoid further disintegration, so I pop mine to the side, outside the shower, when I’m not using it.
Verdict
Given the positive results, I would definitely continue using the NueBar face wash. The bar dries well and doesn’t feel sticky after use so you can take it travelling or on holidays without worrying about it getting squished in your bag. At $16 for months worth of product, it’s very well priced and I would say a worthwhile purchase.
NueBar Vegan Body Wash Bar
There are a lot of similarities between the NueBar face wash and body wash in terms of texture and scent, but the body wash bar is larger, foams quite a lot, and designed for full-body use.
As a soap-free bar, the body wash is meant to help retain the moisture in the skin. It also has ghassoul clay - a brown clay from the Atlas mountains of Morocco - to draw away impurities.
It’s also probably worth noting that this particular product was a finalist in the 2020 Australian non-toxic awards for sustainable products.
The other thing I love about NueBar is the ‘bit bags’ (see pic below) that you can get for body wash, shampoo and conditioner bars. You know how soap eventually gets small, flimsy and breaks into a couple of pieces when it gets too small and you start abandoning those pieces because they’re just too small. Queue bit bag. Pop all those extra bits into the bag, secure it with the draw string, and wet the whole bag to use up those last bits of bar. Each bag is labelled with a W (body wash), C (conditioner) and S (shampoo) so you don’t get them mixed up.
The Bar
The first thing I noticed was how light-weight it was, and how much I didn’t realise how great the smell of orange and cocoa butter would be. Unlike the face bar, I submerged the wash bar in water before use, before I lathered it in my hands. It foams nicely and has a smooth feel on skin. It didn’t start to shink in my hands from the first use and holds its shape very well.
Like the face bar, it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much at the time, but again the proof is in the results. My skin didn’t feel all tight and stretched like with regular soap, but cleansed and hydrated. It has now been about two weeks exclusively using the NueBar body wash and my skin still feels fresh and clean.
Verdict
I have now been using the body wash every day for about three weeks and the W has only just started to fade, so I expect it to last quite a long time. And at $23 a bar, that’s what you want. It’s not cheap, but given that the ingredients are all natural, fair trade, vegan and cruelty-free, and the bar is hand-made and will last quite a long time, I would say it’s a worthwhile spend if you have the money to spare.
I would definitely get it again because I just love the ethos of the company, the product is clean and good for my skin, and I love knowing I’m supporting small local businesses.
