The Story Behind Our Detox Gel

Our Detox Gel was made for one particular job in a face routine: the step between toning and moisturizing. Marianella formulated it, as she formulates every product we sell, and it is made by hand in our Williamsburg workshop in batches of 50 to 100. Its current version adds Kalahari melon seed oil, the ingredient our brand is built around, to a light base of aloe and shea butter.

That is the short story. The longer one is about why a gel, why that step, and why each ingredient made it into the jar.

Who makes it

Marianella grew up making soap in her grandmother's kitchen in Venezuela, and she still makes every formula and every fragrance we sell. Her son David, our Creative Director, gives each product its look, from the label to the box. The Detox Gel follows the same path as everything else: Marianella works out the formula, David designs how it looks, and the gel is mixed, poured, labeled and packed by hand in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

We work in batches of 50 to 100. That is small enough to check each one: how the texture feels on the back of a hand, how the scent opens, how the jar looks before it leaves the bench. We make what is needed rather than filling a warehouse, so the gel you open was made recently.

Why a gel, and why that step

Most face routines jump from cleanser straight to serum or cream. The Detox Gel fills the gap between them. It adds a weightless layer of hydration to freshly cleansed skin, so it never feels bare, and it gives the serum, oil or makeup that follows a smoother surface to glide over.

A gel suits that job better than a cream would. It is light enough to sit under anything, it melts into skin in seconds, and it leaves no tacky or heavy layer of its own. The first touch is cool, which is part of the pleasure of using it, particularly in the morning.

Why Kalahari melon seed oil went in

Kalahari melon seed oil is our hero ingredient. It is cold-pressed from the seeds of a wild melon that grows in the Kalahari of southern Africa, a plant that stores water to get through the dry season. The oil is clear and golden, light and dry to the touch. It absorbs quickly, leaves little residue and helps skin hold moisture.

Those qualities are exactly what a gel needs from an oil. A heavier oil would weigh down a formula whose whole point is lightness. Kalahari melon seed oil adds softness without changing the gel's fresh, clean feel. It also ties the gel to the rest of our face care: the same oil leads The Royal Kalahari Face Serum, the formula that won People's Star Beauty Award for Best Facial Care Product, and the two are meant to be used one after the other.

The rest of the formula

Every other ingredient in the jar has a specific reason to be there.

• Aloe leaf juice is the base. It gives the gel its body and provides the light, water-binding hydration you feel first.
• Shea butter may seem unexpected in a gel. A touch of it adds cushion, so skin does not feel dry or stripped once the gel has sunk in.
• Tea tree leaf oil gives the gel its crisp, herbal, clean scent. It is part of why the gel feels so fresh going on.

Every ingredient we use is described in our Ingredient Library, with where it comes from and how it feels on the skin.

A jar made to be used generously

The Detox Gel comes in a large 4 oz jar. We chose that size so you can use it the way it is meant to be used, morning and night over face and neck, without rationing it. A thin layer each time is all it needs, so a jar goes a long way.

The name can mislead. The gel is not a mask and it is not rinsed off. "Detox" describes how skin feels after it: clean, fresh, calm and comfortable, ready for whatever comes next.

How we use it ourselves

After cleansing, we smooth a thin layer of gel over face and neck. While the skin still feels fresh, we press in a few drops of the Royal Kalahari Face Serum. In the morning, sunscreen goes on last. It takes a minute or two, and it is the simplest face routine we know that still feels complete.

Questions about how the Detox Gel is made

Who formulates the Detox Gel?

Marianella, our founder, who makes every formula and fragrance we sell. Her son David designs the packaging.

Is the Detox Gel made by hand?

Yes. It is mixed, poured, labeled and packed by hand in our Williamsburg, Brooklyn workshop, in batches of 50 to 100.

Why add Kalahari melon seed oil to a gel?

Because it is light, dry to the touch and quick to absorb, so it adds softness and helps skin hold moisture without making the gel feel heavy.

Is the Detox Gel tested on animals?

No. We have never tested on animals, and we never will.