Our Balmy Fox Skincare Review details a range of products from a long established ethical skincare products company. We have tested them thoroughly over the winter season and here is our review. We hope you find it useful.
Winter is tough on skin. Biting winds, cold temperatures and drying conditions all take their toll. At the least this can cause uncomfortable skin conditions. At worst it may cause problems that will stop your adventures. Either way, it pays to make every effort to look after your skin during the colder months.
Recently, skincare specialists Balmy Fox sent us some products to test during our Scotland and Norway winter season. Given the nature of our activities and the test period, Balmy Fox suggested that products from their On The Slope range would be a great option. A few months in and here is our review.
Who Are Balmy Fox?
Balmy Fox is a family run business set up by Paul (not Peak Mountaineering’s Paul!) whose family live and work on a farm in Mid Wales. They are an active team who cycle, horse ride, run and canoe. They used skincare products but, over the years, they became increasingly unimpressed with many high street options. They felt sure they could do better. Initially they incorporated natural ingredients into the products available before deciding they could make better options from scratch. They worked with a local chemist and, after much testing and tweaking, Balmy Fox was born. All their products are made in Great Britain.
The Balmy Fox range now features a broad selection, but producing quality is only half the story. Paul and his family also wanted to ensure their products are ethically produced. Whenever possible they use organic and ethically sourced ingredients. Currently, this covers 80% of their range and their aim is to get that figure to 100%. Also, a whopping 10% of their profits go to environmental and social causes and projects. For this year, for example, they are contributing to the World Land Trust, Paralympics GB and Plastic Oceans.
The Products
The Balmy Fox On The Slope range is designed, as the name suggests, for skiers and other cold weather activists. they sent us Muscle Rub, Hand & Foot Repair Cream, Anti-Chafe Cream and Lip Balm. Each product arrived in a smart box and inside was a smart screw top tin. Both items are fully recyclable. The package styling is subtle and yet cool with climbers and skiers in a stylised mountain scene. The lip balm contains 15 grams of product and the others contain 60 grams each.
In Use
We’ve now been using these products for a couple of months and have also asked friends to try the ones that it is hygienic to share. So, for our Balmy Fox Skincare review, what did we think?
It has to be said, firstly, that some of these products were a first for the testers. Several of us, for example, hadn’t previously even considered using muscle rub. Also, with the exception of the runners and cyclists, others hadn’t used anti-chafe cream. But, all threw themselves into the tests with enthusiasm!
Working in the winter mountains is physically tough. Long days, challenging weather and strange routines all mean taking care of yourself is paramount and yet more difficult than living a normal routine. Tough days also mean a bit of pampering is very welcome. Using the Balmy Fox products has actually become a welcome evening routine.
Each of the products has their own features. The Anti-Chafe Cream and Hand & Foot Repair Cream are creamy white formulations with a pleasant subtle smell. The Muscle Rub is also a creamy white mixture which has a lovely tangy flowery smell. The Lip Balm is a harder waxy mix with barely noticeable smell. What were our findings?
Anti-Chafe Cream
Runners and cyclists might be more familiar with anti-chafe creams. They are common for protecting delicate areas and where rub points occur. For skiers or mountaineers though, perhaps they are less used. That’s not to say, though, they aren’t of benefit. Certain parts of the body are certainly prone to rubbing when moving actively in the mountains. You could use anti-chafe cream either for prevention or as a treatment when rubbing occurs. Either way, we certainly found it a very easy to use and readily absorbed mixture.
Hand & Foot Repair Cream
Hands and feet certainly take a hammering in winter. Your feet live in bulky boots with thick socks and you are walking on them for hours. Your hands spend their time damp or inside chunky gloves. This cream was really effective at keeping these body parts in good condition. It is also a pleasure to use. It worked particularly well on the cracked skin which can commonly occur around the cuticles on fingers and thumbs.
Muscle Rub
The Muscle Rub is, as it says, a really nice creamy formulation ideal for tired leg and arm muscles. It is hard to say how much benefit comes from using this, but it does feel great. Even if the benefit is psychological, that is still a plus. As mentioned, this cream has a lovely tangy smell but is still easily absorbed. It was certainly the favourite product for a few of those who tested it.
Lip Balm
Lip Balm is a mountain essential. This applies throughout the year, but is especially relevant in winter. The soft skin on the lips is vulnerable to wind, cold and sun and we never leave home without balm in our packs. The Balmy Fox Lip Balm comes in a smart screw top tin. When opened, the firm wax looks like it will do the business. It does. It has kept our lips in tip top condition all winter.
It is worth noting that the lip balm doesn’t offer sun protection. This isn’t usually a big problem in Scotland, but is certainly a consideration if you are operating in sunnier climates. In this case, you could use a lip balm with SPF during the day and this one as an apres product.
Pricing
So, all the products performed really well. What else should our Our Balmy Fox Skincare Review consider? What about prices? The larger tins all cost £11.75 each and the lip balm is £5.50. There are cheaper variants in the market, for high quality and ethically produced products this is a reasonable price. Just to also say, Balmy Fox do offer various combos and sets which brings the price down.
Branding
The branding of Balmy Fox is great. We all agreed the packaging and styling are top notch. This also means Balmy Fox products will make very well received presents.
Summary
Our Balmy Fox Skincare Review highlights an ethical British family run business producing high quality products designed for outdoor enthusiasts. We reckon Balmy Fox are just the type of business that needs supporting and we wish them every success. We also really value their ethos of supporting important environmental and social initiatives.
Please do check out the Balmy Fox product range on their website here and give them a try. Infact, we can help there too. Balmy Fox have kindly offered a discount to Peak Mountaineers. All you need to do is enter the code Peak22 to enjoy a 15% discount.
We hope you have found this review useful. We regularly review products so please do have a look at others in our archive. Our Olang Pegaso Tex OC boots review here shares details of a great winter boot option. You might also find our review of the Primus Trek Pot Set here of interest.