APIVITA is one of my favorite top 10 skincare lines.  I have yet to be disappointed by one of their products.  Originated by two Greek pharmacists, Nikos and Niki Koutsiana, in 1979, “APIVITA has developed and established over 300 natural, effective and holistic products for the face, body and hair, formulated with beekeeping products of high nutritional value, extracts of Greek herbs and pure essential oils, as well as many green innovations and patents.” (Direct content from APIVITA’s website)

APIVITA’s name was derived from the Latin word’s of Apis (bee) and Vita (life) which means, “life of the bee”.  The Koutsiana’s actually started the developing stages of APIVITA in 1972, inspired by the Honey bee society.  Honey bees are extremely important to economic growth in our society.  They are vital pollinators and work hard at making sure to keep fruits, nuts and vegetables in our diets.  (Read more on the importance of Honey Bee’s attribution to our economy here)  APIVITA is one of the leading “Green Cosmetolgy” skincare companies in the world.  They have their own beekeeping farms in Greece and practice ethical standards in making sure that they only take, “40% of the beehive’s production, leaving 60% of the honey on the honeycombs.”  They also protect their beehives by only intervening “with the use of essential oils and natural extracts.” (APIVITA’s Beekeeping Standards)

Honey is not the only derivative Honey bee’s produce, they also create Propolis.  Propolis is the resin made by the sap collected from the Honey bees combined with the their own discharge and beeswax.  This mixture of the sap and the Honey bee’s dishcharge, spawn a sticky -colored (color varies on the tree coloring where the sap is collected) product, called Propolis,  that is used as a coating to build hives.

Propolis is antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and a rich antioxidant for the skin.  APIVITA’s products are carefully developed with their own cultured Propolis.  Specifically created with Hippocrates philosophy of a “healthy mind in a healthy body”, APIVITA has based their formulations with the Greek philosopher’s ideals about the “NEED for HARMONY between the INDIVIDUAL, SOCIAL and NATURAL ENVIRONMENT” (The Hippocratic Ideal).

Three of their products that I will be reviewing today are all made with their home-grown Propolis.  They are:   Natural Serum-Radiance, Aqua Vita-24 Hour Moisturizing Cream Gel For Oily/Combintation Skin and Aqua Vita-24 Hour Moisturizing & Revitalizing Eye Cream.

Natural Serum- Radiance with bilberry & vitamin C.

 This serum has 96% Natural Ingredients in it, which is an extremely high percentage for a skincare product that is both effective and of good quality.  Bilberry is a a berry that grows on low shrubs, relative to other shrub-growing berries, it is similar in color and shape to a blueberry.  The bilberry is fortified with vitamins B, C, and E which are restorative, healing and nourishing agents for the skin.  Reservatrol, discovered to contain one of the best known anti-aging properties for the skin, is also found in bilberries.

This serum when I first saw it, threw me off guard.  It looks like the froth of a heavy cream and for a serum, I’m used to seeing more transparency but then I rubbed it in the palms of my hands and it was so smooth and delightfully scented with a uplifting citrus scent, that I quickly got over my prejudice of what I believed a serum should look like.  When I applied it on my skin, it was effortless, the serum melted into the pores, creating a nice vibrant appeal.  APIVITA named it as “RADIANCE” but it is not the typical radiance that I would envision with that term.  The radiance is subtle, underlying, and lifts the skin tone to a healthy appearance.  There is no “glow” with this serum, there is “life” with this serum, providing great nutrition for the skin.

The only downside to this product is its packaging.  The tiny, jade-coloring glass jar is absolutely beautiful.  I love the container with the droplet lid, I just don’t love that the droplet is impractical.  I had to continuously dip the droplet in the serum, only to receive a smidgen of it on my hand.  It became somewhat of a nuisance after awhile.  I just ended up turning the jar upside down and allowing the serum to fall into the palm of my hand, which seemed to work better.

APIVITA’s Natural Serum Radiance receives 4.o Stars only because of the packaging.

Aqua Vita-24 Hour Moisturizing & Revitalizing Eye Cream with chaste tree & ruscus.  This eye cream has 95% of natural ingredients in it, yet again, another high percentage of nature for your skin.  Chaste tree is indigenous to the Mediterranean and is great for hormonal balance.  When used topically on the skin, the Chaste tree’s extracts help to   moisturize, soothe and firm areas where it is applied.

Fun Fact:  The Chaste tree’s stems and leaves used to be eaten as an anaphrodisiac to help suppress “lustful yearnings”.  Also known as “Monk’s Pepper”, it was used as an anti-libido medicine for Monks to aid their attempts to remain chaste (Uses and benefits of the Chaste Tree).

Ruscus is one of my favorite ingredients for microcirculation.  It helps to treat blood circulation within the body, as well as swelling and water retention, which is great for puffy eyes.  This product feels similar to the Natural Serum Radiance, just a little thicker.  I can smell the earthy scent of the Chaste tree when I waft it under my nose, otherwise, the scent is very mild.  When I apply it to my eyes, I feel the Ruscus in cool effect, literally.  Ruscus naturally has cooling properties which help with its microcirculation.  Not only is this eye cream great to treat puffy eyes, it is also good for tired eyes that need a little rejuvenation.

APIVITA’s Aqua Vita 24 Hour Moisturizing & Revitalizing Eye Cream receives 5.o Stars.

Aqua Vita 24 Hour Moistruzing Cream-Gel for Oily/Combination Skin with Chaste Tree and Propolis.  This product smells like a cross between the citrus scents of the serum and the earthy aroma of the eye cream.  Very well crafted, I would recommend this product to anyone who has excessive oily skin, even mild oily skin that someone wants to keep regulated.  The gel part of the moisturizing cream shines in this product.  I apply oil to my skin daily and sometime’s I look like a sweaty, greasy catastophe but not with this moisturizer I don’t.  It doesn’t create a mattifying look on my skin like other products do for oily skin and that is what I truly like about this product.  I want to keep the glow on my skin and look healthy and vibrant and this product delivers that.

APIVITA’s Aqua Vita 24 Hour Moisturizing Cream-Gel for Oily/Combination Skin receives 5+ Stars.

Use all three of APIVITA’s products together for best results.  After cleansing the skin, apply the Natural Serum Radiance on the skin first, then the Aqua Vita Eye Cream followed by the Aqua Vita Moisturizing Cream-Gel.