Usually, in this series, I pick the five best products from a skincare brand. But Stratia has ONLY 7 products. And they’re all good.
It was SO hard to narrow them down to 5, so if I missed out on your fave, don’t freak out. It’s still awesome and you should still use it.
What made the cut? Here are the best Stratia skincare products:
Best For Multi-Tasking: Stratia Liquid Gold ($24.00)
First things first: Stratia Liquid Gold doesn’t contain any gold. It just looks gold. Sea buckthorn oil gives it that colour. So what makes it the brand’s bestseller? Niacinamide. It’s a multitasker that hydrates skin, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, fades away dark spots, brightens skin, treats acne and even soothes rosacea. Plus, Liquid Gold is loaded with fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier. This makes it a wonderful moisturiser to counteract the drying effects of actives like retinol or just the harsh winter weather. Just one warning: if your skin’s very pale, its yellow colour may make your skin look orangey. Use it at night.
Related: Why You Should Add Niacinamide To Your Skincare Routine
Not sure how to mix and match all these products? Download your FREE “How To Combine Your Actives Like A Pro” cheatsheet to figure out which ingredients you should never use together:
Best For Exfoliation: Stratia Soft Touch AHA ($14.00)
Stratia Soft Touch AHA is one of the very few products out there with mandelic acid. It’s an AHA that’s larger than glycolic or lactic acid. On the plus side, that means it does the exfoliating job without irritating skin. On the other, it’s slightly less effective. If you’re just starting out with acids, this is a good option to get your skin used to them without side effects. If you have acne, you’ll also appreciate its antibacterial properties.  But if you’re a long-time glycolic acid user, stick with that. 🙂
Related: AHA VS BHA: Which One Is Right For You?
Best For Brightening: Stratia C + C Serum ($25.00)
Stratia C + C Serum gives you a double dose of Vitamin C: Â it has 10% ascorbic acid (the pure form of vitamin C) plus 5% ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate (an oil-soluble derivative that penetrates deeper into your skin). Together, they brighten the complexion, fight free radicals, and boost collagen. The waterless formula keeps the vitamin stable and effective for long while feeling lovely on the skin. No grittiness, stinging, or anything like that. It could do with a sprinkle of Vitamin E and ferulic acid (they make Vitamin C more effective), but it’s still a very effective (and affordable) option for all skin types bar oily (L-Ascorbic Acid may aggravate acne).
Related: The Complete Guide To Vitamin C In Skincare: What It Is, What It Does, And How To Use It
Best For Cleansing: Stratia Velvet Cleansing Milk ($15.00)
Velvet Cleansing Milk is a very gentle cleanser for dry and sensitive skin. It has gentle surfactants that remove dirt and makeup. Glycerin to add moisture. Soothing ingredients like chamomile and allantoin to calm down irritation. Â A skin-friendly pH of 5. In other words, it has everything you need to cleanse your skin without drying it out or irritating it. Only if you wear stubborn long-lasting foundation, you may need to cleanse with an oil first.
Related: Does Your Cleanser Has A Low pH? (And Why It Matters)
Best For Anti-Aging: Stratia Night Shift ($28.00)
Retinol is a diva: it’ll reduce your wrinkles, fade away your dark spots, and even treat acne…. and leave dryness, peeling, and irritation in its wake. Not with Stratia Night Shift. This night cream features 0.15% microencapsulated retinol. In other words, this small (but still effective!) dose is delivered into your skin through a period of several hours instead all at once to neutralise the drying punch. Plus, the cream is loaded with ceramides and centella asiatica to soothe any irritating side effects you may otherwise experience and leaves skin softer and smoother. It’s perfect for beginners looking for their first retinol products.
Related: What Strength Of Retinol Is Right For You?
Availability
All the products mentioned in this post are available at Stratia.
thank you for the review, I will pass on these products.
Jeff, you’re welcome.
The Soft Touch AHA and Rewind have made such a huge difference in the tone and texture of my skin! They’ve also done awesome things for my acne – I only get a hormonal breakout every once in awhile now. Liquid Gold and the cleansing milk are next on my list of products to try as soon as I use up my current cleanser and moisturizer!
Even better, Alli, who started the company, provides fantastic customer service. It’s not often that the creator of your skincare will track down a purchase for you if it goes missing in transit! 🙂
Stephanie, thanks for sharing your experience. Glad to know the products work so well for you. Alli sounds amazing. I love brands that care like that.
Can I use these on my very rosacea skin? thank you kindly! : )
Tracy, you should be able to. These products are gentle. But I guess with rosacea there’s always the chance that one of them won’t work for you.
Ultra Gold has been my HG ever since I make the roomie mistake of adding too many chemical exfoliants without patch testing AND end up with dehydrated skin that was both dry and oily at the same time so it was a nightmare. SUG fixed my skin in record time and for the price, I don’t go Without it especially now that I’m using Tretinoin gel. I cannot even imagine for a second how long I would’ve had to deal with this damage moisture barrier and how much money I would’ve spent on extremely expensive products from Dermalogica’s ultracalming wash, serums, and moisturizers or more May Lindstrom – this is a FAR better deal and worked Just as well for my face as did those crazy overpriced products.
Stratiafan, glad you’ve found something that works so well for you.
I just ordered my second bottle of Liquid Gold. I wish I have found it sooner. It’s so soothing on my “tretinoin skin” and keeps it lovely!