Update 12/16/2010: These products have been discontinued and CVS customer service has been unresponsive. For recommendations for other natural skin care lines, please see my posts on Boscia, Skin, and MyChelle Dermaceuticals, as well as Badger lip balms.
I was really surprised to learn that these products even exist. A natural skin care line made with herb and flower extracts … whose products contain more than 94% natural ingredients … that uses no parabens, SLS, phthalates, or petrolatums … and is available exclusively at CVS for an average $5 price point? Get out!
After seeing an ad for Vickery & Clarke Natural Apothecary products in my Natural Health magazine, I almost couldn’t wait to head over to our brand-new neighborhood CVS to try them out. The products weren’t in stock the first time I checked, but they were in a few weeks later. I stayed for a few minutes and smelled just about everything, and was surprised by the variety of products.
Of course I wanted to take home everything, but at the time I had just thrown down 64 bones for a dental filling, so I had to limit myself. However, for a mere $23, I walked out with …
- Aloe Vera & Chamomile Face Cleanser
- Aloe Vera & Cucumber Face Tonic spray toner skin (yay for sprays! I love spray toners because they don’t require you to buy those little cotton squares, which is one less thing that goes in the trash and therefore the landfill.)
- Vitamin A & Vitamin E Face Moisturizer
- Anti-Oxidant Face Serum with Vitamin A & Vitamin E
- Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
That’s five products for what many quality lines charge just for a cleanser. Who says there aren’t options for natural girls on a budget?
I’m also digging that the line is named after Alice Vickery and Isabella Clarke, who, according to the product packaging, “broke new ground for women as pharmacists in the 1800s.” The brand was created in recognition of their work, and “promises to deliver effective remedies using pure and simple ingredients.” Sweet … I feel like an environmentalist and a feminist.
So how does V&C rate?
Product experience: Not bad. Scents are light but clean and appealing and also slightly medicinal, which I enjoy … it makes me feel like I really am using old-school apothecary products. A little bit of the anti-oxidant serum goes a long way. The Cocoa Butter lip balm tastes faintly of cookies, which is awesome, and it’s moisturizing, not at all greasy.
Product diversity: Outstanding. Face cleansers, moisturizers, and toners come in two versions: normal to dry, and normal to oily. Other facial products include a scrub and a mask. I think I even saw a spot on the shelf for an eye cream. V&C also offers a body wash, body scrub, body lotion, shea butter hand cream, milk bath, foot cream, and some sort of leg spray … plus a Lavender Vanilla Pillow Mist and a Eucalyptus Peppermint Cold and Sinus Soak. It’s part aromatherapy, part apothecary in a simple yet diverse product line.
Packaging: Products come in recyclable plastic bottles. I would prefer a bar cleanser, but I know those are hard to come by. The company does get bonus points for the spray toner.
Accessibility: Debatable. There were some empty spaces on the shelves, and availability of products on the Web site seems to fluctuate. But CVS is everywhere.
Quality of ingredients: Hard to verify the “94% natural” claim; some of the ingredients have scary-sounding names like cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, but this actually rates a hazard score of 0 (low hazard) in the Skin Deep Database. I entered all the ingredients from the face cleanser and came up with an overall hazard score of 4 (moderate hazard), which isn’t too terrible. The worst offender in the ingredients list is fragrance, which falls towards the end of the list so probably isn’t used in abundance. The aloe vera extract, lavender extract, and jojoba seed oil are all safe, natural ingredients and fall towards the middle of the list.
Bottom line: The normal-to-oily products are a bit heavier than I prefer, but I am using them at night. I love the smell and the simplicity of the line. And you simply can’t beat this price point. If you like to have lots of products on hand that smell wonderful but you don’t want to spend a fortune on personal care products, give V&C a try.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Sadly, CVS has decided to discontinue these products, which is a shame because they are the only ones that work on my sensitive skin. I’m terribly bummed about this and I don’t know the reason behind their decision, but…..it’s most unfortunately for those of us who like natural beauty on a budget. Maybe if enough of us contact the corporate office and request the recontinuation of these products, they’ll bring them back. So, gals, how about it? Their phone number is 888-607-4287 or you can e-mail them at customercare@cvs.com.
This is the only lip balm that works on my sensitive skin. Any ideas on where to buy it now? I have been to all the CVS’s around Los Angeles, and could only get 3 tubes. I am now frantically searching the internet.
I’ll email customercare right now.
I would definitely e-mail customer care! The V&C medicated lip treatment is still available on the CVS Web site, but not the regular lip balm. There are also a handful of V&C products available on ebay but again, I don’t see the regular lip balm. Contacting them directly is probably your best bet. Good luck!!
did CVS ever follow up with you regarding the product. Do you know where i can purchase the product since CVS is not selling it.
No, I never did hear back from them. There are some products available on ebay.
I tried the Intensive Moisture Lip Balm because it was on clearance. I like it because the only unidentifiable or controversial ingredients in it are ‘Natural Flavors’ and ‘Tocopherol.’ Everything else is a butter or an oil, beeswax and Aloe Leaf Powder. None are listed as organic or fair-trade but I still really do like it. Now they don’t carry it and I can’t even find a Vickery and Clarke website to see ingredients in their other products or to see if they’re sold elsewhere. I did see the ingredients list for their lip treatment and there are way too many synthetic sounding names (though I didn’t research all the ingredients) and had more than a dozen ingredients. In my opinion, the less ingredients in a product the better. I really think this intensive moisture lip balm is really the closest thing that CVS carried to a natural product. The Renpure Organics that they just started carrying has too many strange ingredients in it too.
Hi Sandy,
Unfortunately the V&C products have been discontinued. There are some products on ebay but I don’t see the intensive moisture lip balm. You might try e-mailing CVS (I did a while ago but never heard back from them). Maybe if they get enough response they will considering bringing the products back. I absolutely agree, the fewer ingredients in a product, the better! I have been using a Burt’s Bees beeswax lip balm lately, which has pretty good ingredients and just a faint trace of peppermint. Burt’s Bees is widely available so that might be one to look for. Also you can always check ingredients at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/. Sometimes even ingredients that sound scary check out okay.
Thanks for reading!
Karen
I also sent CVS customer care an Email through their website. I love Vickery & Clarke Natural Apothecary products and I have JUST run out at home. No luck finding it- I always keep my eyes peeled. With hope it will pop up again, somewhere.
Can we not find out who manufactures this product and ask for them to send us the information as to where we can buy Vickery & Clarke ? I live off an island off the coast of Honduras and I NEED my Vitamin drops, I’m totally sick about this…. HELP!!!
Hi Ollie, according to Trademarkia, the Vickery & Clarke Natural Apothecary trademark is owned by Advanced Healthcare Distributors LLC. There is more information on this page. As far as I can tell, the product line is completely dead, and CVS has been unresponsive. I would recommend searching for an alternative, sorry.
I am now using Boscia, which has some great preservative-free, vitamin-packed products, albeit pricier. Good luck!
Some good information here. I am continuing to for additional ideas on natural health and would love any suggestions. Thanks a lot!
I happened to puchase these products on a clearance shelf in CVS last fall. I purchased several containers of each product that I use. I love the products, but there is not a web site to contact the company directly. I am almost 60 years old and most product cause my skin to break out but these products don’t and I love the way they make my skin feel and look. I can’t find any information on the distributor to make an attempt to contact them…someone must know someway to get more of these products.
Hi Lois, unfortunately since the patent for this brand has not been renewed, I think we are out of luck. I would recommend looking at a health food store for another line that does not use parabens or other harsh chemicals, which is probably why other products make your skin break out. One good line that uses all natural ingredients is Skin … you can order them online and they are not too expensive. Good luck!
I am so bummed to find out this information. I love the Vickery and Clarke chapstick and I wished I stalked up on it when I had the chance. I have been searching for it and assumed that just because CVS discontinued it I would still find it online. If anyone finds it anywhere please notify me! I loved the feel, the smell….the taste….the tube….I am so so sad.
Katie, we feel your pain … the lip balm was awesome and I really wish CVS would respond to our messages and pleas to bring it back! I will be on the lookout for similar lip balms and will report back if I find anything good. Thanks for the comments!
I found your blog while searching for any possibility of scoring some more Vickery & Clarke face serum. Still trying to savor the last dropperful. I just wrote to CVS too and Thank you for the suggestion! Keep up the great work.
Thanks Stefanie! Good luck with the serum. If you can’t find any, I am currently using a serum from Skin and I love it!
Sooooo frustrating! To have discovered such an excellent product at CVS as the Vikery & Clarke Body Lotion and to not be able to purchase it again. CVS has not responded to my email either.
Very frustrating … and failing to respond to customer inquiries is a major customer service fail!