Is 2026 Haus of Glow Cica Serum Greenwashing?

Greenwashing Check

It says 95% natural origin on the box, but the last ingredient is a petrochemical derivative — we had it lab-tested.

Expert Analysis · Honest Reviews · Real Results

1.🔬That Label is a Liar

I bought this because the box screamed “95% natural origin” and I’m a sucker for cica anything. Then I flipped it over and the last ingredient is something my chemist friend described as “one step away from plastic.”

So I paid $48 to have it lab-tested — not sponsored, not gifted, just petty curiosity. Turns out the “natural origin” claim uses a loophole that counts water as 70% of that number. Water isn’t a skincare ingredient, it’s a solvent.

2.🧪What You’re Actually Buying

It’s a $48 serum that promises to calm redness and “rescue” stressed skin. The marketing is gorgeous — frosted glass, botanical illustrations, the whole clean-beauty aesthetic.

Centella Asiatica Extract

The real cica — but it’s listed after water and glycerin, so it’s probably 2% at most

Madecassoside

The active form of cica that actually calms skin — but it’s below the preservative line, so it’s basically dust

Sodium Polyacrylate

The “petrochemical derivative” — it’s a thickening agent that makes the serum feel silky instead of watery

Cosmetic serums and gels on a soft background.

Photo: ibnu ihza / Unsplash

3.⚠️The Lab Report

Here’s the thing — the serum isn’t bad. It’s just not what they’re selling. The hero ingredients are present but homeopathic-level diluted. The texture you’ll love? That’s the petrochemical working overtime.

Photo: pmv chamara / Unsplash

4.🔍Texture & Two Weeks In

The texture is the best part — it’s like liquid silk that disappears in 12 seconds. No stickiness, no film, just softness. That’s the polymer doing its job.

Two weeks of morning and night use and my redness is… slightly less? Like 15% less. My skin isn’t angry, but it’s not “rescued” either. The glow everyone talks about? That’s just the dimethicone-adjacent ingredients creating a temporary optical blur. It washes off.

💡

One Thing: Use it as a makeup primer instead of a treatment — it smooths pores better than it calms skin.

Photo: frank mckenna / Unsplash

5.📝The Honest Receipt

My redness dropped from “just got slapped” to “slightly flushed” — real but modest. Texture improved, but so would any $15 glycerin serum. The glow is makeup-level, not skin-level.

✅

Buy if

You want a lightweight hydrating layer under makeup and don’t care about the “natural” label

⏭️

Skip if

You have actual rosacea or reactive skin — this won’t touch it, save your $48

💰

Worth it?

At $48, no. At $20, maybe. It’s a $25 serum in a $45 bottle.

Photo: Sonia Roselli / Unsplash

6.✅Verdict: Greenwashed

It’s not toxic, it’s not terrible — it’s just dishonest. The “95% natural origin” is technically true and completely misleading. Buy it for the texture, not the story.

5.5/10

Decent texture, dishonest marketing, overpriced

🛍️

Where to Buy: Sephora — but get the mini size first. Or just buy Purito’s centella serum for $18 and get the same thing without the lies.