Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel – a soothing review

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Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel photo: we heart this

I have a confession to make: I’m a terribly pale Irish/French girl, and every summer I try to convince myself that I can become a bronzed goddess while not damaging my skin or burning. I’m never successful at this. If I lather on anything less than SPF 50 before hitting the beach I turn into a crispy critter. Then I end up practically bathing in sticky aloe for weeks in an attempt to soothe my toasted skin. But there’s got to be something better than aloe, right? Yes! There’s Korres After-Sun Yoghurt Cooling Gel and our latest Green Monday review!

When you ask a modern beauty maven to name one of the best natural brands, the first thing out of her mouth will often be a very enthusiastic “Korres!” This Greek king of natural beauty has been on the forefront since 1996, and has become a world wide favorite, all while maintaining their core values. Sephora has declared Korres formulas “among the most environmentally friendly and skin compatible available today” and it has become one of their most popular lines for green minded beauty lovers.

I’ve been a fan of Korres for years so needless to say I was thrilled to have the chance to test out the After-Sun Yoghurt Cooling Gel ($23.50). Part of the Korres sun line, it promises to instantly refresh skin, relieve the pain and redness of burns, and provide relief to dehydrated skin with the emollient properties of yoghurt (a natural source of proteins, minerals and vitamins) and plant extracts. Sign me up! Additionally, this natural gel is formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petro-chemicals and other yucky stuff.

I recently spent a very fateful day at the beach with friends. I diligently applied my sunscreen to every bit of exposed skin and plopped myself into a beach chair. Hours later I was feeling pretty warm as were my cohorts. We headed inside and began to inspect our skin. I noticed that I was a little pink, but it wasn’t too bad. I grabbed the After-Sun gel from the fridge and had my husband help me apply it all over.

Like all Korres products, the scent is nothing short of ah-maz-ing! I couldn’t help myself, I kept bringing my arms to my nose to take another sniff. I can’t quite place it, but the smell is almost like magnolias dipped in plain, fresh yoghurt, the kind you make yourself. Yum!

The After-Sun gel is super hydrating, non-greasy and just a bit sticky. After a day in the sun your skin will need some major hydration no matter how much water you drink or SPF you apply. I would recommend a cool shower and an application of this gel on freshly cleansed skin. It absorbed right into my skin in a way that aloe never has.

Despite it’s promises I was still feeling the burn. My sunscreen must have been expired, because what started out as a light pink burn cooked me from the inside out and my burn got worse as the night went on. Korres claims that this gel “instantly relieve(s) excessive heat and stinging,” and I’ll be curious to see what my fellow wht testers (who didn’t get an excessive burn!) say about the pain relief. To put my dreadful burn in perspective, a month later and I was still peeling!

Finally, Korres uses minimal packaging with all their products which I appreciate, but this packaging had some issues. I think more of the gel oozed out from the bottom of the bottle than the top! I used it from either end, but it was pretty messy.

Overall, I liked the After-Sun Yoghurt Cooling Gel. It may not have reduced my redness or helped with the peeling but it was very hydrating. I shudder to think how long I may have peeled without it! Plus, it’s comforting to know that all the ingredients are naturally derived with a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

With Korres you can never really go wrong, and even with it’s faults, the After-Sun Yoghurt Cooling Gel is still a nice product. Pop it in your beach cooler or fridge for some extra cooling and I promise you it will feel great on parched, sun filled skin.

So tell me, readers, what’s your favorite after-sun remedy? Testers, what did your skin think of the Korres After-Sun Yoghurt Cooling Gel?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • mandaleem

    Amanda loves all things yummy, shiny, beautiful, and fun. On any given day you’ll find her in the kitchen, walking her dogs, or catching a concert with friends.

12 Comments

  1. Dear Amanda,
    I feel your sunburn pain through your story! I’ve also suffered a month-long peel after a brutal burn… and get this: I was even in Greece! (Turns out there’s a hole in the ozone layer over the Mediterranean)Wish I’d known about this product! Thanks for the review, even though it makes me want to go and lay out, and swear that THIS TIME I won’t get burnt… yeah right! :)

  2. When I was a child, the only white-blonde, white-skinned offspring of Mediterranean-dark parents, I would get severe sun poisoning several times a summer (because my mother would just send us all out on the beach all day with no protection at all, in those 1950 days before SFP.) Every night she would slather me in an ointment from Abbott Laboratories called Butesin Picrate, a yellow, oily mess that would stain the sheets. But in the morning, voila! No burn. At all. This product is no longer available in the U.S., but I am told you can buy it in Europe and the Middle East. I swear, it was an amazing remedy, and my mother would simply launder the unsightly sheets and keep them for those nights when I was nothing but miserable. Morning came and happy me went running down to the beach for more punishment.

    P.S. Today I am covered in moles — haven’t worn a backless dress in decades. But I still recall how good that oily, yucky cream made me feel.

  3. I burn easily as well, which sucks when you desire to be pale and happen to say, go white water rafting. Even applying sunscreen religiously I burned my shoulders. Nice review!

  4. I am super extra pale as well, and I spend 7 weekends a year working at the Renaissance festival. I’ve always just used aloe when I’m burned, because its cheap and I like to layer it on super thick. I did try Lush Dream Cream once and as amazing as it is, I felt like pure aloe was better for my skin.

  5. Let me preface this by saying I love me some Korres. Some of their lotions are absolutely divinely scented. But I have to say, I was not a fan of this one. For me, it smelled like sour milk. So much so, that I couldn’t test it myself, so I can’t speak of anything past this…But if you are sensitive to smells (damn me and my super sniffer!) I’d give this a smell before you buy.

  6. The weather has been strange in So. California this summer. If we were lucky, the sun would peak out sometimes late in the morning or afternoon. I think you get the picture. I really didn’t have an opportunity to use Korres, Yoghurt Cooling Gel, until a week ago. Part of me became that crispy critter like Amanda as I floated around a few hours too long in my sister in-law’s swimming pool. My white as toast skin on my shoulders and chest was now siren red, ouch! My first burn in years. Thankfully, I had a floppy big hat and sunglasses on so the damage was limited. Gladly, I applied this very soothing creamy gel on my shoulders back and chest. Ah, sweet relief. This managed to calm down that heat quickly. I liked it’s consistency too, it went on smoothly. This is for the face and body. Since I didn’t burn my face I didn’t’ put this on it until a light went on in my head.. You all hear me stay how my face is ultra-sensitive so why not see if this comforts it. I was so happy I tried it. It really cooled it down and relieved it by providing a cooling sensation that lasted a few hours. The yogurt really hydrated my skin. The only thing I didn’t like was the stickiness it leaves on your hands after applying, which was solved by simply washing my hands! The other negative is that it offers only temporary relief-, which means apply as more as needed. I thought that it had a pleasant aroma, like yogurt has. Other than that, I really like this product and offer a solid four stars. ****

  7. Haha, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who has made some sun mistakes! I’m also glad (albeit selfishly) that I’m not the only pale girl dreaming of bronzed status.

    @Stef – I can understand what you mean about the scent. It can smell a bit like sour milk, but I associate that certain sour smell to yoghurt. I guess it depends on if you like the smell of plain yoghurt!

    @Sarahstrawberry – those long peeling burns are the worst! And thanks for the heads up about the ozone hole over the Mediterranean. I had no idea! I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I manage to take my dream Greek vacation.

    @Justjoan – Oh no, that sounds terrible! My mother used to coat us in Bag Balm (yeah, the stuff for cow’s udders) when we had any type of skin irritation. It worked, but it was pretty gross!

    In the end, I’m with @Irene – a solid four stars. If the burn hadn’t been so terrible I think that the Yoghurt Cooling Gel would have worked wonders. If nothing else, it smells amazing, is crazy hydrating, and it’s a welcome break to the monotony of another form of aloe!

  8. I’m allergic to sunscreen so I try to avoid the sun in general. Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to try this, I made my “gooey-stuff”-phobic husband use it on his sunburned/tanned neck and arms. (He works outdoors in Texas so you can imagine the kind of sun he gets…) I tried it just as a lotion to test it out in general.

    This was a fail for us, unfortunately. While it did moisturize well, like @stef, he and I both disliked the smell. Between that and the stickiness of the actual gel, it was all I could do to keep him from jumping in the shower to wash it off.

    It did cool down his skin and make him feel better for a bit, but the scent and texture of the gel were turn-offs.

    It’s only 3 stars from me; I think it gets the job done, but not in a way I really like. I’m giving it to a friend and I’ll update if they have a better experience.

  9. Anything that has the word cooling in it sounds good to me right now. It’s been so hot where I live that I don’t even want to step foot outside. I really could have used this earlier in the summer after spending too much time at the lake. My sunscreen didn’t last as long as I thought it should and I paid for it for with a nasty burn. Korres never disappoints and this is definitely going on my list for next summer.

  10. I like the Cooling Gel quite a lot. I will admit that I didn’t get to test it on a sun burn. So I can’t rate its effectiveness in that arena. I am so extremely pale. So I am very, very careful not to get burned. But when I get my eyebrows waxed I use the gel to soothe my skin after. My pale skin is very sensitive and gets red and irritated very easily. The gel helps to calm things down quite a bit. And a little goes a long way with this stuff. I give this 4 stars. It is great for those with sensitive skin. And the smell didn’t bother me at all.

  11. Since I really try to avoid the sun (and slather sunscreen, wear a hat, cover up, etc when in the sun) I didn’t test out this product.

    I am however a big Korres lover – it’s one of my favorite green lines, especially for bath products – I adore their bath gels and the Guava Moisturizers are really luxe. Of course, as a lip balm addict, my very fave Korres items are the Lip Butters – the plum and quince are fantastic (and I want Mango for these last weeks of summer)

  12. I first fell in love with Korres in 2004 when I first started working at Sephora. Clean, natural products that leave your skin feeling clean and natural. I had never tried the cooling gel until now, but I got it just a few days before a somewhat major sunburn incident and it soothed and cooled my skin and I did not even so much as peel a single skin cell! Amazing. And it really does feel cooling and soothing on thirsty skin. FOUR stars!!

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