Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil - Review

With both of the QVC TSV kits that I've ordered this year came a sample of Tarte's hyped maracuja, or passionfruit seed oil. Since I had two, I figured I might as well use one, so I used the first one I had received.

Tarte makes several claims, and backs them with some survey results. You can view these claims here. The bottle I used contained 0.17 fluid ounces, and lasted about a month using 3 - 4 drops from the included dropper once daily, before bed. Since several of the claims are based on 6 weeks' usage, I'll highlight those I can comment on:

• In a consumer use study, 100% of subjects agree the Pure Maracuja Oil application directions are easy to understand and the product is easy to use.
• In a consumer use study, 90.7% of subjects agree Pure Maracuja Oil absorbs quickly and doesn't leave any oily residue on skin after application.
• In a consumer use study, 96.3% of subjects agree skin appeared smoother after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 88.9% of subjects agree skin appeared more radiant/luminous after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 83.3% of subjects agree there's a visible improvement in even skin tone after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 88.9% of subjects agree there's a visible improvement in skin texture after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 90.7% of subjects agree there's a visible improvement in skin’s moisture after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 64.8% of subjects agree pore size looks visibly reduced after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 77.8% of subjects agree fine lines and wrinkles look visibly reduced after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 81.5% of subjects agree skin elasticity has visibly improved after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 90.7% of subjects agree there's an overall visible improvement in skin after 3 weeks of use.
• In a consumer use study, 90.7% of subjects agree skin appears renewed and rejuvenated after 3 weeks of use.

Gah. That's a lot of claims! So, is this snake oil? Or, it is a miracle worker? For the retail price of $46, I have to say, I wasn't overly impress. For your $46, you get 1.7 fl oz, which, using the same amount that I did, should last close to a year. 

I'll tackle the claims in order, for clarity's sake. I really like they included a statistic for how many people found the product, essentially, easy to use. Really? I guess they needed to have something that was at a nice, round, 100%. Yes, this oil is easy to use. I agree with this claim. I'd also agree the oil absorbs quickly, and my skin didn't feel oily. So, Tarte is right on that claim as well.

My skin didn't appear smoother, or more radiant, after 3 weeks. In fact, it looked.... the same as it did the month before. No change occurred with my skin tone - nothing was really evened out. The texture of my skin wasn't changed, and my skin was no more dry or oily than it had been before. My pores are still the size of compact parking spaces, so no change there. I cannot comment on the fine lines and wrinkles claim, yet, nor can I comment on the elasticity claim. 

The last two claims didn't hold true for me, either. My skin looked, essentially, the same after 4 weeks of daily use. I can say my face felt soft in the morning, as I applied this product at night.

So, is a soft face worth $46? No, because passionfruit seed oil is available at much more reasonable prices elsewhere, like here, or here. From The Herbarie (second link), 1 ounce is only $5.15, although they do have a minimum purchase requirement of $30.00 (they carry a lot of great oils, though!).

Would I purchase this product? Nope. Absolutely not at the price of $46. I balked, initially, at buying Bobbi Brown's EXTRA Face Oil, thinking I could make a ton of it for super cheap, but you can't. The price of jojoba oil is skyrocketing, and the EXTRA Face Oil contains very expensive essential oils (like Neroli, and Sandalwood). The Maracuja Oil has... Maracuja oil. Blended with a little more maracuja oil. That is available in a non-fancy bottle for less than $6.00. Tarte had an opportunity to make something great by adding some of these ingredients, but they decided not to. So, I won't be paying for this.