The Natural Source - Natural skincare and cosmetics

The Natural Source hails from Australia and the concept reminds me very much of The Body Shop. They tout themselves as using all natural products and are environmentally friendly. Animal lovers would be pleased to know that they do not test on animals and environmentalists would be pleased too to know that the products are free from chemicals and are filtered with natural spring water.

The Natural Source or TNS is presently available at some shopping malls in Malaysia, and also online at their online store. I haven't ordered from them online but I think its great having an online store that looks promising, in this country! They offer free shipping for orders RM100 and above, which is very reasonable in my view.

All that said, how do the products measure up? I will only review here the products I have tried.

Daintree Tropical Sugar Cane Moisturising Body Whip

This product is heaven! Its a body moisturiser and has a light cream texture in a heavy glass pot. The smell is very nice (not overly sweet compared with others in the same range) and is relaxing. It applies light and absorbs quickly without leaving a sticky film on your skin.

I highly recommend this body whip to everyone and everyone I've recommended it to, loves it! I'm presently on my 2nd tub! It comes in 2 sizes - 500gm for RM98 and 200gm for RM69. Much more worth your buck to get the big tub.

Daintree Antioxidant Body Scrub

This is a nice body scrub to exfoliate your skin on your body leaving it smooth. The grains are rather large so it exfoliates well but isn't too rough. The scent is light and doesn't bother me.

However the price does. It retails for RM63 for 175ml tube. Rather expensive for a body scrub so I use it very sparingly. Its nice, but there are other substitutes out there, in my view.

HI-SHINE Micro-brewed Naturopathic Hair-Care - Shampoo

I read a lot of good things about this range of hair-care and am test-running it as an alternative to my regular Redken hair range. This shampoo promises "soothing naturopathic agents ideal for dry, curly, chemicallytreated hair, the leave hair renourished and brilliantly shiny". It also contains silk protein, honey, keratin, vitamins and minerals.

I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I have no complaints. I shampoo my hair everyday and it doesn't dry it out nor irritate my scalp. I only have to use very little (about the size of a 10 sen coin) for my whole head, and I have medium length hair. So, it works out rather cost effective. I'm not sure if it leaves my hair any shinier than it already is, but I do notice that there is less tangle after I shampoo, which is great. The only gripe I have is a rather strong coconut smell, which I can't fathom, as coconut is not one of its ingredients.

It retails at RM39 for 330ml of shampoo. Not too bad if you are used to buying salon brand shampoos but might be pricey if you regularly use drugstore shampoos. I would recommend this for a buy because it is pretty good.

Hi-Shine Leave-In Conditioner Mist - with pure silk & keratin protein

This is a leave in conditioner. I am currently finishing up my other conditioner so I am alternating the use of wash-out conditioner with this one.

It promises that it is "A vitamin-rich nourishing naturopathic micro-brewed formula with pure silk & keratin protein. Leaves the hair weightless and with an incredible shine." I must say that it really works, as far as detangling is concerned.

After washing my hair, I towel-dry and then spritz this conditioner all over, combing it through to the ends with my fingers. When my hair is dry, it feels light and smooth. I don't feel any built-up residue (but as I say I wash my hair everyday) and the hair is easy to manage after that. You can also use it on dry hair. This morning, I woke up with bad bed hair and to counter it, I spritz this all over my head and combed through. By the time I was ready to leave the house, my hair was dry and in perfect control! With this product, there is a noticable shine to the hair. Hair looks smoother and shinier - you can even see the results in store!

It is not cheap though. It retails at Rm54 for 330ml but you don't really have to use very much. Best of all, it works!

Tinted Facial Moisturiser w/sunscreen

Ok I'm sorry to spoil the party but this tinted moisturiser with sunscreen did nothing for me. Its supposed to be a moisturiser with built in sunscreen that comes in a glass bottle.

First off, it smells. I don't mean heavy fragrance, I mean it smells bad. Having that kind of smell directly on your skin for the whole day didn't sit well with me.

Secondly, it only comes in one colour. The shade is rather dark so it would suit people with medium to dark skintones, but not if you are fair. It left me with a face a shade darker than the rest of me, which is a makeup faux pas!

The texture is light and it blends well, which is a plus point. It also has medium coverage and can act as a foundation.

Retail price is RM69 for 60g which is ok as you don't have to use very much.


The prices of TNS products aren't terribly steep and they have a member loyalty programme that gets you discounts in the store. If you spend RM100 (after a discount of 10%) you are entitled to sign up as a lifetime member. What this membership entitles you to is discounts on products (e.g. buy Rm60 and above and get 10% discount and more if you buy more), special instore promotions and special buys, and on your birthday month, you will receive a voucher for 25% off all products. Its pretty good as it can really save you the cash!

If you aren't near a store, you can buy online. For now they have 10% off all products including best seller items, and free delivery for purchases of RM100 and above. Membership discounts do not apply online unfortunately.

All in all, I say this brand is worth looking into, if only just to get that glorious Tropical Sugar Cane Moisturising Body Whip!

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