Kapuluan Coconut Product Review

Coconut oil is probably my ultimate go-to product for a number of reasons - it's relatively inexpensive, easy to source, and can be used for pretty much everything, including skincare! Before I ventured into the world of cleansing balms and oils, I used good ol' coconut oil for my makeup-removing needs. I also used it to moisturize split ends and dry cuticles, and soothe any flaky or rough patches of skin (i.e., elbows and knees) when nothing else worked. While many people do have sensitivities to the fatty alcohols in coconut oil, I'm one of the lucky few who can use it daily and swear by it. Although, let's be real here, I don't generally like having to stick my fingers into huge jars of coconut oil (blegh), so I was pretty stoked when I learned that Kapuluan Coconut packages their coconut oil into squeezable tubes - for anyone who hates sticking their fingers into jars, they'd know well that tubes are the superior packaging. Anyway.

I was sent a few samples of Kapuluan's raw, organic coconut oil courtesy of Socialix, and at first, I wasn't too sure how much I would like these tubes. As we all know, coconut oil is usually solid at room temperature, and I originally wondered just how exactly I was going to squeeze solid coconut oil out of a pea-sized tube opening. There was also the question of "how exactly is this different from the virgin coconut oil sold on grocery store shelves?". After toting these cute lil' bottles around for a few weeks, I completely understood why Kapuluan chose tube packaging despite its perceived drawbacks, and I couldn't be happier!

Kapuluan's coconut oil is sourced from rural, organic farms in the Philippines and is 100% natural. One thing I love about Kapuluan is that their products are zero-waste friendly, cruelty-free, and do not harm the planet. One awesome aspect of this company is that they plant one tree in the Philippines for every product sold; these trees help in the fight against climate change/global warming while assisting coconut farmers with crop production and sustainability.

Most coconut farmers (approximately 60%) live in extreme poverty, and Kapuluan has a mission to improve the livelihood of coconut farming communities by working with rural coconut farmers and empowering them to receive a higher value for their resource. It's incredibly important for me to support companies whose morals and values align with my own, so this was a huge positive for me. Yay for sustainability!

The larger tube comes with 100ml of product and are valued MSRP at $18 each. While this did seem a bit pricey for me in terms of coconut oil, I can see the benefits of the tube packaging, even with the higher price tag attached; there's little to no mess (unlike those big clunky jars that you have to stick your fingers into!), and they seal tightly so there's no risk of leakage, making these perfect to throw into your travel/gym bag when you're on the go. These tubes are also jam packed with vitamin E and antioxidants, and their subtle yet delicious coconut aroma keeps me reaching to apply more again and again!

I also received a few of these sample sized tubes, and they have been absolutely perfect for carrying around when I'm on the go! These 25ml sample tubes make a perfect lip treatment for dry, chapped lips, and I anticipate that I'll get a ton of use out of these once the cooler winter months hit. Since this is cosmetic-grade coconut oil, it's a bit less greasy than grocery store versions and sinks in quickly, leaving skin feeling buttery smooth and not sticky or tacky. It does still take a few minutes to absorb into the skin completely (this is coconut oil we're talking about, after all), but it leaves less of that greasy film that drives me up a wall whenever I use the cheaper coconut oils from the grocery.

One issue I do run into with these tubes is that it can be difficult to squeeze the coconut oil out of the tube if it isn't warmed up enough - I keep my house at a brisk 69F, so my tubes are almost always completely solid. A quick few minutes in a bowl of warm water helps loosen the oil up enough to get out of the tube, but that's something to consider if you just can't be bothered with that extra step. Thankfully, I've found that keeping these under my bathroom sink or in my medicine cabinet helps with this issue, since my bath area is significantly less cool than the rest of my house.

Overall, I'm pretty pleasantly surprised by how much I've been loving Kapuluan's coconut oil. The cynic in me scoffed and said "well, isn't this just regular old coconut oil that you can get at the supermarket for $8?". While yes, you can likely find coconut oil for cheaper elsewhere, but I do have to vouch for the fact that the formulation is much nicer and less greasy/heavy, and the tube packaging is just so convenient. Would I purchase a tube of my own? Normally I would have seen the $18 price tag and said no way, but the convenient packaging, cosmetically elegant formula, and awesome brand mission to help poverty-stricken rural coconut farmers is making me lean more towards "hell yeah". Plus, I like the tiny tubes (they're 5 for $25 on the Kapuluan website!). I have one one my night stand, one in my car, and one in my purse, and I'd totally buy a bunch to stash them all over my house, just because.