Guru spotlight: April Basi, and the products she rates highest

You've turned a serum bottle around, read the ingredient list and understood maybe three words of it. That's the problem April Basi has made her mission. She's a cosmetic chemist who wants you to read skincare labels as easily as she does, and her reviews show where she agrees with the other experts and where she doesn't.

Who is April Basi?

April Basi is a YouTube reviewer whose takes feed into The Guru Index. She has reviewed 141 products in our index, and the category she covers most often is Serums, with 34 of those products.

Away from the numbers, April is a cosmetic chemist and content creator who connects complicated science to the routine on your bathroom shelf. She calls her mission "beauty literacy": helping you understand what goes into your skincare so you can choose more wisely. She wants beauty to be spoken "like a native language", and she teaches people to speak it fluently. She shares formulation knowledge that brands don't usually share, and she puts education ahead of product demos. She also consults for brands, helping link what shoppers need with how products get developed. What she wants for her community is confidence in a language that once belonged to industry insiders.

Which products does April Basi rate highest?

Her favorites have plenty of company. The Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 92% across 14 experts, and April's reason for liking it is simple: there's no fragrance. She calls it "such a great one" for sensitive skin, formulated for sensitive skin types with "such a great, wonderful ingredient list."

If your skin is dry or just plain irritated, she calls the SkinFix Barrier+ Triple Lipid & Peptide Cream "a must", and points to its many awards as proof that she isn't the only fan. It holds a Guru Score of 91% across 19 experts. The EltaMD UV Physical Broad-Spectrum SPF 41 also sits at a Guru Score of 91%, from 6 experts, and it's one of the sunscreens April recommends to her friends with sensitive skin.

Where does April Basi disagree with the other experts?

The Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream is well liked by the panel, with a Guru Score of 81% across the 21 experts who reviewed it, April included. She still turned it down. Her argument is a chemist's argument: she would swap it for a Pond's moisturizer, which she says does almost everything the Tatcha does. In her view, Tatcha sells its cream on Japanese ingredients and luxury packaging, while the Pond's gives you the same hydration and oil control. Or, as she puts it, "the only difference is it doesn't come in a fancy jar." A dissent like hers doesn't cancel the consensus. It shows you exactly what you'd be paying for if you bought the jar anyway.

How should you use April Basi's reviews?

One trusted voice is a good place to start, especially one who reads ingredient lists for a living. The Guru Score then tells you whether the other experts back her up. If you want the full picture, her guru page has every one of her takes, so you can see where she agrees with the panel and where she goes her own way.