Empties & Mini Reviews [July 2017 - December 2017]

Brands Included: COSRX | Missha | TheFaceShop | the CREME shop | Hada Labo | SCINIC | Kikumasamune | Mamonde

1. COSRX

• COSRX - AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
• As somebody with oily, acne-prone skin, I found this product to work fine, but it did not seem to do quite as much as I would have hoped it would. It could be because the formulation is so gentle and I need a higher percentage of AHA/BHA, but this product would be ideal to those with sensitive skin. Will not repurchase. 4/5.
• COSRX - Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
• When my skin was doing particularly bad, this was my absolute go-to product. It hydrates, heals, and soothes the skin very effectively. I think everybody should try a snail product at least once in their lifetime. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• COSRX - Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask
• While COSRX tends to impress me more than disappoint, I was sad to find that this product did next to nothing for my skin. As an overnight mask, I expected it to act as an occlusive to seal in all of the hydration and moisture from the products I used underneath, but it felt like it would simply dissipate from my skin. I did love the texture of the actual product though. Will not repurchase. 2/5.  

2. Missha

• Missha - Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule
• This is a holy grail item for me. With its long list of extracts I can always expect this product to hydrate my skin and make it look more radiant. And because it has a very small percentage of retinol, I can comfortably use it every night without irritating my skin but still see the benefits that retinol brings -- lightening of acne scars, smoother skin texture, a more even skin tone, and less acne in general. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• Missha - Near Skin Smart All-In-One Cream
• I wanted to love this product so much. Its ingredient list might suggest that it could easily become a product loved by many, but for whatever reason this product did very little for me. I do not think that it truly functions as an all-in-one product, but rather, a slightly heavier gel-cream. That being said, it must be one of the very few products by Missha that had absolutely no fragrance. While it did not make my skin worse, it did seem to make it more oily and did not wear well under makeup. Will not repurchase. 2/5.

3. TheFaceShop

• TheFaceShop - Jeju Volcanic Lava Pore Mud Pack
• Simply put, I found this product to be very drying (and ultimately damaging to my skin more than anything else). My skin is not particularly sensitive, but this product made it feel as though it was. Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Moisture Recharge Cream
• After discovering that my holy grail Chia Seed Moisturizing Cream had been discontinued, I decided to give this newer formulation a try. I was pleasantly surprised. Just as the original cream, it soothed my skin, thoroughly moisturized my skin without turning it greasy, and worked well under my makeup. The only thing that gets me about this product is that its scent seems more artificial (more “perfume-like”) than natural. Their first formulation will always be superior, but this is an acceptable replacement. Will repurchase. 4.5/5. 

4. the CREME shop

• the CREME shop - Chia Seed Calming Spritz Toner
• I thought I had stumbled onto an amazing dupe for my beloved Chia Seed Soothing Mist Toner by TheFaceShop, but unfortunately, I was very disappointed by this product. It burned my skin instead of soothing it, smelled strongly of perfume, and was drying rather than hydrating. I managed to finish the bottle by using it on my body. After only a few uses, I was reluctant to use this on my face. Will not repurchase. 0/5.

5. Hada Labo

• Hada Labo - Gokujyun Lotion (Clear)
• This is a perfectly light toner that effectively plumped up my skin, reducing the look of the fine lines on my forehead and under my eyes. I found that it was perfect for layering when I wanted that extra bit of hydration. Will not repurchase only because its main ingredient, hyaluronic acid, can be found in many Asian beauty products that provide additional benefits. 5/5.

6. SCINIC

• SCINIC - Honey All In One Ampoule
• Smells amazing, feels amazing, and simply is amazing. I loved how thick this product was while at the same time it felt light on the skin because of how well it absorbed. (Note that it will feel sticky until it does fully absorb.) It soothed my skin, improved my skin’s texture, was healing, and helped fade some post-acne scars. Will repurchase. 5/5.

7. Kikumasamune

• Kikumasamune - High Moist Lotion
• The most hydrating toner I have ever used to date. It delivers immediate hydration upon application due to the many ceramides it contains and improves the skin with its star ingredient, fermented sake. Perfect for layering. Smells of bananas and bubble gum. Will not repurchase only because of its controversial ingredient (horse placenta) and there is a dupe of this product. Still, I cannot deny that this is an amazing product. 5/5.

8. Mamonde 

• Mamonde - Rose Water Toner
• The highest rose-containing product that I currently know of (90.98%) that smells of natural roses and not artificially perfumed. I love that I could use it effectively as an astringent toner to remove any makeup I might have missed with my cleanser and to prepare my skin for the following products I used on top of it. It made my skin smooth and helped reduce my acne. Will repurchase. 5/5.

Review: Missha - Super Aqua Ultra Waterful Active Toner

Packaging: The product comes in a sturdy, glass bottle (150ml) with a plastic twist-off cap. The deep blue color reminds me of the ocean.

Price: It goes for $20 USD on MisshaUS, but I got it for sale off of Jolse for $18 USD. This thing will last you many months. I have had mine for about two months now, and as you can see, I am only about a quarter through. In my opinion, it is a bit expensive for what it is, but I will get back to this point in a moment.

Consistency: It resembles a watery essence or serum in that it is too thick to be described as water-like, but too runny to be called anything else. It kind of reminds me of the viscosity of my Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion (Clear) that I reviewed in an earlier post. Upon application this product gives your skin a cooling sensation which I believe would make it a great product for the summer. It spreads easily and after it has absorbed, its finish is smooth and, thankfully, not at all tacky.

Scent: Because the bottle description adds that it has Australia Blue Mountain cave water in it, the scent immediately reminds me of mountains in the way that it seems so nice and fresh. It does not come off as strong to me like the majority of Missha products seem to, and it also does not linger at all.

Ingredients: A CosDNA analysis revealed that the only possible acne-triggering ingredients are the usual suspects: dimethicone (emollient) and butylene glycol (solvent + moisturizer), which are around the middle of the list. I know some people may want to avoid this product anyway because dimethicone is related to silicone, an ingredient known to cause clogged pores and acne in people with silicone-sensitive skin. Another possible culprit is mineral oil, which is the sixth ingredient on the list. As for me personally, this product has not broken me out at all.

Some ingredients stuck out to me when I first considered buying this product as they were high up on the list:

- Glycerin (second ingredient)
- Niacinamide (third ingredient)
- Seawater (seventh ingredient)

Glycerin, a glycerol-based emollient, attracts moisture from the air (i.e., a humectant), makes your skin feel smoother, and even promotes faster healing. Another interesting fact is that it makes other ingredients absorb more effectively than what you see with plain water or alcohol. A 2008 study mentioned that glycerol 

is known to increase stratum corneum (SC) hydration, improve epidermal barrier function and decrease clinical signs of inflammation. 

And as we already know, niacinamide promotes whiter, brighter-looking skin and helps fade post-acne scars.

Seawater, on the other hand, is something I have not seen before in any of my products. When I looked this up, there were numerous articles describing how seawater was beneficial in skin care, that it provided the skin with essential vitamins and minerals. It makes sense, I thought to myself, as to why this might be a rather good ingredient to include. But as I continued to research and look for actual studies involving topical usage of seawater, I found one study that took place in 2007 which painted a much different picture:

SW [seawater] immersion can cause time-dependent apoptosis [death of cells] and proliferation in the epidermis [skin], and the overall effect of SW immersion is injury to the epidermis. 

I felt disheartened at first, but then I found a more recent study from 2013 that seemed conflicting when placed against the first study I mentioned:

Marine algae have gained much importance in cosmeceutical product development due to their rich bioactive compounds. […] The marine environment is enriched with a variety of organisms that harbor a wide range of biologically important compounds that are useful for the cosmeceutical benefit of humans.

From what I currently understand, algae is present in seawater; most of which come from seaweeds. So, this more recent study seems to trump the older one, in my opinion, only because the information provided as a whole was a lot more telling than the other, which involved hairless mice immersed in seawater for ridiculous amounts of time (3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours) – in other words, did not seem like the most reliable source to turn to in understanding how seawater might work in skin care products. The seawater is likely much less concentrated than pure seawater, and, being “immersed” for hours in it is a lot different than applying a small amount to the skin that absorbs in under a minute.

Overall Review: Despite the promising ingredients it contains, I found that the actual outcome of using this product for about two months was rather disappointing. As a hydrating toner, it only felt hydrating on my skin as I applied it, but would not have any long-lasting effects or make any crazy changes to the quality of my skin like other hydrating toners I have tried. But still, this toner is a simple one that would likely work well for all skin types and be a great starting point for those who are new to using hydrating toners. I find it basic in that it does help following products absorb better (like most toners are expected to do) and maintains the quality of my skin. 3.5/5.