It’s funny, for such an extensive skincare routine, I tend to empty (and thus open) a lot of products in the same category at the same time. In February, it was serums — though there’s some other goodies in here, too. As a reminder, these are simply first impressions, and more thorough results and ratings will come when these, too, are emptied.

Serums

🍃 Barr Centella Calming Gel Essence

Despite its name, Barr Centella Calming Gel Essence is definitely a serum. The name essence, in this case, most likely comes from how much it uses the essence of centella — the leaf water and extract, as well as compounds madecassoside and asiaticoside. To amplify the calming, this uses panthenol, ceramide NP and heartleaf extract. I suspect that this is intended for acne-prone skin types, as there’s some willow bark extract in there as well, but it’s not stripping. That said, I would say that this is more of an “every day” calming serum, rather than a “break glass in case of emergency” serum — it’ll help calm breakouts and sensitivity with regular usage, rather than immediately tone down angry, inflamed skin.
Price: $18 USD / 60 mL

💧 Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Face Serum

After what feels like months of the Skincare Fanatics modmin team telling me that I need to try Vichy, I’ve finally opened the Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Face Serum. As longtime readers will know, I avoid products whose focus is hyaluronic acid, so didn’t want to go for their classic serum, but I can get down with prebiotics — and postbiotics, which this also has. Basically, give me the things to make my skin barrier’s microbiome happier, because I am here for it. In addition this includes niacinamide and, of course, the mineral water that the Vichy brand is all about. This is a bit milky in appearance, but goes on easily — I’ve been using it AM and PM without issues.
Price: $35 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence

If you want something striking on your skincare shelf, Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence is a great option. This is my second bottle — the first time I tried it, over a year ago, I had yet to truly dive into my love of propolis, and was just getting started. This essence-that-is-actually-a-serum is a bit different from many of the other propolis serums on the market in that it really is about the bee trifecta, per its name: royal jelly, honey and propolis. This is moisturizing but lightweight, with beta glucan and sodium hyaluronate adding hydration, and lactobacillus and saccharomyces ferment amplifying the serum’s hydrating and moisturizing effects. If you’re looking for propolis more for its moisturizing properties than its acne-fighting and glow-bringing properties (though this will do that, too!), this is a great option.
Price: $39 USD / 50 mL

🔵 SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense

Sometimes, your husband gives you a gift card to your go-to spa for your birthday and tells you to buy skincare with it, so you buy SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense. Unfortunately, I think my spa kept it on their shelf rather than in cold storage for a bit too long, so it’s a bit oxidized, but we’re going for it anyway. The discoloration defense for this comes from three ingredients: niacinamide, tranexamic acid and kojic acid. While I’ve tried niacinamide and tranexamic acid in various formulations, this is my first foray into kojic acid, and I’m hopeful that, despite said oxidization, it might finally beat back my melasma mustache. I tend to use it in the morning, after vitamin C.
Price: $108 USD / 30 mL

Everything Else

🍶 Scinic First Treatment Essence

The Scinic First Treatment Essence closes my bold experiment of trying ALL the big SK-II dupes: Missha, Mizon, Secret Key and, well, Scinic. (If I’m missing one let me know. I will try it for science.) This has 90% galactomyces ferment filtrate, plus a few fun extras in that other 10%: niacinamide, adenosine, licorice root water, purslane extract, Korean black raspberry extract, and sea water. I love galactomyces for its pore reduction effect on my skin, as well as for its hydration and bounce-imbuing properties. This is definitely one of the cheaper options out there, so I’ve been using two layers AM and PM.
Price: $20 USD / 150 mL

🥛 Banobagi Milk Thistle Repair Sunscreen Plus

This is not Banobagi Milk Thistle Repair Sunscreen Plus’s first time in my routine — the joys of BOGO. This is a great sunscreen for winters in Colorado, in part because it’s moisturizing, and in part because it’s SPF 45+ rather than SPF 50+. Wild to think there was a time I thought SPF 45 was a lot, and swore by 15. The skincare world’s really changed. This is a Korean chemical sunscreen, so uses the more modern chemical filters. The moisturizing properties of this come from dimethicone, echium plantagineum seed oil and sunflower seed oil. They slide in a few more skincare benefits with madecassoside, centella extract, sea buckthorn extract, milk thistle extract, burdock extract and four peptides including Copper Tripeptide-1. I’m honestly surprised this sunscreen doesn’t get more play on Skincare Internet, but I suspect it’s the scene’s general “SPF 50+ or bust” attitude.
Price: $18 USD / 50 mL

🍑 Tonymoly Mini Fruit Peach Lip Balm

I like products that secretly look like butts, and I cannot lie — that is why the Tonymoly Mini Fruit Peach Lip Balm has made it into my collection. This is a fairly straightforward lip balm, with petrolatum, shea butter, safflower oil, beeswax, carnauba wax, parrafin and lanolin really hitting all the standard ingredients there. Despite all this, it’s a pretty lightweight lip balm, and includes goodies like ceramide NP, rosehip oil, tea tree leaf oil and peach extract. But most importantly: it’s a peach. I know my priorities, no need to be coy about it.
Price: $10 USD / 7 g