October Openeds Reviews

You should not open this many products in a month. I have a problem. I also have a long skincare routine that keeps my aging, dry, dehydrated, seborrheic-dermatitis-prone feeling good, so arguably that problem is more of a solution. Enough justification, though: here’s what entered my skin- and body-care routine last month.

Wash-Off Products

🍏 Pyunkang Yul Deep Clear Cleansing Balm

I love everything I’ve ever tried from Pyunkang Yul, so of course I had to try their Deep Clear Cleansing Balm. My initial impression? It smells delicious. Like green apples. This is, of course, added synthetic fragrance, so if that’s not your jam steer clear but honestly I find I enjoy the onerous team of cleansing more if it smells good. The balm emulsifies and rinses easily, with macademia, camellia and rice bran oils, as well as licorice root extract, panthenol and ceramides.
Price: $18 USD / 100 mL

🧼 Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelee 3%

If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll recognize the Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelee, but it’s new to me. After seeing my husband continues to not enjoy it, I ended up getting him the Farmacy Clean Bee, below, and taking this for myself. This cleanser’s claim to fame is it’s serum texture, which you can really feel if you pump it onto dry skin. This rinses clean and isn’t stripping. They say you can also use it as a mask but the few times I’ve tried that it did start to feel tight, as it basically immediately started to lather.
Price: $18 USD / 210 mL

🐝 Farmacy Clean Bee

My husband has been slowly getting into skincare, as his two Hub Take posts will attest, so I was eager to find a cleanser he’d actually want to use. Farmacy Clean Bee was recommended to me as a non-stripping cleanser that smells delicious, and we’re both obsessed with bees, so I got it for him. It’s very gentle, though weirdly it smells more like honey to anyone standing near you than you, the person using it. Works out well for me, though.
Price: $28 USD / 150 mL

🍯 I’m From Honey Mask

The I’m From Honey Mask is a cult favorite for good reason. It was one of the first wash-off masks out there that was actually suitable for dry skin, and one of the few that you can basically forget you’re wearing with no deleterious effects. My skin struggled a bit earlier in the month recalibrating to the upsettingly low humidity of Colorado from everything-is-damp-all-the-time Belize, and this helped my irritated cheeks not want to jump ship. It smells incredibly good, but don’t lick it.
Price: $38 USD / 210 g

Toners & Essences

🍶 One Thing Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

I’ve had my eye on One Thing for a while due to their minimalist aesthetic, and so when I was due for another galactomyces product I had to pick up their Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate. I’ve waxed eloquent about the merits of galactomyces for pore and redness reduction. One Thing recommends mixing and matching their various products — all, unsurprisingly, mostly comprised of “one thing” — together, but I’ve just been using two layers of this as a first essence. It’s not as deeply hydrating as Missha or Mizon, but it is moisturizing.
Price: $24 USD / 150 mL (price varies by retailer)

💧 Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion

The Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion has been an iconic k-beauty product for a while, and probably one of the first to give western audiences a “wait, that’s not a lotion” moment. In Japanese skincare, toners are frequently referred to as lotions. In this case, this lotion is more of an essence toner texture — I actually think it’s reasonably similar to the Klairs Watery Oil Drop in slip. This is a meticulously formulated product that I use immediately after my first essence, before my other essences. It includes seven forms of hyaluronic acid (yawn, but whatever, they probably did it before other brands so I suppose it deserves a call out, and this is the first time I’m seeing potassium hyaluronate, so that’s novel), caffeine, panthenol and niacinamide to boost and hydrate the skin.
Price: $29 USD / 180 mL; shown in a sample size

🍓 SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner

I picked up the Skin RX Lab MadeCera sample kit (which also included their cleanser and cream) earlier this year, and I’m just finally getting to the MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner. This is one of those two-phase toner products like the currently-hyped Dr Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence, though it’s often photographed mixed (like here) because of its strawberry milk vibes. This has a yummy fragrance, though I preferred it in the Madecera Cream. This has madecassoside, ceramides, panthenol, beta-glucan and, of course, milk proteins, to make it nourishing.
Price: $26 USD / 150 mL for the full size; shown in a 30 mL travel size

🥛 SANA Soy Milk Wrinkle Care Lotion N

The SANA Soy Milk Wrinkle Care Lotion N is another lotion that’s actually a toner, though SANA is a j-beauty brand so we’ll give it a pass for potentially being confusing. This line is actually one of the few j- or k-beauty products I’ve seen that includes retinol — actual retinol, not just retinyl palmitate, though it also has that. Given the name, of course, it focuses on soy ingredients: fermented soybean milk, soybean seed extract, soy protein, soy isoflavone. SANA doesn’t disclose the percentage of retinol in this product, but it was enough to trigger a bit of a purge for me. I don’t tend to purge much, but I did get a few blackheads which caused some consternation.
Price: $22 USD / 200 mL

Serums & Moisturizers

🧱 Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum

Long-time readers will know I swear by a designated ceramide serum, so I was excited to pick up the Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum from Target. This serum uses not one, not the usual three, but five ceramides, in addition to a ceramide precursor. Despite this, it has more of a standard consistency rather than what I’ve come to think of as a ceramide serum consistency (I blame Kate Somerville and RNW for this notion of ceramide serums — they’re both gloopy, fatty goodness). In order to promote skin barrier support, it also includes cholesterol and other fatty acids, which are critical.
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL

😇 Farmacy Honey Halo Moisturizer

I have been recommended the Farmacy Honey Halo Moisturizer so much, and am such a simp for bee products, that it was bound to happen eventually. Well, here it is, in all its jumbo glory. I couldn’t pass up a 25% off sale. I’ve been digging down the middle with the super cute steel spatula it comes with (the lid is magentized, how cool is that?), and because a little goes a long way due to the shea butter I’ve been able to use it AM and PM. It smells absolutely delicious, despite having no added fragrance. Worthwhile call-outs beyond the honey, propolis, royal jelly and shea butter are ceramides and sea buckthorn oil.
Price: $90 USD / 100 mL for the jumbo size shown; $45 USD / 50 mL for the standard size

Body Skincare

🛀 SOL Body Cleansing Oil

I picked up thee SOL Body Cleansing Oil during my most recent Colourpop splurge (SOL is a sister-brand to Colourpop and Fourth Ray Beauty). I’m always looking for interesting body oils, whether for in the bath as a bath oil or in the shower for a cleanser. This is actually intended as a proper first cleanse, to be followed with a standard body cleanser. I think that tracks with the smell, which is very piña colada — while in the tub this mostly just makes me want rum drinks with umbrellas, this would be a great option during the summer for removing stubborn body sunscreen.
Price: $16 USD / 170 mL

🩸Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance

When AliceInTheRabbitHole mentioned the Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance in a video, I had an immediate “adds to cart” moment (though it was sold out, so it was more of an immediate “email me when in stock” moment, followed later by an immediate “omg, buy 4” moment). This is a super fun bath oil that really does keep my skin nourished in the bath. It even gloops out a little bit like clotting blood, but then dissolves to turn the water a bit of a light burgundy color. The one major drawback? The oil makes the color cling to the tub like no one’s business. I try to make a point of using this right before the tub gets cleaned.
Price: $25 USD / 12 oz

🧈 Derma: B Mild Moisture Body Cream

Since I just finished the Derma: B Mild Moisture Body Lotion, it was time to bust out their Mild Moisture Body Cream — just in time for colder, drier weather. This is an apparently simple, straightforward cream that, in Derma: B fashion, is chockfull of goodies: shea butter, grape seed oil, camellia oleifera seed oil, squalane, witch hazel water, panthenol and allantoin. It can leave a bit of a greasy finish on the skin, but I think that’s mostly dependent upon just how dry (both literally and metaphorically) the skin is on application.
Price: $22 USD / 430 mL

🛢 Vaseline Original Healing Jelly

After hating Vaseline every time it was pulled out as a child, I’m officially on the Vaseline Original Healing Jelly train. It took me a while to finish a small jar, so I anticipate this will be on the edge of my tub till I’ll start wondering if it’s actually expired. Petrolatum is my secret weapon in the tub when all of my bath oils aren’t enough — I just smear a thin layer on my legs and lower back, and I’m good to go. (And, of course, the Derma: B has my 6 for when I get out, if the Vaseline didn’t quite do the trick.)
Price: $4 USD / 212g

Single-Use Skincare & Skincare Tools

🔴 COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

Being nearly 34 is no protection against pimples, though I don’t get nearly as many as I used to. The problem is that when I do get them, I cannot not pick to save my life. So I now always keep the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches on hand. It can take three patches to get through a pimple, but it’s so worth it. I find that I also get less PIE (post-inflammatory erythema, not the baked good) using pimple patches, which is ideal — my PIE stick around for years.
Price: $4 USD / 24 patches

🤖 NuFACE Trinity

“Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.” The first time I used my NuFACE Trinity at the kitchen counter, I was pretty sure I had made a terrible mistake — mostly, in that the beeping drove my husband up the wall. I’m into a pretty long skincare routine, as my sheer number of openeds can attest, but I wanted an easy tool to incorporate to just make things a biiiiit longer if I was feeling it. My husband, my NuFACE and I have now worked out a good thing where I can use it for 5-20 minutes at a time while we listen to music or watch horror movies (wouldn’t recommend during A Quiet Place, though, because reasons). I’ve been using the Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel with it because it was open and I’ve heard not-great things about the primer it comes with, and it works well. I am starting to notice some superficial improvement, and am excited to see how extended use treats me.
Price: $150 USD refurbished; $340 USD full-price

October Empties Reviews

This month may be a record for empties — for the first week, I was averaging one per day. Minis are partially to blame, but sometimes that’s just how the products hit you. As a rule I don’t recommend emptying and then opening this many products in a month, as you need to give your skin time to adjust and learn how it reacts, but at this point I have a pretty good handle on how my skin will react to just about every ingredient.

Wash-Off Products

🍏 Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm

The Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm is very hyped, so I picked up this wee sample with my Sephora points earlier this year. It is legitimately very nice — once it turns to an oil, that oil is very thin and emulsifies easily. I did feel that it didn’t turn to the oil as nicely as some of the Korean balms I’ve tried, and it is significantly more per mL than Korean balms, but it’s really effective at sunscreen removal. Dinging one point just due to cost, though I’ll admit I have a full-size in my stash that I got on a deal directly from Farmacy’s site.
Opened: September
Rating: 9/10
Price: $34 USD / 100 mL; shown in a 12 mL sample size

🧼 Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

A previous mini of the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser was really the first grown-up cleanser I tried, so there’s a soft spot in my heart for it. I originally got this for my husband, in hopes that its cucumber-smelling goodness would convince him to use a cleanser more often, but no dice (he’s since fallen in love with the Farmacy Clean Bee, though). I do find this to be a very gentle cleanser, with a fragrance, yes, but just a bit of lather. The soy protein leaves the skin feeling nice and soft. My general feeling with Fresh, however, is that there are better products for cheaper from other brands.
Opened: July
Rating: 8/10
Price: $15 USD / 50 mL; available in a variety of sizes

🍵 I Dew Care Matcha Mood

I’m obsessed with minis, so I’d been eyeing the I Dew Care Mini Scoops set for a while. I decided to take the tiny Matcha Mood with me on our anniversary trip to Belize — my first two times there taught me that I take A Lot of showers in the jungle, and I didn’t want to be drying out my face. For mid-day rinse-offs, I just put this on my face before stepping into the (open air, very bougie) shower, and it kept my skin from feeling stripped. It has a strong matcha smell, though no added fragrance, and while I haven’t been experiencing much sensitivity for it to save me from, the aloe and matcha in here should help soothe.
Opened: September
Rating: 9/10
Price: $25 USD / 100g; shown in the 10g size in the Mini Scoops set

Toners & Essences

🌹 The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

I’ll admit, I had a fascination with The Ordinary last year, like everyone else on skincare internet did. And because I do love glycolic acid, I tried their Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. It was … not good for me. Indeed, this is actually about 6 months expired because I struggled to use it up. I love 5% glycolic acid but this formulation was too much — in fairness, 7% glycolic acid is 40% more glycolic acid than 5%. It made my cheeks tingle if I used it more than twice a week, so I downgraded it to body care. I think glycolic acid is fantastic for helping with fine lines and wrinkles, but more benefit can be found with a lower percentage that can be used more regularly, and in a formulation with additional soothing ingredients to help offset any irritation.
Opened: Spring of 2020 (oops)
Rating: 3/10
Price: $9 USD / 240 mL

🍶 Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence

The Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence is my most repurchased skincare product, because the galactomyces in here does wonders for my pores and redness. Galactomyces doesn’t work for everyone — especially those who are fungal acne-prone — and it’s a frequently slept-on ingredient due to cost (this is the hero ingredient of SK-II) because it takes a while to see results, but after about a month you can tell there’s a difference. It hydrates, strengthens the skin barrier and provides antioxidant benefits. While I won’t always be using Missha, I’m determined to never go without galactomyces again.
Opened: September
Rating: 10/10
Price: $25-$54 / 150 mL depending upon retailer; shown in a 30 mL travel size

🍃 COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner

The COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner has been a holy grail for me since I initially won the full size version in a giveaway from the brand. This is an incredibly watery toner that basically uses every part of the centella asiatica plant thanks to COSRX’s Cica-7 Complex, as well as pinus pinaster bark extract, or Pycnogenol, which is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. I find this to be a deeply hydrating toner which layers incredibly well to soothe and plump the skin.
Opened: September
Rating: 10/10
Price: $22 USD/150 mL; shown in a 30 mL travel size

💦 Manyo Factory Bifida Ampoule Mist

I’ve really come around to mists as a way to help do a damp skincare routine, and so when I saw the inci list of the Manyo Factory Bifida Ampoule Mist I had to give it a try: peony extract, bifida ferment lysate (of course), lactibacillus extract, mushroom extract, ginseng extract, loads of peptides and just generally more skin-barrier-supportive ingredients and extracts than you can shake a stick at. The mister on this is not the best I’ve tried, but I loved being able to quickly spritz some extra help onto my skin during my long routines. I’m not sure I’ll rebuy this mist but I’m interested in trying their actual bifida ampoule now for some concentrated benefits.
Opened: June
Rating: 8/10
Price: $24 USD / 120 mL

🌸 Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence

I’ve written about the Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence a few times lately, since I emptied the full-size in September before opening this travel size, so I won’t wax too eloquent here beyond to say that 1) I really dislike hyaluronic acid on my face (yay living in 30% humidity) but love it on my hair, and 2) this does have a nice thickness to it that does merit calling it an essence, despite not being a single ingredient essence like we’ve become accustomed to.
Opened: September
Rating: 6/10
Price: $25 USD / 150 mL; shown in a 30 mL travel size

Serums & Oils

🧺 AMPLE:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule

Long-time readers will know that I swear by having a dedicated ceramide serum in my routine, and the AMPLE:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule is basically the most cost-effective option out there. It’s a bit lighter than usual ceramide serums — none of that fatty gloopiness — but very hydrating. In addition to three ceramides, it also includes cholesterol, niacinamide, beta glucan and other skin-soothing ingredients. While I have other ceramide serums I still want to try, there’s a good chance I’ll come back to this in the 100 mL size.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $36 USD / 100 mL for the full size; shown in the $20 USD / 30 mL mini

🥛 Facetory Calming Glow Weightless Facial Oil

If you don’t mind fragrance but you’re looking for a serum to combat redness from acne and inflammation, the Facetory Calming Glow Weightless Facial Oil might be for you. I would characterize this as a serum or even an emulsion, as it’s water-based but includes many nourishing oils. Rice bran water, oat kernel extract and oil, and squalane are the stars here, but it also includes a variety of antioxidants like green tea, rosemary, licorice and lichen. It’s nothing to write home about, in my opinion, but I also suspect I’m not the target audience.
Opened: July
Rating: 6/10
Price: $18 USD / 30 mL

🌚 Sunday Riley Luna Retinol Sleeping Night Oil

Sunday Riley is a much-hyped brand that’s typically higher than my preferred price-per-mL budget, but I picked up the “Power Couple” sample when it was half off at Ulta this spring, so finally got to try their Luna Retinol Sleeping Night Oil. This is definitely a lovely experience — beautiful color, yummy smell, nice oil texture. But in the 2.5 months I used it (nightly except for while on vacation, up until it met its untimely Denise in the bath), I didn’t notice any skin improvement. Indeed, I actually noticed a bit of a backslide around my nose, where in relying on retinol to help strengthen the skin from thinning fur to hydrocortisone use in my early seborrheic dermatitis days. I chalk this up to it being a retinoic acid ester rather than a retinol, so if you’re hoping for actual retinol you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Opened: August
Rating: 6/10
Price: $105 USD / 35 mL for the full size; shown in a mini size

Creams & Lotions

😇 e.l.f. Cosmetics Fragrance-Free Holy Hydration Face Cream

The e.l.f Cosmetics Fragrance-Free Holy Hydration Face Cream is the most accessible peptide moisturizer around, so when I was hunting for one for my mom, I gave it a try. She didn’t like it, so it wound up back in my stash. When I finally tried it myself, I went through it ridiculously fast. I tried it AM and PM, and didn’t find it to be nourishing at all. It also tended to pill, depending on application underneath. I ended up using much of it as a hand cream, where I did find it so m to work really well as my hands dried out due to weather.
Opened: September
Rating: 5/10
Price: $12 USD / 50 mL

🛌 A’pieu Madecassoside Sleeping Mask

This is the second tube of the A’pieu Madecassoside Sleeping Mask I’ve gone through, and I’m sure there will be more. Colorado’s dry weather has me using a sleeping mask regardless of the season, and this is perfect for when too much product would feel like, well, too much. The madecassoside — an important compound from centella asiatica — makes it super calming and almost cooling, and the value is pretty unbeatable. I put in just a thin layer at the very end of my routine and when I wake up my cheeks feel soft and comforted — which is not the case without a sleeping mask!
Opened: April
Rating: 10/10
Price: $15 USD / 80 mL

Body Skincare & Single-Use Products

🧴 Derma: B Mild Moisture Body Lotion

The Mild Moisture Body Lotion was the first product I ever tried by Derma: B, but it’s certainly not the last. Derma: B gives off strong drugstore skincare vibes, but comes to them with that classic Korean take on skincare which I very much appreciate. It features your standard drugstore lotion ingredients like caprylic triglycerides, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol and she butter, but ups the ante with grape seed oil, camellia seed oil, panthenol and allantoin. This lotion is incredibly nourishing without being greasy at all. It was a joy to use, which I did after long baths, when the skin on my legs and lower back can become dry and chapped.
Opened: March
Rating: 10/10
Price: $18 USD / 400 mL

🛢 Vaseline Original Healing Jelly

Vaseline has been around and in use as a skincare ingredient for ages, but it feels like it’s only really been having its moment lately. I’d had this small jar of Original Healing Jelly kicking around for a few months, not sure if I wanted to slug with it or what. Then, in June, my legs reached the point where it literally hurt to bathe because I had bathed so much for so long that I had stripped the heck out of my skin barrier. But I also can’t not take baths — they’re a pretty key part of my mental health maintenance routine. So I started slathering Vaseline on my legs before hopping in the tub. The very occlusive nature of petrolatum kept my legs comforted and protected for hours. I’ve now backed down to putting Vaseline on my legs one out of every two or three baths, and it definitely helps without feeling yucky or greasy.
Opened: June
Rating: 10/10
Price: $4 USD / 212g; shown in the $2 USD / 49g size

👁 Heimish Bulgarian Rose Water Hydrogel Eye Patch

I have really come around to wearing under-eye patches on long days at work, so I picked up the Heimish Bulgarian Rose Water Hydrogel Eye Patches from Nudie Glow US when I won a gift card from them. When working long hours starts getting to me and my eyes start feeling tired, I pop these on and really do feel refreshed afterwards. These have a fairly strong rose smell to them, which is not ideal for around the eye area, so if you’re sensitive to that, beware. I did find that the serum on these tends to pill quite a bit, though in fairness that was the case with the Pixi ones I tried, too, so may just be endemic to eye patches.
Opened: June
Rating: 7/10
Price: $22 USD / 60 eye patches

Falling into Skin Barrier Support

There are many articles out there about transitioning your skincare from summer to autumn, but autumn is all about transition. It’s a moving target and it’s prepping the world for winter, so what you need week-to-week and month-to-month throughout the season can and, if you live in a place with full-fledged seasons, will vary. Here are some quick routine swaps to try, some ingredients to look for as you do your shopping, and just some general routine tips to survive and thrive with what you currently have.

Quick Routine Swaps

A complete routine overhaul isn’t feasible for most budgets or most skin concerns, but there are some things you’ll want to be thinking about as the weather gets colder and drier and the wind gets harsher. Implement them as you see fit for wherever you live.

Add a sleeping balm or oil

Almost every article about transitional skincare will tell you to go for a thicker moisturizer, which is fair. But if you’ve got a moisturizer you’re really loving, are using the same one for AM and PM, or just can’t swing it financially, there are quicker, simpler ways to give your skin some extra protection at night. Adding an oil or sleeping balm — or both, if you’re me — lets you lean on the product you know and love while adding some extra protection between you and the dry night air. Sleeping masks are generally quite light, so this can be suitable for even more combination to oily skin, while drier skin types might want to add both or go for a more moisturizing sleeping balm. I recommend the Dear Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask for all skin types, or the IUNIK Propolis Sleeping Mask for drier skin types. As for oils, everyone has their own preference but I did really enjoy using the Chiasm Skin facial oils after my moisturizer last winter.

Switch up SPF routine

You need sunscreen all year around, but the performance characteristics you need from your sunscreen when it’s hot — aka some level of quality dry-down so it has a prayer of lasting through sweat — isn’t the same when it’s chillier. Consider adding a moisturizer in the AM if you currently don’t — it doesn’t have to be a heavy one. If you’re a SPF aficionado and don’t mind changing up what you use, try going for a more moisturizing SPF to give you some extra emollience in the morning. Personally, I’m pulling out the Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream.

Layer up the toners

I’m a firm believer in hydrating toners and “seven skins” all the time, but in colder and/or drier weather it can be a real game changer. I’ve written about my love of toners elsewhere, so here I just want to get into what to change up with your toner routine. The seven of seven skins is a pretty arbitrary number, but if you’re not yet doing seven, you might consider it. If you’re already doing seven and it’s not cutting it, you might consider adding more OR changing up what type of toner you’re using. I like layering a few different ones, and as the weather gets colder I prefer having at least one more moisturizing one. Your notion of what you consider moisturizing may vary, but I would recommend the I’m From Rice Toner of the Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner or, if you’re feeling super dry, more of an emulsion like the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner.

Tweak your cleansing and exfoliating practice

Colder weather can be a mess for your skin barrier, and cleansing and exfoliating are the two things you do regularly that can disrupt it. I’m always a fan of a gentle cleanse and a gentle, daily exfoliant, but if you’re not doing it all the time you should definitely consider doing so as the weather shifts. A double cleanse is good year around, but start reaching for more creamy or gel cleansers rather than foaming ones for your second cleanse (I liked the Sweet Chef Oat Milk Cleanser last winter). Rather than opting for a strong exfoliant one or two times a week, try going for a gentler one you can use more regularly. PHAs and certain AHAs like lactic acid can actually be hydrating and can layer nicely under an existing skincare routine. I’ve been using the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA +BHA Pore-Tight Toner for a few months now but find that it’s still serving me well for this purpose, but you don’t need to spend a lot to find something lovely.

Ingredients Spot Check

If you’re into the “turning and learning” part of skincare internet, there are a few ingredients that you’ll want to keep your eye out for to really take your skin to the next level now.

Love ceramides

Skin barrier support is important all the time, but as mentioned above, it’s particularly important now. Ceramides are one of the best ingredients for supporting your skin barrier. You don’t need to add a ceramide-specific serum (though if you’re looking for one, my favorite is RNW Der Ceramide Concentrate Serum). CeraVe products always contain ceramides (it’s right there in the name) but many k-beauty products also tuck them in. If you’re also looking for a thicker moisturizer, I’m a particular fan of the Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label.

Love honey and propolis

Propolis and honey and I have a long-running polyamorous love affair going on. I discovered propolis as an ingredient last autumn and never looked back, and have written about that obsession a few times. Propolis and honey are both moisturizing and wound-healing, which makes them great options to support your skin barrier. The Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner mentioned above is a great option. This month I also busted out the I’m From Honey Mask and the Farmacy Honey Halo moisturizer to really tuck my skin into some comfort.

Avoid hyaluronic acid

Long-time readers will know that I avoid hyaluronic acid. This is because I live in a dry place (Colorado tends towards a humidity of around 30%). In colder weather, more geographies get to feel my pain. As such, you might want to avoid hyaluronic acid, too. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that relies on ambient humidity to really provide its hydration retention benefits, and otherwise can seemingly dry you out even with an occlusive over top. Most products include it so avoiding entirely isn’t feasible, but it may be time to table the hyaluronic-acid-specific products, or shift to using them on your hair if they won’t still be good when you pull them out again in the spring.

General Skincare Tips

These are some tips that will cost you nothing and are good to do year around, but you might definitely want to consider as things get drier.

Do a damp routine

Chemistry is everywhere and we are all aqueous solutions, and doing a damp routine can help the penetration of your products. If you’re typically the sort of person who waits for each step of their skincare to dry before proceeding, you may want to think again: air can whisk away the hydration from your skin, leaving things tight and dry. Keeping your skin damp — but not wet — all the way up to your final, occlusive layer can help your skincare work harder for you.

Put on eye cream before lip balm

Chapped lips are the hallmark of cold, dry weather, and I suffered with them for years before I discovered this hack. Just like the rest of your skin loves some hydrating products before some occlusive ones, so do your lips. Putting a light, buttery eye cream on before a thicker lip balm can help that lip balm do more for your sad, chapped lips.

Rub extra product into your hands

Extra diligent hand-washing has done a number on everyone’s hands this past year and a half, and cold weather doesn’t do any favors. Rather wiping any excess product that doesn’t pat into your skin onto a towel, or rinsing it off, massage it into your hands to give them some extra love.

The Hub Take Part 2

It’s time for more husband skincare reviews, for what they’re worth. (I kid — I think it’s worth it to get non-skincare-fanatic takes on skincare.) Being Very Into Skincare, it’s been great to get my primary reason for living into my third reason for living (the second reason for living is Fran, our mini aussiedoodle, and she just loves the flavor of skincare but not its application). Josiah can be a bit of a hypochondriac but that’s worked in my favor to turn him into a daily sunscreen wearer. If you didn’t get a chance to read his initial round of reviews, you really should, as he reviewed the other products that he uses and loves, namely Stratia Liquid Gold and Isntree Watery Sun Gel. It’s worth noting that these reviews were taken by dictation while cooking no fewer than five dishes from French to Ethiopian to Thai simultaneously — he’s Renaissance man and a hell of a catch. Each review will include product type, his rating out of five, his review and my caveating notes.

1️⃣ Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gel

Product Type: Cleanser
Rating: 2/5
Review: I want to be honest, but here’s the thing. Hunter S. Thompson described Nixon as a badger — the sort of critter which, when attacked, rolls onto its back and emits a smell of death. That’s this cleanser.
Editor’s Notes: Let me set the record straight: I did not buy this cleanser for Josiah. I bought it for a friend, to send to France, and he got excited about the bubbles and wanted to try it. We actually opened this in March, and he’s used it maybe three times (which is, incidentally, the number of times he’s used the Farmacy Clean Bee cleanser, which arrived last week). This has a nice serumy texture to it, but yes, if you’re the sort of person who finds fragrance-free products to smell clinical, this may not be your jam. I’ve since taken it over from him and am enjoying it, but it’s not life-changing.

2️⃣ Farmacy Clean Bee Ultra Gentle Facial Cleanser

Product Type: Cleanser
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: I’ve long had a semi-rational fear that if I wash my face, my personality and my face will end up in the sewer — it is my native habitat, after all. My wife bought me a cleanser that I felt clean after, but I didn’t feel clean during using it. It must have been the smell: halfway between hospital and morgue. But let’s talk about the bee gel. Bees are the most helpful critters on earth, and it really shines through the moment you take a whif of this product — it just smells like honey gently hugging your skin and removing the goops. It gives you a nice bit of foam and smells great all the while, and at the end of it you don’t feel all stripped down, and you’re ready to put on some Stratia Liquid Gold. I think that the honey smell could be a bit stronger, and I don’t know if this is good for cleansing, but the foam could be a little bit thicker. I’m actually using this one.
Editor’s Notes: I asked the Skincare Fanatics group on Facebook for a good, smelly cleanser for Josiah a while ago and this came highly recommended, so when they had a 25% off sale I took the plunge. This is a really sexy inci list, with honey, propolis and royal jelly extracts and, of course, a lot of honey fragrance to amp it up. I’m tickled that he’s using it so much, as he gets some immediate skin improvement from it — otherwise he’s a “splash with water and go” sort of fella, which does not go well with his wonderful proclivity for daily sunscreen use.

3️⃣ Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Product Type: Treatment
Rating: 5/5
Review: Skincare’s a lot more rich and fascinating than I ever could have imagined. For example, did you know that azelaic acid is a collaboration of all the bests letters of the alphabet to help your skin? Shit letters of the alphabet like “B” opted out. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s not true, but it’s one o the things our family likes to call “a rock fact.” But seriously, I started to get a bit of rosacea which me, in my hypochondriac way, assumed was a malignant spider angioma caused by liver failure. Turns out my liver’s fine, but I noticed that my rosacea had been strongly triggered by sun exposure. But with regular sunscreen wearing and the azelaic acid, it’s much less noticeable. Every time I use the azelaic acid it seems to resolve, and so I need to be more consistent in that. The product itself is pretty neutral — I was expecting some sort of strong scent or heavy texture, but whether I put it before or after Stratia, I can’t feel it 30 seconds after application. I use it in the morning and follow it up with Isntree Watery Sun Gel. It just works — makes your skin glowy and I’ve even gotten compliments when using it.
Editor’s Notes: The modmin team at Skincare Fanatics loves this, so when I realized that Josiah’s two great loves — beer and the outdoors — were causing him to get rosacea flares, I picked this up. I’m pretty jealous because every time he uses this, he wakes up glowing the next morning. It’s worth noting that here in the US, 10% is the highest percentage azelaic acid you can get over-the-counter. It’s possible that we can use our new bougie health insurance to get him some higher percentage stuff that would just eradicate the rosacea entirely, but hey, I love that he loves it. Additional note: in reading this to him, he would like to clarify that I rank above beer and the outdoors. But prior to 2014, that was indeed probably true.

4️⃣ Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

Product Type: Moisturizer
Rating: 6.5/5
Review: Belize is a paradise, but it’s hell on your skin. There’s no shortage of critters what are going to eat it, the sun’s coming at you from ever freaking direction, you’re mostly in the water which is going to wash off all the good stuff you have on, but still have weeping ores from bug bite. And I had a pretty bad sunburn — let’ not mince words — from my use and abuses of the Omi Verdio Sun Gel (see below). However, this tuff was my salvation. Going back to those bees and their gifts of skincare, man, this is the gift which keeps on giving. After my misadventures in the sun, my skin was feeling pretty jacked up. Lisa whips this stuff and immediately the texture is just fantastic. Smells great, feels great, works great. I got almost no peeling, and almost none on the spots where we actually applied it — I came back as one of those red-backed tourist-looking people, and everything cleared up basically immediately and it was a non-issue. I don’t know if one if its recommended uses is as a sunburn smoothing whatever, but it sure works well as everyone, and I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the bees and it really fixing my little red wagon. This gets the rare “greater than 5” rating because it came through when I really needed it.
Editor’s Notes: This is officially a burn treatment in our house, though you should not use it that way. We initially opened it after I got a freak second degree burn from some hot tea water, though I’d always anticipated taking it to Belize for sunburn use cases. It has an aloe gel texture, so if you just want a fancier aloe gel I’d highly recommend it. It doesn’t cut the mustard for me for a moisturizer but I have started using it as the conductive gel for my Nuface and it works a treat there. (Josiah’s review of my Nuface? “Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. It’s the water torture of skincare.” He hates it. It’s a problem.)

5️⃣ Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream

Product Type: Sunscreen
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: Don’t get me wrong, the first thing I look for in a sunscreen is not being able to feel it almost immediately after application. This one’s a little bit different, but I kind of like it. You can feel the rich smooth creaminess, which is not cloying somehow. But once it’s on, rather than the neutral “just my skin-ness” character that I look for in other sunscreens, like Beet Shield or Isntree, you still feel this wonderful, soft moisturizey goodness, or at least that’s my impression. And I like it. In the summer I’m still going to go for the Isntree, but as the weather’s getting colder and the air’s getting a bit drier, this is definitely finding a place in my routine. It’s held up in some really challenging conditions, and I’m not the most assiduous reapplier.
Editor’s Notes: I initially picked this up for us because we were obsessed with Krave Beauty The Beet Shield and were bereft when it was discontinued. This is, in terms of inci list, pretty close to a dupe, but the texture is indeed quite moisturizing. This had been his BAE sunscreen before I forced him to try the Isntree Watery Sun Gel, which he’s now obsessed with. (Says Josiah: “You get the best fucking sunscreens. I’m not even kidding.”)

6️⃣ OMI Verdio UV Moisture Gel SPF 50+ PA++++

Product Type: Sunscreen
Rating: 4/5
Review: Let me preface this by saying this is going to seem a little unfair. To be honest, I slapped it on and within 5 minutes was in the splash pool in Belize, flopping around in the sun like some sort of beached narwhal. And then I took my shirt off and went snorkeling in warm salt water for, like 2.5 hours. And I did get burned. But I wasn’t like Christopher Lambert in “Fortress 2: Re-Entry” — seriously, give it a watch if you like terrible sci-fi, and it’s a fantastic endorsement of sunscreen. (Basically, for insubordination his punishment to get fried by the sun for a while.) So taken as a whole, bad first experience but fantastic sunscreen — it withstood a lot of misuse, and it’s good to use, and it’s got what I crave: it’s light, it works well, it’s coral-safe, and it’s more cost-effective than some of my more preferred alternatives like Isntree or Beet Shield. Seriously, give it a try.
Editor’s Notes: The price and size on the Omi Verdio Gel is, in and of itself, a reason to try it. It’s bigger than the usual Asian sunscreens, and super inexpensive. This has a ridiculously liquidy texture, so if you don’t like that thick sunscreen texture I would definitely recommend this.

September Openeds Reviews

Autumn has come late to northern Colorado this year, but it’s finally here. September oversaw the transition, with highs still in the 90s many days but lows getting into the 40s. (Yes, 50 F degree temperature swings are not unheard of here, though 30 F degree ones are more common). Much of what I opened in September was informed by our anniversary trip to Belize, however, which is the reason for the proliferation of minis. I’ve mixed up the format this time, organizing products into sections: wash-off products, toners & essences, and creams & gels.

Wash-Off Products

🍏 Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm

The Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm is a very-hyped classic, so I was excited to take this sample size on my Belize trip — if ever I was going to need a powerhouse to remove sunscreen and oil, that would be it. This balm includes a variety of nourishing oils (as well as essential oils and fragrance, though in a wash-off product that doesn’t bother me) and turns into an oil very quickly once it’s on the skin. I could definitely feel it balling up and taking away all of the jungle and sunscreen yucks!
Price: $34 USD / 100 mL; shown in a 12 mL sample size

🍵 I Dew Care Matcha Mood

Going on an international vacation during a pancetta is a bit extra, so I decided to be a bit extra and bring this mini I Dew Care Matcha Mood wash-off mask with me. I actually really loved having it along for the trip! We took quite a few showers while we were in the jungle in Belize (climbing a 350 foot cliff in a 260 million year-old cave will really make you need a rinse) but I didn’t want to wreck my skin, so I popped this on before hopping in and it worked a treat. It definitely smells like matcha — specifically like matcha mochi, in my opinion.
Price: $25 USD / 100g; shown in the 10g size in the Mini Scoops set

🚿 Derma: B – Creamy Touch Body Wash

I first came across Derma: B for their lotions, and I love them so much that I decided to give the Derma: B – Creamy Touch Body Wash a try. I have always struggled to find a body cleanser that didn’t dry out my skin — I gave up on soaps ages ago, and can only really use lotions or oils generally. This is more of a traditional body wash but is so creamy that my skin isn’t itchy and tight when I come out of the shower.
Price: $25 USD / 400 mL

Toners & Essences

🍶 Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence

The Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence was my first galactomyces love, and I’ve had this travel size stashed for a rainy (or sunny, in this case) day. I find that galactomyces does wonder for my pore size and redness, so I had to take it with me on our trip to Belize. I use this AM and PM and while it doesn’t make my skin perfect, I can really tell when I don’t use it.
Price: $25-$54 / 150 mL depending upon retailer; shown in a 30 mL travel size

💧 elmt Skin Activating Solution

I don’t typically shop at Wishtrend, but during their end-of-summer sale I had to pick up their elmt Skin Activating Solution because it had been recommended by a friend. It’s now also being recommended by Youtuber James Welsh, and I am here for that recommendation. While other green tea toners (cough Isntree) have been a bit drying for my skin, this is surprisingly hydrating, and I’ve been using two or three layer of it AM and PM for an extra boost of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power.
Price: $20 USD / 150 mL

🍃 COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner

The COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner is a holy grail for me, so I had to bring this travel size with me to Belize — not knowing what I might face in term of airport/airplane air, mask wearing and sun exposure, it felt worthwhile to have it in my arsenal. This is a wonderfully hydrating, watery toner that I’ll turn to again and again, and I’d recommend for any skin type or concern thanks to the seven different cica compounds that can tackle concern from inflammation to sensitivity to aging.
Price: $22 USD/150 mL; shown in a 30 mL travel size

🌸 Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence

I got this sample for free when buying the larger Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale this spring. I bought that because, while I avoid hyaluronic acid, it’s really well-reviewed; and while I didn’t like using the big version in arid Colorado, using this mini version in humid Belize was pretty great. I found that I could mostly skip moisturizer in the morning, and that it completely revived my hair after the hard water in the jungle dried it out.
Price: $25 USD / 150 mL; shown in a 30 mL sample size

Creams & Gels

🐝 Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

I picked up the Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel after winning a Nudie Glow US gift card, and I’m not mad about it. I originally opened this up when I got a freak second-degree burn from tea water, but even if I hadn’t needed some remedial skin soothing for that I would have opened it this month for our trip to Belize, most likely. We lucked out with only one sunburn (my husband, across his shoulders, whilst snorkeling), but it did help with the healing there — this truly looks and feels like an aloe gel. Beyond just using this for burns, I’ve also been using it as a moisturizer (AM) and a retinol buffer (PM).
Price: $12 USD / 100 mL

👁 Pyunkang Yul Black Tea Time Reverse Eye Cream

Thus far it feels like Pyunkang Yul can do no wrong, so I was excited to pick up the mini Pyunkang Yul Black Tea Time Reverse Eye Cream. In my experience a mini eye cream lasts me for months. I’m not actually a big believer in eye cream itself — it really is just a thinner, more hydrating moisturizer — but I do enjoy the increased hydration on my lips. That’s right: towards the end of my routine I apply eye cream and then lip balm, and it works wonderfully. I also use eye cream for its intended purpose before retinol. This eye cream is absolutely lovely, like I was hoping from the brand. It’s easy to dispense just the right amount, and it has a lovely buttery texture.
Price: $29 USD / 25 mL; shown in the $7 / 9 mL mini

😇 e.l.f. Cosmetics Fragrance-Free Holy Hydration Face Cream

I originally got the e.l.f. Cosmetics Fragrance-Free Holy Hydration Face Cream for my mom, who wanted a peptide moisturizer but ended up hating this, so it’s strictly been open for a couple months but it’s new to me. This is a very basic moisturizer, but I can imagine this works decently under makeup for those dry-skinned folks that wear it regularly. I had been using it just as a night cream, but then as the weather has changed I’ve been using it as a day cream as well, and find that it really doesn’t offer enough protection against the autumnal Colorado evenings.
Price: $12 USD / 50 mL

💦 Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

I picked this mini Laneige Water Sleeping Mask from the very brief period YesStyle was selling Laneige in the US as an unauthorized retailer (oops?). They’re famous for their lip mask, of course, but I wanted something smaller to take to Belize in case I needed it. This is definitely a hydrating sleeping mask more so than a protective, occlusive one, which made it really nice in Belize but less ideal now that I’m back in Colorado. It’s a fun experience, though — a blue gel cream with a strong but yummy perfume to it.
Price: $25 USD / 70 mL; shown in the 15 mL sample size

☀️ OMI Verdio UV Moisture Gel SPF 50+ PA++++

I’ve been interested in trying the OMI Verdio UV Moisture Gel since trying their essence, so I decided to bring this with us on our trip to Belize. This is a much less moisturizing texture — very thin and serumy-like — which was nice for our “use the face sunscreen all over your body” use case. It does still leave a fairly dewy finish, though not “my glasses are sliding down my nose” dewy like the essence did for me. It held up well against prolonged sun exposure (provided proper reapplication, of course!) though not so well against salt water.
Price: $11 USD / 80 g

September Empties Reviews

Ah September. I always think of it as the beginning of autumn, but this year it was really more the end of summer — we routinely had 90 degree days, and I had a tropical getaway to Belize for 9 days over the week of my fourth wedding anniversary (so if you were wondering why this post is a week late, well, that’s your answer). I’ve changed up the format a bit this month to also include the month that I opened each product, hoping that that might be illuminating, or at least interesting.

🧼 Heimish All Clean Balm

The Heimish All Clean Balm was one of the original popular cleansing balms, so when I won a gift card through Nudie Glow US earlier this year, I picked this one up. It’s certainly effective — you can feel product pilling up as you massage this first cleanser into the skin. It emulsifies easily with water, though it doesn’t rinse as cleanly as some other cleansing balms and I find that I always have to follow this up with a second cleanse. (I know some people just use cleansing balms rather than a cleansing balm + water-based cleanser — this is not the cleansing balm for that). It does include essential oils, but since it’s a wash-off product that doesn’t bother me. My big beef with this? The sheer quantity of PACKAGING. Oh my goodness, it’s excessive.
Opened: June
Rating: 7/10
Price: $18 USD / 120 mL

🦋 Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Mask

Because I’m extra, I like to follow up clay or exfoliating masks with a hydrating mask, and lately that’s been the Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Mask. It’s certainly hydrating, though I wouldn’t say it’s one of the hydrating/moisturizing masks that you can just forget about when it’s on your face (I’m looking at you, I’m From Honey), because it will start to dry and tighten up. While the inci list is a plethora of antioxidants and it’s nice to see more hydrating wash-off masks — especially at the drugstore — I think that there are more impressive ones elsewhere.
Opened: July
Rating: 6/10
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL

🍶 MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence

I love me some galactomyces in a first essence, so I pretty much plowed through the MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence. Used both AM and PM, I definitely noticed a reduction in redness and visible pore size. There is some fragrance to this, but the full-size is the most affordable first essence on the market, so there’s a good chance I’ll be coming back to this in the future — I’m never going without galactomyces ever again.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $22 USD / 210 mL for full-size; pictured in the mini size

🍵 Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner

The Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner is a favorite among oily-skinned k-beauty fans, and so while it wouldn’t usually be up my alley, I was really curious about trying it after winning it in a giveaway from Isntree and EuniUnni. This is definitely not a hydrating toner — if anything, I found that it dried my skin out a bit. This makes sense, though, given that green tea and willow bark extracts both control and reduce sebum production. But despite its slightly drying nature (definitely don’t do seven skins with this one), I really liked it through the summer for all of its antioxidant benefits, to the point that I think I’ll probably continue having one more antioxidant toner and one more hydrating toner in rotation.
Opened: June
Rating: 7/10
Price: $20 USD / 200 mL

🐌 Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner

This is not my first empty of the Peach Slices Snail Rescue Toner, nor will it be the last, I’m sure. If you’re interested in snail but aren’t sure about the texture, this is a great option — the toner has 95% snail mucin (just 1% less than the cult classic Cosrx Snail Mucin) but has no gloopiness to it. It’s just a lovely, slightly thicker toner that’s great for layering. Snail mucin, of course, has many great skin benefits mostly centered around wound healing, which is why this is marketed towards blemish-prone skin but works really well for those of us fighting other skin-barrier fights as well.
Opened: July
Rating: 10/10
Price: $14 USD / 120 mL

🌸 Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence

Living in an arid environment, I don’t typically pick up hyaluronic acid focused ingredients, but when the Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence went on sale during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale this spring, I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately my gut instinct about hyaluronic acid held true with this essence, and I didn’t see any benefits from it — including hydration benefits. That said, I discovered during my trip to Belize (I also got a mini of this which went with me) I discovered that this is actually great on hair and that hyaluronic acid itself really does work well in tropical climates, so while it doesn’t work for my desired use case, it still might be worth picking up.
Opened: June
Rating: 6/10
Price: $25 USD / 150 mL

🍃 COSRX Cica Cream

COSRX’s cica line is one of my favorites from the brand (tied with the propolis line, really), so I’m so glad that I won the entire line from the brand late last year. The COSRX Cica Cream is, predictably, pretty great. I did a deep dive on it during my Face Off of the Cica Creams so I’m not going to wax too eloquent here beyond to say that while I had originally intended this as a day cream, I found that I really preferred it in the evening as a retinol buffer — I found that it pilled occasionally under sunscreen, but the gel-cream type texture played nicely with my involved PM routine.
Opened: June
Rating: 8/10
Price: $32 USD / 50 mL

👁 Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

I’m definitely part of the skincare camp that says eye cream is overpriced moisturizer, but I will say that the Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream is a nice one. That said, this small size lasted me ages and I find that I actually enjoy it more on my lips than around my eyes. That’s right. This has a lovely slip to it that I’m sure would be great in the AM under makeup, but given that that’s not really a skin concern, I can’t speak to it. I do, however, have perpetually dry-ish lips, and regularly employ the life hack of putting eye cream on my lips before locking it in with some sort of occlusive.
Opened: May
Rating: 7/10
Price: $54 USD/15 mL for the full-size, shown here in a 3 mL promo size

👄 Aquaphor Lip Repair

I’m truly surprised I managed to empty an Aquaphor Lip Repair before losing it, so even though I’m not sure when I opened this, I had to include it. Aquaphor is a classic for good reason — it’s a no frills product that Just Works, with a good mix of emollience and occlusive that makes it great for lips, cuticles, and other bits of skin that need some TLC.
Opened: Unknown
Rating: 10/10
Price: $4 USD / 10 mL

😎 Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

While I opened an Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel in August, this is one that I opened and emptied all in the month of September — we took an unopened bottle with us down to Belize. My husband used the entire bottle during my week down there, on both his face and body, and his only sunburn is from when he made the rookie mistake of going snorkeling without a shirt on. This SPF 50+ PA++++ is understandably quickly becoming a cult favorite.
Opened: September
Rating: 10/10
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL

☀️ Krave Beauty The Beet Shield

I’m slowly working through my enormous stash of Krave Beauty The Beet Shield that I picked up last Black Friday, before the brand was forced to discontinue the line. I love the texture of this and how easy it is to reapply, so I actually went through two of these during our trip in Belize. We know that this doesn’t measure up to the SPF 50 it had been advertised as in Korea, but I find that it consistently performs as at least an SPF 30. You’ll see this in a few more empties posts!
Opened: September
Rating: 10/10
Price: NA — discontinued

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

The Neutrogena Body Oil is another empty that should come as no surprise — though perhaps the fact that I finished the bottle in a month is surprising. As an avid bather, I find that some oil in the tub really keeps my skin from being stripped, and this is really my long-standing favorite for that purpose. The sesame seed oil is moisturizing but not too thick, and the surfactants in it keep it from just floating on the top of the water.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $13 USD / 250 mL

The Hub Take

Time for something a bit unusual. My husband Josiah has been a huge supporter of my skincare journey, to the point that I’ve finally managed to get him into a bit of a routine — or perhaps more accurately, I’ve at least turned him into a nearly-daily sunscreen wearer. He kindly offered to do a review of some (not all) of the products he’s used recently in a bit we refer to as “The Hub Take.” For reference, his skin type is normal to dry, and not acne prone (though beards will be beards), but he does have a tendency towards rosacea. Products are listed and photographed left to right in his ranked preference. You’ll see product type, rating, his review and my notes. But first, an intro from the man himself:

Hi I’m Josiah. I was not and generally am not into skin care, but I want to be a good skincare boy. So I will do blurbs that I hope are helpful to people like and unlike me. No “deep dives”, just how I feel about the stuff. I’m claustrophobic, and heavy creams and whatnot really triggers that for me. If you’re into that sort of thing then definitely take my reviews with a grain of salt (do so anyway.). Also, a good fragrance in a light product = 100%.

Products

1️⃣ Stratia Liquid Gold

Product Type: Moisturizer

Rating: 5/5

Review: I was a little wasted when I saw this for the first time, but I was absolutely floored by the color. Damn. Get a candle or two, a bottle of wine, and just look at that color in the light. It’s a for-real experience. Likewise for the scent. It’s like, bananas or something. Maybe sea bananas. It’s better than bananas but…i’ve said “bananas” too much. It smells good though. Guys care about that sort of thing more than you would expect. As for the product? It makes my skin happy — Lisa says things like “hey you don’t look like a the moon today” and I’m like “yaaay.” Seriously though — it just feels good, no greasy sensation, and that’s what I’m really looking for in this sort of product. Also, have you seen the color?

Editor’s Notes: This doesn’t actually have a fragrance like bananas, no matter how many times I tell him. The sea buckthorn oil, which gives this its incredible color, does have a bit of a natural scent. This is one of the only products he’s managed to empty without my help (well, mostly — it was mine first and I still occasionally steal a pump or two to buffer retinol). His love of this product managed to score us some free Stratia products one time — this quick photo of him made it onto the brand’s instagram.

The man in question, with his skincare haul

2️⃣ Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 5/5

Review: Oh my god. I loved Krave Beauty’s “The Beet Shield” but this is even better. I don’t feel even a hint of “omg there’s some sort of substance” on my face with this after application–which is basically my benchmark for “good product.” I have literally biked 40 miles in 98 degree, sci-fi-planet-blasted-hellscape UV indexes and only come back very slightly, like, tanned I guess. Very far from “overexposed.” Just buy it.

Editor’s Notes: Living in Colorado I didn’t expect a sunscreen with the words “hyaluronic acid” in it to work as well as it does — I usually avoid the stuff because it can dry you out in a desert — but this stuff truly is great. Those who’ve been reading my reviews lately will know that we’re actively on the hunt for a good Krave replacement, and this seems to be the one. It’s a chemical sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA++++ (and proved to be so by external spf validation, if that’s a concern you have).

3️⃣ Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 4/5

Review: People have sometimes asked me “could you get any whiter?” I guess the answer is “yeah…totally.” I wasn’t aware of that fact until I tried this. On the other hand, it is a good sunscreen — I’ve been in the sun for, like, 6 hours without reapplying and haven’t burned, so, yay! Also, it’s surprisingly light and does not trigger my claustrophobia, which I would describe as “unrelenting.”

Editor’s Notes: This is the older generation of this sunscreen, which was all mineral and could certainly have a cast. Their new generation is a hybrid but seems to also have a whitecast, though — Josiah raved about it so much to some of our friends from India that we gave them a bottle, and the moment my friend rubbed it on her arm I went “oh no hopefully it will fade.” It does stick around remarkably, but please be more diligent about reapplying than he is.

4️⃣ SUNTIQUE I’m Pure Perfect Cica Suncream

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 2/5

Review: The sunscreen that gets you thinking “how bad could skin cancer possibly be?” Not really. Just kidding. I mean, the experience of slathering it onto my face was akin to creaming concrete. But on, like, you know, my face. On the other hand, it’s fine for my legs (not my arms) because they’re just meat-sticks that I go around on.

Editor’s Notes: Obviously skin cancer is no laughing matter — we now have two close friends who have needed surgery for it — but the moment Josiah put this on his face the first time he immediately washed it off and it truly was hilarious. He has since suffered through it a fair bit just because I refuse to bin products. This is truly an awful-feeling sunscreen, though if you want to feel like it’s really adhering, look no further. I’m glad we finished it last month and it’s out of our lives, honestly.

Concluding Editor’s Note

Getting the people you care about into skincare can be tough, but if you figure out how to get past their objections — feels heavy? get light products! too many steps? look for multi-taskers! just doesn’t see the need? show them your sweet gains! — it can be a fun, rewarding experience to guide someone through. Whatever your skin goals and skin type, focusing on sun protection and skin barrier support is never a good idea.

If you’re wondering what the rest of his routine is — he uses the Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gel and the Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Booster as needed. Prior to falling in love with the Isntree sunscreen, he’d been liking the Hyggee Vegan Suncream as a replacement for Krave and didn’t mind its more moisturizing texture. If y’all like this, I’ll harangue him to write reviews for those (and maybe others) before the year is through. He might not admit it, but I think he enjoyed it. 😉

August Openeds Reviews

August saw a lot of new products — and a lot of new brands for me! How I’ve managed to be into skincare for so long without trying famous brands like Some By Mi or Sunday Riley, or even less famous but still popular ones like Mizon, Abib or Ample:N I don’t know, but I guess I do just have the one face.

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

Long-time readers will know of my obsession with baths — and the obsession with body oils that follows. As an avid bather, I NEED oil in the bath in order to keep my skin barrier from getting absolutely wrecked. This Neutrogena Body Oil has historically been my go to, since it dissolves easily in the bath while sustaining its moisturizing benefits. The Fragrance Free version is far superior (I swear this version smells a bit like a pool) but much harder to find. Some folks use this as a pretty cost-effective first cleanse, though I still prefer cleansing balms.
Price: $13 USD / 250 mL

🍶 MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence

This product is harkening back to my early skincare days — a mini of a brand I’d never tried before. But I’m obsessed with first essences with galactomyces, and so the Mizon First Essence delivers. Within a week of switching onto this (from the Neogen Microferment Essence), I noticed my pores start to shrink and my persistent redness, particularly on my chin, start to diminish. This first essence — so named because it’s intended to be the first step of your skincare routine after cleansing, even before toner — has 94.5% galactomyces, as well as some extra skin-beneficial ingredients like niacinamide, cocoa extract and coptis japonica root extract. Those with acne-prone or sensitive skin should probably tread lightly, as this also includes castor oil and a few essential oils.
Price: $22 USD / 210 mL for full-size; pictured in the mini size

🍃 COSRX Green Hero Calming Pads

I typically don’t go in for toner pads, but I won these Cosrx Green Hero Calming Pads as part of their cica line giveaway (should it have been the cica pads? Maybe. Was it? No. Not sure if they were released last November, to be honest). They languished in my stash for a while, but one day life was busy and my skin was stressed from dryness so I just popped three out and put them on my cheeks and forehead. Now, on busy mornings, that’s exactly what I do — put toner pads on my cheeks if there’s a gap in time between when my skin becomes uncomfortably dry and when I have a chance to do my routine, at which point I squeeze the rest of the toner out of the pad and pat it into my skin. I actually keep them on my desk for easy relief.
Price: $22 USD / 70 pads

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

You’ve heard me talk about Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum basically every month. In theory it expires in four months, in practice I always use it in about a month and a half so the oxidization is moot. Supremely non-sticky, supremely gentle, supremely brightening, surprisingly cost-effective — I’ll probably buy it forever. If you’re looking for a low percentage (10%) ascorbic acid to start your vitamin c journey, look no further. Plus, they run sales almost every holiday weekend!
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum

I’m a sucker for propolis and had yet to try anything by Some By Mi, so when I heard about their Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum it was an immediate *adds to cart* moment. This serum has 73% propolis extract as well as panthenol (vitamin B5) to fulfill its name, but it also has honey extract, royal jelly extract, niacinamide, lactobacillus extract, saccharomyces, mugwort, tea leaf water, coptic japonica extract, ceramide NP and a bunch of variations on cica. This has a nice, easy to apply texture and the pump format makes it really easy to use. The only drawback is that it does include fragrance, but I think they actually just amped up the honey smell. If you’re looking for propolis but want a “does it all” sort of serum, I’ve been super impressed with this.
Price: $20 USD / 50 mL

🧺 AMPLE:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule

If you’re into ceramides and into k-beauty, you’ve probably been debating the Ample:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule. This is one of the few 100 mL serums you can buy (though I got it in the 30 mL “mini” to try), making it the most cost effective ceramide serum I’m aware of, whether k-beauty or Western. But despite the price, this is a really nice serum. It doesn’t have the ceramide gloopiness of RNW or Kate Somerville, but still delivers skin supportive benefits with ceramides 1, 2 and 3, plus cholesterol, beta-glucan and niacinamide.
Price: $36 USD / 100 mL for the full size; shown in the $20 USD / 30 mL mini

🐌 Beauty of Joseon Repair Serum

I’m obsessed with skin barrier support and I’ve slowly become obsessed with Beauty of Joseon’s price point and formulation aesthetics, so I had to try their Repair Serum. While the trend in skincare tends to be focusing on one hero ingredient, Beauty of Joseon’s serums mix it up with having one star ingredient with a variety of back-up singers, if you will. This one features 63% ginseng root water and 3% snail mucin, plus a variety of plant and mushroom extracts for extra brightening and skin repairing benefits. The aesthetics of this are really lovely — there’s no snail gloopiness, the color is the yummy reddish-brown of ginseng, and the texture is just thick enough to be spreadable without remaining sticky on the skin.
Price: $17 USD / 30 mL

🌚 Sunday Riley Luna Retinol Sleeping Night Oil

I picked up the Sunday Riley Power Couples bundle on a whim during the last 21 Days of Beauty sale at Ulta, since Sunday Riley strikes me as one of those “nice formulations but at what cost” sort of brands. (To be fair, this is my issue with a lot of the popular Western brands). This is certainly the strongest retinol I’ve used to-date — when I started using it every night, I did experience a bit of purging on my nose. Because this an oil (a lovely blue one, thanks to the blue tansy oil), I’ve been putting this on towards the end of my routine. It smells delicious thanks to the fun, weird oils that they use, and I can see why this is popular if only for the aesthetics.
Price: $105 USD / 35 mL for the full size; shown in a mini size.

🛢 Derma: B Intensive Barrier Multi Oil

I love Derma:B for body skincare, and as you noticed above I’m obsessed with body oils for the bath, so I picked up the Derma:B Intensive Barrier Multi Oil intending to use it that way. Then I used it in the tub once and decided “well this is way too nice to use this way.” So I’ve actually upgraded it to a facial oil — which is, in fairness, how it’s intended. It’s basically the most affordable blended oil I’ve seen. This is mostly sunflower and grape seed oil, but includes a variety of other oils including fun ones like carrot, black currant and tea seed oils, plus a ceramide and variety of peptides because it’s k-beauty so why wouldn’t you stuff those in there? This does have a bit of a fragrance to it but it fades down quickly. I’ve been mixing this with the Luna oil and applying after moisturizer.
Price: $12 USD / 135 mL

👄 Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm

I did a big old haul of Biossance last year, and the Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm was my last hold-out. This lip balm is not particularly hydrating (I actually like their eye cream on my lips for hydration underneath) but it does a nice job of sealing things in and protecting. I do think there’s a compelling reason for them to have released it in a tube, however — as a tub it feels less sanitary, because you have to dig around for product, and at least in my case I struggle with getting it under my long nails. This definitely smells like rose initially but it fades down pretty quickly.
Price: $14 USD / 15g; shown in the discontinued tub format

☀️ Krave Beauty The Beet Shield

The Krave Beauty Beet Shield was one of my holy grails and, let’s be real, still is — it keeps my skin from burning and has a lovely finish. It was discontinued as part of the Great SPF Frustration of this past winter, but I continue to hope that they’ll tweak their balance of UV filters such that it can meet its stated SPF 50+ PA++++. This particular bottle has been hanging out with the mountain biking gear, as I find that it holds up really nicely against sweat. You’ll see this in a few more empties and openeds, as I’m still working through my backstock from last Black Friday even as I try to find what my next ride or die sunscreen will be.
Price: N/A — discontinued

😎 Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

The Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel has been taking the skincare internet by storm since the Great SPF Frustration, because this recently released chemical sunscreen was shown to have SPF 50+ PA++++ through external validation. I usually avoid hyaluronic acid because it’s a recipe for sadness in a desert climate, but I haven’t experienced any drying with this sunscreen. It’s quite light and easy to rub in — even my husband is enjoying it, and he’s notoriously picky. We repurchased two when it was on sale at Yesstyle recently, but it’s generally on the less expensive side.
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL

🌱Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop

The Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop sounds like a serum because it basically is — except that it’s also SPF 50+ PA++++. This chemical sunscreen focuses on heartleaf, or houttuynia cordata extract, which is rich in polyphenols — one of which has been shown to decrease damage from UVB rays. Due to the serum bottle, this is relatively easy to measure out. I do find that it can pill when I do my longer morning routines, so I particularly like this for day when I’m keeping things simple. I can’t speak to how well it holds up with sweat, but it does seem to have a skin-softening effect.
Price: $23 USD / 50 mL

August Empties Reviews

One of these times I’ll actually iron my backdrops, but not this month! It’s been a busy one, though not so much in terms of emptying skincare. This month features the usual suspects like sunscreen and ceramide, vitamin c and propolis serums, as well as some other products you might not have been aware I was using unless you’ve been reading for a while. So without further ado, let’s jump into what I used up on my dry, sensitive skin this month.

🍶 Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence

I’m a big believer in first essences as a way to reduce my redness and pores, and that’s how I used this essence. The Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence doesn’t have “First Essence” in the name like some other products do, of course and it doesn’t contain galactomyces like most first essences do, but it does have 93% fermented ingredients — bifida ferment lysate and saccharomyces, in this case. Unfortunately I don’t find it to be as hydrating, pore-reducing and redness-reducing as other first essences, particularly those ones that do include galactomyces, so while it was nice to use, it’s not a rebuy for me.
Rating: 6/10
Price: $38 USD / 150 mL

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

If you’ve been reading my empties and openeds for a while, the Good Skin Days C’s the Day serum should need no introduction — I go through a bottle every 1.5 to 2 months. This is an incredibly non-sticky, non-hot-dog-water-smelly vitamin c that is great for more sensitive skin. 10% ascorbic acid, niacinamide, licorice root, camu-camu, ginseng and mushroom come together for some great brightening and hydrating power. I’ll probably be rebuying for forever — luckily it’s one of the cheaper vitamin c serums out there, and SokoGlam runs sales fairly regularly. Just beware that it WILL oxidize on you — I’ve had great success just ensuring I close it tightly and tuck it away in a little bag.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

I talked about the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum at length in my Face Off of the Propolis Serums, so I’ll keep this relatively brief. Suffice it to say that this has 60% propolis, 2% niacinamide, turmeric, tea tree extract and betaine salicylate, making it a propolis serum hyper-focused on treating and preventing acne. Which I can certainly say it did! I’m not acne prone by any means, but even in my thirties hormones cause me to get a spot or two every period — but not this summer while using this! The texture is a bit thick (more like honey) so it takes a bit more than I’d like to get full coverage. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a gentle way to fight blemishes.
Rating: 9/10
Price: $17 USD / 30 mL

🐐 Beekman 1802 Milk Drops Probiotic Ceramide Serum

I picked up two of the Beekman 1802 Milk Drops Probiotic Ceramide Serum when they were half of on Ulta’s last 21 Days of Beauty sale (sad news, it’s not in this next one BUT the brand runs some pretty decent promotions through their site). I was sure that if I didn’t get two I’d be sad, because I’m a sucker for ceramides and would probably like it. Well, here we are. I DO like this very much, though it almost feels more of a general skin barrier supportive serum like the Missha Probio Ampoule than a ceramide serum, especially in texture, so if your focus is purely on ceramides there are definitely better options. If you’re looking for an all-in-one serum of ceramides, probiotics and hydration, though, this is a great option.
Rating: 8/10
Price: $45 USD / 28 mL

💧 Dear, Klairs Watery Oil Drop

The Dear, Klairs Watery Oil Drop is a holy grail among the Skincare Fanatics modmin team, and I can see why. It’s one of the most cost-effective k-beauty serums, for one, and has a nice texture to it — truly a watery oil, despite being oil-free. This is another well-rounded serum, that pairs hydration with antioxidants (tea tree water and extract, rice extracts and seaweed extract), skin-barrier strengtheners (bifida ferment extract, ceramide NP) and, in proper k-beauty style, peptides copper tripeptiide-1 and acetyl hexapeptide-8. If your skin isn’t ridiculously thirsty like mine is, this serum can last you a Long Time because it spreads really easily with just a few drops.
Rating: 9/10
Price: $31 USD / 50 mL

🔴 Indeed Labs Retinol Reface Serum

I discussed the Indeed Labs Retinol Reface Serum in depth as well in my recent Face Off of the Starter Retinols so I won’t wax too eloquent here. This includes encapsulated retinol at an unknown percentage, as well as bakuchiol and palmitoyl tripeptide-38 (Matrixyl synthe’6). While it’s not my favorite starter retinol — the texture is a bit thick, the formula i otherwise pretty boring, and the dispensing mechanism makes it hard to get out once you’re nearly out — this is one of the most globally and easily accessible options if you’re nervous to try retinol or if you, like me, hate tracking skincare schedules and just want something you can use every night.
Rating: 6/10
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL

🍵 Peach & Lily Matcha Pudding Antioxidant Cream

I’ll admit that I didn’t fully appreciate the Peach & Lily Matcha Pudding Antioxidant Cream when I first tried it as a sample over a year ago, but I’ve come around to it. This strikingly green cream features matcha, of courses, as well as niacinamide, adenosine and panthenol for a generally soothing, redness reducing effect. In proper k-beauty form it also includes a variety of other plant extracts, which together with the matcha make this a very antioxidant rich moisturizer. For my part, I think that this makes a great AM cream — antioxidants and redness reduction are always nice when you go out to face the world, and for my skin I find this has too light of a texture to really hold up as a night cream without a facial oil and sleeping mask over top. If you’re wary of essential oils you might want to skip this one, but I found that, although it includes my old nemesis orange peel oil, my skin wasn’t bothered by it.
Rating: 8/10
Price: $40 USD / 50 mL

😎 HYGGEE Vegan Sun Cream

The Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream is a recently released k-beauty sunscreen that’s been getting a lot of play because it passed external SPF validation and because, according to the ingredient list, it’s basically a dupe of Krave Beauty Beet Shield. And it basically is! Same color, almost all of the same UV filters, and a bunch of antioxidants including beet extract. Like Krave Beauty this does also include alcohol for stabilizing and dry-down purposes, but unlike Krave this doesn’t feel drying — the texture itself is actually quite creamy and moisturizing, so I actually don’t feel like I need a moisturizer under this (though I use a bunch of serums so your mileage may vary). You’ll definitely need to reapply this as you go out and about and it’s unfortunately a little pricey, but if you’ve struggled to find something good, give it a go!
Rating: 10/10
Price: $25 USD / 50 mL

👄 Aquaphor Lip Protectant + Sunscreen

I bought this last year, when lip spfs didn’t seem so abundant (now I’ve found loads that I like). The reason it’s taken me this long to empty it is … because I haven’t even emptied it, I just don’t want to use it anymore. It’s got the great protective aquaphor texture but the flavor is just awful. It’s a chemical sunscreen, which is great because unlike many other lip spfs you don’t get a whitecast. But the taste of the filters is just too gross to deal with.
Rating: 1/10
Price: $4 USD / 10 mL

Bonus Round: Body Skincare

🛁 Bioderma Atoderm Body Cleansing Oil

Long-time readers will know that I am an avid bather, but hot water plus dry skin plus desert is a pretty disastrous combination. Because of this, it’s been my project over the last few years to optimize my bath into something where I can spend hours at a time. Key to this? A cost-effective bath oil. Moisturizing after a bath is all well and good, but if you bathe as often and as long as I do, you might find that you can feel your skin start to be stripped mid-tub-time. And that, of course, won’t do. So what do I do? Put four pumps of the Bioderma Atoderm Body Cleansing Oil in. Because of the surfactants it doesn’t just stay on the surface of the tub like some other oils do, but it also doesn’t strip my skin more like a bubble bath might. The one drawback? This does have a baby powder fragrance to it, though my other bath products overpower it pretty readily.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $20 USD / 1 L

🌋 SUNTIQUE I’m Pure Perfect Cica Suncream

My husband jokes that “this is the sort of sunscreen that makes you wonder how bad skin cancer really is.” And while skin cancer is no joke and this sunscreen isn’t THAT bad, the Suntique I’m Pure Perfect Cica Suncream definitely feels like a heavy US sunscreen to us both, which is a shame because Suntique is a Korean brand and I was hoping for a lighter texture. I also find it to be quite drying, though that’s a problem for me with just about any mineral sunscreen I’ve tried. The great thing about this, however, is that it just does not budge. This is DEFINITELY a sunscreen you’ll need to wash off at the end of the day, but that turned it into a fantastic sunscreen for playing outside. It even seemed to hold up while dripping sweat during 20 mile mountain-bike rides, so begrudgingly I can’t give it the lowest possible rating.
Rating: 3/10
Price: $27 USD / 120 mL in the jumbo size shown (from Costco); $24 USD / 50 mL through most retailers

Note: all links included in this are affiliate links. I buy a lot of skincare so you don’t have to, and using those referral codes to defray my own skincare costs is always appreciated but never necessary.

Face Off of the Cica Creams: COSRX vs Isntree

So you want a cica cream. Maybe you have persistent sensitive skin and you want some relief, maybe you’re hoping to tone down some redness from rosacea and inflammation, or maybe you just spent too much time out in the sun. Because of cica’s powerhouse soothing and wound-healing benefits, it can be handy to have a cica cream around for everything from moisturizing to treating bug bites. Cica creams are a great staple to keep on hand in your routine, but there are a lot to choose from. So let’s talk about the two you’re most apt to have heard of (and, full transparency, the only two I’ve tried).

But First — What is Cica?

Cica is the colloquial term for centella asiatica. It’s a plant which is native to southeast Asia, but has become increasingly popular, even getting picked up and used by western brands (La Roche Posay cicaplast anyone?), but if you really want to see brands taking cica to new levels, in my opinion k-beauty is the place to look.

Centella asiatica (sometimes known as gotu kola) is one of those wonderful plants where basically all of it wants to love you and nourish you. Because of this, you may not always see just “centella asiatica extract” on an inci list. You’ll also see centella asiatica leaf and root extracts. As an aside, this leaves me to wonder where the plain old extract comes from and to be honest I don’t know and Google has failed me but it must be the stems? The stuff looks a bit like parsley.

Thanks to the miracles of modern science they’ve also been able to isolate additional biologically active components from cica: madecassoside, madecassic acid, asiaticoside and asiatic acid. Madecassoside is one of the key skin-soothing compounds from centella, with a fabulous wound-healing ability (this is why you’ll find it, and not a centella asiatica extract, on the LRP inci list). Madecassic acid has wound healing and moisturizing properties. Asiaticoside also has wound-healing properties and has some in-vitro studies showing it may help increase collagen synthesis, as does asiatic acid. And, because it seems to be a thing with all plant ingredients, they’re all great antioxidants.

COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream

COSRX is one of the cult k-beauty brands, and of course has been featured in another Face Off post. The COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream uses what COSRX calls their Cica-7 complex, in that it includes all seven of the centella asiatica ingredients listed above.

In proper COSRX style, the COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream also includes pinus pinaster bark extract (sometimes called pycnogenol), which also has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefit. Additional anti-oxidant properties come from arginine, while allantoin and panthenol basically double down on the wound-healing and skin-soothing.

This has what I think of as more of an ointment texture (though less damp), and some would think of as a gel cream. This is visible in the picture — the COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream is the lower dab of cream. Much of the texture comes from the sunflower and macadamia seed oils, as well as the beeswax, cyclomethicone and dimethicone. I personally find this to pill a bit under sunscreen, though it works well as a buffer layer in the evening under retinol. I also like popping it on any itchy spots — sunburn (darn clothes, why do you move and reveal areas) or bug bites.

Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Beeswax, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Arginine, Allantoin, Carbomer, Water, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside, Sodium Hyaluronate
Ingredients for Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Cream

Isntree Cica Relief Cream

Isntree is a slightly less popular k-beauty brand, though if you know k-beauty you’ve certainly heard of them (and probably confused them with Innisfree at least once). Their cica cream offering does not include all seven possible cica ingredients, but rather just centella asiatica extract and asiaticoside. Once again, it includes allantoin and panthenol for increased wound-healing and skin-soothing benefits.

Rather than just focusing on cica, the Isntree Cica Relief Cream is packed full of plant extracts and peptides, making it a great well-aging cream. SH-Oligopeptide-1, or EGF, stimulates cell growth and healing. Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 is the “Botox peptide” with wrinkle-smoothing abilities, though it’s not a collagen builder. Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is part of Matrixyl 3000, and is one of the few peptides for whom the “this is broken-down collagen so it makes the skin want to create more collagen to replace it” logic holds up. And last among the peptides is Copper Tripeptide-1, found in seemingly any k-beauty product that includes peptides, and is shown to actually have similar effects to cica in terms of wound-healing, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Edelweiss, neem, eggplant, turmeric and holy basil extracts soften the skin, heal the skin and provide antioxidant benefits.

This is a more typical lotion texture, and is green in color (visible in the picture — Isntree is the upper dab of cream), making it really convenient if one of the things you’re hoping to treat with cica is the persistent redness of sensitivity. I find that it wears really well under any sunscreen.

Water, Centella Asiatica Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetearyl Alcohol, Beeswax, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Amber Powder, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Asiaticoside, SH-Oligopeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-1, Phosphatidylcholine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Palmitic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, C12-16 Alcohols, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Dextrin, Sorbitan Olivate, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients for Isntree Cica Relief Cream

The Face Off: When To Use Which

Alright, so that’s the breakdown of inci list and texture, but if you’re still debating, what should you use to get that cica fix?

What you’ll get from both: a light, skin-soothing cream. If you’re dealing with sensitivity and inflammation from basically any source, cica’s an ingredient that needs to be in your arsenal. With consistent use over time you’ll also fight some of the stresses of aging (boo oxidative stress, yay antioxidants). If all you need is a quick fix for occasional irritation, they’ll calm that down too no problem.

What you’ll get from COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream: a simple cream that will throw every single power of cica wherever you apply it, without introducing any other possible skin-sensitizers

What you’ll get from Isntree Cica Relief Cream: a light cream that goes just a little bit further by providing peptides and more anti-oxidants for additional well-aging and skin-softening benefits.

So which one should you pick? If you’re me, the clear winner is the Isntree Cica Relief Cream. I love the texture and how it feels on my skin, as well as the green tint which calms down redness. But then, I want it as a well-aging day cream for sensitive skin. The COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream works well as a spot-treatment for irritation, and it could be that their “Intense” version, which I have yet to try, could have better moisturizing capabilities without any pilling.