This is Missha's version of SK-II infamous Facial Treatment Essence. SK-II products contain the star ingredient saccharomycopsis ferment filtrate, also named pitera, which is a yeast derived from the fermentation of sake. According to SK-II, pitera has moisturizing and antioxidant properties, and it is found in every single product of this brand.
So, how is Missha's essence related to all of this? Missha uses a yeast named saccharomyces ferment filtrate in their essence, which is derived from beer. And the most interesting thing, both yeasts are from the same family. Does that mean that they will work the same? I think it is very likely.
Now let's check the ingredients of both products. I will highlight the most exciting ingredients in each product.
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
Saccharomycopsis Ferment Filtrate (90%), Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Aqua, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Sorbic Acid
Missha The First Treatment Essence
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate (80%), Propanediol, Licorice, Niacinamide, Polyquaternium-51, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Raffinose, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Beta Vulgaris Root, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis, Camomille Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Tromethamine, Water, Adenosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Well... Missha is a clear winner here! It has a lot of beneficial ingredients apart from the mentioned yeast, such as licorice extract, niacinamide, bifida ferment lysate, centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, adenosine, lactic acid... etc. But SK-II only focuses on one star ingredient, and I think that's a shame. Given that you have to pay around $150 for SK-II essence, I would expect to get a more exciting formula other than the one offered (which is a very basic water-based toner with two moisturizing ingredients, three preservatives and the infamous yeast). Even if pitera was as good as SK-II claims, I just cannot justify the price. I think Missha did a good job in offering an "improved" version of this toner by adding tons of beneficial ingredients with moisturizing, whitening, antioxidant and anti-inflamatory properties.
In fact, this was a huge hit in Korea and it is said Missha sold 1 million units in one year! And it's just around $30 in Korea, so it is waaaaay more affordable than the SK-II one.
My review
I got this in the 30ml version, which is a travel size. But you can get the full size (150ml) for around $34 on ebay, which is 5 times cheaper than SK-II toner!
This is applied immediately after washing your face, to help retain the moisture. Usually I use 2-3 drops of this and I apply it to my face with my hands while doing a massage.
I think this toner works best for people with oily to normal skin, since it is very lightweight and it absorbs super fast. It could also work for people that suffer from discolorations, since its high content of niacinamide and licorice would help to lighten and even out skin tone. I have seen an improvement in my dark spots, and I think it is thanks to using this product along with my whitening serum and moisturizer.
I am overall very satisfied with this and I can't wait for trying the full size!
Overall rate: 5/5
Naruko has become of my favorite skincare brands. They use state-of-the-art ingredients, they have superior formulations and the best is that their prices are affordable. What is not to love?
They have several lines: Raw Job's Tears (whitening), Apple Seed and Tranexamic Acid (dull skin), Rose Fungus (dry skin), Tea Tree (troubled skin), Lupin (wrinkles), Narcissus (fine lines)... etc.
I have used products from the Raw Job's Tears and the Apple Seed line and I have to say, gotta love them all!
This is my current moisturizer. I like it because it is very lightweight (meaning, no clogged pores!) and because it has whitening properties. This was around $23 off ebay, which is a really good price considering what you get.
About the ingredients: this contains several whitening ingredients, such as licorice, tranexamic acid, alpha-arbutin, ethyl ascorbic acid and lactic acid. It also has some other beneficial ingredients, like green tea, retinol, peptides, yogurt powder, gingko, grape extract and jojoba. I think it is a very good formulation for a moisturizer (if not the best formulation I've ever seen!). It's hard to find a moisturizer that has so many good ingredients. Also, they don't use alcohol or a heavy amount of silicones, so there's no risk for irritation or break-outs!
And the texture is superior.
I have been using this for 4 months now and I have to say, I am very happy I bought this. Prior to this, I was using heavy moisturizers that I suspect that were clogging my pores. But most Naruko products come in gel form and are very light. They also absorb really quick and don't leave your skin with a sticky feel.
Also, I have noticed that my acne scars and my hyperpigmentation don't look as obvious now. I think it's thanks to the skincare regimen I'm following now. You should use this with a serum for better results (I have been using Skinfood Omija Whitening Serum. See my review here) and stay away from the sun as much as possible (and use a sunblock with a high SPF).
To sum up:
PROS: brilliant formula, helps lighten skin, light texture, non comedogenic, non pore-clogging, affordable price.
CONS: None. Well... you have to purchase this online if you don't live in Taiwan :/
Would I repurchase? Yes, yes and definetly yes! This has become my HG moisturizer and I hope Naruko never discontinues it!
Overall rating: 5/5
I bought this last year because I wanted to try Korean sleeping masks and this is probably one of the most popular ones. It claims to brighten skin while you are sleeping and to even out skin tone when used regularly.
I couldn't find the complete list of ingredients nowhere, but apparently this contains lemon extract, which is a source of vitamin C, and arbutin, a whitening ingredient derived from plants like bearberries. This sounded really promising and I couldn't wait to try this.
How it looks like
This comes in a cute lemon-shaped packaging. The product itself is a light yellow-colored gel that has a strong smell of lemon biscuits. It comes with a spatula, so this is rather hygienic! And you don't need to apply a lot (otherwise if would feel sticky on the skin).
Usually I apply this at night, on my face, neck and underarms. If I use this on my face, I usually don't apply other products.
Results
I used this every other night for 2-3 months before I ran out of this product. Usually, i used this twice a week for a quick treatment. You are not supposed to use sleeping packs every day, they are more like a weekly treatment.
Did I see any results? Sadly no. When I woke up the day after my skin looked the same. I couldn't see any brightening or improving on my skin tone.
Would I recommend it? No. I would say skip this and get a whitening serum instead. It will be more effective.
Overall rating: 2/5
I bought this last year at my local Filipino store . I was so excited because I had read tons of rave reviwes online and I thought I would like to give it a try to fade my old acne scars. At first I thought it was working indeed. I used it in both my face and my underarms (to brighten them). I thought it was awesome (and strange) that my face looked so brightened after rinsing the soap off. It looked really really fair, like if my skin had lightened 2-3 shades all of a sudden. Saddenly, this effect didn't last long, and it fade away after some minutes. I still kept using it religiously 2 a day, hoping to make my ance scarring less obvious and my underarms a bit less embarrassing. But then, after 2 weeks of using this, I started breaking out badly on my cheeks. At first, I didn't think this soap could be the culprit, so I kept using it. Only when I stopped using it, my face started to got clearer (but it left me with some awful acne scarring on my cheeks that I'm still trying to heal).
I was so disappointed. I couldn't understand why a supposedly "natural" soap could have such a strong reaction on my skin. Then I decided to look at the ingredients. This has 9 types of soap... 9! If one type of soap is bad enough for drying out your skin, imagine what 9 types could do. This soap strips away every single oil of your skin. It is not gentle at all. But that is not everything. When looking at the ingredients, I noticed something very strange. This has sunscreen, in the form of titanium dioxide. And guess what titanium dioxide does after you apply it to your face? Yes, it leaves you an annoying white cast that makes you look pale like a ghost. Titanium dioxide is used both as a sunscreen and as a pigment to color cosmetics. And surprisingly, it is used in Likas Papaya Soap to make you think it is "whitening" your skin, when in fact it is only leaving you some white pigment that fades away when you wash your skin again. Simply as that.
And what about the famous papaya ingredient that is supposed to lighten your skin? Let's see. Papaya enzyme has indeed some mild (very mild) exfoliation properties, and this soap contains indeed some papaya... as the last ingredient. So it probably has a tiny amount just so the makers can say they're using that ingredient. And I guess a "Papaya soap" sounds more attractive to customers than a "Titanium dioxide soap" that can only whiten your skin in the same way makeup and sunscreens do.
You could at least say that this works well as a soap. But no. This has sodium laureth sulfate, a known skin drying ingredient that irritates your skin with constant use. You know you are using cleansers with SLS it they leave your skin dry and tight after rinsing. Doesn't matter how much you moisturize afterwards, the harm is already done. SLS works by stripping the natural oils of your face, and therefore it can trigger acne. I got really painful breakouts on my cheek after using Likas as a face cleanser. So you don't want this soap or any soap in bar form near your face, if you don't wanna ruin your skin.
So I hope I helped people understand how the "magic" in this soap works. I was very disappointed myself when I figured out everything. But I guess it was too good to be true.
There's not that many BB cream brands that I trust. Most BB creams I have tried have caused me some irritation or have broke me out. I blame my sensitive and super reactive skin, that seems to react to almost everything >< Some of the BB creams that didn't work well for my skin were some of the famous ones: Missha Perfect Cover and Skin79 Hot Pink, Gold and Orange labels were awful for my skin.
Fortunately, there's some brands out there that seem to be fine with my skin. They don't irritate my skin or clog my pores.... even if I wear them all day!
So these are my current favorite brands for BB creams:
BRTC
BRTC is a Korean brand that specializes in creating products that are suited for all kinds of troubled and sensitive skin (yay!). BRTC stands for "Bio Remedies Therapeutic Cosmetic" and they claim to use plant extracts to soothe and calm skin. It is a rather expensive brand and hard to find in Korea (as far as I know, they are only sold in some shopping malls like W-store or Coex Mall).
So far, they have launched 6 BB creams: Gold Caviar, Jasmine Water, Aqua Rush, Blemish Recover, Whitening and Repairing and Glossy Shining BB cream (this last one has been discontinued, I think). I have tried Jasmine Water BB cream and Whitening and Repairing BB cream, and I'm pleased with both of them. They have great coverage, they set really fast on my skin and they have a great staying power. They also look beautiful, flattering and quite natural. But the most important thing is that they didn't break me out or irritated my skin, so that's extra points for them.
I know this brand (as many other Korean brands) can be found across Asia, but, unfortunately, if you live in Europe you can only get them through Internet. I always use ebay for getting the best deals, since this brand is not particularly cheap.
ElishaCoy
When it comes to BB creams, I consider that ElishaCoy makes some of the best ones in the market. Why? Because they have outstanding ingredients, they don't irritate my skin or make me breakout, and they blend easily and look really natural.
ElishaCoy is not as famous as other Korean makeup brands such as Missha, Skin79, Etude House or The Face Shop. Maybe it's because they don't have their own stores and they are rather sold in some selected department stores (like in Lotte Plaza or JN Shopping Mall).
Getting information from this brand is a bit difficult. I only could find that this brand was launched in 2007. Their name "ElishaCoy" comes from hebrew "Elisha", which means "God saviour" and "Coy" is an acronim for "Creation of Youth". So, ElishaCoy translates as something like "God saviour that creates youth". In other words, they are a brand that want to promote young and healthy skin. They also define themselves as an organic skincare brand that uses botanical ingredients while using high technology at the same time. Sounds like the claims of every other brand nowadays, huh? :)
So far, they have 6 BB creams (Always Nudy, Always Triple, Always Baby, Premium Gold Mineral, Diamond Shiny Pearl and Time Capsule). I only own Gold Mineral, but I want to try more BB creams from this brand in the future (Always Triple and Time Capsule tempt me!).
Palgantong
Palgantong is a professional makeup brand founded in 1989 in Korea. They have really standing products, known for their quality and long staying power. Their most famous product is probably their Theatrical Powder, a high quality loose powder that I simply can't live without. It is said to be the number 1 best selling loose powder in Japan since it was launched in 2001.
By the way, their name comes from the Korean words 빨간 (palgan= red) and 통 (tong= box), thus, making reference to their most famous product.
Their BB creams are also worth to mention, since they are also high quality, have long staying power and are not comedogenic. So far, they have launched 4 BB creams; Vita White, One Touch, Theatrical BB and German BB. I have only tried Vita White and I'm in love. It blends beautifully with the skin and looks stunning. I wanna try the Theatrical one in the future.
Their BB creams have some good ingredients like arbutin, hyaluronic acid or vitamin E. But it is not because of the ingredients why I love this brand: it is more about the finish and the general performance they provide. Ingredients-wise, I guess I prefer ElishaCoy BB creams since they have stunning ingredients known to be good for the skin. But if you want a smooth, perfect finish, I guess Palgantong have the best BB creams for achieving that.
