Product Reviews

This product is as straightforward as it gets. It's fabric sheet mask soaked in a very hydrating formula. Quite literally: the moment I put it on, it felt like I had applied a very heavy layer of moisturiser to my face. It caused no irritation, and I also didn't experience any congestion or breakouts afterwards - which I was slightly worried about, given that's how my skin reacts to some heavy moisturisers - although this does not feel like a particularly occlusive formula. It's more like a heavy serum than a thick cream, if that makes sense. The ingredient list contains glycerin and niacinamide, which I always like to see and make perfect sense for this mask, followed by other humectants and emollients, and there is also panthenol, allantoin and sodium hyaluronate, so there is plenty here to attract and retain water while also making the skin feel softer and more comfortable. Then there is a fairly impressive collection of Centella components — madecassoside, madecassic acid, asiaticoside and asiatic acid — covering the main compounds associated with Centella’s soothing, antioxidant and skin-repair properties. There are some other interesting actives here too. Adenosine has evidence for improving the appearance of fine lines, but I wouldn't expect a single sheet-mask application to suddenly deliver those benefits. In a daily moisturiser, though, that's a different story. If I had one issue with this mask (which I don't), that would be it. The formula is good, but I'm not sure the sheet-mask format adds that much to it. Most of the ingredients I'd actually be interested in using are ingredients that make more sense as part of a regular leave-on routine. For a one-off treatment, you do notice increased hydration with no side effects, but that would probably also be true if I had put a disproportionately thick moisturiser on my face for 15–20 minutes. It's inexpensive, so not an outrageous product to try (and the main reason why I don't have an issue with it), but instead of repurchasing, it made me want to get the actual Extreme Cream moisturiser.

This is the worst rating I've personally given a product. The brands instructs to leave eye patches on for 20–30 minutes, but I can barely make it to 15 before the stinging around the tops of my cheekbones becomes too uncomfortable. And I wouldn't mind stinging if this was a formula made purposefully with aggressive actives. I've used strong vitamin C and chemical exfoliant products to know that sometimes, a tingling sensation is part of the process - although that has never happened for a product marketed for the eye area. The ingredient list starts with glycerin and niacinamide, followed by a whole collection of humectants and water-binding ingredients including butylene glycol, propanediol, pentylene glycol and betaine. There's also sodium hyaluronate, so from a purely hydrating perspective, this should be a pretty sensible eye patch. It even has some soothing ingredients, like allantoin and dipotassium glycyrrhizate, while adenosine is a legitimate anti-ageing ingredient with evidence for improving the appearance of fine lines. There's also tocopherol, plus a list of antioxidant-rich extracts. None of these make my skin react. There's also no exfoliating acid or retinoid here that I could attribute the stinging . So what makes this so bad? And what makes it sting? The obvious thing to look at is the fragrance load. And ironically, the biggest culprit seems to be the thing they advertise the most. This contains lavender flower powder, lavender flower extract and, worst of all, lavender oil, quite high up in the ingredients list. It also contains linalool, a recognised fragrance allergen. Lavender oil contains fragrance compounds that can irritate or sensitise skin, and the eye area is probably the last place where I want a product to introduce a fragrant cocktail, especially in the concentrated format of a mask. The brand also claims that lavender flower extract is “renowned for its firming property.” That was news to me; I had never heard of "firming properties" being associated with any lavender-derived ingredients. I went looking and couldn't find good clinical evidence to back up that claim. There are laboratory and animal studies looking at lavender preparations related to collagen production, but they involve things like lavender essential oil, fermented lavender extract or wound-healing models, rather than lavender flower extract being used on intact human skin. So while there is some preliminary research around lavender and collagen-related processes, calling it “renowned for its firming property” makes the evidence sound considerably more established than it actually is. I won't be using these again on my face. I was wondering where else I could use them (on my body) that wouldn't trigger such a reaction, but eye patches are a weird thing to repurpose. I might just toss them.

This is a very simple, oil-based formula, and that is both its main strength and its main limitation. The serum is a clear, thin oil that feels extremely light on the skin. It isn't completely a dry oil, but it comes quite close: there is plenty of slip and softness without the heavy, greasy feeling I usually associate with oil serums. I use it when I have a product that could benefit from a little more slip, rather than necessarily as a treatment on its own. For example, it works particularly well with a sunscreen I use that has a very dry finish. The formula is essentially a blend of emollients and plant oils: caprylic/capric triglyceride and coco-caprylate/caprate provide most of the lightweight, silky feel, while olive husk oil and rosehip seed oil (the highlight of all the ingredients in this formula) add more emollience. Tocopheryl acetate and BHT are antioxidants that are there mainly to protect the formula from oxidation. There are no fragrance ingredients or essential oils, and there isn't anything in this formula that is known to trigger irritation. For sensitive skin, that's a genuine advantage. You get a moisturising, skin-softening oil without adding a collection of potentially irritating extras. But I think the “soothing” part of the name is somewhat misleading. The formula can help reduce moisture loss and make the skin feel softer and more comfortable, but there aren't any particularly compelling soothing or anti-inflammatory ingredients here. If your skin is reactive and you need something that will provide immediate relief, this probably won't cut it. The other thing worth keeping in mind is that this is not really a concentrated rosehip oil serum. Rosa Canina Seed Oil is fourth on the ingredient list, after two lightweight emollients and olive husk oil. It's nice that it's there, but if you are looking for a rosehip oil serum that are other, more potent options in the market. My classifier gives it a mid-to-good rating, which feels about right for the formulation itself. But I'm giving the product a Good rating overall, largely because of the price. It's currently available for under €3 on some online retailers, and I'm sure I paid less than €5 when I got it on a brick-and-mortar store. At that price, I don't expect miracles (although the marketing could be a little bit more honest). What you actually get is a pleasant, lightweight moisturising oil with a very low-risk formula, and I'd rather products like this exist than not. Not every skincare product needs to contain a dozen actives and promise to transform your skin. Sometimes you just want something cheap, uncomplicated and moisturising that you can add when your skin needs a bit more comfort (or when a sunscreen needs a little more slip). For that purpose, this does the job well.

This is one of those products where I noticed the results most clearly when I realised I wasn't having any skin problems to complain about. I don't struggle severely with acne, but my commitment to using sunscreen all day every day (and keep trying new ones) does mean my skin gets clogged pores more often than not. After 3 weeks of using this booster consistently, I realised I had no acne at all. I didn't realise exactly when my skin cleared up, but it stayed that way the entire time I used this product. And the pores around my nose actually looked smaller. The texture is a smooth paste, but it's not thick or difficult to spread. Paula's Choice describes it as a booster that can be used on its own or mixed with a serum or moisturizer, but I use it on its own as a serum. It layers easily with everything else in my routine and doesn't require any particular strategy. The formula combines 10% azelaic acid with salicylic acid, which makes sense for the results I've seen. Azelaic acid is useful for acne and redness, while salicylic acid is particularly good at getting into pores and helping prevent the buildup that leads to congestion. There's also licorice root extract and Boerhavia diffusa extract, both ingredients that target uneven pigmentation and, along with adenosine, allantoin and bisabolol, have soothing properties. What I appreciate most, however, is that this doesn't have that typical anti-acne product behaviour of stripping the skin of moisture and making it feel tight. It's actually the other way around, my skin feels well moisturised after using it. The texture still feels light and comfortable rather than oily, so I think people with oily skin that might be more sensitive to very emollient textures won't feel uncomfortable with this product. It's moisturising but does not feel like another layer of grease. There's nothing complicated about this cream. It works, it layers, it keeps my skin clear, and I don't have to put up with dryness to get those results. Fully recommend.

I really wanted to love this one. The formula contains a serious amount of good ingredients. You get a high concentration of galactomyces ferment (64.69%), plenty of humectants, panthenol, beta-glucan, squalane, a full ceramide complex with cholesterol and phytosphingosine, plus glutathione and a vitamin C derivative. It's the kind of ingredient list that makes you think you're in for a fantastic brightening, barrier-supporting product. In use, it was... ok. The texture is pleasant, layers well and feels comfortable on the skin. That said, I didn't notice much in terms of brightening. If my skin became more radiant, the effect was subtle enough that it never stood out. To be fair, I'm used to stronger vitamin C serums, so my expectations for visible brightening are probably higher than average. My biggest issue, though, is the fragrance. It's not just that the formula contains fragrance; it's that, judging by the scent that strikes you as soon as you put it on, it probably contains a lot of it. The scent is not only strong, but it lingers long enough that I found myself actively avoiding the product. I never experienced any irritation or sensitivity while using it, but I also didn't apply it when my skin was more reactive. Ironically, the fragrance bothered me far more than my skin ever did. Because of that, despite supposedly being a barrier supporting cream, I never felt comfortable reaching for it when my skin barrier was compromised after using stronger retinoids. I didn't want to take the risk. What confuses me is that this product is marketed toward sensitive skin. If that's your target audience, why add irritating fragrance ingredients so prominently? The underlying formula is already excellent—it has soothing ingredients, barrier supporting lipids and a thoughtful blend of antioxidants. It simply didn't need a perfume-like scent. That's what makes this product so frustrating. It isn't a bad formula at all. In fact, it scores well on our classifier - that's how many good ingredients it has. But the aggressive fragrance takes away from the experience and makes it harder to recommend, especially to the people it's supposedly designed for. If the brand released a fragrance-free version tomorrow, I'd be much more enthusiastic about recommending it. As it stands, I won't be repurchasing.

The texture of this sunscreen once on the skin is what impressed me first. It doesn't feel like a sunscreen at all. Instead of that occlusive, slightly suffocating finish that so many high-protection formulas have, this applies like a lightweight moisturizer. It spreads easily, disappears into the skin, and after a minute I completely forget I'm wearing SPF 50+. The ingredient list is also well thought out. It combines four modern UV filters, frequently seen in Korean beauty — Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T150, Tinosorb M, and Iscotrizinol — to provide broad-spectrum protection without relying on older filters that often leave that greasy finish. On top of that, it includes a generous amount of niacinamide, high on the ingredient list, alongside tranexamic acid and panthenol. Tranexamic acid works by interrupting one of the signals that tells melanocytes to overproduce pigment — that's the actual mechanism behind the dark spot claim. Humectants like propanediol, butylene glycol, glycerin, and pentylene glycol help maintain hydration, while the silicone and ester blend gives it that elegant, almost weightless feel. What surprised me most, though, was how it behaved on my skin over the course of the day. Sunscreens have always been one of the easiest ways for me to end up with clogged pores, especially during long, hot summer days. This is one of the first sunscreens where I felt the opposite was happening. The niacinamide is likely doing real work here — it regulates sebum production and calms inflammation, both of which are directly tied to how prone pores are to getting congested in the first place. It's not just a "brightening" ingredient on this label, it's probably also the reason my skin wasn't fighting the sunscreen all day. It's not completely fragrance-free: the formula contains spearmint (Mentha viridis) extract. It's near the end of the ingredient list, so the concentration is probably low, and I didn't notice any irritation (and honestly, didn't notice any scent either), but it's worth mentioning if your skin is extremely sensitive to botanical extracts. I didn't think I'd find another sunscreen I'd love as much as my Paula's Choice favourites, but this one earns a place right alongside them.

This is an oil cleanser with a fluid texture that emulsifies into a milk the moment it contacts water. Application is easy and removal is even easier: no residue, no film left behind, which is the main reason I gravitate toward oil cleansers to remove makeup. No muslin cloth or double cleanse required to get rid of the oily feel. The ingredient list is short: nine ingredients, no fragrance, no essential oils. Rice bran oil leads the list, doing the bulk of the emollient work, and acting as a skin-conditioning agent. The rest is a well-chosen blend of jojoba and macadamia oils, both structurally close to skin's own sebum and good for reinforcing the barrier, and sunflower oil, a source of linoleic acid. That linoleic acid is likely what actually earns the "good for acne-prone skin" claim, since acne-prone skin tends to run low on it, and unlike the oleic-heavy oils, it doesn't clog pores. Tocopherol is in there too as an antioxidant, though at this position in the list it's more of a stabilizer for the formula than a meaningful skin benefit. Compared to the Shiseido oil cleanser I used before (and used to love), this one leaves skin noticeably more comfortable and hydrated afterward rather than just clean. I also find it more tolerable on days when my skin is reactive. No tightness, no residue, no film - just comfort. Overall, an easy repurchase. Simple formulation, it's effective, and my skin loves it.