Hyram posts two to three times a week on YouTube, running through cleansers, sunscreens, serums, and moisturizers with a close eye on ingredient lists and the science behind them. He discloses upfront that he holds no dermatology or esthetics license, which makes his transparent, research-led approach to product breakdowns a useful data point alongside professional voices.
Why Is He A Guru?
An independent skincare specialist with daily consultation practice and one of the largest self-built audiences on YouTube, built on systematic ingredient research.
462Products
309 yay77% approval rate
91 nayDoesn't pull punches
72 hot takesWhere he breaks from the pack
Hyram's top picks.
The products Hyram has crowned best in their category, and brings up again and again.
The Paula's Choice 2% BHA Exfoliating Liquid is one of my favorite products. If you want a really strong treatment to help with breakouts and acne, it's an incredible product.
The Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm, the cleansing balm that I literally mention in countless videos, is [...] the best cleansing balm I have ever used in my life.
My current favorite right now is the Hero Cosmetics sunscreen. That one is so good, it's so lightweight, and it's a really good price point considering that it is a mineral formula.
There's of course my tried and true favorite, the Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser, which does an amazing job for combination or oilier skin and works well to remove a lot of the dirt and oil that builds up on the skin.
Tatcha is honestly very hit or miss for me. I don't like that they use a lot of fragrances in their formulas, and if she has dry skin I would personally much more so recommend a different cream in the Tatcha lineup instead of the Dewy Skin Cream. For so many of Tatcha's products, I feel like they could be so much better if they just removed the irritating fragrant components. Also, they're crazy expensive, so it's not like I'm going to be purchasing their products anytime soon.
I was kind of surprised to see Clarins in this routine. I tried that serum once, but it was many moons ago, at least ten years back. What I can say is that I'm not a huge fan of the fragrance that Clarins does include in their products.
Ray Ami is using the Laneige Water Bank Hyaluronic Cream. I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of Laneige products because, like Anua, they do use fragrance and perfume in some of their formulas, not all of them, but some, which is why compared to a lot of other Korean skincare brands they've always fallen lower on the totem pole. There are just so many other options in the Korean skincare market that I feel are superior to what Laneige provides.
I truly do not know why so many people are obsessed with that product. [...] That one has never done anything for me, but people still love it. I low-key believe that everyone who loves that product has never really used a lip mask before. [...] When in reality, I don't feel like it's hydrating or nourishing at all.
Every review.
All 462 products Hyram has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.
"This is a new brand to me and I was really intrigued by this product because it's a dual phase serum. I was mostly intrigued by the ingredient list because it's so stacked: madecassoside, which is one of the most powerful ingredients for reducing redness, irritation and calming sensitivity, plus niacinamide, glycerin, green tea, PDRN, gluconolactone, and three different types of centella asiatica extract. I have loved this experience, it feels like the perfect serum for fall and winter, giving your skin a nice natural glow with a super lightweight consistency. If you're someone who's worried about getting red or irritated in the fall or wintertime, this is a good match for you because of the blend of ingredients to calm and soothe your skin. I feel like this is a really underrated product and I'm definitely impressed with this serum."
"It has 8% mandelic acid, and I really do believe mandelic acid is the best exfoliating ingredient out there. 8% is pretty high, and I'm a little nervous because it looks like she's using this in her daytime routine instead of at night, and exfoliants perform best when used overnight rather than during the day. It has great hydrating and moisturizing ingredients like panthenol, glycerin, and two forms of hyaluronic acid. I definitely would use this product. I think it is a little bit on the pricier side, it's almost $50 for a somewhat simple formula, but I would still totally use this. I'm definitely a fan of the formulation itself, albeit best performing when used overnight rather than during the day."
"For the best daytime PDRN serum, I have to recommend the very popular Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Capsule Serum. This one's so good, I really like how lightweight it is compared to pretty much every single PDRN product I've used, because a lot of PDRN products tend to be very heavy and greasy on the skin and not always ideal for daytime use unless you have really dry skin. This one I can confidently use throughout the day and throughout the night. It uses salmon PDRN so the sourcing is good, and it also has niacinamide, turmeric, and glutathione, which are great for dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and antioxidants, and unlike a lot of other Anua products, this one is actually fragrance-free. It's a really solid, lightweight formula, easy to use during the day and night, and if you're a beginner to skincare or PDRN and want a good, affordable serum to easily introduce to your routine, this one's an awesome one to start with, and definitely worth the virality it's getting."
"I was kind of surprised to see Clarins in this routine. I tried that serum once, but it was many moons ago, at least ten years back. What I can say is that I'm not a huge fan of the fragrance that Clarins does include in their products."
"I will say I'm not the biggest fan of that serum, just because I'm not big into hyaluronic acid serums in general. It's an ingredient you can find in pretty much every skincare product, so there's really no need to have a designated hyaluronic acid serum."
"That's the Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum. It does have really good ingredients, but it does have fragrance, which I don't love. She hasn't been using any fragrance products so far, so I'm interested to see if she sticks to keeping fragrance at a minimum, because that would be the best case scenario."
"It feels like there's really no products on the market that operate similarly to one until we launch the Peptide Q10 and Ginger Daily Defense Antioxidant Serum. This one is basically like a vitamin C alternative with a gorgeous blend of antioxidant rich ingredients to shield your skin throughout the day and ingredients that contribute to collagen production and protecting your skin from accelerated premature aging. Basically, think of this as your protective shield throughout the day all in a nice hydrating serum, which is one of my favorite things about this formula is that it has this like bouncy gel serum consistency that just adds this beautiful glow to the skin while still feeling lightweight. I found that the majority of people who really like this serum are ones who have like combination to dry or dry skin because it gives this really nice glow to the skin that appears very much like a glow from within. You can use this both during the daytime and night time. I personally love using it during the night time to give my skin a little bit of added hydration and just boost my nighttime routine, but also simultaneously using it throughout the day to protect my skin from free radical damage. This really is just such a good introduction for anyone who's newer to skincare or even the most seasoned skincare user as an extra step to just give your skin the needed protection."
"One ingredient focused serums like the Ordinary niacinamide serum are no longer worth your money. [...] The skincare industry has evolved so much since these were recommended 8 years ago. [...] Back then, getting international brands like Korean skincare was next to impossible, but now there are a million options with significantly better formulas. Niacinamide and [...] hyaluronic acid were [...] rare then, which is [...] why these serums were constantly recommended. But now niacinamide is in pretty much every single formula, especially Korean skincare formulas. Every product has niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients have become so popularized and integrated into skincare products as a whole that it's more rare to find products that don't have these ingredients, thereby rendering products like this not necessarily useless, but definitely not necessary and almost excessive in a way. Because if the majority of skincare products for sale today have niacinamide in them, there's not really a needed reason to add an extra dedicated niacinamide serum into your routine."
"One ingredient focused serums like the Ordinary hyaluronic acid serum are no longer worth your money. [...] The skincare industry has evolved so much since these were recommended 8 years ago. [...] Now there are a million options with significantly better formulas. Hyaluronic acid was not that common back in the day, which is why these serums were constantly recommended. But now hyaluronic acid [...] is in pretty much every single formula. [...] These ingredients have become so popularized and integrated into skincare products as a whole that it's more rare to find products that don't have these ingredients, thereby rendering products like this not necessarily useless, but definitely not necessary and almost excessive in a way."
"I absolutely love it. It's in my opinion like the best natural oil that you can find for really deeply nourishing the skin. It's why I use the ingredient in my own products in my skincare brand. There are so many different benefits for reducing flakiness, dehydration, preventing transepidermal water loss. Like it is such an incredible ingredient and very rarely am I a person to recommend like a 100% ingredient because I do feel like the majority of skincare products can really benefit from the blend rather than a single ingredient. But squalane is one of those, especially if you have more dry skin, that can totally be beneficial. And you can't beat the price point that The Ordinary provides. So, I think it's a great addition to the routine. Does it necessarily substitute a moisturizer? No. However, great addition. It doesn't like come off on clothes. It soaks in so well. It's so slick. It's so hydrating."
"It's a simple serum. It's basically just like some hydrating ingredients, hyaluronic acid and stem cells. I would definitely totally feel comfortable using this if it was gifted to me. Would I go out and purchase it myself? Probably not."
"I think the formula is great and if you are comfortable paying that price point for a serum, go for it. But yeah, I feel like this one is just a little bit too expensive for what you're getting. Great formula, love the ingredients, but nothing on the ingredient list that would make me be like, 'Oh my gosh, this is totally worth an essentially $40 price point.' You can find a lot of great mandelic acid formulas, particularly within Korean skincare, for $30 and under."
"Given that it has retinol at 0.1%, it's the perfect amount to be able to deliver the ingredient to your skin and get all the benefits without overly irritating and sensitizing your skin. And because this has the PDRN to help with skin sensitivity and irritation, as well as so many peptides, when it says that this is a firming serum, they are not kidding. There are so many different peptide complexes in this formula. It's such a great formula for being able to get the benefits of retinol without having to worry about excessive skin irritation and sensitivity. This product is emblematic of the gentle active approach that is present in Korean skin care. [...] I definitely think this is an ideal option if you are someone who's just dipping your toe into the world of powerful ingredients like retinols and exfoliants. This is a great one to start with if you want to make sure that your skin doesn't have to worry about additional sensitivity and irritation. [...] Use it only overnight [...] because it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. [...] This is a great overnight serum."
"This has aelic acid, an absolutely incredible ingredient for helping to reduce redness, sensitivity, irritation, as well as squalane and betaglucan for skin moisture and hydration. Centella to reduce sensitivity and irritation. Across the board, on par with other Haruharu Wonder products, this has an incredible ingredient list, but really definitely ideal for anyone who's not only wanting to reduce any sensitivity, irritation, and help to kind of heal the skin, but also really hones in on skin hydration, glowiness, dewiness, all in a very lightweight consistency. That's one of the things I appreciate about this serum is that typically PDRN products tend to be a little bit on the heavier side because they're really focused on skin hydration and dewiness. This one I was actually able to use consistently throughout the day because it is so lightweight, but still gives your skin that boost of hydration and moisture and just that effortless glow that you want it to have. Of course, with incredible ingredients. PDRN being able to be extracted from something like Bulgarian rose as opposed to like salmon where it's typically extracted is just such an improvement in the skincare space which is why I immediately had to start using this serum."
"It has 30 oethylorbic acid, sodium asorbal, sodium asorbal phosphate and ascorbic acid, which is basically three different forms of vitamin C, great for targeting damage throughout the day from free radicals, dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Rice extract, ceramides, and multiple forms of hyaluronic acid. Holy shit, I might have to purchase this one for myself - and when I say might, I mean I definitely will.
I've been wanting to try this brand for a while, but I haven't really looked at their other products. And this one looks incredible. Such a good formula. And it looks like a really cool consistency, too. It's really encouraging to see one that I actually want to purchase. I'm a very hard customer to please, but I will be using this one. Let me know if you guys want a review. I use this when doing my gua sha step."
"Crave Beauty continues to be my favorite skincare brand besides my own to ever exist. I just think that Crave Beauty has such incredible formulation philosophies and really introduces products to the market that I have never seen before. When I think of what is like the most innovative product, like a product I wish I could have formulated myself, it's the Great Barrier Relief. If you're someone who struggles with any of the things that I was talking about before, or like me, you just want a really powerful and restorative serum that you can use overnight, definitely use the Crave Beauty Great Barrier Relief. It is such an amazing formula."
"Looking at this ingredient list, I was very impressed. It has a cocktail of a bunch of different antioxidant rich ingredients. The duality of this formula where you're able to use it both during the day and night time because of how lightweight the consistency is, I would definitely say it's worth the price point. [...] This is a smaller brand, it's a high quality brand, and I know the standards for sustainability, ethics, and formulation. So I'm more than happy to spend that amount on this serum."
"One of the first products that impressed me from Rhode is their Peptide Glazing Fluid. The reality is peptides are expensive. They're oftentimes formulated into very high price point products, which is why I appreciate that this is a lower price point, but it also has really unique ingredients like marula oil. It has a unique consistency, but you look at the ingredient list and it's still simple. It's not overly excessive. It's not like they're throwing in a ton of ingredients to just unnecessarily load up the product. And it's free of common irritants, fragrance, essential oils, drying alcohols for a good fair price point."
"I feel like a great alternative to this serum that's boosted up with a lot better ingredients is something like the Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP+ Serum. It's one of the best I've ever discovered for just a really good snatching and also plumping effect. It has amazing peptides to fight against premature aging, reduce inflammation, and excess puffiness, and it's like $60, which is still pretty expensive for what I usually recommend, but worlds better than $185. I feel like that would do even more for her skin than this one."
"This serum has a ton of antioxidants as well as niacinamide and turmeric which will both work to brighten any dark spots or hyperpigmentation that you might have as well as houttuynia cordata extract, micacidic, beta glucan which are all just incredible ingredients for making sure that your moisture barrier is protected any redness and irritation is calmed down and to protect your skin from free radical damage. But one of the main reasons I love this one is that it's super super lightweight and does not leave your skin really greasy looking or feel heavy. I feel like that's so important when it comes to a daytime routine because there are so many serums that I try to use for the daytime and then I walk out the door 30 minutes later boom oil fields grease factory. But I've never had to worry about that with this one. It's always super lightweight. Does a great job of maintaining my skin to look healthy but not overly greasy. And it's a perfect way to protect your skin throughout the day."
"I think it's great that she is going in with a hydrating serum to make sure that her skin isn't overly dry or stripped. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Serum is a little bit simple, but she uses the fragrance free version which I absolutely love, and it's compensating for the drying side effects of the salicylic acid solution."
"I have had a lifelong struggle trying to find a vitamin C serum that I will consistently use because it's so difficult to find one that won't leave your skin looking greasy or shiny, and then Beauty of Joseon dropped a bomb. They released the Centella and Vitamin C Light On Serum and the very first time I used this I was like oh my God I fear I may be obsessed. I freaking love this formula. It's such a good daytime serum that just leaves the skin looking so smooth, soft and supple without any shininess. It has 68% centella asiatica extract, but it also has 10% 3O ethyl sorbic acid, a stabilized form of vitamin C to help get you the antioxidant protection throughout the day but also help to reduce hyperpigmentation and dark spots and even your skin tone. It also has a ton of natural extracts and peptides. The first time I used this I was like wow the experience is so lovely, but I was wrong thinking the ingredients weren't great. I have absolutely loved using this one. I've been using it non-stop. If you're someone who struggles to consistently use vitamin C or you just want a good daytime serum that will help to protect your skin without compromising how it looks or feels, this is your next best bet. I have sung this product from the rooftops ever since I discovered it."
"It's one of the most famous if not the most famous skincare product on Amazon. Super popular with amazing reviews and after using it myself I have to agree. I think it's just a good basic stellar vitamin C serum that you can use every day that will work great for helping to prevent those issues you're experiencing. This one primarily uses sodium ascorbyl phosphate but if you look at the reviews and see the before and afters and just the overall customer experience, it has a cult following, it's super popular and very effective. I think a great product that you can introduce into your daily skincare routine. Is it as elegant as the Beauty of Joseon serum? No. But it gets the job done and I would say the vitamin C in it is a little bit more powerful than what you would find in the Beauty of Joseon one."
"It's a very simple ingredient list with loric acid, magnesium aoral phosphate, orange seed extract and panthenol. The ingredients in the formula itself are pretty good. But this product doesn't really have any like acne fighting ingredients. If he's already willing to dish out $93 on a product, I feel like there would be a better one to go for because it's just very well researched and very very good."
"It's a dark spot serum that helps to fade hyperpigmentation. It's fragrance free, it has niacinamide, amber algae, and vitamin C, and it's specifically designed for skin of color. Looking at the ingredient list, it's definitely a good one. It also has licorice root extract, gentle enzymatic exfoliants, and it looks like it has a good nice hydrating base. I totally back this formula. I actually really love it. I'm surprised I've never heard of this brand, and I love that it's specifically targeted for skin of color because I think so many people of color and just the Black community overall is so tired of being recommended products that aren't suited for their skin, have ingredients that don't work well with darker skin tones, or just don't work. But that being said, this is a formula I would definitely use as well. It's really good."
"It's a powerful ingredient for fading dark spots and discoloration in the skin, and it's particularly nice if you're wanting to use something to brighten dark spots and discoloration during the day. It's different than vitamin C, and in my personal experience, it can be even more powerful than vitamin C. It's really amazing for dark spots and dark circles. I wanted to use this overnight first because I hadn't tested this one out and I was worried it would be a little heavy. Maybe I'm applying a lot, but I feel like it is a little bit on the heavier side. This is not something I imagine myself using during the day. It definitely has a tackiness to it. But I'm definitely interested in continuing to use this and see how well the alpha arbutin helps to brighten dark circles and discoloration and redness on my skin."
"One of the products I've always loved from their brand is the Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum. I remember using this way back when, it's so good for exfoliating the skin, getting rid of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. It has ingredients like mandelic acid, which is my personal favorite exfoliant out there, as well as lactic acid, salicylic acid, as well as bakuchiol, which is a really cool ingredient that's like a retinol alternative that's more gentle on the skin but still works to fight premature signs of aging. It's a really, really great formula and I always noticed amazing results in my own skin."
"As far as my favorite for a dedicated lactic acid product, The Ordinary 10% Lactic Acid serum works really well, gives me the results I want, and it's a great price point. You literally cannot beat The Ordinary; they have the best prices out there."
"I did not realize the price point of this product, my God, $375 in this economy. I don't know, I feel like the longer I'm in the skincare community the more I get just absolutely blown away by price points like this. It doesn't have bad ingredients, that is one thing I will give Augustinus Bader is that their products do have good formulations, but I wouldn't say they're anything more mind-blowing than what I would say finding like Korean skincare products for maybe like a 50th of the price. It has great ingredients like centella asiatica and rice bran oil, but I feel like you're probably just paying for that packaging because I will admit it is beautiful."
"It's a shame because it has so many good ingredients vitamin C, licorice extracts, and a ton of others but it does have fragrance and I think that's why I was like I'm not going to use it. And while I don't love that for your face, I will say every other product that she's used so far has been fragrance-free and it's all about reducing the risk of a reaction to fragrance right so the more you can reduce it in your routine the better it is."
"Beauty of Joseon is already like a really good price point. These serums are like $14, you can even find them for like $10. Beauty of Joseon has like some of the highest quality skincare ingredients out there in beautiful formulas that are already accessible."
"This is The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% serum for $28. $28 for an Ordinary product is actually crazy because I think this product is $10, and on this sketchy website they want to sell it for $28. Hell no."
"This price point is actually insane to me, like I remember when I first discovered this product from Drunk Elephant and I was like oh God what is going on. And the reason why this product is very controversial is because if you are 10, 11, 12 years old you are not meant to be using this type of serum on your face. You do not need it. It's not even that you don't just need it, you should not be using it. This type of product is only going to increase the likelihood that you're going to break out, have skin sensitivity, a rash, irritation. Your skin is not really equipped to be able to handle this powerful of a formula. If you're really young, teen, please do not use this product, not only because it's $134 but also because your skin just does not need it."
"It has great hydrating ingredients, ceramides which are great for reducing sensitivity, niacinamide, peptides. It just has so many different types of good ingredients all loaded into one formula, which, yes, is thirty nine dollars, definitely one of the more expensive products that I recommend on my channel, but definitely well worth the price. Honestly, if you're someone out there who just wants a good hydrating serum that will give you that splash of hydration that you need, the CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum for fifteen dollars is a good dupe to get you those results that you want without having to spend that price point."
"I used to recommend this all the time as a moisturizer when it's really not meant to be used as a moisturizer. [...] A lot of people like using it as like a moisturizer without feeling super heavy on the skin or just getting a nice splash of hydration to the skin, but that splash does not come cheap because it is $49 for this serum. It's really hard to find a dupe for because of how unique it felt on the skin in the way that it kind of smoothed over the skin while simultaneously hydrating it. The [...] ingredient list is good [...] but is really only focused on hydration."
"The Peach and Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum does such a good job at smoothing over the skin making it truly have that glasslike appearance. As opposed to the B.E. Hydra serum from Drunk Elephant which has a good ingredient list but is really only focused on hydration, the Peach and Lily serum has great hydrating ingredients, it has mass aside which is great for reducing sensitivity, niacinamide, peptides, like it just has so many different types of good ingredients all loaded into one formula. It's $39, definitely one of the more expensive products that I recommend on my channel but definitely well worth the price."
"Because I don't really struggle with dryness on my face very often, this probably wouldn't get used a lot. It doesn't feel super thick so it feels nice to use on the hands, albeit they are a little bit sticky. This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to hand creams: [...] it's peeling up a lot, like there are flakes all over my hands. I hate it when hand creams do that. If it was a dedicated hand cream I'd say maybe it's expired or something's up with the formula, but granted this is more so meant for the face, maybe for areas that don't experience as much movement."
"Probably the best one out of all the products I'm going to be using. I was hoping it's not too heavy on the skin because sometimes with peptide products they get a little too moisturizing for my taste where my skin gets a little greasy. [...] Oh wow, that absorbs into the skin quickly. That like disappeared so fast. Paula's Choice products are absolutely incredible, taking scientific knowledge of skincare to the next level with some really great formulas. It applied really quickly. I actually love how it looks on my skin because my skin does not look shiny at all, it looks very even. I love when products sink into the skin really quickly. This is definitely a win for me."
"I think the concept is creative but when I used it on my skin I was like oh my God, it looks like I dripped gasoline on my face. It's just shiny and reflective. [...] I know it has such a cult following and I find the concept really interesting because it's a cool formula, but between the experience and the fragrance in it I'm not a huge fan of that, which is a shame because I love Glow Recipe. They have some really good formulas but that is my least favorite formula from their line for sure."
"I really want to love that product and I actually picked it up well I was going to pick it up in Olive Young in Korea which is basically like Ulta on crack in Korea like there's just so many cheap Korean skincare products everywhere and Leah U has recommended that to me multiple times and she loves the formula but when I look through the ingredients I just don't love the inclusion of the Citrus extracts and essential oils. I want to love it and she swears by it and maybe someday I will try it out."
"The newest product from Krave Beauty, it is the Oil La La, linolic acid rich oil serum for breakouts. This serum, the concept is really cool because it's basically like a deeply moisturizing way of treating breakouts and acne. I think this formula is so innovative because one of the biggest complaints I get on my channel is like, I need a solution for my breakout but I have dry skin and everything dries me out. When I'm traveling my skin tends to break out but I'm always hesitant to use like a salicylic acid treatment because your skin gets so dry on the plane, right? And this is a great way of ensuring that your skin is deeply moisturized while still getting that care that is necessary for breakouts. I think it's just such a great concept and I've really enjoyed using it."
"The Q10 Serum is great for preventing antioxidant damage throughout the day that comes from pollution dirt sun exposure. It's a great skin protectant that feels absolutely amazing on the skin."
"My top product for dry or dehydrated skin is the Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum. I discovered this one when I was doing my 60 second brand review videos and I saw this looked at the ingredients and I was like the ingredients in this product are so good why have I never tried it and I started using it and sure enough it is a really good formula. The $22 serum has ingredients like propanediol to help increase the moisture retention squalene one of the best moisturizing oils out there glycerin sunflower seed oil and ceramides to help make sure your skin is healed and protected so it can hold on to moisture and then the reason I really fell in love with the product it has PHA and lactic acid both of which are exfoliants that are particularly really good for dry skin. Lactic acid and PHA are humectants which means they're able to retain moisture from the environment in your skin which is super good if you have dry skin but they're also the best exfoliating ingredients out there if you struggle with dryness or dehydration they're very gentle but super effective of getting rid of those dead skin cells on your face and it's hard to find a good product for dry skin with exfoliating ingredients because they're usually targeted at either oilier skin or they're so powerful that people with dry skin might over exfoliate themselves with this one you won't have to worry about it. It's just such a well-rounded ingredient list. [...] Because it has lactic acid and PHA I would recommend using this at night time."
"The Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets [...] work by pressing single sheets [...] against your skin to pick up any excess sweat, greasiness, or oil on your face. I always love to have these with me because on a busy day, whether it's a few hours into my meetings or I'm going to dinner or to get drinks after work, this is the perfect way of touching up my skin to make sure it looks fresh but not greasy or sweaty. Now, these aren't going to prevent your skin from producing more oil, so if you want to address the problem at its core, I'd recommend products for oily skin with salicylic acid. But if you're constantly rushing around and a little sweat's gonna develop or you might be looking a little greasy or shiny, these are perfect for that, and that is why I have them with me at all times, 24/7."
"The ingredient list looks really intriguing. It has ingredients that help to have a regenerative effect for the skin to help produce more healthy skin cells. The other ingredients are glycerin, propanediol, ferment and fruit extracts, and it's fragrance free. Compared to most other luxury skincare formulas that I see on the market, this ingredient list is actually really really good. It's definitely on the very pricey end, but I am not one to buy expensive skincare products, I never have been, but this ingredient list really caught my attention."
"The Skin and Lab Vitamin C Brightening Serum, I use this one a while back and hadn't picked it up for a little while and I remember it, I was like oh you know what I really like this one. Particularly if you're someone who wants to fade hyperpigmentation in the skin, protect your skin throughout the day, help fade dark spots like vitamin C is great for all of that. It has a 15 percent concentration but it's still pretty gentle on the skin and it has a form of vitamin C that is protected against air and light exposure so definitely a good one to check out."
"The brand Peach Slices is on sale. I haven't talked about them a lot on my channel but they're the sister company to Peach and Lily with more affordable products that still have killer ingredients and my favorite is the Redness Relief Soothing Serum. It has a bunch of ingredients that work great for reducing sensitivity, bringing down the flushed look. It's a great product and if you like Korean skincare then you're definitely going to want to check that out."
"I'm thinking to get you the Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum. The reason I love this one is that it has three forms of oats to help deeply nourish the skin but also calm any sensitivity because Accutane can be a little intense on the skin, just to help combat that dryness you're experiencing."
"If you want a similar vitamin C serum without citrus extracts, the CeraVe vitamin C serum is a really good one, especially for addressing hyperpigmentation. I've used that one a lot in the past."
"This is the Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Antioxidant C Serum with niacinamide, and vitamin C and niacinamide are way up on the ingredient list, so I love to see that. It does have grapefruit, orange and lemon peel extract, which can be a bit sensitizing since they're fragrant components, but the fragrance turned out to be pretty light. It has a little pull and tug to it, which I don't necessarily love, I prefer serums that glide on, but I didn't feel any tingling and it absorbed well. I actually like this product and I really like how it feels on my skin. Probably my favorite one is the antioxidant C serum, and I'm interested in continuing to use it and seeing the results."
"If you are interested in using a Vitamin C Serum, I would opt for a gentle formula like the Vanicream Vitamin C Serum. Vanicream is one of the best brands for people who have extremely sensitized or irritated skin."
"One of my favorites is the Naturium Niacinamide 12% Formula. It's great if you want a simple solution to getting niacinamide in your skin, in a really elegant formula that feels nice and hydrating. I use this product all the time when I'm wanting to hone in on that niacinamide benefit for my skin. Niacinamide won't exfoliate, so it won't help with breakouts on its own, but it helps heal an impaired moisture barrier, which is exactly what you have when you have eczema."
"This is such an awesome serum if you just want a basic, very simple way of reducing oiliness and sebum production on your skin while still harnessing the benefits of niacinamide. Good Molecules is a really good brand, particularly if you want super affordable products, and this one is a great, simple, and affordable solution for keeping oiliness at bay without breaking the bank. It's not chock full of incredible ingredients, but you're able to get the benefits of niacinamide and it gets the job done. I think it's a great solution, particularly if you're just starting out in skincare. You can't beat the price point."
"This one feels so amazing on the skin. I was really picky with this product because I'm not just attracted to any niacinamide serum out there, but it does an unprecedented job at both controlling oiliness on your skin while also simultaneously hydrating the dry areas of your face. It has a milky consistency that's easily absorbed and pretty immediately does a good job of plumping the skin up, with niacinamide, licorice root extract, and golden kiwi fruit in the ingredient list. As a combination skin person it's hard to find a serum that works for every area of your face, but this one got the job done. It is a little bit pricier, but if you want an amazing experience, this one is definitely super good."
"Bioma is a brand that has really impressed me and taken a lot of people by storm, and for good reason. All their products are super good for sensitive skin but really filled with incredible ingredients at a great price point. It includes blue tansy, which is really good for calming redness and sensitivity and controlling oil, and this one uses the beneficial extract rather than the fragrant essential oil, which I don't love because that can be irritating. It also has PHA, which gently exfoliates the skin, as well as zinc and niacinamide at the top of the ingredient list, plus a ceramide complex. It's super lightweight and doesn't feel heavy on the skin at all, though it's not as lightweight as the Selfless serum, so if you have crazy oily skin I'd recommend that one instead. But if you want some ceramide benefits and a little hydration for your oily skin, this one is definitely a good one to go with, and you can't beat the price point."
"For hydrating serums I would recommend the Ordinary Buffet serum or their hyaluronic serum, a really good blend of hydrating ingredients, that's a really good price point, in my opinion one of the Ordinary's best products."
"Vichy is a French brand that uses volcanic water rich in minerals they claim are great for the skin, and I personally love their serum. Their hydrating serum is one of the best hydrating serums I've ever used, it's amazing, it makes your skin look super plump."
"The one that I recommend for this routine is The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% Solution, not to be confused with their 10% solution. Lactic acid does a great job of gently exfoliating the skin, and with the percentage at five percent it's pretty low, so if you're someone who's new to skincare it's not going to be too much for your skin to handle. I do have areas on my face that are somewhat sensitive to exfoliation and I've never seen any irritation with this, and I do recommend it particularly if you have sensitive skin because of how low the percentage is. This one's an awesome one that you can use overnight, don't use it during the daytime, only use it overnight, and I'd say use it about three times per week maximum because you do not want to over exfoliate your skin. By no means is The Ordinary a luxury brand, they are ultra simple, probably some of the most simple ingredient lists I've ever seen, but for the price point it's a great option."
"I recommend the Bioma Hydrating Serum. They're a really cool brand that I recently discovered that has a bunch of great ingredients and fragrance free formulas, and this one has a really nice blend of not only hydrating ingredients but it also has squalane, which is a really beneficial oil for the skin, so you're not losing water through your skin, which increases dehydration, but it also makes your skin feel and look a lot more hydrated and rejuvenated."
"Even their vitamin C serums, I think they do a really good job of formulating with vitamin C, because it can be very tricky to formulate really effective products with vitamin C."
"The first video I did on Ole Henriksen was about the Truth Serum, and I talked about how I wasn't a fan of the fragrant components that were utilized in the serum."
"This one caught my eye because so many people were talking about it, it was highly rated at Sephora. Looking at the ingredients, it has a lot of natural extracts I like, kale, other green extracts, amino acids, antioxidants. I used it for almost two weeks. It's not my favorite, it's not anything mind blowing, but it wasn't bad either, I didn't dislike the experience. It wasn't too moisturizing or too lightweight, it was right in between. I don't know if I'm going to continue using it because there wasn't anything really special about it for my skin, but it's a power packed ingredient list and a cool brand, so I'll be looking for more products from them in the future."
"The Neogen Real Ferment Micro Serum includes an ingredient called bifida ferment lysate, utilizing the benefits of fermented lysates in a nice serum consistency that's very nourishing. I recommend this for people who have drier skin since it has a thicker consistency compared to more lightweight serums. I've used this one in the past overnight, it's a really popular Korean skincare product that utilizes the benefits I've talked about in this video."
"The SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum is one of the most renowned serums of all time and people swear by its results. I haven't personally used it as much as I would like to because I know the results are so good, but sometimes SkinCeuticals does use denatured alcohol, which my skin is sensitive to. Honestly, for the price point, because this one is a hundred and sixty six dollars, I want to love it but I just don't know if I can justify that price point on a single skincare product. It's a lot of money and typically I like to stay under fifty dollars. However, most dermatologists that I've talked to or seen post content love this serum, so if you are going to get it, expect amazing results."
"The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Night Treatment is awesome if you are someone who struggles with hyperpigmentation or dark spots within the skin. It says you can use this on its own but I personally use it with a moisturizer just for added benefits. This one is a pretty simple formula as opposed to the other ones which have a bunch of other ingredients to help target those issues as well, but if you're someone who's new to this or just wants a really simple product, this one is a great one for that."
"The Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum offers a unique form of retinol that I don't see used in many products. It's a formula that's good for sensitive skin and a really pleasant experience. Every time I use this overnight I'm like wow, it sinks into the skin really nicely, it's not too light, it's not too heavy, and technically this really does work for everyone's skin. The consistency is a little bit richer and definitely good for overnight use. Overall I'm impressed with this formula, it has a lot of really innovative ingredients. Keep in mind it does have a higher price point, but I think from Clinique this is definitely the most impressive product I've seen from them so far."
"She goes in with the Paula's Choice niacinamide booster. I will say it does have a lot of niacinamide, I personally am not really comfortable using that much niacinamide on my face. I personally don't feel that concentration of niacinamide is necessary. From data we know that five percent niacinamide is the amount you need to see results, and sometimes overexposure to certain ingredients can push your skin into the sensitivity range. However, if she hasn't noticed any adverse effects to the product then I don't think there's a problem with it. I love Paula's Choice, I love niacinamide, I love that she's incorporating it into her routine."
"One product I love at the drugstore is the Honest Beauty Beauty Sleep Resurfacing Serum. I was instantly impressed with the ingredient list, so much so that I bought the product right after reacting to it in a video. This one is a little bit of a stronger chemical exfoliant, which is good if you're really wanting to double down on aging damage. It has ingredients like propanediol to help make sure the skin's moisture is in place, with active ingredients like glycolic acid and lactic acid, plus sodium hyaluronate and niacinamide. I think this is a good product to help with aging damage. I've never noticed any irritation. It's a really popular one, and I've noticed it tends to sell out pretty quickly."
"Facial sculpting tools can be nice. I love using my Medicube Age-R Booster Pro [...] to help reduce puffiness, make my skin look a little bit more awake, and tighten the skin a little bit."
"I love my tried-and-true Haruharu Wonder Centella Phyto & 5 Peptide Concentrate Cream. I've talked about this in previous videos for how good of a rich moisturizer it is for overnight. If you're someone who has a little bit more mature skin or you're really wanting to dial in on the moisturizing power throughout the winter time, this one is an awesome one. It also has really cool ingredients like copper tripeptide as well as caffeine, madacasside, augopeptide, squalane, ceramide, centella. Like this ingredient list is loaded. And as much as I have enjoyed using this one for the ceramide complex that it has, which of course is great for really boosting the moisture of the skin, I feel like this one also does an amazing job of deeply moisturizing, but with a lot of damage repairing, skin soothing, premature aging targeting ingredients."
"I've always been in love with Purito, I feel like they've had such good formulas over the years, and this is such a good simple serum for being able to target redness and sensitivity in the skin and bring it down. Every single time I used this one, I noticed that afterwards my skin just looked way more healthy, less inflamed, and it's that perfect consistency that just feels like a nice splash of light hydration after you get out of the shower. The ingredient list is not simple, it's chock full of really good ingredients for reinforcing your skin's moisture barrier without being too heavy: niacinamide, centella, madecassic acid, tripeptides, ceramides, and more. As someone who tends to have really red and irritated skin when I wake up and after I cleanse, it's so nice to hop out of the shower and just use this immediately to calm down that redness before I go in with the rest of my routine."
"It's their popular Pure Radiance Oil. It's $120, which does not surprise me, True Botanicals is a more luxury brand. [...] This oil specifically has a ton of natural extracts like green tea, avocado oil, marula oil. It's really packed with a bunch of really beneficial natural extracts and seed oils. Here's my issue though: starting off your skincare routine with a face oil can be counterproductive to the rest of the products that you're going to be using in your routine because what they essentially do is create a seal over top of the skin to make sure that you're withholding any hydration that your skin already has and preventing any water in your skin from escaping. But if you're wanting to use like exfoliating ingredients or hydrating ingredients, with the barrier that a face oil puts on your skin it's going to make it more difficult for those ingredients to be able to deeply penetrate your skin and for you to get the full benefit of whatever active skin ingredients you're using, which is why usually face oils are best to apply as the last step of your skincare routine."
"This is the best serum that I have used all year long. The best age targeting serum that I have used this year is the Allies of Skin Multipeptides & Growth Factor Advanced Lifting Serum. I truly do not have words for how incredible this serum is because within a week of first using it it completely transformed my skin. My skin's texture, the plumpness, the tightness, the glow, I have never been so blown away by how quickly I notice results from a product. I've never seen a product not only work so well but also have such an incredible ingredient list. It has 9% peptide complex, super impressive, and peptides are not cheap so 9% is already extremely impressive. It has 3% growth factors, which are essentially amazing for helping regenerate healthy youthful skin cells and is kind of like the newest best ingredient category for anti-aging skincare. The serum also has a ton of soothing antioxidant rich natural extracts like centella asiatica and shea butter. Allies of Skin has always been one of those brands that I am so impressed by their ingredient lists and formulations. They truly bring luxury formulas to a whole new level."
"Every time I use this one I always feel like my skin looks so refreshed it looked hydrated but it's so lightweight definitely the most lightweight of all the peptide serum I've ever used"
"True Botanicals, you know how I talked about her having a very luxurious sophisticated air to her with True Botanical price point I say that falls in line. This one is $90, wow, that's a lot for a serum, not the craziest thing I've ever seen but you know better have a rocking ingredient list that's all I'm saying. This ingredient list is really good. I mean it's full of really good antioxidants, a bunch of natural extracts. I mean the first ingredient is green tea leaf extract before even water. I could get behind this."
"I'm so excited to introduce the sponsor of today's video, Topology. I found out about their serum formulas a while ago but have been using their serums for the last month and wow, talk about an amazing experience paired with incredible formulas. I'm first going to use the Topology Peptide Complex 10% Wrinkle Defense Serum. I like to use this one to keep my skin like snatched and tight. This is a formula that I've been using five times a week. First and foremost, because it absorbs into the skin so quickly with just this ultra lightweight formula, and number two it's a vegan and cruelty-free formula. Let's get into the science, that's my favorite part. So it has 10% arginine, which is basically a peptide, which works to fight against the appearance of deep set lines and aging on the face, very important to me because it operates like the peptides that our body naturally creates, so it's basically giving your skin a boost of what your body already naturally creates to combat aging. And it also has a vital polypeptide complex which will improve the elasticity of the skin and also fight against premature aging. Plus it has centella asiatica, ceramides, hunia cortada extract, just an insane combination of ingredients that all work to fight premature aging."
"I've been absolutely obsessed with this one, using it every single night, the Abib Ectoin Panthenol Moisturizing Cream, the 11% Moisture Barrier Tube. This one really impressed me when I first used it because looking at the ingredients, which are known for being very thick, heavy and sticky, like squalane, arginine, glycerin, ceramides, and moringa seed oil, I was blown away by how nicely it dries down. It doesn't feel sticky at all, and while it's a very rich moisturizer it doesn't leave your skin looking super shiny or sticky. I've been using it every single night for the past two weeks and it always does a great job of moisturizing my skin overnight. I never wake up feeling dry or dehydrated, but it still doesn't make me look extra shiny or greasy. I absolutely love this one and I'm definitely going to be finishing the rest of the tube. This is definitely an underrated product that I don't see enough people talking about and you should definitely try it."
"Tatcha is honestly very hit or miss for me. I don't like that they use a lot of fragrances in their formulas, and if she has dry skin I would personally much more so recommend a different cream in the Tatcha lineup instead of the Dewy Skin Cream. For so many of Tatcha's products, I feel like they could be so much better if they just removed the irritating fragrant components. Also, they're crazy expensive, so it's not like I'm going to be purchasing their products anytime soon."
"The Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream is probably my most repurchased product of all time because it is genuinely one of the best, if not the best, moisturizer I have ever used. It's an incredible formula and their entire skincare line is great. It's a little more expensive than your typical Korean skincare product, but worth every penny because all their formulas are science backed, effective, and award winning. [...] I would recommend the Atobarrier 365 Cream."
"The Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream is one of the best ceramide creams you can find in Korea for an amazing price point. [...] A similar comparison would be CeraVe here in the States, but because it's Korea, they're just next level with how good their formulas are. It's super simple but super good, especially for eczema prone skin, so it's a perfect fit for her."
"Ray Ami is using the Laneige Water Bank Hyaluronic Cream. I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of Laneige products because, like Anua, they do use fragrance and perfume in some of their formulas, not all of them, but some, which is why compared to a lot of other Korean skincare brands they've always fallen lower on the totem pole. There are just so many other options in the Korean skincare market that I feel are superior to what Laneige provides."
"Audrey is using SkinCeuticals, one of the most researched brands out there. It's very expensive, but one of the few brands where I'm like, yeah, they're worth the price point, because literally every expert out there recommends them. They're super data backed, lots of research goes into their formulas, and they're really effective and definitely worth the cost. If you want to invest that much, shop at your own discretion, but they're really expensive."
"She also uses the Etude SoonJung Barrier Cream, another incredible product. I'm ninety nine percent sure I've used it before because you can find it all over Korea, it's really popular. I remember looking at the ingredient list and loving it. For anyone who has a broken moisture barrier, struggles with eczema, dehydration, or severely dry skin, this or the Illiyoon cream, or both together, are amazing to use."
"If you want something a little bit more luxurious, like the thickest, heaviest cream that I have ever used, I definitely recommend my tried and true favorite, the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream. This one is everything La Mer wishes it was, such a rich, deeply nourishing moisturizer that is incredible for anyone who has sensitive, eczema-prone skin, and definitely ideal for anyone who's on their tretinoin journey."
"I would definitely recommend Korean moisturizers, they really know how to create formulas that are well oriented for more oily skin. I definitely always recommend the IUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream. That one has great antioxidant-rich ingredients as well as soothing agents in a super lightweight moisturizer that is the most lightweight formula I've ever used in my life."
"My oily skin would absolutely love to use so many of these mattifying products, but they all use the same ingredient, denatured alcohol, a solvent that very rapidly dissolves excess oil or sebum, but can very easily overly dry out your skin and cause sensitivity or allergic reactions. I'm one of those people who experiences reactions to denatured alcohol, and on this ingredient list it's kind of near the top, so I already know I'm not able to use it, [...] my skin stings, it burns, gets super irritated, and it takes days to get it back on track. [...] This is basically a moisturizer that uses a lot of common silicone-based ingredients, which aren't bad, but don't make me fall in love with a product either. It doesn't have any interesting natural extracts, soothing agents, antioxidant-rich ingredients, amino acids, or ceramides. [...] It just has the silicones, denatured alcohol, and then parfum fragrance. A lot of La Roche-Posay [...] products do contain fragrance, which I [...] just feel is so not necessary. [...] Overall, this moisturizer would just be a pass for me, [...] risking sensitivity and irritation unnecessarily."
"With really sensitive, acne, breakout prone skin, I really do not understand why, especially lemon essential oil. Citrus essential oils are some of the most irritating essential oils that you can use. And when citrus essential oils are exposed to UV rays and sunlight, they can oxidize more rapidly, which can lead to skin sensitivity and irritation. So, I just don't understand why it's being used. There's no reason for it. Unfortunately, I have to say for that reason I do not recommend this formula, and I definitely would not be using it on my own skin."
"I love using this as an overnight moisturizer. Typically, I love to use the really rich, heavy creams, but it has been so hot here, every day like 97 degrees, and when it's that hot my skin does not need a super heavy thick moisturizer. I want something a little bit more lightweight but still packs a punch with the moisture and the hydration ability, and this one has done that. It's such a nice richer gel cream that feels like a super rich moisturizer and delivers all those benefits, but it's just not quite as greasy on the skin. It honestly has such a unique viscosity and consistency that I really haven't seen replicated in other products. You definitely have to try it out for yourself. If you're someone who's new to Centella Asiatica and you want to start integrating it into your routine, I definitely recommend giving this one a shot. Not to mention the price, that's one of the main reasons I love Skin1004. They just consistently have incredible price points and this one is definitely not excluded."
"They do utilize really good ingredients. I mean the second ingredient is saccharomyces ferment filtrate, an amazing ingredient. I just don't love the irritants that they also formulate with. So I would personally say that this product is a pass for me. For the price point, I personally wouldn't recommend this one."
"Their Licorice Calming Cream is pretty much a part of my daily skincare routine now. I've been consistently using it for the past like year to two years. They have amazing quality formulas."
"When I was able to look at the ingredient list, I was like, 'Oh my god, incredible ingredient list' featuring ceramides, mud mood butter, which is actually like the ingredient that I use in my own moisturizer with Selfless by Hyram, ginger root extract, polyglutamic acid, like just across the board, great ingredient list. I've really enjoyed using that moisturizer. [...] I've always been a fan of that one since I first tried it. [...] I feel like this is a great product to start with, especially if you're someone who has really dry or dehydrated skin. I would say this kind of provides a similar experience to what you would get out of slugging."
"Whenever I'm struggling with dark spots or hyperpigmentation and no other product is working, I always pull this bad boy out at the end because I know that it will always work. I actually prefer using the mini size because I don't need to use very much because of how power-packed the formulation is and how well it works at being able to erase dark spots and hyperpigmentation in my skin. It has tranexamic acid, alpha arbutin, one of the most powerful ingredients out there for brightening dark spots, glutathione, an ingredient for correcting hyperpigmentation that's really viral in Korea, turmeric extract, azelaic acid, licorice root extract. I remember the very first time I ever looked at this ingredient list, and I truly did not know how they're able to compile so many power-packed ingredients into one formula. This is definitely the most power-packed formula for dark spots that I have ever used. For anyone out there who has more sensitive skin, please tread lightly because this is a very powerful formula."
"The Barrier Butter Intensive Moisture Balm has such a cool ingredient list. It has poly glutamic acid, which is super good for skin hydration. It has murumuru butter, which is actually an ingredient that I use in my own moisturizer and I very rarely see in the industry. Super good for deeply moisturizing the skin without feeling too heavy."
"If you don't know this moisturizer, I have recommended it for years on my channel. Particularly if you're someone who really struggles with dry skin or eczema, you are going to love this moisturizer. Not only because it has colloidal oatmeal, which is like one of the best, if not the best ingredients to help target and soothe eczema, but also has glycerin, squalane, shea butter, and one of the things I love about this moisturizer is you get a large amount. Even if you go with their smaller size, I believe it's like 5 oz and I think they go up from there, you get a lot of product for a really good moisturizer that's going to last you a long time."
"La Roche-Posay Double Repair Moisturizer is a very popular moisturizer, [...] probably their most popular product. It is a little bit more for people who have drier dehydrated skin. [...] One thing I love about it is that it's fragrance-free and a formula that is really good for sensitive skin."
"It's the Topicals Like Butter. They claim that this product is either a mask or a moisturizer, but I would definitely say it's going to give you a lot more benefit to use it as a daily moisturizer. It's also one of the highest rated products that I've ever seen on Sephora. People love this and I fully understand why. It's an amazing rich moisturizer that helps to treat eczema and severely dry skin using a combination of really well-researched ingredients for eczema like colloidal oatmeal and ceramides, but it also has great natural extracts like ginseng extract, green tea, shea butter, and Centella asiatica, one of the best ingredients for reducing redness and helping to heal the skin. Even before I bought it, when I looked at the ingredient list I was like, ooh, I know I'm going to love this one. There's a reason behind the hype; this one is a great product. The only downside is that it is on the pricier side, so if that is a factor for you, I would say other products are definitely going to be a better match. However, the formula and experience of this product are really, really impressive."
"That blemish lotion is very obvious looking on the skin. [...] The Drying Lotion is usually something you use overnight. You want to use the Q-tip so you don't get any bacteria into the bottle that could sit in that nice moist environment and compromise the formula because it's not going to help your breakout. The whole reason you use a Q-tip for this product is because it's based so it's naturally meant to separate into two different consistencies and inserting the Q-tip down into it helps to essentially pair the two layers together for application on the pimple. They always specifically say with that product to not shake it up, not to mix it."
"I use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. It's a nice gel cream, which is great when you have oily skin. Using a thick cream on your face will only accentuate the oil production that's going to happen anyway. Serums and cleansers are the best for helping to keep your skin balanced and basically signaling to your skin like hey, no need to create this much oil, you're fine."
"The ingredient list is very simple: aloe vera, panthenol, hyaluronic acid. [...] The ingredients are good, they work to moisturize the skin, and when it comes to a daytime moisturizer or something you're using while performing and constantly sweating, whatever works to moisturize your skin without feeling super heavy on your face is great. But I don't know if I'd use this moisturizer just because it doesn't really have super calming ingredients. I mean it does have safflower oil, but that does very minimum to calm down the skin, especially if I'm going to be paying $43 for it. I'd prefer for it to have a little bit more of an ingredient list."
"La Mer, they're the brand that if you want to pay the equivalent of a house mortgage for a single product that about sums them up. They're extremely overpriced with some of the worst ingredient lists I have ever seen in skincare formulas ever, and they price themselves based off of this secret ingredient that they use when the majority of their formula you can find in a $3 moisturizer at the drugstore. [...] I will not deny that La Mer feels nice on the skin, but [...] the proof is in the ingredient list and the ingredient list does not measure up. [...] I have tried it many times, did I buy it no, I cashed out on those mini sample sizes for so long, and it's no better than other products. I don't believe the hype."
"It does have some really interesting ingredients like peptides, wheat germ oil, probiotics, niacinamide, a bunch of fruit extracts. This is a really stacked ingredient list. The only thing I don't love about it is that mica is at the top of the ingredient list. Mica is essentially a mineral that creates this sheen and reflective shine to the skin. It's not a bad ingredient per se, but the concentration of mica in this formula is really, really high. For my skin, my oily ass getting all that shimmer on my face, that is asking for me to look like the Tin Man. I don't want it. But on the plus side, the formula does have a bunch of really good ingredients. I feel iffy about it. It's all right, but it's one of those formulas that I would really have to swatch it on the skin and see how pearlescent and illuminating it is before trying it. If you have drier skin, then it could definitely give you a major glow."
"Another brand that's running discounts right now is BYOMA. If you've shopped for skincare at Target you have probably noticed their super cute packaging. I have tried pretty much every product from the range and I really like a lot of them, I recommend them all the time on my channel. I'd say my favorite is probably the BYOMA Moisturizing Gel Cream, which is currently 20% off. [...] I typically use their gel moisturizer when I'm in a little bit more of a dry environment but I still want that invisible moisturizer feel on my skin. It does a great job of deeply moisturizing without looking too greasy."
"The one I like most and definitely the one that has gotten the most attention and I would say is the most popular is their Bloom Cream Daily Moisturizer. It features goat milk, niacinamide, and a bunch of other great ingredients that are not only good for calming the skin reducing sensitivity but really deeply nourishing it as well. If you're someone with drier skin you really want like a nice thicker moisturizer, I would say this is definitely a good one to go with. It feels amazing on the skin and it's just a really good brand to support."
"The ingredient list of the Rich Cream is definitely more stacked than the serum. [...] You have a lot of great natural oils like avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, [...] green tea, peptides. [...] But I just don't know if anything could push me to pay that much for a skincare product that's going to run out in like 3 months. [...] You could tell me it adds years onto my life and I still wouldn't buy it."
"Let's try this one. Ooh, it's so pretty. I'm trying to see if it has menthol, like how strong it is. Oh my God, I feel like I'm smelling Vicks, holy wow, that is so strong. Oh my God, you guys, I feel like I just poured Listerine all over my hands, I feel like my eyes are burning. I'm nervous to put it on my face, even though it feels like a beautiful consistency, the smell is not going away, it's really lingering. I thought because menthol is so low on the ingredient list that it would just be a very light smell, but this is strong. I'm so sad, I really wanted this to be good, and I mean I'm sure it's fine, but I know in the past my skin has had not the best reactions to menthol, and it's just not a great ingredient to have in skincare regardless. Bummer. At least, and this is what I'm very happy about, this product was not expensive, so it's not a huge loss that this one doesn't work."
"This is a peptide cream that firms the skin, helps fight against premature aging, and deeply moisturizes. The combination of firming, aging-focused ingredients with the unique texture is the reason why it's so popular. [...] It truly is a very unique formula, and it was [...] really hard to find a dupe for."
"The Acure Radically Rejuvenating Whipped Night Cream is pretty spot-on as far as formula goes. It has so many of the same ingredients: Marilla oil, vitamin C. And it's $17, you can literally find it at the drugstore, I believe it's at Target. Good price, good similar formula. This is a peptide cream, right? Firms the skin, helps to fight against premature aging, deeply moisturizes."
"It is the Kate Somerville Oil-Free Moisturizer. I love this moisturizer. Kate Somerville products like they have good ingredient list but I love this moisturizer. I used to use this one all the time. While I do love this moisturizer the price is typically not cheap but I found it for $20 at BGC which is why I had to get it. [...] This is definitely a moisturizer for more like oilier skin types if you want like a good level of moisture but you don't want your skin to look too greasy or heavy afterwards. As you can see it has kind of like a light runny consistency but when it absorbs into the skin it has this really good ability of just smoothing it out and making it look like it's just plump hydrated. [...] It just makes the skin feel so buttery soft. I forgot how much I enjoyed this."
"This has a ton of peptides in it as well as a bunch of good moisturizing agents, really good ingredient list. It's got so many antioxidant ingredients like licorice fruit extract, Moringa seed oil, turmeric. I will say I don't love that it's in a balm. I would prefer that it's in like a moisturizer. I feel like if it was the same ingredient list but had a moisturizer consistency rather than a balm I would be more inclined to use it, but this is pretty good formula. I would definitely be down to try this, so I'd say smash based off the ingredient list alone."
"Saturday Skin Waterfall Glacier Water Cream [...] has a ton of peptides in it as well as a bunch of good moisturizing agents like really good ingredient list. [...] It's not the cheapest at $39, but I'd be down to buy and try it."
"I have used that product before. It's definitely very rich, very thick. If you have oily skin, probably not the vibe for daytime, but for nighttime, good solid moisturizing cream."
"Great moisturizer for combination skin it has kind of like a thicker gel cream consistency that adds a nice sheen and glow to the skin but doesn't get overly greasy throughout the day with some really good ingredients for calming sensitivity and redness in the skin plus they recently released their jumbo size which is great for reducing packaging so if you're someone who loves this product definitely check out the bigger size."
"The one that I consistently use and love is the Coconut Water Cream. I've talked about this product literally since the beginning days of my channel. I used it so many times this year it still stands as the most lightweight moisturizer I have ever used in my life. As someone who struggles with really oily skin, I highly recommend checking this one out if you do as well. Plus it has a nice blurring effect where my skin always looks super smooth and just very even afterwards."
"If you're someone who's concerned about premature aging but maybe those rich moisturizers don't really appeal to you, this is definitely an incredible formula to try out. I've used it countless days this year and years past. It's just such a solid formula that I can always rely on. The FaceTheory Super Gel Oil-Free Moisturizer is a great moisturizer for anyone who has acne-prone skin or oiliness or clogged pores. It's a $22 moisturizer with a power-packed ingredient list that specifically works to help people who struggle with breakouts, excessive oiliness, and blocked pores. One of the reasons I love it is that they have the option to get a formula that is fragrance-free. It comes in packaging that's focused on sustainability and is easily recyclable. It's honestly a really good brand that I'm mad at myself that I don't talk about more. First off, niacinamide, which is great for anyone who has oily skin but also a wrecked moisture barrier. It has green tea extract, which is great for soothing redness and sensitivity. Salicylic acid or BHA, which is amazing for deeply exfoliating the pores to make sure they aren't blocked and isn't contributing to breakouts. As well as Vitamin C, specifically Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is great if you are someone who struggles with acne scarring like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, those dark marks that stay after you have a breakout. Vitamin C is great for lifting the scarred pigment out of those areas. Another reason I love it is because it's a super, super lightweight formula, very good for anyone who has very oily skin, which is pretty common for anyone who struggles with breakouts or acne."
"The FutureWise Slug Bomb, I haven't tried it yet, but thank you FutureWise for sending me some of the products, because I do need to try it. I would be interested to try it, because it's on a higher price point end for how simple the ingredients are, given that it's mostly vegetable oil based, but I'm down for the formula, I'm down to try it, I say smash."
"The CeraVe PM moisturizing lotion is one of my favorites. It's an affordable one that's very lightweight but still gives a nice protective layer over the surface of your skin. So whether you have dryness or oiliness, you can do both."
"The Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer has always been one of my favorites. If you have combination skin and you want a very lightweight moisturizer but still want your skin to appear dewy, this one is your best friend. I use this one constantly during the day and even overnight. It's a great one."
"If you don't know Vanicream, they are basically like the bare bones, most simple formulas you can pretty much buy in the market, and typically the products that I recommend and dermatologists recommend to people who have very sensitive skin. Vanicream products are good, but they're about as simple as you can get."
"For sensitive itchy skin, I would recommend the CeraVe Relief Moisturizing Lotion. It's a good, simple, non-active formula that helps with reducing the itch."
"For affordable moisturizers for dry skin, I recommend the Byoma Moisturizing Rich Cream. It's a really nice consistency that works well to really deeply nourish any dry areas you have."
"I think the kings of treating eczema are either Aveeno, CeraVe, or Vanicream. The Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream is a great option for anyone who struggles with eczema, either for the face or the body. It works really well."
"I'm really impressed with Biossance's ingredient list, it's exactly the type of philosophy I look for when I'm searching for products. The product I use most from them is their moisturizing gel cream. I really like this one particularly when my skin is a little bit on the drier side but I don't want to put a heavier cream on my face. It has a ceramide complex which helps to deeply moisturize the skin as well as strengthen your skin's barrier, and green tea as well to combat any sensitivity or irritation in the skin. I like this one for when my skin needs a little bit of extra hydration and just a little comfort, I love using this one, it's a really good product. Honestly I like the majority of products from their brand, I think their ingredient philosophy is awesome."
"I love this brand because they just have good products you can rely on that provide a kind of luxurious skincare experience without having to break the bank, they're good prices and they get the job done. My personal favorite product from them is the First Aid Beauty Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream, I've recommended this in so many YouTube videos I wouldn't even be able to count them. I like this one for when my skin needs a good amount of moisture and hydration but I don't want to compromise the way my skin looks. I'd say this one's a little bit more moisturizing than the Biossance one, but I really like it because it includes green tea and wheat germ oil which helps to calm any sensitivity, and it's a very nice texture. People with combination to normal skin I think would really enjoy using this product, it's a classic, tried and true."
"For my dry areas this would be great, it feels really nice on the skin and my skin feels super moisturized after applying it. People who struggle with eczema and severe dryness rave about this product, and I definitely enjoyed using it in the past as an overnight moisturizer. My biggest issue with this product is the price point, but if I find an absolutely incredible product that blows my mind and it's fifty dollars or under, that's something I can justify. It's way too thick and rich for my oily T-zone though, so I'd only use it on my dry areas."
"This one has great ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, a very simple ingredient list, but their formulas work. When I've used this in the past I personally found that it was a little bit thicker for my skin than I would prefer, and I actually prefer the lightweight night lotion that CeraVe has. But this one was one of your top picks for the year, and because it's a really good formula I of course have to include it."
"This is a great simple moisturizer that does what it's supposed to do, and one of the reasons I love e.l.f. is because all their products are super affordable, you definitely cannot beat the price point. But for me personally I find that the ingredient list is a little simple for my liking, I do like my moisturizers to have innovative complex formulas with a plethora of ingredients. If you're someone who's just starting a skincare routine or trying to budget out your routine, this one is definitely a good choice and easy to find at most stores. Just remember to choose the fragrance free one, not the one that has fragrance in it."
"If your skin struggles with shininess, this one might be a little too thick, but the nice thing about it is that it has a simple ingredient list, really basic, no fragrance, and it's super affordable."
"The Gold Bond Pure Moisture Daily Body and Face Lotion is very simple, and maybe not even a product people would consider using as a face moisturizer, but it's effective and it'll get the job done. Given the price point of five dollars, I'm actually really impressed with the ingredients, it has glycerin, dimethicone, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, a bunch of really good ingredients for how cheap it is. The texture and consistency is pretty good for a variety of skin types, but it's definitely best for anyone with normal skin and maybe a little on the drier side. There's a lot of product in this so it'll last a long time. Is it super fancy or luxurious? No, it's not, but it will definitely keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. If you have more oily skin, I'd recommend just using this at night and using a different product for the daytime."
"One that I've recently fallen in love with that has a great price point is the Inkey List Omega Water Cream. I have used this in dry climates and I've used this in oily climates and I feel like it's a really good moisturizer that performs well regardless if you have oily skin or dry skin. It's a simple but powerful ingredient list in a consistency that's very lightweight but still hydrating and nourishing to the skin, and it can be used as both your daytime moisturizer and your nighttime moisturizer. It's so good that when I was trying to keep this routine at fifty dollars exactly, sacrificing the moisturizer was just not worth it to me."
"I think a great introductory eye cream is the CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. One of the reasons I love this one is because first off it's like $13, so definitely not a bad price, and of course it's fragrance free. This primarily has niacinamide, which is a great ingredient for not only helping with the barrier health of the skin but also helping to fade hyperpigmentation and dark spots. It's not the most powerful brightening agent out there, but it's a great introductory one, especially for someone who's younger, someone who's just starting a skincare routine, or someone who doesn't need super concentrated ingredients. You can find it at pretty much any drugstore."
"This is a new product from Skinfix that has an amazing lightweight consistency but does a really good job at packing a punch for hydration and moisture. I love Skinfix for that reason, all their products are deeply nourishing. This one is a little bit more expensive, so if you want a cheaper or more affordable product I would recommend the Rovectin moisturizer, but I have been using this one really regularly and I also enjoy using it overnight during the summertime."
"The other moisturizer, the antioxidant facial moisturizer, I was really impressed with. Not only does it have a great ingredient list, it does a good job of moisturizing the skin. I wouldn't use this one in the summer or when my skin is a little more oily, it's something I'd probably use during the fall or winter months, but it does a good job of moisturizing the skin and it's not too heavy and greasy, which I really like for day to day use. If it came down to choosing between the gel moisturizer and the antioxidant facial moisturizer, I would choose the second one."
"This one has a richer consistency, but I love the brand First Aid Beauty, I think the ingredients and formulas they develop are really cool. It has a bunch of great ingredients like niacinamide and moisturizing agents to really reinforce the skin barrier. Now it does include collagen, and I am someone who doesn't really subscribe to the whole belief behind collagen on top of your skin being the thing that reverses aging, I think there needs to be more research in that area. So I wouldn't say I recommend the cream for premature aging repair, but if you are looking for a good rich moisturizer with some great ingredients and kind of want that luxury experience, this is definitely a good one for that."
"This blew me away, I was so impressed with this formula. I need to make sure it actually works on oily skin, and scratch all my doubts, this moisturizer is amazing. It's super lightweight, a very watery gel cream compared to a lot of other gel creams that have a richer consistency, and I personally find it really good for oily skin. It includes eighty percent artemisia extract, which is really good for soothing sensitivity and irritation, and it also has squalene, an amazing ingredient for deeply moisturizing the skin. It's deceivingly lightweight and I found myself loving it on my oily areas and across my entire face. It's a great one especially if you have more sensitive skin, it's a fragrance free formula with ingredients great for reducing redness and sensitivity. I've only been using it for like three or four months, but it's so good I had to include it."
"The Clinique Moisture Surge is a great product, it's one of my favorites. It's a nice gel texture that doesn't feel too heavy but does provide really good moisture benefits, and gel creams are my favorite consistency for a moisturizer. It does have two different dyes in it which I'm not crazy about, but that's only really applicable if you have sensitivities to dyes. Overall the ingredient list is really good, with a lot of great ingredients for skin soothing, moisture, and even damage repair. I'm totally a fan of it."
"The second ingredient is denatured alcohol, the fourth is witch hazel extract, and it has salicylic acid, which I do love, but if you have dry sensitive skin, salicylic acid isn't an ingredient you need to be using unless you're struggling with breakouts. Denatured alcohol at a high concentration can result in irritation and a stripped moisture barrier if you have dry or sensitive skin, and I don't think it's a necessary ingredient in products anymore, especially since toner isn't a necessary step at all. Plus it has dyes like yellow five and blue one which can also be irritating to the skin. I'm not crazy about it, and I find it interesting that this is her favorite product considering she does have sensitive and what looks to be dry skin. Clinique's toners are the one product of theirs I'm just not into."
"If you're looking for a more affordable option, I recommend the e.l.f. Happy Hydration Cream. This one is a great drugstore find that works to moisturize the skin but doesn't feel too heavy or too thick on the skin. In terms of thickness, the Skinfix one is definitely a lot richer than this one, but if you're someone who has dry skin but you don't want to necessarily look really dewy, this one is a great one to go with."
"I would love to mention my own moisturizer, the Selfless by Hyram Niacinamide and Marula Daily Barrier Moisturizer, because we made sure our products are free of silicones so they won't break up or peel with makeup. I would definitely recommend it because it really is amazing, and it's ideal if you want that invisible, fast absorbing feel while still packing a punch for hydration and moisture."
"The ingredient list is really simplistic, but super effective. It's 77% oat seed water, glycerin, squalane, panthenol, beta-glucan. So many good ingredients for really deeply nourishing and moisturizing the skin without any fragrance or added irritants. It's just such a great one that I definitely recommend. You want that skin soothing experience, you want that hydration and dewy skin, but not have it be overly greasy or heavy. This is definitely a great one. And I definitely recommend if you haven't tried Purito products, checking out some of their other formulas because I've talked about so many other products on my channel. I absolutely love them. But definitely a great innovative formula if you're wanting a boost of moisture."
"Lotus flower has so many benefits for the skin. It's been used historically as kind of the healing ingredient for aging, but it also has almond oil, panthenol, allantoin, just an incredible ingredient list that impressed me when I first was looking into this product. But as soon as I started using it, I was like, this is going to be around for a while. And I was so right because not only have I repurchased this so many times, every time I use it, I'm always blown away. It's so good for giving you that lightweight moisturizer experience that is still able to hold up in more humid environments or hot environments or on the oily parts of my skin, but it nourishes the skin in such a beautiful way that gives it this ever so slight glow without getting too greasy or heavy. If you're someone who likes a little bit of that hydrating effect and isn't solely just looking for the lightest weight moisturizer you can find, I would definitely recommend this. I think this is such a high quality moisturizer at a great price point."
"I have been using this overnight and been loving [...] it. The name indicates it has five different types of ceramides, which is incredible. It's very rare that I find products that utilize that many ceramides in a formula, so it's already kind of starting off on a more luxury high quality base. But to add on to that, this also has ginseng extract, a very common ingredient used in luxury skincare to fight against premature aging. And an ingredient that really intrigued me called phytoinosine, which is a good ingredient for helping to fight against any acne, breakouts, or blocked pores, which is really unique to have in a formula like this because most of the time when it comes to really rich ceramide heavy, nourishing products, they tend to not really address the potential of breakouts, pimples, or acne. But this one does, which is one of the reasons that I love using it overnight because not only am I getting that really deep moisturizing power, but it's also helping to make sure that I don't potentially break out, whether it be from an overabundance of moisturizer on my face or normal blocked pores."
"I've really been enjoying using this next moisturizer for how lightweight it is but still properly moisturizing and soothing the skin. [...] It is their Heartleaf Calming Cream Tube. [...] I have been loving using this one throughout the day because of how lightweight it is. Initially, it kind of looks like it would be a thicker cream, so I started this thinking I was only going to be using it at night and then started using it during the daytime because of how lightweight it sits on the skin. But it has some really good ingredients. Of course, heartleaf, which is known for its skin soothing benefits and antioxidant power. [...] It also has beta glucan, which is a really good ingredient to use during the winter time when your skin needs a little bit more hydration. [...] I typically have found beta glucan to be an ingredient that's used in really thick, heavy products, but it's in this one, which is definitely more of a lightweight consistency. This also has turmeric extract which is great for helping to brighten any dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Overall, it's a good simple but effective ingredient list for properly moisturizing your skin throughout the day if you're someone who has a little bit more oily skin like I do. One thing I love about this Abib tube is that they literally have all the ingredients listed out on the front of their packaging, which is so cool."
"Great soothing ingredients if you're someone who struggles with redness and irritation, as well as peptide complexes. This is just such a stacked ingredient list, especially if you're looking for something to moisturize your skin throughout the winter and really focus on healing or repairing your skin barrier. This is great for that. Of course, in addition to the benefits that bamboo has for fighting against aging, but I love how lightweight it is. This is really like a versatile formula that you can use both during the daytime and nighttime because it gives your skin that splash of hydration, but not overly greasy or heavy. I'm really excited to continue using it."
"This one's a staple, y'all. It is the I'M UNIQUE Centella Calming Gel Cream. If you're a longtime viewer of my channel, you are not surprised to see this product at all. I have recommended it in probably hundreds of videos by now. I have used this for so many years and the main reason I love it is that it's just this beautiful gel consistency that instantly absorbs into the skin and hydrates and nourishes my skin whether it's the middle of the summer or in the fall and winter months. It has soothing ingredients to calm down redness and sensitivity and in my opinion is probably the lightest moisturizer that I have ever used in my life. Super lightweight formula that's going to work alongside your other products to deeply hydrate and nourish the skin without you feeling too heavy. It's so good. I've talked about it in so many videos. If you haven't considered trying it, I highly recommend that you do."
"I've talked about Bubble way back in the day, but their Level Up balancing moisturizer is actually really good. I hadn't used it in years, and it's a really good formula if you have more combination to oily skin like I do, a very nice gel consistency, and I really like the ingredients, they work for sensitive skin. It felt good, a little bit stickier than I remembered, but it looked good and felt good."
"This is Verst's Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Moisturizer. I really like this moisturizer and think it's perfect for traveling because it does a good job of making sure my skin is properly nourished and protected, through ingredients like caprylic triglyceride and shea butter. Shea butter is deeply moisturizing, and a lot of times I get a little nervous when I see it in an ingredient list because it means the product can be very heavy on the skin, but this is a very lightweight gel. I also love this one because it's more than a moisturizer, it's basically an antioxidant product and a moisturizer in one. It includes an ingredient I very rarely see in other products called arctic cloud berry, which has incredible antioxidant protective abilities, calms down redness and irritation in the skin, and helps restore the health of the moisture barrier. It also includes two forms of stabilized vitamin C. It's still a simple ingredient list and lightweight enough on the skin to not compromise the way your skin looks when you're flying. Best of all, it's a really good price point, that's one of the reasons I love Verst."
"This moisturizer has glycerin, a great ingredient for hydrating the skin, avocado oil, another ingredient great for nourishing dry skin, and right after it shea butter, a great ingredient for really moisturizing the skin. So this moisturizer definitely has ingredients that are great for dry skin."
"I absolutely love Beauty of Joseon, I've diligently recommended this brand for years and I think all of their products are amazing. This cleansing oil has really high quality ingredients, it uses soybean oil to help break up dirt and sebum, it has a high concentration of ginseng, and it also has green tea oil. But I might take back everything I just said, because cleansing oils are really only meant to break up oil, sebum, and dirt, they aren't necessarily meant to be left on the skin all day, and if you combine that oil with sunscreen or makeup residue still on your face it's basically just asking for you to break out more. Truthfully, I would have much preferred if she just went in with a water based cleanser instead of an oil cleanser, or at least added a foam or gel cleanser afterward."
"This cleanser is $79. Cleansers are like the cheapest products to produce, so for most brands their cleanser is their most affordable product, and in my opinion there's no reason you should be spending over $40 for a cleanser. Looking at the ingredient list, there's only nine ingredients for $80, and unless one of these ingredients translates to the sweat of Jesus, there is no way they can justify charging $80 for this. Normally I'm very pro minimal ingredient list, but it's not just that this one is simple, it's that all of the ingredients are so common and so affordable that you can find them in so many other products for a fraction of the price. Safe to say I do not recommend this product."
"If you want the most simple cleanser, the one dermatologists typically recommend for people who have really dry, sensitive skin, the Vanicream cleanser is a go-to classic and definitely what I recommend to anyone whose skin reacts to absolutely everything."
"If you have really dry skin and just want a gentle, good cleanser, I'd recommend the Crave Beauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser. I've loved this one for years. It is so gentle and nourishing to the skin, and with the inclusion of green tea, it helps to reduce any redness and irritation you might be experiencing."
"I've always been a huge fan of the Youth To The People Kale and Green Tea Superfood Cleanser, [...] especially if you have oily skin, blocked pores, or a lot of gunk that builds up on your face throughout the day. That cleanser is freaking incredible for being able to bulldoze through everything on your face and deeply clean. I will say it is a little intense, which is why I don't use it twice a day. It's a really powerful cleanser, but an amazing cleanser nonetheless, and literally the only cleanser I would spend over thirty five dollars for. [...] It's gotten pricey, but it's so good. I absolutely love that formula."
"I really like the Naturium Niacinamide cleanser. It's only five bucks and it lasts a really long time. I've used this cleanser for so many years, and I feel like it does a good job of getting a nice deep clean out of my skin without overly drying it. I do feel like it's more meant for oilier skin types rather than dry skin types, but it always does a good job of making sure my skin isn't overly red or irritated when I travel, and honestly I mostly like it because you get a lot of product for five bucks in a travel friendly bottle."
"I equally love the Toleriane Hydrating Cleanser from them, which is kind of like a similar formula, but designated for combination to drier skin types. [...] One of the primary selling points for that cleanser is that it's a great bang for its buck. Normally La Roche-Posay products I don't find myself frequently using because they are so expensive, but that one is a really good price point. For a giant bottle, you can find it for like $20."
"That is the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Cleanser. I've recommended it for years on my channel. It was actually featured in the best cleansers of multiple years videos that I've done. I absolutely love it. It's a great gentle but effective cleanser at dissolving any impurities that are in your pores, dirt, sweat, particularly if you are someone who has more combination to oily skin. Although it's not super stripping or really intense. Great formula, dermatologist focused, science-backed formula, fragrance-free, great for sensitive skin."
"I definitely recommend the Bioderma Sensibio micellar water. That one has consistently been the best one that I've ever tried. It's gentle on the skin. It works well. And it's basically the same process as using a makeup wipe, but with cotton rounds, you just throw them in the wash and reuse them. And in combination with the affordable price point of a micellar water, it's so much more cost effective than buying makeup wipes."
"The Dr. Althia Porefresh Grinding Cleansing Balm is my recent favorite. This one's especially mess free because it twists to reveal the formula which is much more sanitary and mess-free as you're removing your makeup. Cleansing balms are just the best of the best."
"Speaking of cleansing balms, I have yet another empty. I've gone through so many of this product, it's not even funny, but I keep rebuying it. It is the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm. If you have not tried this cleansing balm, I featured it for years on my channel. It's like a mango smoothie in a cleansing balm formula, so elegant, so nourishing on your face. Your skin feels so soft after using it. However, it is a bit of a luxury cleansing balm. I will forever recommend this and I will forever use it. However, I feel like cleansing balm technology and just product availability has really accelerated a lot in the past few years. We're finding a lot more great options out there than we used to when I first started using this, so for that reason I've been trying out a lot more new cleansing balms and falling in love with so many of them. But this will always be home. I will forever be repurchasing this cleansing balm because I love it, but not for a little while, because I literally have like eight cleansing balms in a queue waiting to be tested. So wait your damn turn."
"Their Milky Jelly Cleanser has one of the first ingredients as rose water which has hydrating benefits for the skin. [...] It also has betaine, allantoin, glycerin, panthenol. So definitely really good ingredients for deeply hydrating the skin. Hyaluronic acid. I mean this has a really stellar ingredient list. Plus it's fragrance free which has always been one of my biggest gripes when it comes to Glossier products. [...] I definitely feel like this formula is more so targeted at people who have really dry, really dehydrated skin. They want that kind of glass skin, glowy, dewy look. [...] So if you're in the dry skin family, then I would say that you would probably enjoy this cleanser. But from a formulation perspective, love it."
"Definitely on the pricier side for a cleanser. But given this ingredient list, I would totally let it slide. I feel like if we continue seeing these price points, this is a more luxury skincare brand. The ingredient list is the most important thing and I don't see anything on this ingredient list that would make me run away. So if you want to spend $28 on a cleanser, this one is totally good."
"With grinding cleansing balm packaging, it's like the least messy and most sanitary form of getting your cleansing balm formula onto your skin. So, I do have to say I really like products that come in that packaging. For example, the VT Cosmetics PDRN Cleansing Balm is one of my favorites."
"This always has done a great job of removing my sunscreen and anything else on my face at the end of the day. [...] Because of the more hydrating aspects of this cleanser, I love to use it as a morning cleanser as opposed to a nighttime cleanser and use something a little bit more oriented towards my oily skin at night. But whenever you want to use it, it totally works. Such a good cleanser with a good simple formula that really works for any skin type, but especially if you're wanting to boost the glow within your skin."
"It's definitely a gentle cleanser that will help to deeply cleanse your skin without overly stripping it or drying it out. That being said, this one is $40, which is really expensive for a cleanser. Looking at the ingredient list, I definitely think that it is very overpriced. But a good formula is a good formula as long as it's properly cleansing your skin, which it definitely is."
"I've wanted to try some of their products before, but I believe their cleanser is just a little bit too harsh from an ingredient perspective for me to feel comfortable using."
"My favorite cleansing oil that was actually in my best of 2025 videos, the Krave Beauty Makeup Rewind Cleansing Oil. Oh my god, that one is absolutely incredible, but doesn't have kind of like the messiness or slipperiness of a standard cleansing oil, but still gets the job done for a great price point. I would definitely recommend it because it has a lot better ingredients that are actually going to help the health of your skin."
"I've always loved cleansing balms because they're luxurious, they're mess-free, and easy to use to just remove everything on your face while making your skin ultra soft. [...] This is the very first year I've started using grinding cleansing balms, and oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm ever going to go back. [...] The cleansing balm is in a solidified state, but through the packaging and twisting the cap, it grinds a small amount off the top, ensuring that you have a mess-free cleansing experience, and the formula is exposed to as little air and light as possible to help preserve it. [...] This has an ever so slight granular feel to the consistency that's amazing for really clearing through any excess sebum, dirt, or oil that is built up on your skin throughout the day. [...] This is the perfect cleansing balm for anyone who has oily skin with those concerns because this cleansing balm can bulldoze through it without being overly gritty or exfoliating."
"This is a classic best-selling cleanser that I have always really enjoyed. [...] I really have enjoyed it for when my skin is extra oily or when I'm in super hot and humid environments. [...] A lot of oily skin focused cleansers out there, if you're using them twice to three times a day over the course of months, [...] they do tend to dehydrate and strip the skin over time. And the problem with dehydrated or stripped skin, as an oily skin person, is that your skin can respond by overproducing even more sebum and oil, making the problem worse. [...] The thing that I love about this one is that it always makes sure that my skin is not excessively oily without drying it out even if I am cleansing my skin three times a day. It has gentle surfactants, 3% niacinamide, glycerin. It's a very simple formula, but it gets the job done. [...] A great simple cleanser for oily skin that won't overly strip or dehydrate your skin over time."
"I use this Glow Recipe Cleansing Balm and I have loved cleansing balms. I find that it's much more gentle and it removes all my makeup. I always get a lot of questions about how I remove my waterproof mascara because girls can never take it off, but I swear to God this gets everything. It makes me so happy. I actually really enjoy it. I would say it's one of my favorite products from Glow Recipe. Compared to other cleansing balms, it's a very moisturizing experience. It's like a thicker consistency, which I tend to like with my cleansing balms. I like that rich formula on my face. It definitely is rich because the product is not cheap. It's one of the more expensive cleansing balms out there, but I love it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and anyone who wants to get it, I would say go for it because it is a great formula."
"As far as this cleansing oil goes, once you get past the redness it does feel nice on the face, but I want to see how it rinses off because that's another thing with a lot of cleansing oils is that they are not the most pleasant to rinse off, they can take quite a while and that's just not my favorite. I will say that wasn't too bad, it did rinse off like relatively quickly. I think I only had to do like four passes over my skin for the oil to come off, which is not bad for a cleansing oil. Sometimes it's super frustrating trying to get that off your face and that's one of the biggest determining factors as to whether I like a cleansing oil or not."
"I never really liked this product but to each their own. It is a cleanser with like a very deep cleansing experience to the point that even for my oily skin I found that this one kind of like overly stripped my skin. But I can see why it's very popular especially amongst younger people who are like just starting a skincare routine because it's one of the basics right, a cleanser. But it does not have a basic price point at all. This cleanser is $34 which is very high up there honestly."
"This is like so spot on from packaging to experience to ingredients that I was like, oh my goodness, this is about as dupy as it gets. It's the BYOMA Milky Jelly Cleanser for $14, so you're saving a good $20 on a cleanser. It's a very similar type of consistency, you get that really deep cleansing experience, and the cleansing ingredients are very similar, but in my opinion the BYOMA cleanser has better ingredients cuz it has licorice root extract, green tea, ceramides, it's a pretty stacked ingredient list. And I just want to say this for anyone out there who's obsessed with Drunk Elephant, especially if you're younger, check out BYOMA. They have great skincare products that are super cute but still have a luxury feel to them, with very similar packaging to Drunk Elephant but for literally a fraction of the price point, and I recommend their products all the time on my channel. They're great. If you're a parent out there who wants to get their kids set up with a skincare routine and you know about all the Drunk Elephant hype, I definitely recommend checking out BYOMA."
"I'll have to say pass for this one. You know, this was one of like the first cleansers I used, and I think actually like the first Korean skincare product. It's just a little bit too stripping, and that's me with my skin where you need like a pickaxe to get through all the built-up oil throughout the day, but every time I've used this one it just leaves my skin feeling a little bit too stripped and dry. So I'd say pass."
"Banila Co Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm, I'd say smash for that one. Isn't my favorite cleansing balm, no. I think that it still makes your skin have a little bit of that film left over so it's not the best out there, but it's definitely a solid formula."
"This was one of the only cleansing balms I could find that was polyethylene free. Polyethylene is essentially plastic that a lot of cleansing balm products use to add slip to the skin, but there's conflicting data as to whether or not it can impact marine wildlife and coral systems, so I would always avoid it. Back then it was really hard to find any cleansing balms that didn't have it, and this was one of the only ones I could find. Nowadays there are so many more good options out there, but I've continued to use this one over the years just because of how elegant, luxurious, moisturizing, softening of an experience it is. It just looks beautiful and feels like a beautiful experience, and with the size of the packaging it does last a long time, and that's important to me when it comes to luxury skincare, I need the products to last a while if I'm going to be spending that much money. This is one of those products where I'm like, I definitely do not need to be spending this much money on a cleansing balm that I'm going to inevitably end up rinsing off, but what can I say, I discovered it back in the day and just fell in love with the formula, and when I'm feeling in the mood for a luxurious nighttime skincare routine, I love using this one. I do want to say though that my definition of luxury is not everyone's definition. This is probably the most expensive product in my collection that I use. I am not a La Mer girly, you will never catch me spending like two or three hundred dollars on a skincare product, that is absolutely insane, and that's pretty much been my opinion throughout the years. There are very few formulas that I would justify spending more than a hundred dollars on."
"It is not cheap but it's still one that I justify purchasing just because of how incredible the formula is. If you have oily skin a lot of texture build up throughout the day then this is an incredible product for dealing with that. This cleanser is just the epitome of what you want with a luxurious cleansing experience. It's still not a cheap formula and I think for the majority of people the bottle lasts a long time but I go through this so fast just because I love to use a lot of it."
"A lot of powder cleansers can tend to feel kind of stripping or abrasive on the skin and I don't get that at all with this cleanser. My skin feels so good. I'm definitely going to be using this powder cleanser again like that was a lovely experience."
"The Inkey List is one of the most affordable brands out there with great formulas. My top two are definitely first the Salicylic Acid Cleanser, great if you struggle with breakouts or acne to get a little bit of the exfoliation when you cleanse."
"Cleansing oils are usually not my favorite because I don't love how messy they can be, but this formula has really impressed me with how well it is able to remove that built-up texture on my skin and be a nice lightweight cleansing oil experience. Most importantly, it rinses off really easily because that's another thing that annoys me about a lot of cleansing oils. Plus this has enough of a thickness to it that it's not going to be running everywhere down your arms getting all over the place. It still has a viscosity that allows it to be an oil but not be super messy. This is a $35 cleansing oil that I would say is best for combination skin with incredible ingredients like glycerin, sunflower seed oil, green tea for calming skin sensitivity and irritation as well as ginger root oil, an awesome antioxidant and great ingredient for calming down the skin, which can be really helpful when you're rubbing all over your face. The light-weightness of this is why I think it's a good option for people who have oily to combination skin, but it still provides that hydration. If you love using a good cleansing oil, this is definitely the top one that I recommend. As I've continued to use it through a lot of this year, it's a great way of getting that innovative Korean skincare formula in an accessible place like Ulta and Target."
"I'm going to go in with the Aveeno Calm + Restore cleanser, just a very gentle cleansing experience that will still get all the gunk out of my face but not overly strip it."
"I abhor this product. I really don't like these but I'll explain why. Yes, pore strips can be very satisfying on the face and I am victim to the TikToks where you see the satisfying peel-offs, but I've always found these just so unnecessary because first off they can irritate your nose and I bet you to God that when I peel this off it's gonna look like I forgot to apply sunscreen on a beach day, my nose is going to be so red. But they're just such a temporary solution. The best way to get rid of whiteheads and blackheads on your nose is by using ingredients like salicylic acid exfoliants that can go deep into the pores and exfoliate all the dirt out, but in a gentle way that's consistent and not as irritating as these."
"The CeraVe hydrating cleanser, not a bad ingredient list, but for me personally I just I don't understand the hype I never have and I have [...] dry cheeks. I'm definitely interested in the hydrating cleanser like that but I just never see results from it. I don't know comment below if you guys like that cleanser because I really don't understand the hype. CeraVe's other cleansers are definitely better in my opinion."
"This is the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for dry to normal sensitive skin. The ingredient list is super simple, just glycerin, seed oil, alcohol, panthenol, niacinamide and some gentle cleansing agents. It has a lot of slip to it and feels like a rich, nourishing formula made for dry skin. I do feel like it cleansed my face and it's honestly a very nice experience, so I would recommend this one, especially whenever your skin is sensitized. But is this a cleanser I would regularly use? Probably not, because for me and my combination skin I get really oily on my T-zone and I like a deeper cleansing experience."
"Burt's Bees isn't totally the type of brand I'm a super big fan of, but they do have some products that I'm definitely in love with, and I do really like their Gentle Cream Cleanser. I've recommended it a lot on my channel."
"I really like the CeraVe cream benzoyl peroxide cleanser if you're wanting just a thirty second quick cleansing that'll help get rid of the bacteria that contributes to breakouts."
"I finally tried Tula's Acne All-Star Cleanser. It has sulfur in it, which is an incredible ingredient for really drawing out impurities from your pores and refreshing your skin, and they claim it's a three in one product, a cleanser, mask, and spot treatment in one. I've only used it as a cleanser, not as a mask or spot treatment. As a cleanser, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I noticed that my redness and irritation went down a little bit, and it did a good job of cleansing my skin without irritating it, which is impressive considering there's a good amount of sulfur in here, which can sometimes be a little intense on the skin. My experience was really enjoyable. I'll be honest, I know this is one of your top picks, but do I personally say this is one of the best cleansers I've used this year? No, and that's also because I haven't had quite enough time to really figure it out. I've only been able to use it for a few weeks, and normally I like to use products longer than that to really figure out my opinion on them."
"I do love this one. I think it's a great formula, particularly for dry skin. I've always enjoyed the experience. I will be honest, is it like my go-to cleanser that I'm constantly picking up? No, it's one that I've kind of intermittently used, I do like to stick with the other cleansers. Being that it's your top choice, I am very satisfied with what you guys picked, because it really is a good formula."
"This one took a little while for me to get hooked onto, but once I started consistently using it, I really fell in love with it. This one does an awesome job at really deeply cleansing your skin. It has incredible ingredients like rice ferment filtrate, which helps to hydrate the skin, as well as licorice root extract, which helps brighten any dark spots. This does a really good job of cleansing the skin, particularly if you lean more on the oilier side. Overall it's a really gentle experience. It has been one of my favorites, I've consistently reached for it throughout the year."
"Their products are kind of hit or miss for me, but I like the fragrance free products from Neutrogena's Hydro Boost line. Right off the bat it's nine dollars, such a good price point. It has really gentle cleansing agents, not the harsh stripping ingredients you sometimes get in affordable cleansers that dry out your skin, and this formula is fragrance free as well. I personally used it and enjoyed the experience. For my super oily skin it wasn't quite enough to cleanse my skin, but going in after an aloe vera mask like this, it's a gentle, good choice."
"For a good affordable makeup remover I personally recommend the Garnier unscented Micellar Cleansing Water. This one is a great simple drugstore product that just gets the job done, it removes all the makeup and all the sunscreen without posing the risk of sensitizing your skin. It's a very simple formula. Micellar waters are really great because they're very gentle on the skin, they tend to not be very stripping, and this one is a great example of that."
"I didn't use this as much as I thought I would. Looking at the ingredient list, it has a lot of ingredients I love seeing in a cleansing balm. I don't remember being dissatisfied with the experience, their other cleansing balm leaves a finish on the skin that's difficult to wash off and isn't my favorite, but this one didn't have that problem. It wasn't anything mind blowing, it doesn't compare to my favorites, but I'm going to keep using it and see if I'm really impressed with the results. So far I enjoyed the experience, and I have to give Farmacy props for making this cleansing balm without polyethylene and fragrance."
"If you are looking for a product that utilizes the benefits of tomato, I would recommend the Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. It has ingredients like tomato, strawberry, and I believe wheat as well, good ingredients to help with hyperpigmentation in the skin, but in a really gentle cleanser formula."
"The Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm is a really popular cleansing balm, but it's not personally my favorite because I don't particularly like the use of polyethylene, even though I think they've lowered the concentration of it in this formula. It also uses ethyl hexyl palmitate and safflower seed oil. Personally on me it leaves a little bit of a film on my skin, and other people I've talked to who've used it feel the same. I kind of prefer cleansing balms that have a more oil based, nourishing formula. It's very popular and a typical recommended introductory cleansing balm, so I'm not surprised it made the list."
"The CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser has salicylic acid, along with their typical niacinamide and ceramide complex. I'm not really surprised it made the list. I think it's good if you're wanting a simple cleansing experience that utilizes the benefits of salicylic acid in a drugstore formula. Like with all CeraVe products, what you see is what you get, it's great."
"The Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask is a little more expensive, but because of how big the tub is, it lasts a long time. It has kaolin, bentonite, propanediol, and glycerin, which is nice to see because kaolin and bentonite can sometimes be a little drying and stripping, but the propanediol and glycerin help balance out that loss of hydration. It also has caprylic triglyceride, allantoin, and cornflower, which can help reduce sensitivity. I honestly really like this ingredient list. I think this is a great one, especially if you enjoy the clay mask experience. I typically don't use clay masks myself because I find they can be stripping, but if you're looking for a good one, that's definitely a good one to go with."
"I actually really like the ingredient list on the Mario Badescu Cleansing Oil. It has a lot of good ingredients that work well to dissolve any makeup, sunscreen, or dirt on the face before you go in with your cleanser. It does have lavender essential oil, but because it's a cleansing product you rinse off before going in with your cleanser, I really don't think it's an issue. I'm probably going to purchase this product."
"It has some polymers that can remove makeup, glycerin, algae extract, panthenol, sunflower seed oil, cucumber extract, and barley extract. I really like the ingredient list of this product, it's a really good one, it's pretty simple, not super extensive, and it's twenty five dollars so definitely not really expensive. I really like this product, I kind of want to try it out now. Cleansing milks haven't ever super been my thing because they can be a little bit messy, but I'm always down to try, and this looks like a really good one to try. I'm a fan of this ingredient list, I'm probably going to purchase one for myself."
"I love Good Molecules, they're a brand that I really like, I like their products, I like their philosophy, I love their price point, and I love their ethics. Twelve dollars is a great price point, you can't beat that. It has propanediol, which is great for moisturizing the skin and hydrating it, glycerin, love it, and rose water, which isn't one of my favorite ingredients but it's a great ingredient for boosting the hydration of the skin, especially if you have dry skin. It also has pineapple fruit extract, which has very mild gentle exfoliating abilities, though I'm not sure of the concentration since it's at the very end of the ingredient list. Great cleanser, I love the ingredients, you can't beat the price point, we're good."
"If she wants something for more dry, dehydrated skin, the Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Cleansing Gel is one of my all time favorites, I've gone through so many bottles of that one. Great price point, amazing for really leaving the skin soft and supple afterward."
"The Selfless by Hyram Centella and Green Tea Daily Gel Cleanser is one of those formulas that we went through multiple samples of, multiple iterations to get right. It does a good job of deeply cleansing the skin. People on my team were using it to remove a full face of makeup with full coverage foundation. Some of my team who experienced a lot of redness and irritation were talking about how this calmed down their skin and removed the redness. The philosophy behind this cleanser was me really wanting to nail down that perfect balance of a deep cleansing experience that could actually work for even the most oily of skin types to go deep in your pores and get all the gunk out, but still gentle enough to not feel like your skin was stripped and tight afterwards, to not have that dehydrated feel, to not further inflame or irritate anyone who has dry sensitive skin. And this one really is the perfect balance."
"If you have sensitive or reactive skin but you also want a cleansing experience that delivers a lot of moisture, the Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Cleanser is awesome for you. I didn't use this for a long time. I know it was very famous and I had seen it when I had gone to Korea, but I just never actually gave it a shot until recently. And now I understand why people like it so much. Not only is it an incredible price point, but I really feel like it's a good, simple cleanser if you're someone who struggles with dry skin. You want a good, gentle cleansing experience that delivers really good Korean skincare ingredients like betalucan, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, but not get an overly foamy or stripping experience. If you're looking for a good cleanser to start out your teenagers with or you're brand new to skincare, this is an awesome cleanser to use because it's just very simple, very affordable. You can get it for a great price point on Style Vana. A little bit goes a long way. You do not need to use much at all. And it's just a great cleanser that does what it's supposed to do. Very gentle, good for sensitive skin and for replenishing hydration and just doing what a cleanser is supposed to do."
"I love me some salicylic acid and I love me some green tea so I am excited to try this one. Plus Current State of Skin is just like a cool brand overall. I don't know if it's supposed to froth but it's not. Maybe it's just not a frothing cleanser, that's okay. I just prefer usually cleansers that have like a little bit of foam and frothiness to them."
"I'm no stranger to cleansing oils and I have used them for a long time, and really when it comes to cleansing oils it's hit or miss depending on the individual formula. But [...] one of the things I love about this one is that [...] it is not too runny, and another thing I don't always love about cleansing oils is that sometimes I just felt like I could not get them off my face, I would rinse with water over and over and over again. But I remember being absolutely shook the first time I used this because I rinsed it and immediately everything came off, it was so seamless, so easy. My skin felt clean and I didn't have that oily consistency afterwards. And then when I looked at the ingredient list I was like oh babe, I am sold on this. It's all these incredible oils that I typically find in products that are left on the skin, let alone in cleansing oils. So I think the formula is just so impressive, and most importantly the experience is really lovely. [...] The fact that this one more than measured up is very impressive."
"She's going in with a sunscreen, which I'm really glad to see. This one is a US chemical sunscreen. I'm personally not a fan of chemical sunscreens just because there's a higher risk for irritation and iffy evidence about their sustainability. However, Super Goop does have great mineral sunscreen formulas as well. But as I've always said, the most important sunscreen is the sunscreen you'll actually use every day. It doesn't matter what my opinions or anyone else's opinions is. The most important thing is that you're protecting your skin. So I'm really glad to see that she is doing that."
"My personal favorite is the Numbuzin Clear Filter SPF 50 sunscreen. It's super lightweight, fast absorbing, gives a nice little glow to the skin, and is really good for reducing sensitivity and irritation."
"If he wants a bit more of that glow hydrating effect, he'd really enjoy the Hada Labo Wonder Black Rice SPF 50 sunscreen. That one is one of the best I've ever used for hydrating and nourishing the skin. It gives a beautiful velvety finish that looks lovely and is similar to the Supergoop sunscreen, but it doesn't have that silicone slick feel, which in my opinion can feel unpleasant. It feels so elegant on the skin, and I'd definitely recommend it as an alternative."
"EJ and Ray Ami are using the Round Lab SPF 50 sunscreen, which is or was the number one sunscreen in Korea for a long time, super popular and really good. It's better if you like a more moisturizing base that's heavier and thicker, but I personally find it to be a little too thick and greasy for my combination to oily skin. If you have dry skin though, it's one of the best out there."
"It's the Day Dew Sunscreen Lightweight SPF 50, more oriented for people who have more dry skin. This one uses avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene, a lot of the most popular chemical sunscreen filters you can find in the US. I am glad to see it doesn't use oxybenzone, but I personally do not recommend these chemical filters because I feel there are better filters out there, like mineral filters or the ones you can find in Korean skin care products, [...] with zero white cast, zero gray cast, that completely absorb into the skin and feel like nothing. [...] So personally, I would recommend trying out some of the other Beauty of Joseon sunscreens versus this one."
"The first time I used it and got a whiff of how it smelled I was so disappointed, my god is this concentrated with citrus essential oils, it's a very intense scent. I don't use or recommend products with fragrance on my channel, so I was automatically disappointed, but I didn't waste it, I continued using it just to protect my ears and the back of my neck, which worked fine. [...] Because of how strong the fragrance is, I have to put it at the bottom."
"This is one of those that I know I bought and used, and I don't remember much, which is never a good sign, because if I really enjoyed it I would have remembered it. The formulation alone looks fine, heartleaf has so many benefits along with some of the other ingredients in it, but it's just not something I particularly remember enjoying or loving, nor would I feel it's justified to be recommended on my channel."
"I used to really enjoy it because of its mattifying effect, but I noticed it has way too much citrus essential oil, which is very overpowering and can be irritating to the skin. It's $40, and with how much sunscreen I'm using every day, I need mine to be under 25. Because of the fragrance as well as the price point, I just don't think it justifies even a positive experience, and I definitely would not recommend this nowadays."
"I will always have a soft spot for this sunscreen because it was one of the very first Korean sunscreens I used. That said, looking back at the formula now, I don't really love it. I really dislike how much fragrance is in it, which is bizarre because so many of this brand's other products are fragrance free. The rest of the formula doesn't particularly stand out and it's kind of heavy on the skin."
"I was hesitant to try this one because I thought it would be too heavy on my skin, but once I started using it, my god, it is so lightweight while still adding a nice splash of hydration. It absorbs quickly while giving a nice plump, glowy, glass skin look without feeling too heavy. From an ingredient perspective it's definitely not the best of the best, the ingredients are fine and it's fragrance free, but nothing particularly stands out. Still, the experience alone is really nice, and I understand why it's so popular, it's a great sunscreen for someone who has combination to dry leaning skin."
"This is the Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminizing Skin Screen SPF 50 plus. It was a little more expensive than I was expecting, almost $50 for the sunscreen, but it does look interesting because it's in a serum format that isn't really [...] available in the US. [...] The primary sun protection ingredient is Bemotrizinol, which isn't an approved sun protection ingredient in the USA but can help fight UVA and UVB damage. [...] I wouldn't say she was using quite enough of it. I do have an issue with this product, but it might not be for the reason you think. Ultra Violette is a popular Australian luxury sunscreen brand, and [...] last year one of their most popular sunscreens was exposed in an independent study for having a significantly lower sun protection factor than advertised, with [...] results ranging from SPF 4 to 64, so they recalled the product, issued refunds, and switched to a new manufacturer and testing facility. I feel like they did everything a company should do to take responsibility, and it was a systemic issue across sunscreens generally, not something specific to them. I really did enjoy their sunscreens when I tried them, they felt pretty innovative, especially for Australian sunscreens, which tend to be heavier and more unpleasant."
"I have put it to the test and have been thoroughly enjoying it. It is the Mary and May Vegan Peptide Bakuchiol Sun Stick SPF 50. This one is so freaking cool because not only is it a great SPF sunstick that has zero white cast or gray cast, works for every skin tone, it also has 1% bakuchiol. Bakuchiol is an incredible natural alternative to retinol. It's a great alternative to retinols that can be used in the sunlight. So it focuses on helping to reverse skin damage, fight against aging, antioxidant protection, but it doesn't make your skin sensitive to the sun like retinol does. Not to mention, this sunstick has the most peptides I have ever seen in my life. 25 peptides in one single product. Normally, when it comes to sunscreens, I'm not picky at all about what ingredients are in it because I just need something that does a good job of protecting my skin. But the amount of peptides you get in this to help create that glowy, hydrated, firm, dewy skin effect is absolutely incredible. If you're someone who wants that nice glowy, dewy look whenever you apply your sunstick throughout the day, I definitely recommend this one."
"This one looks a little bit more like dewy and moisturized, which is [...] the Birch Juice, which makes sense. This one has a little bit of a thicker consistency."
"I'm really happy she's going in with a good sunscreen though, especially a good one for black skin. Unfortunately, a lot of the black community or people with darker skin tones have fallen victim to the idea that their skin is fine in the sun and they don't need to use a good or even a strong sunscreen in their routine. But she's definitely using a really good one and I love to see that she's following up with a good protective sunscreen."
"This is basically a tinted moisturizer. It does have SPF 25, but here's my biggest issues with this. Number one, while tinted moisturizers can be a great additional layer of sunscreen protection on top of your standard sunscreen, the reason why they are not effective at all as a sunscreen is because technically whenever we apply like an SPF 50 sunscreen we're supposed to use about a quarter size amount for our face and neck. And obviously if you're going to be like in an active sun exposure you need to be reapplying that sunscreen. Now if you've ever tried a tinted moisturizer, I can tell you that you're not applying a quarter size amount. So even though it is technically SPF 25, you're applying so little on your face that in reality you're probably going to get like SPF 5, maybe SPF 7, very little sun protection. My second issue is that SPF 25 is just not enough sun protection to keep your skin safe. The lowest you should go is SPF 30. That is like the limit when it comes to getting an okay amount of protection. SPF 25 is just not enough, and especially when you're applying very little in comparison to a standard sunscreen, all of those reasons together mean that you are getting barely any sun protection."
"It's the La Roche-Posay SPF 60 Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen. Now it is fragrance free and oxybenzone free so we love that, but besides that it has a bunch of irritating and sensitizing chemical UV filters that I don't love, which is why I would not recommend this sunscreen. I just think there's too many risks associated with it."
"Once I fell in love with their cros, I kind of want to try their other products and within the same line they have the Glutathione Niacinamide SPF 50 sunscreen. This one first took me by surprise because looking at the ingredient list I was like oh my gosh it's basically like the serum but in a sunscreen form stacked with good ingredients. But I especially loved this one for when my skin was a little bit more dehydrated and dry. It still has no white cast, immediately absorbs into the skin, but it has this nice bouncy hydrated plumping effect that is really ideal for when I'm in dry climates or need a little bit of extra moisture for my skin. Compared to the nine sunscreen this one is a little bit more rich, but I don't like rich sunscreens. I want them to feel pretty invisible on my skin and this one does a nice job while still feeling like just a nice hydrating moisturizing serum. So if you tend to lean a little bit more on the combination to dry side I would definitely say this is a great sunscreen. It's such an elegant experience."
"EltaMD is a very research-backed brand. There's a reason why you find it in the majority of spas you go to. Very well accredited. They give great protection to the skin, and especially for someone as fair and as sensitive as her skin can get to the sun, you've got to be consistent and hardcore with sun protection."
"If she's using a really powerful exfoliant and then using the moisturizer with SPF on top of it, that's just not going to be enough protection. Also, just given how sensitive her skin is and if she's struggling with breakouts right now, yeah, not a good mix. I know people love that sunscreen but it has a lot of fragrance and it has chemical UV filters, which I'm not a fan of. I am glad she's wearing sunscreen but yeah, got to swap out that toner."
"It feels so nice on the skin, but this is definitely a little bit shiny for my liking. You can definitely see the texture on my forehead that I'm struggling with and the breakouts now. If you're someone who has dry skin I feel like you would love this one, but dewy skin not my thing. That's just it's overdoing it just a bit."
"If you're someone who wants maybe a little bit of moisture and hydration with your sunstick experience, the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Stick is super good. I like it because it truly looks absolutely invisible on your skin but this has a nice soft hydrated silkiness to the skin that I don't find in other ones, which is why I think people with a little bit drier skin would really like this one. It's one of the most popular sunscreens on TikTok, it's really good, a beautiful formula, no white cast, no pastiness, truly invisible on the skin but makes it feel so soft afterwards. It's really lovely."
"If you have dry skin, the Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Stick is definitely a great option because it still leaves that invisible finish, there's no white cast, it glides onto the skin very smoothly, but unlike the other, this one leaves a nice hydrated sheen to it to add a little bit of that glow. It doesn't leave the skin greasy, but instead of mattifying, it adds a nice glow. This one is super popular on TikTok as well, SPF 50 protection, and it glides so nicely onto the skin. If you're someone who wants a little bit of that moisturizing feel, that nice light glow, this is a great option."
"It is a moisturizer and SPF in one, which I personally always recommend using a dedicated SPF product versus a moisturizer with SPF just because you want to get the most coverage possible with an SPF. You're supposed to be using a quarter size amount and typically people aren't using that much moisturizer, but it is SPF 30 which is great. However, I would definitely recommend using a Korean SPF 50 formula. For how fair her skin is, she really should be using an SPF 50 versus SPF 30. It's not the biggest difference in the world, but then again, for her, you need all the protection you can get."
"I personally don't recommend this sunscreen and I don't use it because it is a chemical sunscreen, however that's just me, so no judgment. But the good thing is that it's an SPF 40, so she is getting a good amount of protection. I was worried it was going to be like a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen or a sunscreen spray, something that just wasn't going to be effective, but this one will definitely be effective, albeit not effective enough to compensate for the retinol that she just applied. So save that for the nighttime and focus on the sunscreen for the day."
"For this one I have such mixed feelings. It does have ingredients that I don't love like essential oils, but does it work? Yes, it works super well if you have really red irritated sensitive skin. I love seeing the transformations of people on TikTok showing the extreme redness in their face and how this can correct it so well, and I love that it's a sunscreen too. [...] But I would have to say pass for two reasons: first, the essential oils; second, it's not cheap. I think that product is $ [...] 52, and that's expensive, especially considering it's a sunscreen and how much sunscreen you need to apply on your face to get proper protection. You're going to run through that so fast."
"I have used that product before but I think it was either the fragrance is strong, which is probably likely because Innisfree does love their fragrance, or it had an intense white cast or both. I remember not liking the experience so I'll say pass."
"I also recommend the Versed Total Package Replenishing Body Lotion SPF 30. This is probably the most impressive drugstore mineral body sunscreen I've found. When I started using it, I was immediately impressed by how well it blends into the skin with a very, very minimal white cast, which is saying a lot when it comes to drugstore body sunscreens, because normally it's just the absolute worst. I love drugstore skincare, but mineral body sunscreens are not their strong point, but the Versed one is really great for protecting your body from the sun."
"The numbuzin Calming Water Sunscreen truly blew me away with how lightweight it is. Swatching it at the store I was genuinely shocked at how watery it is. The sunscreen is filled with bomb ingredients like houttuynia cordata extract, licorice root extract, centella asiatica, madecassoside, all these great ingredients for antioxidant protection, calming the skin down, and even helping to fight against dark spots and premature aging. It also has 10 types of hyaluronic acid as well. It's a very impressive formula, a little bit more expensive than the other sunscreens that I've mentioned in this video but so freaking good. I've tried a bunch of other numbuzin products and I enjoy them, but none of the other products truly blew me away like this sunscreen. I highly recommend it for anyone out there who's looking for a leveled up sunscreen formula where you're getting that sun protection but you also want a good range of ingredients to treat a bunch of different skin concerns."
"It's a very well researched sunscreen that many dermatologists and estheticians recommend that provides a great amount of production so it's a good product"
"I've talked about this one in so many videos. It was ranked as one of my top favorite sunscreens of 2022. Most of the time my favorite sunscreens are Korean sunscreens, but this is one of the best drugstore sunscreens that I've ever found. Plus, if you're someone like me who experiences a little bit of redness, then you're definitely gonna like it because it has a green tint to offset that with a very minimal white cast."
"This one genuinely took me by surprise, because I used to love the Purito Centella sunscreen a few years ago before they discontinued it, but Purito came back swinging with this awesome formula. It has such a nice consistency that feels very lightweight on the skin, it's fragrance free, and it still has that centella asiatica ingredient that helps reduce irritation and sensitivity. The one minor downside is that it does have titanium dioxide, so there's no white cast, but if you have a very, very dark skin tone I would say go for the other sunscreens I'm recommending. Still, this one is a solid one that shows up so nicely on the skin, and it's a great lightweight option if you don't want your sunscreen to feel like a heavy extra step in your routine."
"If you can't afford to spend ten, twenty, thirty dollars on a sunscreen, the Pipette Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is definitely for you. This is by far one of the cheapest sunscreens I've been able to find that still has a pretty good experience overall, considering it's zinc oxide and SPF 50. I was shocked at how minimal the white cast is and how not greasy and heavy it feels, because typically the less you pay for a sunscreen the worse the experience is going to be, but this one is a really nice experience. It definitely has a white cast rating of one because it's somewhat noticeable, that's just the name of the game with affordable mineral sunscreens, but if you're not super picky about that and just want a good sunscreen that'll protect you this summer, I highly recommend checking this one out."
"This one just takes the crown, it is the best sunscreen formula for the summer. If you want a really lightweight sunscreen that literally feels like nothing is on your skin, the Numbuzin Super Mild Sun Essence SPF 50 formula, I truly have no words. Not only is this product super affordable, but it's literally like a lightweight gel moisturizer with absolutely no white cast whatsoever, zip, zilch, zero. It uses innovative Korean sunscreen filters, but the thing that blows me away is how deceivingly lightweight it is. Anytime someone asks me for a sunscreen that feels like they don't have anything on their skin, I point them to this one. I give it a white cast rating of zero, just amazing. I'm going to be using this one every day during the summer."
"It's tough for me to find a lot of body sunscreen formulas that I really love, because they can be very white cast heavy and feel kind of gross on the skin, but my favorite is the Native Unscented SPF 30 formula. It's a mineral formula that has the least amount of white cast on the skin for a body sunscreen formula that I've pretty much ever seen. It feels lightweight, it blends into the skin easily, and you can find it at Target. I will say this isn't a water resistant formula, so if you're planning on going in the ocean, spending time in the pool, or sweating a lot, you'll want something else."
"I love the consistency, I love the feel on the skin, it's the Torriden Dive-In Mild Sunscreen SPF 50. Such a good formula. I went through a few months where I was using this one consistently every single day. I love that it's a nourishing formula that doesn't feel too heavy or greasy on the skin, so it performs well in hotter, more humid weather. It's not as much white cast as the other sunscreens, but it still has a little tiny bit, so if you have a really darker skin tone this might not work for you, but for the majority of people it doesn't show up on the skin."
"Cocokind is a great drugstore brand that uses a lot of naturally derived ingredients. Their SPF 30 Sunscreen is my personal favorite product from them."
"I have used this one, it's very highly rated, it is a little bit on the pricier side, and I just have to be honest guys, every time I've used that sunscreen it has this finish on the skin that feels just not pleasant. Every time I've tried to use it I don't like it because it makes my skin shiny, greasy."
"I am so happy that the brand finally reformulated their sunscreen, even though it does have a few drawbacks, but I still really like it. Their old formula felt really gritty on the skin and was not a pleasant experience, and I ended up falling out of love with it, but then they released this one, which is very different because the other one was tinted and this one is not. With this one you get a lot more product, so better bang for your buck. It's a non-tinted zinc oxide formula, it has moisturizing ingredients like sunflower seed oil and avocado oil. It's lightweight but still pretty moisturizing, which is why I'd recommend this one for combo skin, maybe even a little bit more towards the dry skin side. Still a really good one, and I would give this one a white cast rating of two, a little bit of white cast at first but it goes away once you rub it into the skin."
"I was hoping this would be a more lightweight experience, but the coverage was a little intense for me, it's more in the medium coverage foundation route. It was pretty heavy on my skin too, it just didn't really work with my oily skin type. I only used this a few times before I decided it wasn't my style. If you want that medium coverage foundation experience from a sunscreen you may really like this one."
"If you're someone with dry skin who wants a really nourishing and hydrating formula, the Biossance Squalane Mineral SPF 30 is a great option. I always recommend this one to people who want to really focus on hydration and moisture, and it does actually work for people with darker skin tones as well. Keep in mind you do have to work it into the skin, but it's a great option."
"Another one you guys have really been loving is the Rovectin Aqua Soothing Protector SPF 50 formula, another Korean sunscreen. This one used to be my holy grail, in my opinion. It has a little bit more white cast than the Torriden formula, but it's great, it's lightweight, absorbs into the skin really well, and has a very minimal white cast for it being a mineral sunscreen."
"The Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50 is a tinted sunscreen powder. It's not the most protection in the world and it doesn't replace sunscreen, but it's a great addition to help control oiliness on your face, especially in more humid months, while getting some reapplication of minimal sun protection. But the price point, it's sixty nine dollars, and I can't justify that. As much as I want to try this product, I can't justify it, especially because it doesn't replace the actual sunscreen in your routine, you have to use it alongside one, so on its own it's not going to serve much benefit. Given that it's kind of a negligible item you don't necessarily need in your routine, that's very pricey. I'm gonna trust that people's experience with it has been great, but I'm gonna pass."
"I initially discovered this one because I love the brand Kinship, I'm a huge fan of them. What really caught my attention is how well the sunscreen works on deeper skin tones, I'd give it a white cast rating of one, which is really impressive considering this is a zinc oxide based sunscreen. It has a bunch of really high quality nourishing ingredients, I find it works well for combination to dry skin types, it definitely hydrates the skin and has a great blend of natural extracts, antioxidants, and probiotics. This continues to be one of the best sunscreens I've found for combination to dry skin types, especially if you're looking for a sunscreen with very minimal to no white cast. I highly, highly recommend this one."
"I really like this one because I'd say it's a good match for people who have straight up combination skin, it's very lightweight, more of a liquidy texture than the SPF 50 one. I love this one because it sinks into the skin so quickly, it does not feel heavy at all. It's an SPF 30 so you're getting slightly less protection, but if you're looking for a lightweight experience I'd say it's definitely a good one to go with. The price point is a little bit high, and I remember when I first discovered these products I was like, they're expensive, I don't know if I can justify this, but then once I started using them I was like, oh wait, maybe I can. When it comes to a really good quality sunscreen I am willing to pay a good price to get the best experience possible. This one only has zinc oxide, not titanium dioxide, so if you have a slight sensitivity to titanium dioxide this is the one to go with."
"This is another great drugstore sunscreen that's really easy to find and I find it really pleasant on the skin. It's a more silicone based formula, which I don't have a problem with, silicones can be really helpful for the skin to prevent trans-epidermal water loss and add a nice slip to the formula. It has a tint very similar to the Bliss Block Star sunscreen but this one is a little bit more affordable and really easy to find, I found this at Target, at drugstores, at surf shops, it's everywhere. It includes zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and ingredients like rosemary extract and rice bran. If you really don't like a silicone feel then I would not recommend this one because that's the prominent feature, but I think it can be really nice particularly if you're out and about, I reapply this all the time when I'm at the beach because it's super easy to reapply. If you're sensitive to lavender oil this is a great alternative to the Bliss Block Star. I'd give this a rating of two for white cast, not because there's much of a white cast but because of that tint, so if you're someone who's really pale this may not be applicable to your skin."
"I absolutely love that sunscreen, it's probably the most recommended sunscreen on my channel, the Beauty of Joseon Rice and Probiotics SPF 50. I use it almost every single day, it's one of the best sunscreens, very lightweight with an invisible feel, no white cast, no gray cast, but a nice dewiness to it as well. I do recommend buying the Korean formula directly from Korea rather than the US version, since there's a big difference between the two and the Korean sunscreen technology is night and day better."
"This is such an underrated formula but one of the best, most innovative sunscreens I've ever tried, the Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airyfit SPF 50. I'm obsessed with the formula because it's like a moisturizing sunscreen but it dries down in almost this velvety texture, smoothing out your skin and leaving it velvety soft while deeply moisturizing it without looking greasy or shiny, which is so hard for sunscreens to do. Even a lot of Korean sunscreens still look a little shiny or greasy on the skin, but this one doesn't. I don't see enough people using it or talking about it in the US, which is such a shame because I am so obsessed with this formula, I really cannot speak more praises to it. As someone with oily skin it takes a lot for me to actually be impressed with a sunscreen aimed for dry skin, and this is literally the only sunscreen for dry skin that I actually use."
"I will forever recommend the Skin1004 watery sun fluid SPF 50 sunscreen. It's one of the best sunscreens I've ever used in my life. Pretty much all of Skin1004's products are bangers."
"The Bliss Blockstar SPF 30 sunscreen is one of my favorite sunscreens of all time, and I've literally used it for damn near eight years now. It does such a nice job of creating a very light tint to the skin that helps compensate for the redness I experience on my face. Using a nice tinted sunscreen helps color correct and adjust my skin to its natural tone. One of the reasons I love using this one, particularly in the summertime, is that it does an amazing job of mattifying the skin. I would definitely recommend checking this one out because I've never used a sunscreen, specifically a mineral sunscreen, that does such a good job at reducing excess oiliness throughout the day. It looks so natural, like a very light corrective tint, nothing as intense or heavy as a tinted moisturizer or foundation."
"I would definitely recommend the Beauty of Joseon Sun Stick. I swear by that one. It is such a good one to be able to touch up your sunscreen throughout the day. In my opinion, it's the best sun stick out there. I was kind of a sun stick hater before I discovered that product."
"This one is a tried and true classic, it has [...] consistently topped lists of best Korean sunscreens and I think it's totally deserved. [...] It's great if you want a blend between a lightweight sunscreen and some good hydration and nourishment, with niacinamide, centella, ceramides, antioxidants, and hyaluronic acid, plus a beautiful fast absorbing consistency that still adds a nice hydrated sheen. [...] I've gone through a few bottles over the years. That [...] said, I'm not using it every single day, nor do I believe it's the best of the best, but I love it, I think it's great, just not a must have in my routine."
"It is the Purito Wonder Relief Centella Daily Sun Lotion SPF 50. For many years, Purito has made some of my favorite sunscreens, and I really wasn't expecting much when I first used this one. But one thing that they are always good at is making a good lightweight sunscreen, and this one is so good for it. It is such a lightweight liquid gel serum consistency that's kind of hard to describe. It really is a unique texture and viscosity compared to all the other formulas. It's most similar to the Nuine one, but this one just has more of a serum consistency that is super lightweight with no white cast, no gray cast. It has an awesome ingredient list for soothing redness and irritation. I mean first up it has centella, which is one of the best ingredients for doing just that, niacinamide as well as brown algae extract."
"I finally tried Mary & May's tranexamic acid and glutathione eye cream after seeing so much buzz about it, primarily because you don't see those ingredients in eye creams very commonly, and both are really popular in Korea and amazing for helping to brighten under eye darkness and hyperpigmentation, which I definitely struggle with. This one is awesome, great powerful ingredients but very gentle, which was good for me stepping back into the world of eye creams after a bad experience with a different eye cream that caused hyperpigmentation and darkness under my eyes. This was the first eye cream I used after that disaster, and I really have been loving it. I haven't noticed any reactions and the ingredients are great, especially if you struggle with under eye darkness. I also really appreciate that they reformulated it so it doesn't have fragrance anymore. I definitely think Mary & May are still underrated here and deserve more attention because all the formulas I've tried from them are amazing."
"I used Lumify for years and used to swear by them, I'd panic if I didn't have one on me. But I didn't realize you're not supposed to use them more than once or twice a day, and I was using them six to twelve times a day because of chronic dry eye. It turns out you can develop an allergy if you use them too frequently, [...] and I definitely was overdoing it. Now I have an allergy to Lumify and can no longer use them, and [...] even prescription drops don't work on my eyes anymore."
"It's five patches for $17. Definitely not the cheapest, but also not crazy insane, mid-tier pricing. Right at the top of the ingredient list we have glycerin and caffeine, amino acids, galactomyces ferment filtrate, a really common ingredient in Korean and Japanese skin care that has amazing benefits for hydrating and soothing the skin. Then there's lavender extract, peppermint extract, rosemary extract. They're not honestly bad ingredients, they just can be irritating to the under eye area. And then there's fragrance and perfume. I was really rooting for this ingredient list, but seeing that it incorporates fragrance is probably one of the reasons why I was not interested in trying these out myself. I'd love this ingredient list if it didn't have fragrance in it. I'm not the biggest fan of these."
"These are the Peter Thomas Roth hyaluronic cloud hydrogel eye patches. Um, so just for transparency, I don't support or talk about Peter Thomas Roth on my channel anymore. Um, if you want to know why, then go watch one of my most recent videos or just search my name with Peter Thomas Roth. But yeah, definitely not supporting that brand."
"This eye cream has fragrance as well as other irritating ingredients that are just not good for the under eye area. This is definitely a product I would never recommend or use."
"I am constantly recommending Beauty of Joseon on my channel. I have for the past like 6 years. I really do like that serum. However, I will say it's not the most powerful one out there. I definitely think there are other eye creams if you're wanting to target like a lot more severe hyperpigmentation, you know, dark circles or fine lines and premature aging. I do think there are better options out there. However, it's still a really good product."
"I have featured this on multiple years best of videos and I believe this is like the fifth bottle that I've gone through. It is not the cheapest eye product out there. Definitely not an affordable skincare product. However, to this day, out of the hundreds of eye products that I have used, remains the best eye product for dark circles. I cannot tell you how powerful this formula is. I remember the very first time I used it. I woke up in the morning and my dark circles were literally less severe. And I was like, how is this able to work so quickly and effectively? And it really is because of the concentration of vitamin C that this has. It is an extremely powerful formula with I believe 10% THD asbate as well as feruic acid, turmeric, ginger, collagen, hyaluronic acid. It is not a formula for the weak. If you're someone who doesn't really struggle with dark circles or you have more sensitive skin, just be aware that this is an extremely powerful formula, but it gets the job done. And even out of all the different eye products that I've used, and even in the midst of my under eye area really struggling with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, this remained to be the best product to help get rid of undereye darkness and dark circles. So if you struggle with that, I cannot recommend this product more. If you already know that an eye cream is what you need, I definitely recommend this serum because it is so power packed, so effective."
"I really had high hopes for this product, especially because I think The Ordinary is amazing and they have a lot of really powerful products, but this one I just didn't really notice a difference with my dark circles. Did I notice that it helped with some of my under eye puffiness, which is something I definitely struggle with as well? Yes, I didn't really notice any major differences besides that. However, I do think the ingredient list is really good. There's a lot of goodies in this formula that are great for helping with the health and the strength of the under eye area. And I definitely think it's a good product if you are worried about developing dark circles in the future, you want to reduce under eye puffiness or you're starting to notice a little bit of darkness. But overall, it just left a lot to hope for. At the same time, it's a stellar price point. I mean, you really can't get better than the ordinary price points."
"I had heard a lot of good things about it and I do like Summer Fridays as a brand, so I decided to invest in this as a more luxury eye cream to see if it actually makes a difference. [...] It is an elegant formula and feels very nice applying it on the under eye area, so it delivers luxury on that front. But besides that, I really didn't notice any difference on my under eye areas. I used this one for a long time and finally just gave up after a while because I was like, 'Okay, I don't think this is doing literally anything.' Is it a bad eye cream? No. But contrasting the price point with the actual results, [...] absolute zilch results."
"This one is expensive, but it has a big cult following and I was like, you know what? I'll give it a shot. Big mistake. Big mistake. Big huge. My eyes got very irritated after using this one. Once I looked at the ingredient list, I found that there were a lot of fragrant components in this one. Citrus extracts, irritating fragrances. I don't believe I used it for very long. Even though I did notice that some of the darkness seemed to go away on my under eye area, I still was like, this is too irritating. It's making my under eyes really red. I don't like that there's fragrance in it, and it's pricey as fuck. So for that reason, I'm not going to recommend this one. The eye area is so sensitive. There's really no reason for fragrance to be in an eye cream because you can't even smell it. If anything, the fragrance can waft up to your eyeballs and make your eyes more red and irritated."
"The Eucerin Radiant Tone Eye Cream Dark Circle Corrector. I remember first looking at the ingredient list for this product and I was like, it's kind of interesting that it has so many positive reviews that it's so popular because it doesn't necessarily have any like super impressive ingredients for fighting hyperpigmentation and dark spots. I feel like I don't hate the eye cream formula itself as much as I hate the applicator. This is one of those eye creams that comes in like the metal massager thingy. I tend to get really annoyed by this type of packaging because every single time I've used an eye cream that has this type of packaging, it always ends up pulling and tugging on my under eye area so much more than if I were to just pat the formula in with my fingers. And also, if you want it to have a smooth glide, you need to squeeze out a ton of the product, which is just wasting an excessive amount of eye cream. I was very disappointed with the actual result. I didn't really notice any brightening power with this formula. It has a nice finish to it that adds like a little bit of corrective power, but beyond that, after I was consistently using it, I just never really noticed any wow."
"I do love ROC. Their price points are amazing. And the fact that this has retinol in it, one of the most powerful ingredients for helping to fade hyperpigmentation and dark spots, I was like, you know what? I'm going to give it a try. And you know what? It's good. It is good. It's good. But I think for me it was kind of a similar experience to where on paper on the ingredient list everything was good. I just didn't see enough results to actually brighten the darkness on my under eyes. It just didn't do quite enough even though I totally understand the hype and I think the ingredient list is great and I love using retinol on the under eye area. It just wasn't powerful enough on its own. But still a great product. I'm going to put this one in slept on. And this is definitely one that I would recommend, especially if you're starting to look for an eye cream and you don't want to have to spend a lot of money. This is a great one to start with, but I just wish it did more."
"I decided to give their eye cream a try because it specifically talks about how it helps with moisturizing the under eye area and also dark circles. And bruh, this one was a disappointment. I feel like maybe if you have really dry under eyes, you would like this formula, but for me, it gave me millia. And if you don't know what millia is, it's the little bumps that pop up under your eyes. I really only have had two products that gave me millia and this was one of them. I had really high hopes for it, especially because I love other Skinfix products, but this one was a huge disappointment and actually took a while for my skin to recover afterwards. I'm going to have to put the Skinfix eye cream in the allnighter category. I really had high hopes for this product, but boy, it made my eyes worse and I definitely would not recommend this one."
"This is the Shark Cryoglow LED face mask with under eye cooling, anti-aging, and blemish repair. It retails for $350 on Amazon, which I've seen way higher prices for skin tools. I mean, just LED masks in general tend to be on like the $400, $500 price point. And given that this is both cryotherapy and red and blue light therapy, I actually think that's a pretty fair price and it has good ratings."
"The Dime Luminosity Eye Serum with Cucumber and Peptides is a great one to try out if you're wanting to take preventative measures on your under eye area to prevent against darkness, premature aging, unnecessary damage. The ingredient list is loaded with a bunch of goodies like aloe, goji extract, niacinamide, squalane as well as a bunch of antioxidants and peptides which are amazing for helping to fight premature aging and strengthen the under eye area. This one is a little bit higher priced but still a good deal. You can get it for $24 with the Ulta discount. If you're someone who's wanting to start experimenting with eye creams, I'd say this one is a good one to check out."
"For how simple the ingredient list looks for this eye cream I dead ass would recommend something like the Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream because it basically has the same type of ingredients. It gives you that depuffing effect to the eye area and it's like $10. I have the little versions, big versions. I go through like eight of these. It's an affordable product and I'm obsessed with them."
"The K-Secret Soul 1988 retinal liposome eye cream has been one of my favorite eye creams to use this year. Retinal is similar to retinol but it can actually be faster acting and effective and it gives all those incredible benefits that retinol gives, so if you have dark circles or you're starting to see fine lines and premature aging on your under eye area, this is the eye cream that would be able to target it. It has a bunch of other great ingredients for targeting those concerns as well like niacinamide, ginseng extract, as well as other hydrating ingredients like ferment filtrates and macadamia nut seed oil. What I love about this one is that it's a really nice lightweight gel. So many times when it comes to anti-aging eye creams they can tend to be very thick and heavy, which just leads to a lot of shininess for the under eye area, which if you're like me who has dark circles and texture under the eyes, it kind of accentuates it. But this one is a very nice lightweight gel, so easy to apply, fast absorbing, and with power-packed ingredients that are going to target those dark circles or premature aging. I will say retinal can be stronger and more irritating than traditional retinol, so if you're someone who has ultra sensitive skin I would say be careful with this one because it definitely is a power-pack formula. However, really good elegant experience."
"Peter Thomas Roth eye mask, those have been around for so long, literally since like way before I even got into skincare, very popular. I used to use them, or I guess the samples I would get. They are bougie. My opinion on eye masks overall is that they're a nice pleasant experience, are they going to get rid of dark circles, premature aging, all that stuff? Not really. That's more so going to be done in like eye serum and eye cream or even just like a face serum applied on the under-eye area. But you know, they're like a fun self-care ritual that you know either helps you feel ready for the day or ready for bed. So I get their appeal, but my opinion on them is kind of indifferent. I think typically the price point turns me off a little bit."
"Augustinus Bader if you don't know is an extremely expensive skincare brand I'm talking like hundreds of dollars category and even though the formulations are good, great, philosophy expert backed, it is so luxurious that you would never catch me dead recommending her products on my channel, they're too much, they're too much."
"Tatcha is one of those brands I've always felt iffy about. The experience is very luxurious, it feels so nice on the skin, it really is lovely, but between the price points and the added fragrance in the products it is just too luxurious for my taste, and I feel like there's lots of comparable Japanese and Korean skincare products that deliver similar results and experiences for a much more affordable price. It's $67, which isn't crazy, but it is expensive, and it has parfum fragrance in it. That's a big issue I have with Tatcha, especially for an under eye product. The under eyes are so sensitive to begin with, you don't want to be really messing with them, and there's just a lot of comparable products out there, so I don't really get the hype."
"I'm going to be going in with the Indeed Labs Under Eye Patches which it has been a long long time since I've done an under eye patch just on my own for fun while I let the rest of my face dry. I believe these are good for like fine lines and you know under eye aging."
"I like about Patchology is that they're actually pretty affordable and these patches are interesting because they do have like different kinds of fruit extracts, I believe strawberries in them, but it also has fragrance. And I know you guys are like blah blah blah, he always talks about fragrance, but at least if you're going to avoid fragrance in one part of your face please have it be the eyes, that's where you have the highest risk for irritation and it's the part of the face that is most prone to premature aging. So you really want to be careful in particular as to what you're putting on that under eye area. The other thing I don't love about a lot of Patchology products is that eye patches on their own aren't the most sustainable thing because they are creating single-use waste, but they also sell their patches in like individually plastic wrapped packaging, which is just like a lot of waste if you're regularly using these. But if you are going to purchase these or any other eye patches, just try to get like the 30, 60 day packs that come in the recyclable jars just so you're limiting your everyday waste."
"SkinCeuticals has incredible formulas. The price point of this one is $116, which is not cheap. [...] I've never in my life been more tempted to buy expensive products than I have with SkinCeuticals, but they're just a little bit over the line for me to be like no, can't justify it."
"I have not been able to find a belif product that doesn't have fragrance, and their eye cream, which I think is the same one as the eye balm, has fragrance in it. Whenever I see companies do that, I'm like why would you put fragrance in an eye cream? You're not going to smell your under eye area. Why do you need to add it? Yeah, pass. I know I've wanted to try that product before, plus it's expensive. Belif is not a cheap brand, at least here in the US."
"I'm not the biggest fan of anti-aging eye creams because usually they're not necessary in a routine and can be overpriced, but I am a big fan of the Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream. It has retinol in it at a gentle percentage so you can specifically target the under eye area to help with any fine lines or dark circles you might be experiencing."
"Caudalie is known for using grape extract for skin hydration and fading dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and while I have seen really positive results from their products, I usually don't get on with the level of fragrance they use in a lot of them. But this eye cream does include Resveratrol, which is an incredible ingredient for brightening hyperpigmentation and dark spots, so if you struggle with dark circles that's amazing. Looking at the ingredients, this product is actually fragrance free, and it's formulated for sensitive skin, which is really encouraging since not all of Caudalie's products are fragrance free. However, this product is forty seven dollars, which is very pricey for an affordable routine, let alone an eye cream. There aren't many eye products I'm comfortable spending that much on, but since the rest of her routine is so affordable, I'll give her a pass on this one."
"I found an eye cream, well it's not really an eye cream, it's a 15 minute eye therapy. It's the Global Beauty Care Lift and Firm Eye Cream with Collagen and Peptides. It says it's de-puffing, tightening, and helps reduce the signs of aging. I'm a little bit skeptical of that, because how damage repairing can it be if you only leave it on your eyes for 15 minutes. Looking at the ingredient list, it has glycerin, dimethicone, milk proteins, collagens, peptides, oat peptide, which I love, and it does have retinol, which I was a little skeptical about at first, but because it's only left on for 15 minutes the potential for irritation is probably not too severe, although you're just not going to get the retinol benefit, you have to leave retinol on overnight for that. It also has sodium hyaluronate, so overall it's a really good ingredient list, it's fragrance free and free of a lot of the common irritants I see in eye creams. I'm interested in trying it, but afterwards I was kind of like, did I really need to get this. I hate it when skincare comes in this kind of packaging, because it's not the most sustainable thing in the world and it makes it really difficult to use the product multiple times. Once you open it and squeeze some out it's just going to be a hot mess, plus it's exposed to air so it can oxidize quickly. It just makes me want to throw it out, so I don't really know why I got this, I may end up giving it to someone else to use."
"The RoC Retinol Correxion Smoothing Eye Cream is eighteen dollars, which for a retinol eye cream is not the worst price point in the world. It has glycerin, lactic acid, and some standard smoothing agents, plus panthenol, which can be nice for the under eye area. I like this ingredient list, I think I'm going to get this one. It's not the most mind blowing ingredient list in the world, but for a retinol product I just need something I can slap on my under eye area to get the retinol treatment I need. I will be buying this one, I'm excited to use it."
"I believe Ole Henriksen came out with a new version of that vitamin C eye product which is fragrance free. I've talked about it in multiple videos. I've used it for months. I love that product. It has this nice, ever so slight brightening effect on the under eye area, which is great for combating darkness, but it's very minimal. It's honestly the perfect balance between makeup and skincare."
"If you are someone who's wanting a really strong salicylic acid formula to use a few times a week, the Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid exfoliant is a tried and true classic that's so good at really going deep in your pores and getting all the gunk out. There's a reason why it's so popular. It works really well for clearing out the pores, albeit that you should only use it a couple times per week because it can really dry out the skin, but still very effective."
"It has PHA, which is a gentle exfoliating acid to dissolve the dead skin cells on your face. [...] This one uses lactobionic acid, which is extremely rare when it comes to PHAs, but really, really beneficial for the skin. I think I've only found like maybe one or two other products that have lactobionic acid in them. Really, really good formula. Super gentle on the skin. Definitely great if you're wanting overnight skin hydration with that exfoliation benefit. [...] I've really always loved this serum over the past 3 or 4 years that I've used it. I went through another bottle and will be repurchasing."
"I remember the very first time I used them, I had such high expectations. Everyone was raving about them. And to this day, that was one of the worst skincare reactions I've ever had to a product. The primary ingredient it uses is SD or denatured alcohol which is an astringent agent but can be very sensitizing very irritating lead to redness sensitivity breakouts stinging and sensitivity to the touch which I experienced firsthand."
"Looking at this ingredient list though, there's definitely a lot of citrus extracts which can also be irritating to the skin. Definitely not the best for anyone who has really really sensitive skin. However, I do feel like this formula is far superior to the stronger formula that has more irritating agents in it. In my personal opinion though, there are other peels out there that have superior ingredient lists and for a much lower price point."
"It's a really quick one that you use for about 10 minutes. It uses more gentle forms of chemical exfoliants [...] to get rid of all the dead skin cells on the face, and it doesn't overly irritate or sensitize the skin."
"Their Mugwort Face Mask is really good for calming down redness, sensitivity, and irritation. [...] While it's not my favorite product from the line, it's definitely really good."
"Lactic acid is a little bit more old school, but still an incredible ingredient. Definitely good if you're wanting to really bulldoze the dead skin cells off of your face. And I will say this formula has a lot of other high quality ingredients like agave, prickly pear extract, skin soothing agents, antioxidants. It does have a lemongrass essential oil which can be irritating to the skin. So that's one of the reasons why I've never recommended this on my channel in addition to it being like super expensive. But my biggest concern is when she's using it. If this truly is a daytime routine, which I believe it is, lactic acid should not be used during the daytime. It, like other exfoliants, makes your skin more sensitive to UV exposure, and can increase skin sensitivity, irritation, and increase the amount of sun damage you get, which is why you're really supposed to use the serum overnight and not during the day."
"I absolutely love [...] this one. If you're wanting a power exfoliating experience that still prioritizes skin sensitivity, I feel like this one is an awesome one to use. It features glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, and has vitamin C as well as centella asiatica to help reduce any redness or sensitivity. It's definitely power-packed and going to give you the results that you want, but still a peel that I would only recommend you using like once every two weeks or once a month. It's definitely not a product that you want to be using super frequently."
"This is the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask and I believe this is the third year that I featured them in a best of video because when my skin has had a reaction, if I've had a sunburn, my skin is reacting to a product or it's super sensitive and I have no idea why, I slap that bad boy on and within 15 to 30 minutes my skin is healed. It is an absolute must for anyone who has really reactive or really sensitive skin because it has saved my skin in so many different moments when no other product could. The ability it has to just remove all of the excess redness from my face and reduce the stinging and the irritation, it really is one of those formulas that just absolutely blows me away. I have not yet found another product that even compares to this formula for immediately being able to reduce my sensitivity and redness and calm down my skin as quickly as it does. It's expensive at $55, but it lasts for such a long time. It's a really big jar and you don't need to use that much across your face. If you're someone who frequently experiences reactions, burning, stinging, sensitive skin, or if you're like me who lives in a place where there's a lot of sunlight and you might get a sunburn every once in a while, this product is going to change your life."
"The product that takes the win for glycolic acid is the Krave Beauty Kale-Lalu-Yaha. It's not a new product, I've talked about it on my channel before, but this year in particular I found myself using this all the time whenever salicylic acid wasn't doing quite enough. Krave Beauty's Kale-Lalu-Yaha always does an amazing job of really deeply exfoliating but not leading to excessive sensitivity. Whenever I find that I'm experiencing breakouts, pimples, and they're being a little persistent and won't go away, I just slap this stuff on overnight, and when I wake up in the morning, not only do I notice that my breakouts have significantly gone down, but my face is so much more glowy. It's not irritated, it's not sensitive. It definitely packs the punch but does it gently. Now that does not mean that you should use this product every single day. This is definitely one of those products that I think should be maximum used three times a week, but I would say two times a week, because when I've tried using it three times a week, I definitely noticed that my skin is a little bit more sensitive because it is so powerful. This tiered approach that I have of using salicylic acid every day and then when needed going in with glycolic acid definitely helps to resolve a lot of the breakouts that are a little bit more persistent. And the best part is the bottle lasts forever."
"SK-II, I apologize I didn't mean it, just kidding I did. Your products are too expensive. I mean for 10 masks that's not terrible, that comes out to like $14 a mask, which for a luxury brand is not that bad, but for a single one it is $30, which is pretty ridiculous because $30 for a single use product of any kind is nutso."
"This one is 35% which is just way too high in my opinion. I know a lot of times when we're shopping for skincare it may look like a higher percentage is a better thing but it's not. Skincare is about moderation and often times the best results come with a long-term use of a gentle product. 35% I was like that's just too much and even the ordinary peel gave so many people reactions because it's not made for sensitive skin but I feel like 35% even if it does have a good ingredient list is just way too excessive. I think for 2024 we're in our healing era we don't need these super powerful actives but rather just like a good consistent gentle skincare routine. Also this product is $19 and at that point I'm like just buy the ordinary peel it's way cheaper more gentle and a really innovative product."
"It's the most similar experience I've ever been able to find to the Drunk Elephant one, and I actually had better results with this formula than the Sukari Baby Facial. [...] The Ordinary one is a little bit stronger, it has 5% more exfoliation power, and it's in a more dropper liquid form. When it comes to results, [...] they are so similar to each other. [...] Drunk Elephant is $80, The Ordinary is $8, you are saving 90% to get the same type of results on the skin. It is wild. For that alone, I automatically prefer The Ordinary Peeling Solution. This product is absolutely not meant for 10-year-olds. If you are a tween, do not use this product."
"For a whopping $80, 80 freaking dollars for a face mask, is just it's wild crazy. Basically what this is is like a supercharged exfoliant mask where in 10 minutes it kind of bulldozes through all the dead skin cells on your face, giving you a very satisfying glowing experience afterwards. This product is absolutely not meant for 10-year-olds. If you are a tween, do not use this product."
"I just can't wait for the scrub to just slowly die out. I'm waiting for the day that St Ives comes out with better exfoliant products instead of scrubs, but that day is not here I guess."
"No pass. I don't like that product. I don't understand why it has such a cult following because if you're going to make a sleeping mask you want it to be like super rich and moisturizing so that you can wake up with glowy skin. But every time I've used that product my skin is so dehydrated and dry in the morning, which is an impressive feat considering that normally my skin is super oily and I'm going to wake up with skin grease anyway. So the fact that it can dry out my skin overnight is impressive in a bad way."
"This is one of those products that I expected a lot more from. I wanted it to work really well, but I used that for like a long time and I just didn't really notice results. I feel like with COSRX they either have products that slap, like they're amazing super good formulas, or products that just really bomb, and this was one of those products that just kind of bombed for me."
"I am not the biggest fan of Innisfree products. I want to enjoy them but they typically load up their products with fragrance. And also, I'm not a big clay mask person. I believe I've used that one before and didn't like it."
"The Caudalie Instant Detox Mask, for the price point alone, pass, way too expensive. Caudalie is very bougie, I don't remember the ingredients but most clay masks I'm not crazy about, so I'm going to say pass, just because I know it's expensive."
"My main recommendation would be to use an overnight exfoliant something that you can slap on your face before you go to bed and wake up with new refreshed skin. The Good Molecules All-In-One Exfoliating Treatment is literally six dollars, does a great job of clearing all that stuff, and can be used I'd say three times a week. If you're extra adventurous I'd say four times a week, but it's a great affordable product."
"She uses the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant which isn't my favorite but it is a gentle exfoliant that kind of feels like a scrub but isn't as abrasive."
"She goes in with the Paul's Choice two percent exfoliating solution. I love that one. If you have super oily skin or breakouts, I always call it the miracle product because it really does an incredible job at helping with breakouts."
"I've talked about Summer Fridays' products on my channel many, many times. I love their eye cream, I love their hydrating mask, I love that they've even reformulated products to be fragrance free to be more accessible to consumers, I think it's absolutely amazing. There are a few products from them that I haven't necessarily fallen in love with, but that's normal for any brand. I think the brand is really that cool, and I think they're so conscious of where the industry is going and making sure their products are more accessible."
"This was right when Kylie released her skincare line and first announced the scrub, and we all know how I feel about scrubs like that, definitely not a good type of product. I made a video called Don't Buy Kylie Skincare about it, it was actually a walnut scrub. Looking back I think I was a little harsh, I don't think I needed to be as intense about my opinion on it."
"The mask has sulfur and zinc, both really amazing ingredients, sulfur for drawing out impurities and zinc for its calming benefits. For a two ounce bottle it's fifty nine dollars, so not cheap, not ridiculously expensive. It does have eucalyptus essential oil and witch hazel leaf extract, which I don't love, and it has essential oils in it, which I don't love, but considering it's a face mask you rinse off after about fifteen minutes, I don't think it's too big of an issue so long as you aren't using it every day. Honestly, I think it's a pretty good ingredient list for the price point, but it's definitely luxury, so I don't know if I would pay that price point for this type of product, mostly because for most people clay masks aren't really necessary. But because she's performing and this is afterwards, I think it can be effective in helping her skin."
"Skin Fix sent me their Redness Recovery Overnight Mask and I was so excited because my skin gets so red and irritated, I thought it would be perfect to calm it down. I started using it every other night and noticed my skin was starting to break out and have more sensitivity. It took me a few weeks to figure out this product was the issue, and once I phased it out of my routine my breakout cleared. This isn't me bashing the formula, I actually think the formula is really good, I just don't believe my skin personally agrees with it. I love the brand, I love the ingredients, I love the consistency, but it just did not agree with my skin."
"The Paula's Choice 25% AHA plus 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel, I've used this one, it has the most satisfying purple iridescent finish, and it works really well. I find it's like a nice luxury version of The Ordinary's peel mask. I personally love the results, I love the ingredients, I think it's great. This is a good product, definitely more luxury, but I am a fan of the ingredients and the experience."
"I'm honestly not surprised at all the Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleep Intensive Mask made the list. Even though there are ingredients in the Cicapair line that I'm not necessarily a fan of, the results speak for themselves, they're really nice for reducing redness and sensitivity. I've used their moisturizer, their serum, and their tinted serum, but I haven't used this mask, even though I've purchased it twice. I really was impressed by the ingredient list and I'm really excited to try this one. I love Cicapair, Dr. Jart definitely knew what they were doing when they made that line."
"If you're going to go the face mask route, I love recommending the I'm From Honey face mask, or really any of their face masks, because they come in a glass recyclable jar. You get a ton of uses out of them and they last forever instead of being single use like a sheet mask."
"I was like, 'Yes, this is exactly what I look for in skincare. Chalk full of so many beneficial ingredients.' And it's super lightweight. I mean, it says it's a serum, and it definitely is looking at the ingredients, but it's kind of more of like a toner consistency. The ingredients and the experience of this one is so perfect and exactly what I love about Korean skincare. Just chalk full of really beneficial ingredients that are gentle but really effective. Exfoliating your skin during the winter is really important, but you don't want to overdo it with overly powerful exfoliating formulas, which is one of the reasons I love PHA and think that it's perfect for winter time. And the gluconolactone in this also helps to absorb moisture from the environment and deliver it into your skin, which is perfect for combating dryness, getting rid of that flakiness, and helping to really nourish your skin's barrier overnight. Yeah, I just feel like this is really the perfect fit for winter time cuz it's still getting you those like active treating ingredients but not overdoing it or pushing your skin over the edge already during a time when your skin has to deal with a lot because you don't want to be using like the 10% 15% 20% exfoliating products frequently throughout the winter time. That's just going to be way too much for your skin to handle."
"I want to try the three ships super fute exfoliating mask this one has lactic acid as well as fruit acids in an 8% blend three ships has really cool ingredient lists and products and I've been wanting to try this one for a while oh wow that was such a nice experience rinsing it off it came off so quickly this was like perfect and my skin doesn't look too red yet or feel sensitivity yet but yeah the experience was lovely my skin feels so good"
"That's the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment. In my opinion that's like Rhode's best product, it's definitely the one I've reached for the most and repurchased, I absolutely love the peptide lip balm. I know some people say they didn't have a positive experience with it, which is kind of crazy to me because it's one of my favorite lip treatments, it always makes my lips look really glowy and plump."
"I truly do not know why so many people are obsessed with that product. [...] That one has never done anything for me, but people still love it. I low-key believe that everyone who loves that product has never really used a lip mask before. [...] When in reality, I don't feel like it's hydrating or nourishing at all."
"I'm still part of the gang where I just don't understand the hype around the Lan lip masks yes they look cute and they're very satisfying when you first put them on but I have never once felt like my lips were moisturized after using them"
"As someone who is very picky about lip masks, I actually really really enjoy this product. It's super moisturizing and elegant to use, and it's definitely in my opinion one of the best products from their entire range."
"I went through like two bottles of them and I had to keep reaching for it over and over just because it was not hydrating my lips at all. Honestly, if you're going to spend that much on a lip balm, I would recommend the Tatcha Kisu Lip Mask that one is incredible, yes luxurious but it lasts a really long time and gives me way more hydration and moisture than the Summer Fridays one does."
"It's kind of like a lightweight gel which makes me a little bit nervous because for me I need super rich formulas for my lips to stay moisturized throughout the day. It feels really nice though and it tastes good too. It's like a nice level of gloss, not super super glossy but it definitely makes my lips look more plump and moisturized. I like it."
"My personal experience with the Jack Black lip balm is like, it's not that great. I wasn't even impressed enough with it to include it in my lip balm video that I just did."
"I have used this off and on throughout the years. As much as I love Aquaphor, this just didn't do enough on its own. It's okay if I put a thick moisturizer on underneath, but it still just kind of feels like very basic and doesn't really do a lot. Because of the applicator, you basically can only use it on your lips. It's not terrible and has a good price point, but it is about as basic of a lip product as you can get."
"I love how this looks on my lips. It just creates such a nice glossy look to the lips but it's not like overly sticky at least I don't feel like it's just a gross lip gloss. But I'm going to say it, it's not good enough on its own. I definitely use this as a topper over my other lip balms to add a glow but it doesn't really provide enough on its own. I feel like Fenty did a really good job with this product so I'm going to put it in edging because this definitely gives me what I want but leaves me wanting more."
"I legitimately can't believe I convinced myself into buying this product. So many makeup artists would swear by this product, they said it was like the only lip product that would really nourish their lips, leave it glossy. They would always be like yes it's really expensive but it's totally worth it. And I was swindled, I was tricked into buying this ridiculously expensive lip product. When I tell you that this product did absolutely nothing for my lips, I can't believe they put glow in the title because the glow was non-existent. There was no glow with this balm. I don't even know if it lasted 10 minutes. This is one of those products that I kept putting on over and over and over again within the span of like a few minutes because I was like I don't see any difference and my lips don't feel any better. What is going on? They're charging way too much money for a product that is entirely ineffective. I am still bitter that I was swindled into buying it."
"I have used this one many times in the past and I feel like I've definitely given it a good shot and I just don't recommend it. It really does not last long. I got mango because I was like oh, I love the smell of mango, but it put this very weird yellowish tint on my lips that I didn't love. You're paying a lot for this product only for it to not last very long. It feels good on the lips but that's it."
"This might be my favorite lip balm of all time, it is the Glossier Balm Dotcom. I'm not really a Glossier fan, I don't use any of their other products, and from a formulation perspective the Balm Dotcom is basically just glorified Chapstick, but it's not because this works better than any other lip balm I have ever used. It is so so good. I literally have it right here, it lasts for a long time, and while it doesn't necessarily leave your lips looking glowy and plump, I only have to apply this like three times a day, maybe I don't have to apply it very much. It works so well. This is the unscented one, but I'll be honest with you guys, the mango one is my favorite because that smell, it's so good. But I'm absolutely obsessed with this one. I recommend it in my videos all the time. It's just such a good product."
"I use this one a lot when I was filming my videos. I'd say I tested it out for like a good two months. I even used it while I was traveling on the airplane everywhere. And while it wasn't a terrible formula like most COSRX products, I just wasn't super satisfied. I felt nice when I was applying it, but the moisture wouldn't last like any longer than one or two hours from my experience. I would say I had to reapply this one like seven to ten times a day, which might seem like a lot, but for my dry ass lips it really isn't. But I still don't want to be reapplying a lip product seven to ten times a day. So for that reason I will put it in mid, which makes me very sad because I really had high hopes for that product."
"I had high hopes for this one because their stick balm just doesn't work for me and this one was kind of a more like mask like consistency so I was really excited and while it wasn't terrible it just didn't give me the results that I wanted. It didn't last for a long time. I still found myself having to reapply it a lot and if a product is not in like a squeeze tube and I have to keep reapplying it I tend to not use it for very long just because it's not as hygienic to be dipping your fingers in throughout the day. It's fine, I would say it's better than some other products I tested, but I'd say it's at the low end of mid, barely made it into the mid category."
"I recently discovered this one in South Korea when I was there and met the founder of this brand. It is a luxury experience for a lip balm. I freaking love the spatula that they have. It definitely reminds me of the Tatcha lip mask but it's a little better for daytime wear as the Tatcha one can be a little thick. This one is just a very luxurious one that I have been using during the daytime and nighttime, just adds like a nice plump glow to the lips. The packaging is just so cute and luxurious. I love it."
"That's the one I've been trying out recently, but number one, I can't find it, and number two, I haven't been enjoying my experience. It hasn't really been moisturizing and not super effective."
"I remember always hating how glossy this lip balm made my lips look, but nowadays give me the gloss baby, I could definitely use more glossy lips. The texture, the smell, oh the nostalgia. It definitely feels glossy, but the shine isn't too intense. It has menthol in it, which leaves that cooling sensation that a lot of people like, but it can be irritating to the skin. Overall, am I totally opposed to it on the lips? No, but it's not my favorite thing in the world."
"I have respected some of the philanthropy that Lush has done in the past, but their products are just not my favorite, it's pretty much completely opposite to my skincare philosophy. I think their heavy emphasis on natural ingredients without proper preservatives makes a lot of their products just a recipe for bacteria and the products going bad really quickly. The Lip Scrub really isn't too bad, I wouldn't use that product now, and I think it's mostly just because the products do go bad really quickly. It's not the worst, to be honest, I don't use a Lip Scrub now."
"I have chronically dry lips, and I've tested out a bunch of different formulas to see what works and the majority of them don't work. So I'm always on the lookout for new products. This one is from a brand I love called Abib. It is their PDRN collagen lip mask. I'm a huge fan of PDRN in skincare. I think it's such a cool innovation that's really helpful for not only nourishing the skin, but also to fight aging and hyperpigmentation. The way that this makes your lips glow totally caught my attention. The consistency is completely clear, but when you apply it to your lips, it literally makes your lips glittery, glowy, gorgeous. I don't see any glitter in this, but it literally is like a lip gloss, which I love. And it has a nice dry down, too, and lasts for a pretty good amount of time. It does have a good duration of lip."
"This one hurts but I'm going to have to be real, this product is awful. It didn't just do nothing, it left my lips more dry. I was so stoked to try this product, the brand sent it to me, and when I actually started using it I was like wow, I noticed no results, which is kind of interesting considering that it's a plumping balm. It definitely did not plump my lips, it did not moisturize them, and honestly it did leave my lips more dry afterwards. So I don't know what's going on with this product. A lot of people like it but I could not stand it."
"Naked Sundays has like a bunch of really great sun protection products and I was like ooh a lip product with SPF this sounds interesting but when I tell you that this did nothing it literally did nothing. The second I applied it I wouldn't notice anything. It's just such a lightweight oil that I don't even think moisturize is in its vocabulary. I guess this product could be used over top of a lip balm but even with the applicator and trying to apply it it would be difficult. I tried giving this product a shot so many times, I really tried to give it a chance, but it gave us nothing."
"I'm not surprised to see Anua in this routine, it's one of the most popular Korean skincare brands, especially in the West. I've never been a huge fan of their formulas because they do like to use fragrance, although there are a few formulas that don't include it. As for toner pads in general, I'm not the biggest fan of them because I don't love skincare products that create daily waste, even if they're compostable or recyclable. I'd prefer to just use a liquid toner formula rather than a pad, but I understand why people like them, they can be very satisfying. They're just not my favorite."
"I swear that product was gripping us by our balls like 8 years ago, but nowadays I rarely see people using it. I [...] don't really like that product. It is very expensive and very fragranced. [...] It appeals to what luxury skin care clients are looking for, which is a ton of fragrance. [...] The primary ingredients in the serum are dimethicone and different forms of silicones, which are [...] found in some of the most affordable skin care and makeup products out there. [...] They're by no means special ingredients, and given they're at such a high concentration in the serum, I think it's reflective of a mid formula at best. Like most luxury skin care products, you're paying for the name and the formula actually really isn't that great. So I personally wouldn't recommend that one."
"I always get disappointed whenever I see the Caudalie facial spray featured in skincare routine videos, that's one of those products I just do not understand the hype for. I think the formula is not good and it actually creates the problem you're trying to avoid in the first place. People love it because it has a nice scent and feels refreshing and initially hydrating, but it has a lot of irritating components, especially the fragrance. It claims to help with skin hydration and boost glow, but the primary ingredient is denatured or SD alcohol, which actually has the opposite effect and can be really drying and stripping. I personally really do not like using denatured alcohol in my routine because it dehydrates and strips my skin, and I have really oily skin, so I don't recommend it from a formulation perspective. It's also really expensive, almost $50 for a facial spray in the US, though it's significantly cheaper in Europe."
"I was deep in the trenches of using my Clarisonic every single day back when I first started my channel, almost 10 years ago. I have since learned from personal experience that they are definitely super rough and overly abrasive on the skin and over longterm use can definitely result in skin sensitivity, irritation, not great stuff."
"If you're wanting just a good pimple patch that actually adheres to the skin, that doesn't come off easily and can work alongside makeup, I really recommend this one. I've tried a bunch of different pimple patches, and honestly, I always find myself gravitating back to the Mighty Patch from Hero Cosmetics because it's a good price, it's effective, and it stays on. Not all pimple patches stay adhered to the skin throughout the entire day, but Mighty Patch always does."
"I'm so not a fan of face scrubs, and I'm not, but I am a fan of rice enzyme polishes. The reason why is that they're very gentle on the skin, good for more sensitive or irritated skin types. They break down easily with water, which means your risk of actually like abrasively scrubbing your skin too harshly are very low, if not non-existent. I mean, I've used enzyme polishes for years and I've never noticed any irritation. Very gentle on the skin. But another reason I love this one is because of the ingredients. Not only does it have rice bran, but it also has a bunch of great antioxidant ingredients. Green tea to calm down the skin, reduce sensitivity and redness, as well as salicylic acid, which is a great ingredient to have in a cleansing product, especially if you're someone who has more sensitive skin, and wants to target your breakouts, clogged pores, or acne. This one is a little bit on the pricier side, but it is a pretty big bottle that will last you for a while, and you can get it for 50% off at only $24."
"Pretty much every dermatologist on the planet has endorsed Skin Sudicles vitamin C serum and there's a reason why so many people love it because the formula is really good."
"I absolutely love the Beauty of Joseon SPF50 sunscreen. I saw so many people talking about how this sunscreen did not break them out, how it helped with their skin irritation and sensitivity, and I believe it. I always have a bottle of it with me everywhere I go. It really is absolutely incredible. When I first discovered it, it changed the sunscreen game for me. There's no white cast, it's so easy to work it into the skin. I use it on my face and on my body. It has like a nice level of hydration to it but not so heavy that it looks greasy. Best of all, it's one of the top sunscreens that people have shared that doesn't break them out. It's one of my top go-to sunscreens, and there's a reason why there's a cult following of it."
"JLo Beauty, the products are really expensive. I don't remember being impressed with the formulations, and the primary ingredient they use is olive oil, which is like a very common and very inexpensive skincare ingredient."
"The instant results are incredible and it really does look amazing, but give it about 30 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half, and [...] the formula pills up so quickly and bunches together, leaving this really gross appearance of so much texture and piled up product on the under-eye area that is almost more obvious than just leaving the eye bags the way they are. Particularly if you're someone like myself who's very expressive, who smiles a lot and makes a lot of faces, that's where I noticed the most intense downside of this product, it just bunches up so quickly. I remember trying to use this and talking to other makeup artists about it, and pretty much across the board they were like, 'Yeah, it looks really good at the beginning, but I ended up not using it anymore because after a certain time passed it would just look really bad on my clients.' This product has been around for so long, it is by no means a new technology or innovation. It's really unfortunate because I really would love those results to stay, but it's hard because you really won't find a product that gives this instantaneous of results that can fight against the natural movement and aging that we have in our face."
"These are drops that you can add into your moisturizer your serums that give a bronzy tanned golden tint to the skin. It's really cool technology and innovation. They are $38 for these drops, they are definitely not cheap. I used to love this product and was convinced I would never be able to find a dupe or alternative to it."
"Accutane is basically a prescription medication that you take that's really intense but it's one of the best things if not the best thing to get rid of really severe cystic acne. I can't even count how many dramatic transformations I've seen from Accutane. [...] While it can be a really painful, just uncomfortable process most of the time, it gives pretty incredible results."
"If retinol isn't really doing it for you, I'd recommend the Inkey List alpha arbutin serum. This is a great, simple, and affordable product that will work to help fade the discoloration."
"I literally have no bad words to say, no critiques when it comes to Crave Beauty, because every single product, every single ingredient that Crave Beauty has is just chef's kiss. If you follow Crave Beauty or you've never tried the products, where have you been, you are missing out. Whatever product you want to try from the brand is amazing."
"All the products in the Then I Met You brand have exactly the skincare philosophy that I love, good formulas with high quality ingredients that are suitable for sensitive skin. I can tell that every ingredient and every single product had a lot of time, energy, and thought put into it."
"She's using Josie Maran Makeup Wipes, and Josie Maran does infuse good ingredients into their Makeup Wipes, but regardless, it is still a makeup wipe. I am not the biggest fan of Makeup Wipes, and by not the biggest fan I mean I kind of hate them, primarily because of the waste that they create every single day, especially when removing stage makeup, which means using multiple wipes. It's not the best for the environment, kind of like plastic bags for the earth. There are amazing substitutes that are just as effective, if not more effective, at removing makeup without stripping your skin and without creating daily waste."
"VT cosmetics, but this product in particular kind of represents really good quality ingredients focused on reducing sensitivity and irritation, but all the ingredients are arranged into needlelike structures that can better penetrate the skin and deliver those ingredients deeper into the skin than what a normal everyday product would."
"I like using the 300 on my forehead because I tend to create more dead skin cells, oil, and sebum in that area. The Reedle Shot 300 has 237,000 seeker needles and is great to use 3 days a week."
"I started using the Sleep and Glow Omnia Pillow a few months ago, not only to prevent unnecessary wrinkle development while I'm sleeping but also because I'm a side sleeper. I was a little skeptical at first because it's a pillow, but oh my gosh, it is really nice, particularly for me as a side sleeper. It was developed by an orthopedist and has memory foam that adjusts to the contours of your face, so unlike a normal pillow where your face gets squished and tugged, this whole side of my face stays untouched but it still feels super comfortable. Most importantly, and the reason I fell in love with it, is that it's just so comfortable. It has a thirty night sleep trial with a money back guarantee and a three year warranty, and the pillow lasts five years, which is way cheaper than replacing pillows over that time."
"I absolutely love Rhode products, I think they have a great ingredient list and a skincare philosophy that's pretty much identical to my own. The glazing fluid specifically, for my oily skin it's not a product I often reach for, but it still has great ingredients, and if you want to incorporate an added layer of hydration into your skin it's definitely great. However it operates more like a toner or essence step of the routine, not a moisturizer, and it sounds like she's using it as her moisturizer instead of its designated purpose. You absolutely need occlusive sealing ingredients in a routine to prevent water loss, so skipping an actual moisturizer for a toner or essence can lead to further skin issues."
"This is a new product that I fell in love with the second I started using it, the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Teca Ampoule. Teca is a blend of some of the most powerful soothing and damage repairing ingredients, like centella asiatica extract, madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid, plus this one also has a triple peptide complex and gluconolactone. What Skin1004 always nails is lightweight formulas, and this one disappears into the skin so quickly while having a stacked ingredient list of beneficial properties. I absolutely love this one and it's become a core part of my skin care routine. I'd say I definitely prefer this ampoule over their normal Centella Asiatica essence, it's a superior formula. If you've been wanting to try Skin1004, I'd recommend starting with this one."
"If you want the most research-backed PDRN formula you can find, this is my number one recommendation, the Rejuran Turnover Ampoule, which includes 0.5% salmon-derived PDRN. Rejuran is the gold standard of PDRN injections, so with this you're getting good PDRN built off decades of data from their injections. It has a great ingredient list for a relatively affordable price, with niacinamide and licorice root extract for dark spots and hyperpigmentation, sodium hyaluronate, and it's fragrance-free. I've used it more at night than during the day because it's very hydrating, a little goes a long way, and every time I use it overnight my skin looks glowier and healthier in the morning. For the price point, given the company's history, the ingredient list, and the type of PDRN they use, this is definitely one of the best, if not the best."
"This is one of my favorite products, one I actually featured in my best of 2025 series. Hypochlorous acid [...] is one of the newer ingredients on the market and it's absolutely incredible for helping a variety of issues. It works to help get rid of bacteria that could be contributing to acne and breakouts, [...] has a mild cleansing effect, and also helps reduce redness, irritation, sensitivity, and even eczema. It's [...] kind of like niacinamide in the way it targets so many different skin concerns, which is why even though I don't necessarily need it since I don't struggle with active acne or eczema, I use it in my skincare routine every single day. It's just such a good addition to the routine."
"I believe that's the Skin1004 Tone Brightening Capsule Cream. I haven't used the cream yet, but knowing it's Skin1004, their ingredient lists are always incredible, and it's definitely a great idea to pair it with the serum."
"I currently am using the Prequel hypochlorous acid spray. [...] One of the reasons I like this one is that it comes in a nice mini size that I can use when I'm flying, on the go, and [...] it has a really nice mister as well. I swear once I started using hypochlorous acid, I never looked back. I use it every single morning and night."
"I have personally used the Mugwort Face Mask as well as the I'm From Mugwort Essence. While they're not my favorite products from the line, they're definitely really good."
"SK2 is like the most expensive luxurious Japanese skincare brand out there. That's their famous Pitera Essence, which I think the bottle that she's using is like $200 to $300. Very expensive. They use a blend of ferments that supposedly hydrate and nourish the skin. I personally think that you can find nearly identical products for like $5 to $10 from Japan as well that use the same types of ingredients. But it's very luxurious, very fancy, very boug. A lot of celebrities and rich people love to use it."
"I have to say this essence, I don't know if I used too much, but it is really greasy and really oily. I am just looking fully greased up right now. I keep trying to rub it into my skin, but it's not really sinking in. It definitely feels more so like an oil. So I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend this essence. I've used many other essences that are super lightweight and fast absorbing into the skin, which is what I thought this was going to be. Unless you have really dry skin, I would say maybe stick to other essences from other Korean brands."
"It's the Clog Snail Mucin Energy Essence, so it's 90% snail mucin which is a really high concentration, so it's definitely going to have that kind of sticky tacky sensation that is going to be ideal for anyone who has really dry or dehydrated skin, even people with eczema. The ingredient list is so freaking impressive, and it claims to be a gel to liquid essence which really intrigues me because one of my biggest complaints when it comes to a lot of snail mucin products is that they're just really heavy. I love using them overnight but they do leave your skin very greasy and shiny. This one claims to go from gel to liquid which is really cool."
"Foam cleansers are very hit or miss to me because I like a little bit of frothiness, that satisfying foam, but with foam cleansers a lot of times I can just get overwhelmed and it feels like it gets so foamy that it doesn't properly cleanse my skin. But if there's one thing I'm feeling right now, my skin is cleansed. It feels like my skin feels good, a little bit dry."
"Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater, I am the founder of the hate club for that product. I absolutely despise it. I feel like it just makes your skin sticky, it smells so strong, and not even like a nice gentle rose scent. It's like if the rose rammed a line and then shoved itself into the bottle. It's just way too intense. I don't like it."
"Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence, I haven't used it in a while but that's a really great essence, especially if you're wanting to focus on prebiotic care for your skin, help strengthen the moisture barrier, get some hydration in. I am not a regular essence user but that's definitely an essence that I would use."
"Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. God, you guys did a really good job. I have not used these products in so long, it's like old vintage popular ones. Yes, I didn't necessarily notice amazing results within my own skin, but Benton has some stellar products and it still has like good ingredients that can help to deeply moisturize the skin, you know, similar to like a snail mucin essence but really boosted. So smash."
"For the Thank You Farmer products I really want to love them but a lot of their products do have fragrance. [...] This one [...] has a homosalate which is a USA chemical sunscreen which I don't use, plus it has fragrance as well and it also has octocrylene another USA chemical sunscreen. [...] I really like the concept of the brand and the types of ingredients that they include in their formulas but if they just came out with fragrance-free formulas I feel like I would definitely love their products a lot more."
"The Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea, pass, pass, pass. I was already iffy with Mario Badescu, even though they do have some good formulas, but that spray is the devil's cologne, I swear. It is way too fragranced, gets sticky on your skin, it doesn't even moisturize the skin really well, and I will never understand why it's so popular, so pass."
"One I've been a fan of for years is the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence. It's a Korean skincare product that incorporates galactomyces fermented filtrate, which can be amazing for helping with the skin's microbiome, at ninety two percent of it, alongside five percent niacinamide, which I love. As far as experience goes I really like how lightweight this is on the skin, it's an essence so it's very easily absorbed, and galactomyces fermented filtrate is the ingredient SK-II uses and claims as their miracle ingredient, so this is a great way of getting those benefits at a much more affordable option."
"If you're not feeling the salmon or trout extract route and would prefer a vegan PDRN product, this is the best vegan PDRN serum, and actually the very first PDRN product I ever used, the VT Cosmetics PDRN Essence. I also consistently saw this one brought up by chemists and dermatologists talking about PDRN, and it's widely considered to be the best vegan PDRN serum from what I've been able to find. I really enjoy this one. It's very rich and nourishing, a thicker consistency, definitely ideal for overnight use or during the day if you have more dry skin. Compared to all the other products I'm mentioning, this is definitely the thickest and richest. Not only does it have 100,000 ppm, but the rest of the formula is awesome too, especially for overnight use, which is how I really enjoyed using it. It has niacinamide, plus really nourishing ingredients like ceramides, squalane, and allantoin, so it's great for reinforcing the moisture barrier and giving you that glow up in the morning. I've consistently enjoyed using this one when I want a little more skin hydration and moisture, and it's been consistently recommended as the best vegan PDRN serum from what I've seen."
"The product he's using is amazing. I've recommended it many times. It's the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule. Great for soothing redness and irritation and hydrating the skin, but it is a serum. It's not a moisturizer."
"Every time I apply this on my skin throughout the day, I'm just like, wow, my skin looks so bouncy, it looks so hydrated, but not in a greasy, heavy way. Normally I am very averse to products that make me look overly hydrated or greasy because I have really oily skin and I don't want to be greasing it up all day, but this one just plumps my skin in such a beautiful way and leaves it feeling so smooth and hydrated without it getting too oily. It has an ingredient called morinda citrifolia, which is a powerful antioxidant and also soothes any redness in the skin, and it also has phytoene, which helps to restore your skin's moisture barrier, as well as ceramides and squalane in it. Honestly, looking at this formula from an ingredient list perspective only, I would probably be pretty hesitant because it seems like it would be overly heavy, but wow, this serum consistency leaves the skin feeling so nice and hydrated, just this beautiful plumped appearance. It's so hard to describe, but honestly, well worth it. I've been using this in my daytime and nighttime routine because I've just been in love with the results and I feel like my skin looks so healthy."
"I am very biased when it comes to like toners and essences. I feel like a lot of them don't have a bunch of ingredients that I think are needed in an extra product, however that one has probiotics to really nourish the skin. It's one of like the bestselling Korean skincare products of all time, definitely like a really good formula primarily for anyone who struggles with a damaged moisture barrier or dry skin. I've used that one many times and I think it was one of like the very first Korean skincare products I ever used. I mean, is it a necessary step in your skincare routine? No. But I think it is a very nice and easy way of getting prebiotics and probiotics into the skin. It's a very innovative formula."
"It's supposed to soothe while simultaneously hydrate the skin. [...] It's very lightweight on the skin, it doesn't feel tacky or too sticky. Well, I guess there's a little bit, but not overly. It's very lightweight, so that's good because I am not a heavy toner person ever, but it does feel nice."
"The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution is good but very strong, be aware. If you're brand new to skincare I would say go for the Crave Beauty one, but that one works really well too."
"I love Peach Slices, I think they have great products pretty much all their products are pretty great. So it's 95% snail mucin concentrate, oh so it's more like an essence than it is a toner. This is the type of toner that I like, this is an exfoliating toner, and when toners have like active ingredients that's when I can get on the whole toner train. It has glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid, that is a good list, amazing ingredient list. So yes, smash."
"The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-Tight Toner, I think pass, if I remember right, because I believe they do use natural fragrance. Their fragrance components aren't super bad, but I usually prefer products without fragrance, so I'm going to have to say pass, but I do love Glow Recipe."
"If you want a more deluxe experience without breaking the bank, the Inkey List PHA Toner is an awesome one, particularly if you have sensitive skin that you'll be able to use more frequently. It exfoliates but very gently, removes the dead skin cells from your face."
"I am not necessarily an avid toner user, however I know that a lot of people who really like Korean skincare do really like toners and there are a few out there that I do like. This one particularly from a brand called Benton, they're kind of like a classic in Korean skincare, and I like this one because it does have BHA which is salicylic acid but alongside other incredible ingredients like aloe leaf extract as well as snail secretion filtrate which is incredible for really hydrating the skin as well as defending your skin against damage, hyaluronic acid, beta glucan, plus of course 0.5 percent of salicylic acid to get that light pore exfoliating experience without the dryness. If you are thinking about going into the toner game, this is definitely a good one to go with, and Benton overall is a brand that I really like for their product selection."
"The Pixi glow tonic is one of the good things about it is that it does have glycolic acids so people were using like exfoliating treatment ingredients but this one I was never particularly a fan of it. Definitely wasn't the worst but it was not my favorite. I am a little nervous because sometimes my skin gets a little stingy with glycolic acid whatever nervous for my nose area. [...] I also think I don't know if they decrease the amount of fragrance that's in this because it does not smell like how it used to smell. I swear this used to have a really strong fragrance to it but it's very light now I hardly notice it. The good thing is that my face isn't stinging so that's a plus."
"This is the ITK Tri-Acid Toner. At first it didn't sting, then I felt a little tingling, and it was a bit sticky, but that's normal for a lactic acid formula so I wasn't mad about it. But then my skin started getting more and more red until I looked sunburned. I'm shocked this happened because I didn't use any treatment the night before and didn't think it would be this strong. I don't really have sensitive skin, I can handle all kinds of exfoliating acids, so I don't know why my skin freaked out so much with this one. Very bizarre."
"I used to love this toner mainly because of the Q10, which I had a hard time finding in any other product, and I still think it's an innovative formula for delivering Q10 benefits in a lightweight, liquid format. But I'm just not a toner person anymore, I like to keep my routine minimal, and if I want the benefits of Q10 I'd rather use a serum. I'm also not a fan of the spray format, and it feels tackier on my skin than I remembered, so on a normal day I probably wouldn't continue using this product. Formula-wise I still like it, I would just prefer it in a different format than a toner, but if you're someone who likes toners and wants that Q10 experience, I'd definitely recommend trying it."
"I have continued to use this one for years because it's an active toner that will help to deeply exfoliate using three different types of chemical exfoliant in a very lightweight easy application type product. I think it was the first product I ever found that had multiple exfoliants with PHA added that was still relatively gentle on the skin, and that's one of the main reasons I've loved this one. This has always been a gentle experience but does a good job of getting rid of all the dead skin cells and soothing irritation with some of the ingredients in that toner consistency that I rarely get to experience."
"This toner has glycerin, a great ingredient for pretty much all skin types. It has niacinamide, great for controlling oiliness on the skin, willow bark extract, a natural form of salicylic acid that works to really control oiliness and exfoliate deeply in the pores, and green tea extract, which I personally believe is great for oily skin because of its antioxidant abilities. Already we see three primary ingredients that I know are great for oily skin."
"It is not cheap. This product is so expensive and because it's a more lightweight moisturizing cream, you end up using a lot on your body, which means you'll go through this product really quickly. It is very expensive. [...] Unless you want to pay that price point, I would say this product is definitely not worth the hype."
"They have SkinFix and this is the hand Repair Cream. I love this product. If you're someone who struggles with super dry hands where they could crack and bleed, you have like eczema, I definitely recommend this one because this is really good product. $5.99, that is a hell of a good price."
"If you didn't have money to buy commissary you got a little bitty soap that they gave you for free if you did have money you could buy some Dial soap or something like it off commissary"
"I also have a retinol body product that I've been loving recently, the Versed Firm Ground Retinol Body Lotion. This one is awesome if you want to make sure you're taking care of your body skin as well as your face. This one is a great way of getting those gentle retinol benefits and damage repair across your body, and one of the reasons I like this one the most is because it's a very lightweight lotion, it's not super heavy, so you don't have to worry about sweating overnight or feeling sticky in your sheets. It's a great option and easy to find at Target."
"I love this one because it's really gentle, and I feel like I'm able to get that proper exfoliating experience in the shower for a good 30 seconds without compromising my skin's barrier or increasing skin sensitivity. It's super gentle, I usually use it about twice per week, but it's a great experience and the bottle lasts forever, especially if you're someone who only uses it once or twice a week."
"I've been seeing a lot of TikToks of people raving about the Advanced Clinicals Retinol Body Cream, and people who use it regularly every night to help fight against skin damage on their body, and I personally think that is amazing. Retinol works so well to help fight against the effects of sun damage, dark spots, of course premature aging, and I think this is awesome because I think we tend to neglect our body skin needs. We'll just use kind of like the fun body care products, like the nice smelling body wash, maybe a nice reflective body oil, but we aren't necessarily focusing on the main concerns of our body, and I think this is a great product to try out. I actually have it ordered."
"Let's take my daily dose of Nutrafol. I love it. Honestly, the majority of supplements out there are just complete BS and there's really not a lot of science backing them. Nutrafol is the exception. I have seen so many different doctors and specialists recommend Nutrafol. The before and afters are incredible. I took Nutrafol and saw so many good benefits. I really need to start taking it again."
"It is the Dyson Airwrap Long Complete Styler. I'm not even kidding when I say that no hair dryer, none, works as well as this baby does. I actually was recently traveling for a week and obviously I don't bring my Dyson with me and so I was using like different hair dryers and every single day my hair was so flat, no volume, constantly moving around, getting in my face even though I was using the exact same hair products that I always use. The only difference was that I wasn't using the Dyson Airwrap. Every single time I use this hair dryer, there is an extreme noticeable difference, not just to me, but to other people in how well my hair holds, how healthy it feels, that it's not too dry, the volume. Before that, I was a hater cuz I was like, how could you justify spending this much money on a hairdryer when you can very easily get like a $50 one? And then I used it for the first time at I believe a hair salon. Never looked back. Immediately bought it. I absolutely love this hairdryer. I've tried so many like dupes and alternatives to see if anything compares and nothing does. And I understand that it seems like this does have like a serious cult following because so many people use and recommend this even though it is a ridiculous price point. But I got to be honest, like if you could see what my hair looks like without this versus what it looks like with this night and day."
"I have tried damn near every single hair dryer out there and my hair takes a really long time to dry, like if I get out of the shower and just leave my hair to air dry it'll take like six hours. The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is by far the best hair dryer I've ever used. It is absolutely incredible and will last forever. Every time I use another hair dryer my hair feels very brittle, dry, and unhealthy, but every time I use the Dyson, my hair feels really amazing and soft and gorgeous. It's one of my favorite products ever."
"I was trying to figure out how to get rid of my body hair and I decided that you know using Nair would be a good idea but I didn't know what the hell patch testing was and I applied the Nair all over my body. It removes some of the hair, I washed off afterwards and then went to school but in the middle of the school day I started getting an insane fever, my entire body felt like it was on fire, I was like aggressively sweating, my vision was getting all weird, and when I looked at my skin it was hive swollen, just redness all over."
"If you take care of your hair, you have probably tried or heard of Olaplex because it's just the best. Once I started using Olaplex, I noticed that my hair got so much healthier, and I specifically use the Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner. If you know those products, they are relatively smaller, they're not the cheapest, but they're totally worth it."
"It is an absolutely incredible Japanese hair mask. It restores the hair in such a beautiful way to the point that I've actually started using this like twice to three times a week. I love putting it in my hair like 5 to 10 minutes before I shower and then rinsing it out and following up with my shampoo and conditioner. It just makes my hair so soft. It feels so healthy afterwards. I really do feel like it's very restorative to your hair and the results don't lie. I absolutely have loved the results of this one."
"Now oils are really popular for retinol products, some people really prefer them. I have always preferred more of like a serum or cream consistency for a retinol, but to each their own. Looking at the formula of this product I'm like, yeah it's a good formula. My main issue with it is that it is a dropper formula and retinol is already an ingredient that is very unstable. Now of course BYOMA doesn't use like true retinol, they use a more stabilized form of it, however dropper bottle formulas are so exposed to air, bacteria from the dropper touching our fingers or our face, light exposure, there are a bunch that get stuck up in the dropper itself, which is all fine and dandy unless you're dealing with very unstable ingredients like retinol or vitamin C. These types of ingredients I always just say it's better to go for airtight packaging or packaging that really won't expose the entire formula to sunlight or bacteria. [...] I don't see many retinol dropper formulas anymore, like five years ago there was a lot on the market, but I think over time people have adopted more stable packaging. [...] Maybe I'm just being nitpicky, but automatically this product was a pass for me, which is surprising because I love BYOMA."
"The Dr. Dennis Gross one is definitely on the bougie side but they have some really good products. From what I know, the Dr. Dennis Gross one is a pretty strong intense retinol, so if your skin is already used to retinol or you know that you don't have sensitive skin, those are great."
"I recommend The Inkey List retinol serum. It's a super good price point but very effective at making sure my skin is repaired of damage, because what retinol helps to do best is get rid of that damage on the skin, whether it's premature aging, dark spots, sun spots, or dark circles. Retinol literally has data to show that it's effective at getting rid of those concerns, and that's why I feel it's a necessary part of the treatment step of a skin care routine."
"Retinol is definitely the ingredient you want to go with, it's the most powerful ingredient for treating those concerns that you can buy over the counter. I love the Shani Darden Retinol Reform Serum. It's definitely more on the luxury side but has a beautiful experience and works really well."
"The Differin Gel Acne Treatment, even though my skin can't use it, definitely deserves an award. I've talked about it on my channel so many times, it is such a powerful product and one that works so well if you really struggle with severe scarring, dark spots, or premature aging, it's really good for reversing that damage. Keep in mind it is very, very strong, so strong that I've been scared to try it again, last time I used it my skin freaked out. But it's such a good formula and I'm honestly really glad it got an award because I think the product deserves more attention. Dermatologists are constantly recommending it."
"Tretinoin is basically the best skincare ingredient you can get on the market for concerns like deep set wrinkles and damage dark spots hyperpigmentation acne scarring. It is an incredible ingredient but one of the downsides of tretinoin is that you need a prescription to be able to get it. At least in the USA it's not easy to get and if you know anything about dermatologists they are not cheap. My personal favorite way of getting tretinoin is through Dermatica. The great thing about Dermatica is that they're a digital dermatology provider so you can get your tretinoin prescription just through your phone. You'll be paired with a dermatology provider, they'll discuss your concerns with you and then give you a custom prescription based off of what you need. There's so many different dermatology providers online I've tried many of them but I've always returned to Dermatica because I really like their service, the communication they have. You get smaller prescription doses that you can easily change if you want something stronger or it's not really working for your skin concerns. If you are able to give tretinoin a shot I would honestly say that's the way to go."
"I used to absolutely be obsessed with that serum. The Ordinary is great for basically doing exactly what he's doing right now, targeting specific skin issues, and they're straightforward, effective, and affordable. It's at 2%, which is the highest percentage of salicylic acid you can have in a non-prescription formula. I would say that serum is best used as a spot treatment for any areas that are experiencing breakouts or blocked pores. And I [...] love that he mentioned that he doesn't use it at the same time as his retinol, which is amazing because salicylic acid and retinol are two of those ingredients that you really do not want to mix together. It can result in skin sensitivity, irritation, even more peeling, sensitivity, and dryness."
"I have these Starface Pimple Patches which are really cute but they don't necessarily do like a great job of adhering to the skin so I don't if I love them"
"One of the ones I love using is the Bliss Clear Genius Body Spray. This is awesome for anyone who doesn't necessarily want the heaviness of a cream or a serum and just wants a lightweight treatment on the skin to help combat breakouts, inflamed pores, and pimples. I love this one because it has 2% salicylic acid, which is the highest concentration you can put on your body, and it's incredible for going deep in the pores and pushing out all the dirt and built up sweat. It has a really nice spray that's very even, it lasts a good amount of time, and you can find it at Target for a really good price. This is one of the best products in their entire line, in my opinion. I will say, in order to see the results you have to be consistent, you're not going to see results in one go, but when I continued using this I noticed great results and I just love this product."
"Pimple patches, people are always asking me about them and I absolutely love them. The ones [...] that I've used for years and think are the best bang for your buck are definitely the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch. You get 24 patches for such a good price point, and those ones have always worked well at actually sticking to my skin, because as much as I want to love every pimple patch out there, there's just so many that will not adhere to the skin, but the COSRX ones have always done that. [...] If you want just a solid good pimple patch that's not a lot of money that will get the job done, I definitely think that the COSRX ones that have gone really viral are definitely worth it, just good bang for your buck."
"I really don't want to hate on this routine, okay, I really don't want to, but I already have issues with this face mask. It's still single use waste that's just not necessary when you can find great face masks that are available in the jar and won't result in that single use waste. The issue I have with this one specifically is that not only do you have the plastic wrapper on the outside and the actual face mask, but you also have that plastic divider that you peel off, so that's like three plastic pieces, all of which are totally unnecessary, which is why I just can't jump on the face mask bandwagon. I know it's really satisfying to like put the sheet mask on your face and look cute, but it's just really not great for the environment."
"I love that it's technology that actually works. It's microcurrents that help to stimulate your skin, help firm and tighten the skin. There's a lot of benefits that come from regular use and it helps with lymphatic drainage as well so you look less puffy. It's just a great product overall. Definitely not cheap, but one of the very few skincare tools that are pricey that I'm like yeah, that's worth it. It does make a difference. There's some, I was watching back and I was like I can tell I really went hard on it that day. The cheekbones are cheekboning, we're good."
"I really like the concept of that one because I feel like with a lot of LED masks they tend to be very bulky and also kind of flimsy and easy to break. They're not ideal to carry around or bring in your suitcase. That one's nice because it's basically like covered in rubber or silicone which makes it very easy to bend and contour to your face. I would say out of the majority of them this one would be one of the more worth it ones just because it is more durable and less likely to break. However, $380 for an LED mask is still pretty absurd in my opinion, but it definitely is easy to use."
"NuFace is one of the only skincare tools that I'm actually like a really big fan of. A lot of dermatologists, estheticians, and chemists are a fan of it. It basically shocks your skin to help stimulate collagen production leading to healthier, more bouncy skin, and it's really effective. It's no joke. But definitely the price point isn't for everyone, and I personally don't often see it on sale. So if you are wanting to invest a little bit more into your skincare experience, that is one of the few tools that I would recommend."
"With home use you have the ability to do it whenever you want as much as you want, although they do recommend like three times a week so you're not overdoing it, but I just have the freedom to be able to do it on my schedule which is a really big factor. And of course it's just way cheaper than going to a clinic to get it done. The biggest thing that really attracts me to at home IPL is there's literally no pain and honestly I would use an at home device a hundred times over even if it's less effective because I won't have to go through that awful pain. The benefits for me far outweigh the negative side effects of having to get it professionally done. A piece of comfort for me is that Ulike has 10 years of experience as an IPL specialist group, they go through clinical testing, they're internationally regulated. There's also a 90-day money back guarantee so if you're not satisfied with the results after 3 months of using it you can get your money back, and it has a 2-year warranty as well so if anything happens to it you're covered. I've been using this on my body for a while but I only recently started using it on my neck because I was so traumatized after my experience, and this hasn't hurt at all so it was safe enough to use on my neck. It just goes to show you how pain-free it is."
"Aquaphor works so much better than that. I've used Aquaphor on my lips many times. I'm someone who has severely dry lips, and Aquaphor, while not the best, is definitely in the top 10 of lip products that I've used to maintain healthy, hydrated lips. Plus, it's super affordable. You can't go wrong with it."
"My personal favorite is the CeraVe Healing Ointment. That way you can make sure that your skin is properly being protected from water loss overnight and you don't have to use the single-use hydrocolloid patches every single night."
"I discovered the Indeed Labs Nano Bronze Bronzing Drops, literally same type of formula. I used this product so much last year and I love it because it gives you that same bronzed experience, make you look more tan, helps to compensate if you have any white cast in your sunscreen. The ingredient list is amazing, has squalane, glycerin, cacao, cucumber, and it is only $19, giving you a whopping savings of $19, that is 50% off, half price for like the same experience, same type of beautiful formula. And given that you only use like a few drops at a time, this product like lasts forever. I think I'm still working on my first bottle from last year. It lasts a long time. Honestly, out of all the products that I'm going to feature in this video, this is probably like the most spot-on dupe I've ever been able to find."
"I used to work as a makeup artist and the amount of people that would tell me that they had really bad allergic reactions to lash serums was like insane. I decided to try it out as well and I noticed that whenever I used a lash serum the lining around my eyes became like dark and stained and it would go away when I stopped using it and it just kind of freaked me out. I'm still not like fully convinced on a lot of them."
"I always feel guilty talking about this because I know people feel like they're really getting their sunscreen protection whenever they use like a tinted moisturizer or a foundation that has SPF in it. But the reality is that in order to properly protect your face from sun damage, you need to use about a quarter size amount of a sunscreen. Now, imagine you using that much tinted moisturizer or foundation on your face. You're going to look caked up. It's not going to look good. Which is why I always recommend going in with a sunscreen before you go in with a tinted moisturizer or foundation with sunscreen formula. It's just not enough protection."
"I am a fan of like one-and-one type supplements or supplements where you get like multiple benefits rather than a dedicated one. If you are looking for a two-in-one that'll help get your protein intake up and help with your skin and hair, the Vital Proteins unflavored collagen peptides powder is the way to go. They are pricey, however if you're someone who's serious about your protein intake but you're just completely over the protein flavor protein shake protein bar journey, this is a really good solution because it's a completely flavorless powder that you can literally add to anything. My friends will add this to their coffee, to their iced tea, to their eggs they make in the morning. You can add this powder to anything, but the benefit of it is that it also is really rich in collagen peptides which can really help with the appearance and softness of your skin and hair. The biggest selling point of this product is that you can literally add it to anything and there's no protein flavor at all. If you want something that will invisibly increase your protein intake and help with your skin and hair, this is a great one."
"I loved using the Cinema Secrets brush cleanser. It definitely doesn't replace a good deep clean but it's a really nice way of just getting all that makeup instantly off your brush if you do want to buy a product."
✓Yay
78%Guru Score
This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.
A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.
Hyram is not affiliated with, and does not
endorse, The Guru Index. Every quote on this page comes from his public YouTube videos, linked
at the timestamp. Verdicts and approval stats are our editorial read of what he said. "Guru" is a
title we award, not a sign of any affiliation.
