ABOUT THE BRAND
Hanyul is a Korean skincare brand. It's one of the brands from the Amorepacific portfolio - the same company that owns Laneige, Innisfree, Sulwhasoo, IOPE or Hera. Hanyul is a brand that mixes technology and tradition. The products are based on local raw ingredients such as mugwort, red rice or beans. It's one of the hanbang brands since Hanyul formulas are focused on traditional Korean medicine.
PACKAGING
I didn't have the original serum packaging since I bought Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum in a set, but the set packaging was made out of paper and it was fully in Korean. Inside I found a Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum tube with 10 ml of serum and full, 30 ml Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum. There's also a product from the Artemisia series, but I ended up not testing it. The serum bottle has a pump and you can easily see when the serum is going to end since the pump is coming up more and more with every use.
TEXTURE & SCENT
The texture of the Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum is nice for oily and combo skin. It has a hydrating texture, free from a sticky feeling. The tiny capsules inside Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum are getting easily into the skin giving it a luminous, radiant look. This serum smells like citrus fruit, not everyone will enjoy this scent, but I'm a fan.
HOW IT WORKS?
Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum is a big surprise since it's considered to be a vitamin C serum or multivitamin serum. I'm not joking, if you check the official website of the brand, you can see information that this serum contains 5 types of multivitamins including vitamin A. Can you guess what's vitamin A in this product? I believe you were searching for retinol or retinal. I guess we are so used to retinol that when we see brands using beta-carotene which I was taught to call not vitamin A but pro-vitamin A, we might get a bit confused. Yes, Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum is not a vitamin C serum, but a multivitamin serum.
It's important to mention this at the beginning of the review because even if both Vitamin C serums and Multivitamin serums are rich in antioxidants, they work a bit differently. Let's go through the details about the product first.
Hanyul loves to base its products on natural materials from Korea, so it shouldn't surprise why Yuja has its own, dedicated series. Yuja used in Hanyul's series comes from Goheung County in Jeollanam-do. According to the brand, Yuja contains 3 times more vitamin C than lemon and 25 times more vitamin C than apples. Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum contains Vitamin C (ascorbic acid + 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin B3 (niacinamide), Vitamin B5 (panthenol) and Vitamin E (tocopherol). But vitamins are not the key in this serum. Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum contains Yuja Vita-C™ Capsules and 1,000 ppm of Taurine.
I did my research (as always before I buy and review a product) and what I've noticed is that Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum is promoted on Hanyul's website as a product for people who don't get enough sleep or even after wearing a mask. Europe is a bit different than Asia, so right now I barely ever see people wearing masks even if they are sick, but I have to admit, I ordered this serum in early 2023 and when you check Hanyul's Instagram you can notice that this serum was introduced in 2021 when wearing masks was something common.
I do enjoy using Hanyul serum since it's a lightweight, non-sticky and hydrating formula with tiny capsules. It's kinda surprising since Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum contains Sunflower Oil. The scent is very fruity and fresh. The application process is easy, the pump in the product is an ideal solution. My skin likes this formula even if I do not tolerate the Niacinamide and Vitamin C combo well. Usually, this duo is not a problem for the skin, but sensitive skin might react to Niacinamide mixed with Vitamin C with redness. I don't see redness, I see that this serum makes my skin look more hydrated and less tired, I see a difference in pigmentation, but I'm aware that it's a combo effect of Hanyul Yuja Vita-C™ Serum and other Vitamin C or Retinol serums. If you don't expect this product to totally remove pigmentation, but to add hydration and brightness to your skin then you won't get disappointed.
I do recommend this serum if you want to invest in an antioxidant product.
PRICE
$49/set, but sometimes you can find it on sale
