Refiner was the first product from the Cream Skin series, I think I saw it first in Liah Yoo's photo (just like Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask). I enjoyed using the first version of Laneige Cream Skin a lot so when I saw that Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is finally in Europe - I had to buy it!
IS IT A TONER OR AN ESSENCE?
What's a Cream Skin? Some toners in Korea are called "skin" so Laneige Cream Skin Refiner and Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner are nothing else than products which you can use instead of toner.
PACKAGING
Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner comes in a minimalistic white box with blue text and a delicate, orange accent. The aesthetic fits the current, futuristic Laneige design. At the bottom of the box, we can find information that Laneige used FSC-certified paper, there's also information about recycling and information that "the water footprint of this product has been measured and certified". The PAO date of Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is 12 months. I'm glad that Laneige has packaging with text in English, but there's also translation to French, German, Swedish, Polish and even Romanian, but somehow there's no text in Korean. Still, you can find that this product was made in Korea.
Inside the box, we can find a transparent bottle with a white cap. Currently, the bottle contains 170ml of refiner. The old bottle was only 150 ml.
TEXTURE & SCENT
The texture is like water but a bit thicker. It might remind you of diluted milk. The scent is creamy, but light. For me, the texture feels like a 1:1 copy of old texture, it might feel more hydrating on the skin, but I don't see the difference.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
I want to introduce you to the product first and then share my experience with you. Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is introduced to the market as a product for people who are tired of layering. I'm not tired of layering, I treat it as a super hydrating toner for wintertime since during summer Cream Skin texture is too rich for me.
Cerapeptide™ in the new Refiner is a combination of hydro-ceramide and 2 types of peptides to provide moisture, firming and a stronger skin barrier to the skin. Laneige uses Micro Blending Technolog™ to make products easily absorbed by the skin. The particles of Cerapeptide are smaller than originally, due to Micro Blending Technolog™ the size of particles is 1/300 of its original size.
Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is recommended for dry to normal skin. I got combo skin, but I still use Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner because it's so hydrating. Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is created for people who deal with dry, patchy skin which makes makeup look blotchy, for people who have to deal with air-conditioning and heater and for people who can't have proper skincare due to skin sensitivity to the products. That's something I can relate to since my skin gets dry when I have to deal with an air-con or heater.
You can use it as a toner or as a mist - sadly, I didn't see the pump or refills being sold in Poland, but there are refills for this version (that aren't sold in Poland as well). Yes, you can buy an additional pump. I found one while making this post on YesStyle and Olive Young, sadly the one at Olive Young is sold out at the moment. Refills similar to full-size Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner bottle has 170 ml of the formula.
I'm a fan of both versions since the texture is very similar and hydrating, they don't sensitize my skin and the only thing I'm sad about is packaging, because even if I love this new Laneige aesthetic, I miss the old, glass bottle. It wasn't convenient to travel with but it felt so nice. On the other hand, the new bottle contains 20ml more of the Cream Skin formula than the old bottle.
Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner is supposed to be more hydrating, the skin is supposed to stay deeply hydrated for up to 120 hours. That's something I can't check, but it does feel like it's a hydrating toner. This version contains 2x white leaf tea which is supposed to calm skin and relieve redness for about 40% in comparison to the old version. I do see that my skin gets less red when I use it than when I don't use it.
COMPARISON TO OLD VERSION
New ingredients in 2nd version: Isopentyldiol, Squalane, Carbomer, Mannitol, Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide NP, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11
I'm a fan of both formulas and for me, White Leaf Tea, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Snow Mushroom, Squalane and Ceramide NP are not a problem, but I know some people are not fans of Hyaluronic Acid. For me, this composition is totally fine and I think this formula is worth a try.
PRICE
I bought Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner for about $38 at Sephora, but you can find Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide™ Refiner in a full-size version (170ml) + refill (170ml) for $35.20 on Olive Young - so that's a free tip if you want to save on this toner
