so I'm a milky skincare addict(thanks, dry skin) and finally got the famous Kombucha Essence. I expected it to be similar to the Cream Skin Refiner, but the feel on the skin is very different. after some digging, I found that it uses more esters and is higher in Triethylhexanoin rather than Glycerin, like the Laneige, so it makes the skin velvety. right after applying I felt it make my face slightly itchy and "stuffy" if that makes sense. I don't know whether it is due to this, or the high 78% concentration of Kombucha Tea + Green Tea, but I've gotten a pretty big cystic spot growing on my lower cheek area. I literally NEVER get those, and my skin has been known to not get along with certain natural ingredients like Green Tea before. has any of you picky ppl had this problem before? is this a "dotox" period from the tea complex?

kinda sad because I know it's a quality product that everyone seems to love, but maybe it's just not for me. I'm thinking of discontinuing for the time being and giving it another go once the breakout heals just to make sure it's really the culprit, but I introduce only one new product at a time, so I have a bad feeling about this 😢

EDIT: it's definitely the Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate. now that I think back on it, I had a similar reaction to an SK-II essence a very long time ago, and I think the Missha one as well. I should've paid better attention to the ingredients in this product, but it's been so long since I had a bad reaction to skincare. if you're sensitive, please be careful with this ingredient and any yeast extracts as well as probiotics! and thank you to the community for finally helping me figure this out! you guys gave me comfort and made me realize I wasn't just imagining things 💕

Kombucha Tea Essence irritation?

so lately I've realized that my crusty dry dehydrated sensitive skin doesn't mesh that well with thin clear toners and ampoules, because they just seem to leave my face sensitized and drier than it was. even in summer and even with a clean ingredient list. things like hyaluronic acid in those types of formulas seem to make it even worse 🏜️

am I the only one? 🤔

naturally, I went complete 180 and bought some milky toners and serums packed with emollients and humectants. so far they've worked so much better: I get no breakouts or redness, have baby soft skin and have been enjoying my routine way more ✨  

I'll list some of my faves for reference. can you guys recommend any similar products? 🍼

🍼 milky toners/essences/serums 🍼

I've been on picky for more than a year now, but only recently decided to make an insta/tiktok, and did my first PR review today! drop your handles or just follow me @undersskin on insta and @under_skin on tiktok, especially my dry skin squad, so we can engage, stay in the loop about products and win more giveaways together 🥰

👯 skincare besties needed 👯

lately I've been really working on finding the best skincare formulas for my fussy dry skin + strengthening the skin barrier, but now that my skin is in a good place, I'm thinking about introducing some actives again in a way that's not going to destroy it 🤔

alcohol, bad preservatives, fragrance, essential oils, terpenes and lots of plant/citrus extracts is a no-no for me ❌

does anyone know of sensitive skin-friendly vita C and/or retinol formulations that would fit in with these milky products/replace one? maybe something with good humectants/emollients and medium to high viscosity? 🍼

😶‍🌫️ soft vitamin C/retinol formulas 😶‍🌫️

hi guys! I've always had trouble finding a sunscreen, because my sensitive skin gets irritated by a lot of chemical ones, but it's also hard to find good physical formulas 🤔

I don't mind the white cast as long as it's moisturizing and includes no alcohol, bad preservatives, fragrance, essential oils, terpenes or too much tea tree/lavender/licorice root/citrus extracts 📝

so far the SoonJung is the best physical one I found, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they're discontinuing/reformulating, because it's getting hard to find online 😔

if you know of hybrid or chemical sunscreens that also fit the bill, pls drop those too 🙏

🌞 physical or non-irritating spf 🌞

👁️ works well as a wiping toner, but be careful around the eyes, since the high concentration of Niacinamide can sting slightly

🌾 contains 𝙂𝙮𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 100,000𝙥𝙥𝙢 making this toner extra powerful at conditioning the skin and giving it a crystal clear look

✨ high concentration of 𝙉𝙞𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 is a perfect partner to the Rice Extract in brightening and fighting hyperpigmentation & texture

🌬️ has a triple soothing power of 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖, 𝙇𝙤𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 & 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝘾𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧

🧱 skin-identical 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙉𝙋 & 𝙂𝙡𝙮𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣 help protect and hydrate the skin barrier

💧 contains other great emollients/humectants like 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝙃𝙮𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣, 𝙁𝙞𝙜 𝙁𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 & 𝙐𝙡𝙢𝙪𝙨 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩

💆 this product acts as a two-in-one toner/essence due to being slightly more viscous than something like the Laneige Cream Skin or I'm From Rice Toner. feels immediately hydrating on the skin, absorbs fast without stickiness and sets to a natural finish with a healthy glow, making the skin feel baby soft

🧴good amount of 200ml & comes in a sturdy plastic bottle with a good stopper

𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔
✅ 𝙀𝙊
✅ 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡
✅ 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚

on my second bottle and can't find any downsides, but not sure if oily skin types would find it a bit greasy

🌞 this guy is a fully mineral water-resistant broad spectrum SPF50 sunscreen with a blend of 𝙕𝙞𝙣𝙘 𝙊𝙭𝙞𝙙𝙚 5% & 𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝘿𝙞𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙙𝙚 6%

🌞 the second line of defense features 𝘊𝘌𝘓𝘓-𝘖𝘟 𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘌𝘓𝘋™, a patent-pending antioxidant complex featuring 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙛 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 that soothes the skin and protects it from UVA & UVB rays + free radicals

🌞 nourishes with 𝙑𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣 𝙀, incredibly lightweight for a physical sunscreen and makes my dry skin so glowy and comfortable. melts into the skin leaving almost no white cast on me. works so well under makeup because of this and never pills. has never irritated or broken me out

𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔
☒ 𝙀𝙊
☒ 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡
☒ 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚

shake well!

🖤 unfortunately has that cooking oil smell, even though that doesn't bother me too much

🖤 this simple, gentle formula is made with 9 ingredients, including 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐉𝐨𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐢𝐥 & 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐄

 🖤 a but more viscous than some of the drier cleansing oils, but light enough and removes my spf and waterproof makeup really well. doesn't irritate my skin or eyes - great for sensitive skin types. doesn't seem to leave a weird film or suffocate my face after washing it off, but I always follow up with a foaming gel cleanser

🖤 comes in a nice 150ml plastic component with a pump that doesn't get too messy

𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔
☒ 𝙀𝙊
☒ 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡
☒ 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
☒ 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨

💧contains only one good emollient – 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙊𝙞𝙡, which isn't quite enough nourishment for my extremely dry under eyes. personally, the formula ends up slightly sticky in the beginning due to a high concentration of the Snail Secretion Filtrate, then sort of sets a bit dry with a slight film-like tight feeling. might be good for depuffing, but not so much for dry hollowness

👁️ might not make drastic difference in fine lines, since the concentration of peptides seems quite low 

🐌 collaboration of 72% 𝙎𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙉𝙞𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 & 5 different peptides (𝘾𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1, 𝘼𝙘𝙚𝙩𝙮𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-8, 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙋𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-4, 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1,  𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙏𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-7) allows for collagen production, brightening of dark circles and hydration, all-in-one

🌬️ soothes with 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙡 & 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙣

💧moisturizes further with 𝙂𝙡𝙮𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣, 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚 & 𝙎𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙃𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 

🧖 feels lightweight, firming, non-greasy & protective around the eye. sinks in and works well under makeup. 

🧴comes in a pretty big 25ml plastic component with an airless pump

🧴 some might be surprised by the small 30ml bottle size, but I personally still think it's worth it, considering the amount of Peptides & Ceramides in the the formula and how far a small amount of product goes

💧this ampoule for me takes care more of inner dehydration and doesn't feel the most nourishing for extremely dry skin, but thats only a personal user preference kind of thought and nothing an emollient moisturizer can't fix. I certainly much prefer it to watery peptide formulas

🧱 strengthens and suppors the skin barrier as well as locks in moisture with 5 types of Ceramides: 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙉𝙋, 𝙀𝙊𝙋, 𝙉𝙎, 𝘼𝙋 & 𝘼𝙎

🧖 packs a punch of youth with its Multi-Peptide Solution of 𝘼𝙘𝙚𝙩𝙮𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-8, 𝙉𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1, 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙏𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-7, 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙋𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-4, 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙮𝙡 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1, 𝙃𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-9, 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1 & 𝘾𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚-1 that work to boost collagen, repair skin and reduce inflammation

✨ brightens and helps fight acne with 𝙉𝙞𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚

💧 love the inclusion of emollients & humectants like 𝙂𝙡𝙮𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣, 𝙎𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚, 𝙃𝘼, 𝘼𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙞𝙡, 𝘼𝙡𝙜𝙖𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩, soothing 𝙊𝙖𝙩 𝙆𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝘽𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 & 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙖-𝙂𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙣, because they help my dry skin

💆 has a pretty high viscosity and doesn't run down when dispensed. not completely transparent(a bit cloudy) and has no scent. spreads on the skin in seconds and feels very hydrating, like a glass of water. not oily or sticky and sets to a natural/satin finish. works well with my emollient moisturizer and never pills. does contain a silicone powder but didn't seem to make my FA worse

𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔
✅ 𝙀𝙊
✅ 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡
✅ 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚