I know Korean beauty pretty well I think. I’ve travelled to the country FIVE times and created my own Korean beauty box (see more about my beauty box that I curate every month with a different country theme HERE). I’ve spent countless hours shopping for beauty in the country even before it became trendy and I’ve been using cushion foundations since before they hit the Western market. So when essences first came onto my radar as a Korean beauty trend then I had to try them ALL. And I’m so happy I did. Here’s some of my favourites…
The South Korean women have amazing fresh-faced skin and they don’t wear a lot of make-up. One secret to their skincare regime is an essence and yes, there really are so many steps in a Korean woman’s skincare routine every morning and night (and the two routines are different as well!). Natural French brand Caudalie (whose products I have reviewed HERE previously) have recently launched a VinoPerfect Essence that can be layered into your skincare routine really easily. I love this one in particular because it contains glycolic acid so it loosens and eliminates dead skin cells and also contains white peony which brightens the skin. This product is designed to boost the performance of products that go on after it so it is well worth investing in, especially if you use expensive skincare products.
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
Now I hope you all know how much I love Korean skincare and this product is from Korean brand Benton and the interesting thing that they have done here is combined two key ingredients most commonly seen in Korean beauty which is snail essence and bee venom. So when you combine the two I suppose you get the best of both worlds! Now I have done a post on what the difference is between a serum and an essence which you should read HERE. If you have acne-prone skin this product is also suitable because the AHA’s in the formula will help to gently exfoliate the skin. Snail Mucin is amazing at smoothing the skin and helps to reinforce the texture while Bee Venom stimulates collagen production.
Now again, this is not labelled as an essence as such but I do see it as another hybrid product because it’s essentially a skin treatment that you apply before a serum but it also removes excess impurities that you may have missed while cleansing. This is an elixir with a long history – first being used in the 18th century. It’s made of 18 botanical extracts including Jojoba, Apricot and Orange Oils. So it cleanses and infuses at the same time – sort of a mix between a micellar water and a toner or essence.
I love the history behind the Roger & Gallet products and that all of the products are naturally-derived and are full of botanical extracts – tried and tested over a very, very long time!
Sanoflore Skin-Perfecting Botanical Essence
This essence from Sanoflore is slightly different than the other essences because it’s something of a hybrid between a toner and an essence. If you have unbalanced out-of-whack skin then this might be a product that you could look into because it’s all about balancing the skin. Again you use this after cleansing and apply to the face with a cotton pad. This essence contains 9 organic essential oils as well as peppermint oil and floral water. The peppermint oil is a nice touch I think because it has a cooling effect and smells good. This would be a good product in the morning to ‘wake up’ the skin. It also works on unclogging pores and getting rid of impurities so would be great for someone living in an urban environment as well.
Again, if you haven’t read my post on the difference between essences and serums make sure you read it HERE. The 24K Bio Essence Gold Water is an essence that uses the power of gold which is another popular ingredient in Asian skincare. So how does gold work on the skin? Gold is really soft and malleable so it can be made into flakes and applied to the skin. Because of that it can be absorbed into the skin really easily and therefore a stream of active gold ions rich in trace minerals is released. This then boosts oxygen circulation. Essences are more lightweight than serums and can be used after toning and before serum for an added boost to the skin. Due to their lightweight formula they sink in like a dream – this one is both affordable and worth checking out.
Have you ever tried an essence, one of the most popular Korean beauty trends at the moment?
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