Best facial essences to boost your skincare routine for better skin
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PUBLISHED ONJuly 23, 2020 3:28 AMByJoyce CheoArissa HaFarisia Thang
Looking to upgrade your skincare routine so you can have even better skin? Look no further than facial essences.
Facial essences, otherwise known as lotions, have long been an essential step in Korean and Japanese beauty regimes.
It was only in the past few years that Western skincare brands saw the benefit of them and started introducing such essences.
Most facial essences have similar base ingredients, using either hyaluronic acid or glycerin to hydrate the skin and keep it plump and moisturised.
While traditional toners are designed to balance skin’s pH, most of them tend to also have some cleansing benefits as a back-up to eliminate any traces of makeup and grime left behind.
However, essences do not have cleansing properties. They focus on restoring skin’s pH and moisture levels, as well as resetting skin by infusing it with a host of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to amplify the effects of serums and moisturisers applied thereafter.
There’s a reason why this step is essential in the Korean skincare routine. Here are 11 of the best facial essences to jump start your journey to healthy, radiant skin.
La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In-Lotion, $410 (150 ml)
If you haven’t heard, La Prairie’s Skin Caviar skincare range is packed with nutrients extracted from sturgeon caviar, which are essential for cellular regeneration. Rich in peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, these products improve skin resilience for smoother, firmer skin.
And to prep for optimal absorption of all these goodness, La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Essence-In-Lotion is made with distilled Caviar Water that restores skin’s moisture and lipid levels.
This means that products applied after are absorbed better for maximum benefits. All you have to do is dispense a coin-sized amount of this slightly viscous gel-like lotion onto your palms and pat into your skin. Instantly, the skin is refreshed, revitalised, and ready to receive treatment products like serums and moisturisers.
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, $289 (230 ml)
Unchanged for over three decades, this multi-award-winning facial essence provides skin with over 50 micro-nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and organic acids to restore skin’s natural functions like cellular turnover and regeneration.
Just saturate a cotton pad and apply onto skin after cleansing for softer and smoother skin that glows.
Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX, $148 (90 ml)
As the Korean beauty brand’s best-selling item for almost 20 years, this booster serum harnesses the benefits of prized Korean herbs to balance, energise and hydrate skin so a dull complexion gives way to a healthy, glowing one.
Thanks to a painstaking 18-hour extraction method, the JAUM Balancing Complex is obtained and is the key compound that provides your skin with an anti-ageing action.
Dispense two to three pumps of serum onto your palms before smoothing onto skin as the first skincare step to boost its absorption of other products applied after.
Dior Capture Totale C.E.L.L. ENERGY Super Potent Serum, $175 (50 ml)
Enriched with an exclusive hyaluronic acid for an instant smoothing effect, The Super Potent Serum’s fine texture is a sensory bliss.
It corrects visible signs of ageing, by reducing the appearance of wrinkles, pores, and loss of firmness and radiance. After one week, the skin will be smoothened, firmed, plumped, and toned with regular use.
Hera Cell Essence Biome Plus, $77.50 (150ml)
With a new and improved formula, this essence is an all-round care product for skin nourishment and moisture. It rebalances the skin from inside out and strengthens and hydrates it to exude a healthy glow.
Step one to getting your ideal dewy skin?
Skin Inc My Daily Dose of Armour, $98 (20 ml)
Protective, skin-soothing, and strengthening, this serum is formulated with power-packed ingredients that give you clear and healthy skin. Vitamin B3, ceramide, and licorice work together to clear clogged pores and control excess sebum production while hydrating the skin from within.
The skin is naturally fortified to defend against environmental pollutants and the addition of licorice calms inflammation and reduces any signs of irritation.
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Premium Hydrating Lotion, $24.90 (170 ml)
For those whose skin needs a little extra help in retaining moisture, this is your best bet. Formulated with hyaluronic acid of five different molecular weights, this deeply hydrating lotion replenishes, stores, and locks in hydration instantly for softer and smoother skin.
Plus, it is pH-balanced to minimise irritation and keeps skin supple all day long.
Su:m37 Secret Essence, $108 (80 ml)
Natural fermentation processes are the pillars of this Korean skincare brand. As its name suggests, natural ingredients found in the brand’s skincare products are left to ferment under highly regulated conditions, specifically at 37 degrees Celsius to retain their optimum efficacy.
And everything takes place in the brand’s Natural Fermentation Research Institute, which is situated in Korea’s Gangwon province, where it enjoys pollution-free air and water to ensure the purity of the ingredients undergoing fermentation. The result? Nutrient-rich extracts that energises the complexion at a cellular level for healthier, more beautiful skin.
DERMA LAB Lumiclar Anti-Hyperpigmentation Serum, $39.90 (15 ml)
Enhanced with resveratrol, dull and uneven skin tone is dramatically brightened. The Derma Mimic Complex strengthens the skin’s barrier and protects it from nasties like UV rays, and other pollutants.
Albion Skin Conditioner Essential, $190 (330 ml)
This signature product from ALBION helps to restore skin resilience and cellular metabolism to its natural 28-day renewal cycle. Skin is more balanced, with reduced redness with use.
ORBIS U Lotion, $45 (180 ml)
This lotion may have just launched in Singapore, but has already won multiple awards in Japan. The lotion has a lightweight gel texture that melts into skin to instantly refresh and hydrate.
This article was first published in The Singapore Women’s Weekly.