It’s been a while and now I’m back with a review on a Korean product! Although this one has been on the market for quite some time, I didn’t bother to get it until I saw Kim Yoo Jung’s (of Moonlight Drawn by Clouds) advertisement.
It’s none other than Skinfood’s BLACK SUGAR PERFECT FIRST SERUM 2x. It’s available in two forms: Essential or Light . I have to admit that initially, the packaging was what pulled me in the most. I mean, how many serums out there are available in chic and classic heavy bottles? To make the long story short, I gave in and got the 2x Light bottle and received a free sachet of the 2x Essential. It also came with a box of cotton pads.
This wasn’t the first time Skin Food made a black sugar product. In fact, I’ve watched a CF by Lee Min Jung a few years back with the product BLACK SUGAR PERFECT FIRST SERUM No. 1 Original. Compared to this old version, the 2x serum has double the amount of sugar extract and has Cheongju (wine) in it. On the bottle of the 2x Light serum, it also says: Bio-Tone up, Skin Renewup, and Calming Complex.
What I understand from that is that the product seems to work as a toner and moisturizer in one. I tried to read the ingredients on the box but sadly, there are no English translations since the product was bought in Korea. So I got on my laptop and started researching.
While going through online journals, I got excited when I encountered one of its ingredients, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (GFF) in a study from Japan. It was published back in 2010 and basically studied the effect of GFF on the epidermis.
Apparently, GFF is a known MOISTURIZER and ANTIOXIDANT. It acts through activation of genes in human skin cells and induction of hyaluronan production which is a polysaccharide (sugar) found in connective tissues. Hyaluronan or hyaluronic acid plays a role in lubrication and wound healing. In the study, the authors specifically wanted to know the effect of GFF on caspase-14 expression; caspase-14 was used as a biomarker to monitor formation and homeostasis at the top most layer of the skin. The results showed that GFF increases caspase-14 expression which means that it enhances the barrier function of the skin by moisturizing it and protecting it from dryness and other environmental stressors. More recent studies are also available online confirming its wonderful skin benefits!
Now let’s go on to my actual experience in using this product. The first time I tried it, I mostly used the rough part of the cotton pad to exfoliate. I honestly thought the product did a good job of sloughing off the dead skin cells. The skin gets stimulated at first because of the exfoliation step so it’s normal if your skin looks red. Afterwards, I added more product onto the smooth side of the pad and patted it on my skin, and that’s when I started appreciating it as a serum. I gave the product some time to dry and I allowed my skin to calm down; after that, my skin felt lighter and brighter and it’s not even sticky. It also left a soft shine to my skin, which is what made me love this product!
I then realized that Koreans are serious about getting that glow and those glowing-skin ads aren’t lies after all!
Few important tips: Don’t be stingy in applying the product; leave enough to coat your skin and you’ll be happy that you did! Also, I guess you shouldn’t use this product if your basic skin condition is not good. This means avoiding its use on inflamed acne and open wounds as they may get worse.
Overall, I highly recommend this product and I hope you try it out too. If you have, let me hear about your experience in the comment section below. Stay pretty!
🙂