🌱 Brand Story: Rovectin as a brand actually came about when the founder’s sister was recovering from chemotherapy for cancer and he wanted to help repair her damaged skin. From then on, Rovectin has been focused on creating products that are safe and healthy for those with extreme sensitivities. 🌱 Claims: Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Sulfate-free, Allergen-free, Fragrance-free, Pregnancy-friendly, Non-comedogenic, Oil-free, Fungal Acne-Safe 🌱 Key Ingredients: A patented blend of fruit extracts provides AHA/BHA/PHA exfoliation 15% Glycerin provides moisture after cleansing Neem, Chinaberry, green tea and fig extracts provide antioxidant benefit 🌱 Ph: 5.0-6.0 🌱 Notes: Wintergreen and charcoal are advertised as providing benefits, but they are so low on teh ingredients list they are pretty much negligible. Which is fine, because mint tends to be an irritant. 🌱 I am much more excited by the inclusion of fruit extracts (Papaya, Prune, Apple, Grape) that will help break down oil and dead skin. Texture: This cleanser works into a smooth, dense lather with tons of tiny bubbles. You can really work it into your pores. Even with my dry skin, I have never felt stripped from massaging this into my face. 🌱 Scent: None, soapy. 🌱 Price: $25.60CA for 150mL or $0.18/ml 🌱 Application: This is one of the few cleansers where I can actually feel it removing skin cells and not just stripping me of oil. When I use this, I can feel and see bits of dead skin being removed. I attribute this to the fruit enzymes, which dissolve excess protein, not just oil. Unfortunately, cleansers simply aren’t left on the skin long enough for antioxidant ingredients to really sink in, but it’s nice that they are included, and some provide calming anti-irritation properties. 🌱 Every day? This is the cleanser I find myself reaching for the most for my nightly wash. 🌱 Packaging: If I’m being picky, I find Rovectin’s ultra-minimal packaging a little underwhelming, and could possibly lead to confusion if they produce two products of the same size and shape. You know how you sometimes reach for the conditioner instead of shampoo in the shower when the bottles are identical. Rovectin does include stickers to decorate their products with, but older users may not be interested in this. 🌱 Accessibility: Might be worth exploring a less minimal design as a company, especially if a buyer does not read the language on the package. Colours and graphic design can help cross language barriers. 🌱 Sustainability: This product cannot be refilled. 🌱 Overall: I would recommend this cleanser to anyone who is looking for thorough cleansing with enzyme exfoliation. As someone with dry skin, it helps remove excess dead skin cells without stripping my skin of already low oils. It is a pleasure to use!

Skin-soothing toner pads created in collaboration with beauty content creator Bbomni. Contains 70% Jeju Guava Leaf Extract that provides antioxidant and skin soothing benefits while delivering hydration to skin. Enriched with 7 other kinds of skin soothing plant-based extracts such as Mugwort Extract and Houttuynia Cordata Extract. Vegan verified and clinically tested to provide temporary improvement in skin texture and skin soothing effects. My review. Very hydrating can us as a daily toner or leave on longer for a mask like effect. Comes with a handy spatula. Left skin calm and collected. Lovely soothing effect bonus product find.

I was gifted this toner by I'm From in exchange for my honest review. (I’m From does not have an official website in English, so translation errors may occur.) 🌱 Brand Story: I’m From is a luxury minimalist skincare brand that highlights the source of their ingredients right in the product names. This rice toner is sourced from farms in Yeoju, in northwest Korea. 🌱 Claims: Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Sulfate-free, Allergen-free, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free, Pregnancy-friendly, Non-comedogenic, Oil-free, Eczema-Safe 🌱 Key Ingredients: The top ingredient is, of course, 77.78% Rice Extract, known for its skin-soothing and anti-aging properties 🌱Niacinamide - a skincare superstar for oil control, brightening and anti-aging 🌱Portulaca Oleracea (Common Purslane) Extract - A traditional Korean hangbang ingredient, Source of Omega 3 Linoleic acid and Natural Moisturizing Factors 🌱Rice bran extract - Softening / conditioning 🌱Adenosine - Cell-communicating anti-inflammatory 🌱Amaranthus Caudatus (Amaranthe) Seed Extract - Source of fatty acids and Good Band ;) 🌱 pH: 6.9±1.0 🌱 Texture: An opaque watery toner with no body to it. You’d think it would be thicker from the opaque whiteness, but it’s 100% fluid. 🌱 Scent: A barest hint of a whiff of… coconut? Odd, as there is no coconut in the formula. It may be from the rice extract itself giving that creamy scent. 🌱 Price / Amount: $35CA for 150mL or $0.23/mL 🌱 Application: Seeing all the softening and skin-conditioning ingredients in the formula, I knew I was in for a treat. This toner is very milky and opaque, but with no thickeners, it flows very freely. I try to avoid using cotton pads to reduce landfill waste, but this may be an exception. 🌱 Application: If you’ve been using skincare for a while, you know that each person has a certain skin “budget” and certain products use up that budget more than others. This toner is very satiating. Once I apply a second layer, my skin feels full and hydrated, and not interested in a third, while the conditioning ingredients build a soft barrier over the hydration to lock it in. A really fascinating product! It’s on the pricey side, but you don’t need much to feel your skin drink it in. The other thing I love is that this toner is beautiful under makeup. It hydrates my skin so well, there is no cakeyness from foundation or powder products. 🌱 Every day: This formula has a very high concentration of Niacinamide, especially for a toner, so if you are sensitive, or new to active ingredients, you may feel some tingling or even stinging the first few times you use it. If you’ve built up a tolerance to high niacinamide, it’s safe to use every day. 🌱 Packaging: This product comes in a transparent plastic bottle with a screw-cap and flow reducer inside. I would recommend storing this away from direct sunlight so UV radiation does not spoil the product early. Accessibility: The twist-off cap is easy to remove, though I would prefer to see texture bumps to help with wet hands. The bottle is a little on the skinny side, so is somewhat easy to tip over. 🌱 Sustainability: I’m From has chosen peel-off labels to make post-consumer recycling easier. Their outer box is also matte card printed with soy ink. Thank you! 🌱 Overall: This is a lovely product, and I’m converted. It makes my skin hydrated and silky and helps my skin look its absolute best underneath makeup. If you have a tolerance for niacinamide, your skin will love this.

I am very impressed with this formula. It is one if the most calming, moisturizing serums I have tried. While Centella Asiatica is having an all-star moment, what truly matters is how a product incorporates and presents its proven ingredients. This formula isn't just scientifically sound, it is beautiful. It is a sensory pleasure to use. The smell is soft, natural floral from the rose water, and the texture is rich and smooth, but not goopy. My dry skin wakes up feeling refreshed, with no hint of tightness or flakes. Just soft, and supple. This product is correctly housed in an opaque plastic bottle with a quality pump. It is protected from oxygen, bacteria, and UV rays. The outside packaging is simple cardboard and easily recyclable with no unnecessary plastic. The bottle can be reused or recycled. This is a fantastic buy. Will repurchase.

🌱 I received this from Skin1004, StyleKorean and Gopicky as part of a giveaway in exchange for my honest review. 🌱 🌱 Claims: Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Sulfate-free, Allergen-free, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free, Pregnancy-friendly, Non-comedogenic, Oil-free, Eczema-Safe “Fermented centella and ceramide meet to take care of the broken skin barrier” 🌱 Key Ingredients: This formula contains 9 ingredients total 🌱 Centella Asiatica Extract - Powerhouse antioxidant and skin-soothing 🌱 Asiaticoside - One of the active antioxidants in Cica 🌱 Madecassic Acid - Active component in Cica, Anti-aging 🌱 Asiatic Acid - Antioxidant plant extract, found in Cica 🌱 Polyhydroxystearic Acid - Dispersing agent for texture 🌱 Betaine - Humectant with emerging evidence of pigment correction 🌱 Allantoin - Soothing plant extract 🌱 Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5) - Soothing hydration 🌱 Lactobacillus/Centella Asiatica extract ferment filtrate - Fermented Cica makes the component ingredients easier to absorb by skin 🌱 Ceramide NP - Waxy substances used to lock in hydration and protect skin’s barrier 🌱 Texture: A semi-viscous milky serum without any stringy or goopy texture. It spreads and absorbs easily. This is the least finicky of the three products in terms of texture. 🌱 Scent: None. Oddly enough, there is no Raspberry Ketone in this or the cream, so maybe Skin1004 decided it wasn’t doing much? There are no fragrance ingredients. 🌱 Price: $33.75CA for 50mL or $0.67/mL 🌱 Application: While the other two products have their personalities, this ampoule gets along well with everyone. I’ve tried it over several toners and essences and underneath thinner and thicker moisturisers without any trouble. I love that it extends that hydrated, tacky (but not sticky) feeling so my skin never feels tight, itchy or dry. I’ve had some hormonal acne breakouts and I appreciate the fact that this doesn’t have any irritating actives in it while I need my chin to settle down and behave. With this and the toner, some have mentioned they feel like a layer is “on” their skin, that would most likely be from the ceramides, which form a waxy barrier that prevents water loss. It’s best to put products with ceramides close to last in order to seal in the more absorbent ingredients. 🌱 Every day: It’s not recommended to use ampoules every day due to their high concentration of irritating active ingredients; however, this ampoule does not contain actives that would cause irritation from frequent use. It contains mostly calming and skin-soothing properties. 🌱 Notes: Being an ampoule, one expects there to be a high concentration of active ingredients involved. But like the toner in this series, the Lactobacillus and ferment filtrate is second to last on the ingredient list. I am not sure at what concentration these ingredients need to be at to be effective, but keep in mind, the Mixsoon fermented bean serum is 100% ferment filtrate. This doesn’t negate the other fantastic ingredients, but I would have to do more research into fermented products to see if they are adding effective benefit to match the claims made. Labmuffinbeautyscience has a great article on fermentation in skincare on her blog, definitely check it out if you’re interested in the subject. 🌱 Packaging: The toner and cream come in plastic containers, but this one is frosted glass. I love that it’s tinted dark brown to protect the contents from UV light. The dropper is good quality, with soft black rubber and a glass rod. Your ampoule won’t expire early thanks to good packaging. The glass feels thick and sturdy enough that it won't shatter under the slighted touch, but still be careful not to drop it. 🌱 Accessibility: The bottle is not so narrow it will easily tip over. The cap could use texture bumps to help with grip, but otherwise it has average/good accessibility. 🌱 Sustainability: I appreciate that Skin1004 uses matte paper labels that can be easily removed for better recycling. Thank you! The bottle is glass, so can be recycled. This product could be refilled if refills were made available. 🌱 Overall: Fermentation seems to be the big skincare trend of 2023, and Skin1004 is getting in on it. Whether this line contains enough fermented ingredients to matter or not, this is still an incredibly soothing ampoule that will help restore tired, dull, dry skin with an all-star cast of soothing, hydrating antioxidants and humectants. It’s a good product either way!

I received this as a gift from both Neopharm and Picky in exchange for my honest review 🌱 Claims: All Neopharm products are free from: Parabens, Ethanol, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Phenoxyethanol, PEG, Artificial Fragrances, Benzophenone, Diethanolamine and Artificial Pigments. Also Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Sulfate-free, Allergen-free, Fragrance-free, Pregnancy-friendly, Non-comedogenic, Eczema-Safe 🌱 Key Ingredients: Myristoyl/palmitoyl oxostearamide/arachamide mea: This is the “MLE technology” that Neopharm claims sets their products apart. These are the synthetic ceramides and pseudo-ceramides that mimic skin’s natural barriers. From my testing, yes, they moisturise. This cream has a laundry list of some of the gentlest, most soothing and hydrating ingredients in skincare. Almost too many to list! 🌱 Panthenol - humectant 🌱 Carthamus Tinctorius Oil - fatty acids, hydration 🌱 Ectoin - hydration 🌱 Linoleic acid - anti-aging, hydration 🌱 Phytosterols - hydration, skin-soothing 🌱 Allantoin - skin-soothing 🌱 Madecassoside - Active component in Centella Asiatica, soothing antioxidant 🌱 Arginine - antioxidant, humectant 🌱 Tocopheryl Acetate - vitamin E, antioxidant 🌱 Texture: A lightweight cream with a hint of a gel texture from the inclusion of hyaluronic acid. The best of both worlds, in my opinion. It’s rich enough that it holds moisture in, but light enough that it layers well under sunscreen and makeup. 🌱 Scent: None! I talked before about how I felt the sun cream and mist would be fantastic without scents. Well, here it is. Perfection! 🌱 Price: $36CA for 60mL or $0.60/mL 🌱 Application: Somehow, this product does everything. It’s light, it’s strong, it’s hydrating, it’s non-greasy. It lasts all day, but doesn’t smear or pill under makeup. I’m seriously impressed. All while being hypo-allergenic and 100% scent-free. Although I received this as part of a review event, I cannot say enough good things about this. I think it might knock my holy grail Rovectin Clean Lotus Water cream off the number one spot on my shelf. It’s good. It’s really good. 🌱 Other uses: If you see my face, you know I just have permanently chapped lips. I love how this product combines HA with their skin-similar lipid formula. The thick scaliness of my dry lips softens immediately. And it has no weird taste! 🌱 Every day: Yes, I would recommend this for daily use for anyone with dry, sensitive skin. Even those with extremely dry, damaged skin. There are no fragrances or essential oils to irritate cracked or chapped skin. Only moist goodness. 🌱 Notes: This cream does contain a low amount of dimethicone, which is a silicone, for texture enhancement. I have not experienced any pore clogging. 🌱 Packaging: This cream comes in a slim translucent tube with a flip-cap (My favourite!) I am able to easily open and dispense the product with one hand. 🌱 Accessibility: I prefer a flip-cap to caps that require twisting or pulling because they can be used with one hand, and are less likely to slip away. Accessibility is great! 🌱 Sustainability: This product is not refillable. The cap can be recycled. 🌱 Overall: Soothing, hydrating and 100% unscented. I can confidently recommend this to those with even the most delicate dry, damaged, sensitive skin. 11/10 amazing.