In partnership with Influenster Canada, bloggers and influencers across Canada were chosen to review one product from the Laneige Ultimate 24 Hour Hydration System. You may already have seen reviews for the Brightening Sparkling Water Foam Cleanser, Water Bank Serum, Water Bank Gel Cream and Water Sleeping Mask. Though these are brand new to the Canadian market, some of these products have been available in Asia since 2013. The product I was sent to try was the Water Bank Serum ($46.00 CDN)* and though I wish I could have tried the serum in conjunction with at least the moisturizer to see how they paired off, I think I was still able to get a good idea of whether this serum was a yay or nay.
Laneige is known for what is known as "Advanced Water Science Skincare" and their inclusion of magnesium, zinc, ceramides and collagen restoring bio-peptides. The history behind the Water Bank line is that Asian women have a "weak skin barrier" and have trouble retaining moisture. I am really not sure about how true that is, but the story goes that as Asia is mostly hot for the better part of the year, this products in this line were meant to feel cool on contact with skin in addition to being hydrating.
Without boring you too much, at first glance, a large part of the ingredients in what I deem to be THE most important product of any skincare regime are silicones. I have mentioned before that this makes me hesitant to use at night as silicones are barrier forming over the skin meaning that nothing really gets in. In terms of preventing moisture from leaving the skin, that's what a silicone will do. I happily used this during the day, but switched to something 'cone-free at night when skin is at its repairative peak.
Magnesium is present in the form of Magnesium sulfate which is actually a natural inflammatory that you will find a lot in epsom salts! No wonder they work for sore muscles! When it comes to the skin, an anti-imflammatory helps greatly with angry acneic and blemished skin (Truth in Aging, November 2015). Zinc is found in the form Zinc Sulfate and though Paula's Beautypedia despise this ingredient, there has been some research showing that it can be helpful in treating topical skin conditions including acne.
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Dimethicone, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Trisiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Tillandsia Usneoides Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Fruit Extract, Dimethiconol, Betaine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Phenyl Trimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Pca Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.
To be honest, I don't know where exactly the ceramides and collagen restoring bio-peptides lie in this ingredient list. From the hours of research, I gathered that Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract is great for digestive health and potentially for the skin too in terms of hydration. The other ingredient that I like and is kind of cool to have in a serum is Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract which is a natural source of salicylic acid. At almost midway through the ingredients list, it won't be too potent, but you don't see a lot of serums with a chemical exfoliant in them so very cool Laneige!
The serum itself does actually feel "plump" with water - almost like a glassy, white bubble filled with raindrops of hydration. One pump goes quite a long way and really does feel like you are spreading water all over your face, but with that extra benefit of sealing in moisture. One thing I do need to add though is that I found this serum to be quite fragrant. There is fragrance added so as someone who is not too fussed about scent, I would give this a try at Sephora first because it took a few days to move past it. The scent does disappear once on the skin.
Final verdict: This is a great day time serum as the silicones give skin an instantaneous smoothing effect in addition to making sure moisture stays in. At night, I would use something else as I believe silicones have no place in a nightly skincare routine, but this is just personal preference. Though this serum was "water-filled", it was not enough to use alone and my normal skin type still needed a good dose of moisturizer on top. If you are wanting to step your skincare game, but don't have any major concerns The Water Bank line is good place to start. The products are affordable and focus on keeping skin hydrated. Korean skincare will totally rock your world with how forward-thinking the products are. If you haven't heard of Laneige before until now, you are about to dive into the Rabbit Hole my friend because Laneige has SO MANY other products. This is just the tip of the iceberg!
Find Laneige at Sephora and www.sephora.ca now!
.JPG)
No comments