SKINCARE | AXIS-Y Climate-Inspired Skincare

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Korean skincare products have always been a major part of my skincare routine (hello, sheet masking every day!) as they tend to be very targeted and more progressive in their "skin tech" when it comes to ingredients. Korean skincare brand, AXIS-Y, is a "climate-inspired" vegan skincare line free of parabens, artificial fragrance, BHT, alcohol, SLS and mineral oil. The focus of their products is to combat environmental aggressors and skin stressors like pollution and UV damage. While they have a fairly extensive array of products, I have been using a couple of their bestsellers and I can DEFINITELY see why! 

Spot the Difference Blemish Treatment

Made with acne-prone and sensitive skin in mind, this lightweight gel spot treatment contains pimple killers AHA and BHA, but also brightens the skin with 2% niacinamide. It even contains hydrating ceramide capsules to restore the skin barrier. The other ingredient that is interesting to note is the presence of 4-terpineol which is extracted from tea tree leaves. While this ingredient has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, what makes this ingredient special is its possible role in collagen synthesis and improvement of acne scarring. 

I have said many times that I am blessed with good, unreactive skin. I rarely break out so I only got the chance to use this product once over the space of two months which probably does not give much insight as to its efficacy. My husband on the other hand, breaks out constantly so we have been using this treatment on him and for his skin, it takes down the redness. It might not cure the pimple right away, but the angriness of the skin calms down if he uses this just before bed.

In terms of scent, this smells very lightly of tea tree oil and the texture truly is lightweight and almost watery with the pink capsules dissolving right into the skin.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycereth-26, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Monarda Didyma Leaf Extract, Hydrangea Macrophylla Leaf Extract, Mentha Aquatica Extract, Sasa Quelpaertensis Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor) Leaf Extract, Cryptomeria Japonica Leaf Extract, Pinus Pinaster Bark/Bud Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Trehalose, Octyldodeceth-16, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, C12-14 Pareth-12, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Edta, Ceramide Np, Fructooligosaccharides, Beta-Glucan, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, 4-Terpineol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Rhizome/Root, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin

Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum

OMGGGG! THIS. THIS serum right here is fan-freakin' tastic! This is a 5% niacinamide serum for all skin types that isn't the least bit sticky or tacky that helps to correct dark spots and bring glow to the skin. It also contains plant-derived squalane to lock in moisture, rice bran extract to smooth and brighten, papaya extract to brighten, soothing calendula and sea buckthorn extract. Lots of brightening ingredients in this product and I am all for it!

I have been using this every single night for the last 8 weeks and now I am almost finished the tube! This serum has such a lovely lightweight gel texture that makes perfect for layering with other products like my sheet masks! It left my skin feeling super smooth so I thought it had dimethicone in it, but it does not! My skin looks so radiant without any shine right after applying this and has continued to look even-toned and bright throughout my AXIS-Y journey!

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, Erythritol, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola)Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Chlorphenesin, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Glutathione, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil

Green Vital Energy Complex

Pairing beautifully with the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum, the Green Vital Energy Complex sheet mask is made from a plant-based cellulose fibre and enriched with 61% mugwort extract (first ingredient!) which has anti-inflammatory properties and is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin. To further soothe the skin, there is also the skincare favourite Centella asiatica. This mask has a thick jelly essence that is cooling to the skin so the moment you remove this mask, you will immediately notice a decrease in redness and an incredible increase in hydration! 

Mask Summary:

Price: $4 USD/single mask or $18 USD/box of 5

Skin concerns: Dryness, irritation, detoxing

Scent: Herbal like rosemary!

Essence Type: Thick, jelly green 

Duration: 25 minutes, but I easily could have left it on for 30-40 minutes!

Thickness: Thin

Mask Fit: Very good! The nose fit me perfectly (I didn't have to fold it up) and everything felt secure.

Tackiness: Light/medium

Hydration: Fairly intense. I did not feel like I wanted to apply any moisturizer afterwards. 

Other notes: N/A

Ingredients: Artemisia Capillaris Extract, Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Dextrin, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Water, Carbomer, Allantoin, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Caramel, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin

Complete No-Stress Physical Sunscreen 

I feel like this is the year where I learn to love physical sunscreens because this Complete No-Stress Physical Sunscreen is kind of blowing my mind! I don't generally look to my sunscreens for skincare as I take care of that with all the previous steps, but it is nice to know when a sunscreen does have some skincare benefits like this one. You have your anti-inflammatory mugwort, 2% niacinamide (I mean, since when does your sunscreen also brighten your skin?) and hydrating squalane. 

The biggest challenge with physical sunscreens, especially high SPF ones like this, is how thick and heavy they start to feel on the skin. Not the case with this one! This has no white cast provided you massage it in and as you massage you from having it feel like a creamy moisturizer to a primer-like finish as there is dimethicone in this formulation. It almost acts like the PERFECT primer for foundation application! It leaves your skin with the smoothest, silkiest finish and does not peel! Hands down, this is one of the most awesome sunscreen formulations (physical or chemical) that I have ever tried!

Ingredients: Water, Zinc Oxide, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Caprylyl Methicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Disiloxane, Niacinamide, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Water, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin, Tocopherol, Squalane, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

 

Final verdict: I loved everything I tried especially the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum and Complete No-Stress Physical Sunscreen! The formulations were perfect for someone like me who has many steps to their routine as there was no pilling or heaviness, but if you have a no nonsense skincare routine, this checks off the boxes of multiple products. 

You can find AXIS-Y skincare at www.axis-y.com