Obsessed with Asian/Korean Beauty Products Vol 6

[FrustratedFrugal]

Past volumes here.

I tried to post on the previous thread and realized that it was full.

Anyone still around?

I have a parcel from Korea waiting for me at the post office. Can't wait.

Grrrrrr stopped getting alerts from this thread again, though I was getting them from the other one. How absurd is that!
Must go to sleep so will report on the (lovely) mask tomorrow!

TK Maxx question above (on app and can't remember posters name!!)
Am scrolling through website
Pure heals ampoule and serum and creams are nice
It's skin is a decent brand
Etude house stuff I've also used and liked
Koelf masks - I didn't like the hydrogel ones so wouldn't recommend
In store had more choice and also reduced stuff, I got some Tony moly sheet masks which were cheap and are good (I don't wash excess off, just pat it in and then top with moisturiser

Well, the L'Herboflore HA Moisture Energy Biocellulose sheet mask is pretty amazing. After I removed it (about 60 minutes) my face felt very firm yet plump and incredibly smooth (though slightly white?) and I must say that in spite of sleeping poorly I still see a marked difference, so all in all is pretty WOW!!! It's a very "wet" mask and there is A LOT of serum in the envelope. After I'd smeared my arms, chest and even my shins there was so much left I decanted it into a small container... Just could not bring myself to through it away . The texture of the mask is gel-like, by the way, a bit strange but eventually rather nice as it also creates a cooling-relaxing effect.

I did look at the AM/PM line at the time. Maybe it had some dodgy ingredient? Not sure, but I mainly followed some recs (also yours, obvs ;) and got what was OK qua ingredients and positive recs.

Be ware or Dr. Wu, cause all the stuff I checked had some scary INCI, so look it up properly in cosine.

yongian - I also think that acids are your best bet in your quest to tighten pores. Maybe doing a very gentle clay mask on target area (yellow or pink - by the way you can buy premium clay from France for just a few euros and mix it with honey etc ), rinsing after no more then 3-5 minutes and then do acids? Mind you, this is a process that would probably take a while... so maybe don't expect very fast results.

Cosdna...

Oh that was me with the TK Maxx q thanks hollin
Ok thanks aurora I am going to start looking at cosdna as a matter of course.
I do use a pink clay mask, a cattier one and am just making up my mind whether to go for a gentle BHA (PC do a calm 1%) or the mandelic acid or niaci (will go for the ordinary if so)...botemp has given me some good recommendations from western brands, but won't be purchasing for a little while so let me know if you've any others!

I've been using P50 for a few years now and cannot recommend it enough but can't tell if it would suit your skin, obviously, but I'm completely in love..... My pre teen uses now Cosrx BHA and it seems to be unblocking his pores which cause him to have (skin coulored) bumps on this forehead, but we are going easy, just a couple of times a week, so it's still early days.
The Carttier masks are great. I think I have the yellow one. You can even use it as a spot treatment just for a few minutes.

I might just nip in TK Maxx. For a browse of course

For research purposes possibly hollin?!

The P50 is good is it aurora? Ah pre-teen skincare...I might start a thread on that actually....
Ahhh the happy world of skincare...it's a great distraction to having two kids with Noro virus right now...

Ah yes. Research purposes only

All in the name of being helpful to newcomers on the AB thread also hollin

Gah it's all been replace in store with Christmas stuff I got a non AB moisturiser to try as it was £6

I am another not so secret lover of p50 but I get the W version for sensitive skin. I am prone to a bit of flushing and red undertones but I have no idea how suitable it is if you have rosacea. The good thing about it and the annoying thing is that they assess your skin and routine somewhat before selling it to you, they don't just give it to anyone that asks for it. It is strangely very mild in terms of ingredients but the % is high and the pH low.

A new TKmaxx opened in NL, Aurora. The Hague this time where I actually end up quite often. Though the one in Rotterdam mostly had konjac sponges and little else in terms of kbeauty iirc. I'm there for the rare undamaged Nars bits and fake tan mostly... the rest of the shop depresses me. Will visit soon for research purposes too .

Yes, the L'Herboflore ones I tried had crazy amount of essence in it and it was very cooling and never seemed to dry up. So nothing special about the biocellulose itself aside from being somewhat gel like? If they were fragrance free I'd be tempted to get those but I'll think I'll try the Naruko AMPM ones first.

I heard Dr. Wu gained investment from LVMH in which is interesting about some other unknown Taiwanese brands too. I do need to take a closer look at their ingredients. The water spray (also Dr. Wu) in the video caught my interest for winter. I know you mentioned some of their preservatives were outlawed in the EU (was it the Vit C serum?), Aurora, so will investigate further.

I also initially began with the P50W (diluted with a wet cotton pad for the first two weeks) and after a few months "graduated" to P50. But there is also P50V, an in-between version. I only use it about 3 times a week PM now, though in cases of emergencies do use it daily AM/PM for a few days (with a lot of oil on top).

botmep the preservative is - Methylisothiazolinone - sadly quite common in AB...

And do report the findings of your research in Den Haag as there I do find myself sometimes.

Will do! In all honesty I don't expect it to be much different from R'dam, a lot gets manhandled so much it's no longer worth the discounted price tag and considering my excellent internet research skills when it comes to high end bargains I don't find places like TKmaxx all that bargainous.

I thought the P50V was for 'mature' skins with extra vitamins? I do 3 x a week too. Don't think I'd want to do more.

I really need to start compiling a list of banned ingredients in the EU in cosmetics, and some of the grey zone ones (I know Denmark for example is much harsher) for reference. I'll post here for others interested too.

I saw this pop up, 2016 Soko Glam Best of Beauty Awards, Soko Glam is one of the biggest K-Beauty shops in the US, though I believe they're quite picky about what they sell. Am now eyeing the Erborian eye cream with my luck it'll have fragrance since I'm still on the lookout for one for day. It's interesting to see what's been popular this year though, lots is unfamiliar to me but certainly intriguing. Gross as that clay mask looks I kinda want to try it...

Oh, I thought the P50W was for mature skin. Well, I say the more mature the stronger the acid should be! And I plan on looking young forever even if I have to drink the P50 ... Though that might be quite expensive, so maybe we can concoct a P50 drink-dupe using The Ordinary stuff!

Oh I'm going to have a look at SKG right after I finish with some stuff around here....

By the way, I think the preservative I listed is also banned in Canada. They seem to also be quite strict.

Good idea to make a list of banned/ dodgy stuff - we can all contribute to it and save a lot of googling for INCI which at times drives me mad!

hollin that is outrageous- how very dare they? How selfish to be thinking about Christmas when we have AB skincare research needs? Pah!
So for the P50 aficionados- are you getting this via a derm/facialist or some other route?
Talking of Soko Glam I was just reading some articles by its founder Charlotte Cho if anyone's interested. Probably a more entry-level than you guys need but might be useful.

Hmmmm, a bit suspicious of the SKG awards - I clicked on last year's awards and they seem quite similar, though they include the Klairs Vit C which is quite low % and that Banilla cleanser which is packed with MO. But I'm always suspicious of this kind of stuff, be it in magazines or websites as I wonder if they are payed by the brands to advertise showcase the products in that way. I could be totally wrong of course...

Speaking of MO - couple of weeks ago someone gave me a biggish sample of Clinique Smart Night cream and I was horrified to discover it contains paraffin . I gave it back to my friend she she threw it in the bin!

Oh yes those awards usually are paid for nonsense (especially since that is a store blog) but I had gone on the assumption these were the bestsellers of the year, perhaps I haven't been reading to carefully.

Aurora and I get it from the same skincare shop in Amsterdam, yongnian, that has a facialist practice attached but I think in the UK it's sold by a medispa in London, and perhaps a few other places. They might do it over the phone if you're not close. Just go to the BR website for sales points.

Also, they do travel sizes! 50ml, lasts forever, prices while not cheap are not outrageous (don't know about the UK though).

Yeah, that's what I meant, the 50ml! And you can refill the 50ml bottle - so handy for traveling. Never travel w/o P50, haha!!!
And it does last forever as you don't need more than a few drops (else you are in for major singing!).
Mind you it smells of ACV, but I quite like the smell...

Got my banned EU INCI list done (was a lot more ingredients than I expected) also added in Canada, Japan, and a bit of Denmark.

If anyone's Danish (or just speaks/reads it) I'd be much obliged if you can find me their additional banned ingredient list for cosmetics as I couldn't find it on their official govt. website and only found a database you could search one ingredient at a time (in Danish- I can watch it on TV and understand it mostly but that's about it ). So far I only have one UV filter and some info on phthalates in children's toys. The latter I didn't include.

I've also added, in separate tabs, the further restrictions with max % and specific uses for EU, Canada, and the EU list of potential endocrine disruptors (sort of a watch list).

Link thing here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bp2eLS66dNcXtw4S8mp9OqNLYYwxAHJSXdjnXCU4MUQ/edit?usp=sharing To search simply use the search option (CTRL+F), you need to use the expanded one (click on the "..." button) if you want to search all tabs at once.

Aurora, Methylisothiazolinone was only on the Canadian list (the one with conditions). Do you remember where you read about it being disallowed in the EU, perhaps I'm missing an additional list?

WOW!!!!!! botemp you deserve an award for services to the greater good of womankind!!! Or definitely MNter of the month (at least)
What an amazing list. I will look up the info re the Methylisothiazolinone later.

The ban seems to be voluntary. From Wikipedia-

In 2014, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety further issued a voluntary ban on "the mixture of Methylchloroisothiazolinone (and) Methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI) from leave-on products such as body creams. The measure is aimed at reducing the risk from and the incidence of skin allergies. The preservative can still be used in rinse-off products such as shampoos and shower gels at a maximum concentration of 0.0015 % of a mixture in the ratio 3:1 of MCI/MI. The measure will apply for products placed on the market after 16 July 2015." Shortly thereafter, Canada moved to adopt similar measures in its Cosmetic Ingredients Hotlist. Additionally, new research into cross reactivity of MI-sensitized patients to variants benzisothiazolinone and octylisothiazolinone have found that reactions may occur if present in sufficient amounts.

Interesting that the ban is only on the combo. We need further research

Yes, I did read it was at the request of some professional dermatologist body to limit or ban it. The original list is from 2009 but I assume it gets updated. Will look into it further.