young adult skincare: moistuizers
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one may find there's a lot of recommendations and targeted skincare for teenagers - obviously, for common issues for the age, such as acne - which often last into early 20s, and then calm down. then the next category which begins visibly is skincare for 30-35+, "early aging prevention", which honestly is a bit insane; skincare and the whole beauty industry has the youth obsession problem, and it's unfortunately pretty pronounced in korea. anyways, what should a person between these ages do?
what should a 20-something do about their skin?
generally, at this age the most important factor is moisture and hydration - which aren't quite the same, as one refers to the skin's barriers and ability to hold water, and another to water saturation - then the next prioritised are normalization, the cosmetic is meant to be soothing and help keep red spots and the remains and ocassional returns of acne under control; then it's supposed to protect the skin from environmental factors, such as pollution. in practice this is often about anti-oxidants.
the best creams for this age typically have light, gel (waterdrop) consistency, though some may require something thicker if their skin is very dry or prone to allergy, or otherwise has specific issues. this post however isn't about catering to specific needs, it's about a handful of ideas for young people who want to start doing more involved skincare, but don't know the market or can't bother to read the reviews, or are looking for a new cream. the brackets i recommend these to are primarily 22-29, though i imagine it should also be ok for people in their early 30s and 19-21 year olds if their skin calmed down.
i've picked some products i own or have owned which are within the range affordable for a lot of young adults, are decent in quality - ingredients and all - and meet most requirements people our age tend to have.
of course, most of these are from a series which contains other products suited to the one and with similar ingredients one can use to make a routine. it's generally easy. these series are as a whole good and one can freely use the other products from the same series the cream is from.
these are specifically picked from south korean brands since i have an interest in korean skincare and want to also introduce it a bit to these new to it, starting perhaps from more accessible brands and more obvious parts of the routine. no, i'm not one of these weird white girls who want to be korean. i don't even like kpop, i just like korean skincare. not that there's anything wrong with liking kpop, but i don't. anyway,
skin79 - purimoist series fig cream
i've owned skin79 products before, but this is my newest purchase. overwhelmingly great so far and most probably even better than the ones i've had before; the consistence is that of perfectly smooth gel, it absorbs very well and quickly, the package is convenient, the skin is very moisturized (in its lane and flourishing, you know the deal). it contains anti-acne ingredients such as phytosphingosine, antioxydants like centella asiatica extract, soothing elements like the salix alba willow extract. it's also alcohol free and gets very good reviews for its ingredients in terms of skin-compatibility, efficiency and lack of irritants. unideal, but very good for the price, it contains a lot of actual herb and plant extracts, and has a balanced list of ingredients. from my personal experience so far it's been nothing but great.
it also comes with a series along with a lotion and toner, which i also recommend (and which i also got). it's scentless (unfortunately doesn't smell like fig), smooth transparent gel structure, quickly absorbing and leaving no sticky film on the skin.
mizon - water volume ex, hydra tox cream
this one isn't alcohol free unfortunately so it can be an irritant; it's however great in multiple ways if it turns out not to be. it's now been my usual moistuizer, the one i've taken to work in my bag; it contains lactic acid which grants is slight exfoliating properties and additional anti-acne impact, and has been great for my skin generally, i've noticed red spots and various 'imperfections' disappearing with its regular use. it's supposed to have brightening properties and i supppose it does. it contains salicornia herbacea extract, citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) extract, ocimum basilicum (basil) extract and glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice) root extract. while containing more questionable ingredients, it also is very rich in actually efficient ones, and had an unquestionable great impact on my skin - now i've been using it for about a year and invested in it repeatedly (3 times total).
like purimoist, it's a light gel - unlike purimoist, it's not transparent, but rather light blue, and has a mild, 'oceanic' fragrance; feels less smooth and slightly more 'watery'. overall a good cream for a 20-something. the lemon vita cream may also be of interest, although i haven't tried it yet.
the cream goes with an essence, which i've found good, but not adding a lot of additional value to cream usage. the brand (mizon) also has other series, some of them being better, some worse - reading reviews is necessary if one wants to experiment here. mizon is a brand that will be further discussed soon when i discuss my collection of skincare products, where i will indicate which ones are worth the money more.
skin79 - water biome hydra day setup
another wonderful one from skin79; a light moistuizer with prebiotics, probiotics and balancing ingredients for battling acne, but also collagen and hyaluronic acid to provide for its fading production, meaning it's good for people in their 20s, but also 30s.
overall i've noticed it cured any remains of acne on me basically entirely, and otherwise has been as good at absorption and actually fulfilling its role as a moistuizer as the mizon one, although i have less of a sentiment for it - it's a similar effect with hydration, albeit this one is better for combination skin while less likely to erase red spots. it has a great list of ingredients overall, a lot of 'natural' ones, plant extracts and mineral extracts.
it has a semi-intense smell of.. some kind of a flower, i'm honestly not sure what is it; a forget-me-not? something? (i'll make sure to clarify what does it smell of once i find out, but i can't remember what was it nor find it anywhere). this smell might be unpleasant for some who are sensitive to sensory stimuli, though i personally didn't mind it.
otherwise it has similar gel consistence and colour to the mizon one. it comes with a whole series, which is also good; the face wash is very pleasant and lasts for a time, and this one, as well as the serum, doesn't have the specific intense fragrance; the night cream does. very worth it, though.
the saem - iceland aqua gel cream
this one, too, has a mixture of very good and questionable ingredients, and the way it works out depends on one's skin. arguably, it gives a great cooling and soothing effect while being decent at moisturization and not irritating the skin, at least not mine. it's a great pick for summer because of the cooling effect.
it's also a light gel cream with a mild, pleasant, 'arctic' smell to it. it has a thicker cream in the line which can be used as a nice cream and works out extraordinarily well as such. i own them, and they can keep a decent level of moisture without leaving a layer, don't roll or 'sweat off', which i suppose is a lot of what most young people ask for; additionally it's soothing and pleasant in application, and the package is very convenient and lasting, so probably worth its price in calculation. in general i recommend this one, it probably won't disappoint and it's, well, not bad. good even.
holika holika - aloe soothing essence 80% moisturizing cream
contains a lot of good, 'rich' ingredients and is alcohol free, but also contains various polymers, which means it might come off more 'plastic'. in practice it doesn't much; it's a decent moistuizer wiht soft aloe fragrance - very comforting - and no 'wow' effect, but decent enough.
it's very good for the summer; i have good experiences with other cosmetics of the same brand i've bought, and i have to say their sparking lemon peeling gel is an absolute hit; as for the cream presented, i don't think it irritated the skin or clogged the pores on anyone i know, and it doesn't tend to trigger allergies. it's pleasant to use and the effects are moderate to good.
in general, good enough of a moistuizer for a young person, unlikely to cause a negative reaction, and comforting in application, with a wide choice of related brand cosmetics to experiment with which are in majority at least decent.
these can be a good starting point of interest and meanwhile i will soon discuss my own collection of various products and how i rate them!