Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Serum REVIEW

Cost: £14 (Free P+P)

Seller: Ebay

---

Brand Reputation

Innisfree is South Korea’s first all natural skincare and cosmetics company and is owned by Amore Pacific. Products include many organic ingredients and many from Jeju Island. Some of their bestsellers include Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, Water Glow Cushion and No Sebum Mineral Powder.

What Does It Claim?

A moisturizing serum with the organic Jeju green tea water and green tea seeds to hydrate your skin from within.

1. More moisturizing and fresh with the 100% squeezed green tea
Rich in amino acids and minerals, green tea from the fresh Jeju green tea leaves hydrate your skin

2. Dual Moisture-Rising Technology from the green tea and green tea seed oil
The fresh green tea water deeply hydates your skin and the green tea seed oil creates a strong moisture barrier to keep your skin moisturized for a longer period.

3. The first skincare applied after face wash, so it holds moisture inside your skin to prevent any moisture loss.

Ingredients

Green Tea Extract (75.9%), Propanediol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Ethanol, Glycerin, Betaine, The green Tea Seed Oil (208mg), Prickly Pear Extract, Orchid Extract, Tangerine Peel Extract, Camellia Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Extract, Grapefruit Extract, Orange Extract, Tangerine Extract, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sorbitan Olivate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cocoa Extract, Dextrin, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance

Doesn’t contain: parabens, synthetic colorants, mineral oil, animal-originated ingredients, imdazolidinyl urea

The thing that pleased me most was that green tea extract was the first and main ingredient. Sometimes a product will market itself containing an ingredient that may not even be in the actual thing. A bit about green tea and it’s properties: the medicinal properties of tea are attributed to flavonoid phytochemicals called polyphenols. The polyphenols found in tea mainly belong to the subtype called catechins. Green tea has more catechins than black tea (about 25% vs 4%). Numerous studies have shown tea polyphenols to have protective effects against free radicals, cardiovascular damage, some cancers, infections and toxins, and there have been a number of encouraging studies of skin benefits of green tea. Studies have demonstrated that topical green tea formulations reduce sun damage. Green tea appears to exert sun damage protection by quenching free radicals and reducing inflammation rather than by blocking UV rays. Therefore, green tea may synergistically enhance sun protection when used in addition to a sunscreen. A small study also showed benefits of 2% polyphenone (via a particular type of green tea extract) in papulopustular rosacea. [From http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/topical/greentea.html]

So, from a little research I’m pleased with the ingredients, especially the benefits of the green tea, (it’s also organic and from Jeju Island, and everybody loves Jeju Island), however, it would be even better without the added fragrance.

Appearance + Packaging

One side of the packaging. It’s nice that Innisfree have included information in English, and I’m not sure if you can see it, but it also tells you where to include it in your routine

The outer packaging feels like it’s made from recycled packaging and the text is printed with soy ink, which fits into the brand’s naturalistic image. The actual product is housed in green hard plastic with a brown pump. The pump releases the amount recommended for one application, (but of course if you need more, use more.) If you apply all you products to your neck as well as your face, (you really should), you may want to use two pumps.

I’m not sure why, but the green container makes me feel happy – maybe because it connotes nature and leaves and all that summery stuff?

 Initial Thoughts

Before buying this I used the h20+ Oasis 24 Hydrating Booster, although only about 3 times a week. I invested into the Innisfree serum wanting to try it out in conjunction with a new Japanese toner I had bought, and also because I rarely finish products unless I really like them (or can’t afford to buy anything new fml). When I first started using this serum I really enjoyed to scent and found my skin to be getting softer each day I used it. However, the effects started wearing off after a few weeks and I wondered if it was just my new toner and BHA helping my skin, and whether this was a dud product in my skincare routine. However, when I took it out completely from both my morning and evening routines I found my skin dryer and more irritated than before. Once I started using the Green Tea Seed Serum again, my skin was fine. So all in all, I think it’s a really good, moisturising product that really helps keep skin smooth and calm.

Second Thoughts

After using the product for a longer period of time, I still think it really does something that I can’t comprehend to make my skin look… well, just better. However, I do think that it is not as moisturising as I initially thought. Especially when I was using a BHA almost every day, I found if I didn’t use enough moisturising toner and a rich balm my skin would start getting really dry and my redness would flare up. And so, I came up with the conclusion that, in times like winter, and when I’m using BHA solutions using this serum isn’t enough to keep my skin properly hydrated. However, as the weather is getting really hot, I’ve really enjoyed using it, and I think it is a really good item to add to your routine as it’s light and easily absorbed leaving your skin supple but not sticky.

Overal Opinion

+ A decent – good moisturising serum that maintains moist and soft skin

+ Easily absorbed

+ Smells awesome (fresh and clean)

+ Great in summer as it’s light and refreshing

+ Lasts a long time

– Slightly pricy

– Probably not suitable for very dry skin, or for those who use a lot of BHA/AHA exfoliants

– Maybe not as effective if not used with moisturising toners and lotions etc

Rating: 3.5/5 or 4/5

Would I Recommend It?

I think I can comfortably say that if you want a simple serum that does (to an extent) what it says on the tin, but I think the rating I give it varies in accordance with a multitude of factors. For instance, as this is summer, and the weather is super hot at the moment, I would give this a higher rating, however, in winter, I would probably recommend something a bit more rich. By itself, the serum does hydrate your skin, and it’s a dream to use of a stuffy night, so if you’re looking for a serum to buy and use this summer and want to use a product that’s highly recommended by a lot of people, definitely give it a go if you can.