Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask EX-Retail $52
For years and years now I've known and heard about this famous Korean brand, but never even thought about purchasing it because of the high price tag. Luckily, a friend from church (who hauls inexpensive skincare from Hong Kong each year) offered to let me try this out, and I'm so glad I got the chance to! This product in particular is a fan-favorite so I really couldn't say no to trying this out for a week.
Did you know? Sulwhasoo along with numerous other brands (Laneige/HERA/Belif...etc) are all owned by AmorePacific, the mother company!
Specs:
- Type: Hydrating Overnight Mask
- Size: 120mL
- Scent: Light, natural scent (keep in mind this does contain fragrance)
- Packaging: Tube
Ingredients:
WATER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, SQUALANE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, DI-C12-13 ALKYL MALATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, PANAX GINSENG ROOT EXTRACT, PAEONIA ALBIFLORA ROOT EXTRACT, NELUMBO NUCIFERA FLOWER EXTRACT, POLYGONATUM OFFICINALE RHIZOME/ROOT EXTRACT, LILIUM CANDIDUM BULB EXTRACT, REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA ROOT EXTRACT, HONEY, GLYCYRRHIZA URALENSIS (LICORICE) ROOT EXTRACT, MORUS ALBA ROOT EXTRACT, JUGLANS REGIA (WALNUT) SEED EXTRACT, SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT, C12-16 ALCOHOLS, C12-20 ALKYL GLUCOSIDE, C14- 22 ALCOHOLS, DEXTRIN, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, STEARIC ACID, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, ALCOHOL, XANTHAN GUM, CARBOMER, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) EXTRACT, TREHALOSE, TROMETHAMINE, PALMITIC ACID, POLYSORBATE 20, POLYACRYLATE-13, POLYISOBUTENE, PEG-100 STEARATE, PHYTOSTERYL/BEHENYL/OCTYLDODECYL LAUROYL GLUTAMATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL ISOSTEARATE, HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE, DISODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL, FRAGRANCE
Performance:
This popular product is conveniently packaged in a flexible easy-to-squeeze tube to dispense the product. The most notable and memorable thing about this mask is not surprisingly the texture. It's incredibly silky and smooth, moisturizing, but not greasy. However, I think what contributes to this gorgous texture is the presence of different silicones, which might turn some people off. Honestly, I used to feel uncomfortable using silicones in skincare due to the ingredient's overall bad reputation, but after a little more research, silicones don't actually clog your pores and actually retains moisture in the formulation. These silicones contribute to the texture being rich but somehow not too heavy for my combo-oily skin! Squalane and shea butter are also high on the list, great for moisture and repairing any dryness you may be experiencing. Since we're on the topic of ingredients, keep in mind this product also contains fragrance (but very little of it), so sensitive skin peeps/eczema sufferers, patch test first!
I used it a every night for an entire week, and even found myself considering using it during the daytime perhaps on drier days. I loved that this product didn't feel too thick and gave a gorgeous glow to the skin after application. I actually think I do a good job in the skincare routine to make sure I hydrate properly before bed, so I actually didn't really feel a huge difference in hydration the next morning. Honestly, I didn't see a huge difference in my skin, but I really, really actually looked forward to the experience of putting this on at the end of the day solely because of the softness it gives to the skin. This might not be a must-have for already-hydrated combo-oily skin types, but I can see how this would be a favorite pick for many drier skin types.
Verdict:
At the end of the day, $52 is still dang pricey, even for 120mL. As much as I love the texture, I don't think it's worth $52, but I would definitely purchase this on a discount ~$30 or less. For $52 I'd rather spend that on a serum or a product that does more than just hydrate the skin because let's be honest...a lot of products out there can do an amazing job with hydration.
Save Some $:
The cheapest I've seen this was for $32-ish on Beautytap.com so subscribe to their emails. There are also other places to buy it; one other place I've seen it sold new is on Poshmark so definitely check these out if you've been eyeing this product for a long time.