Review: iUnik Vitamin Hyaluronic Acid Vitalizing Toner, Rose Galactomyces Synergy Serum and Centella Calming Gel Cream

I am in the pursuit of minimalist lifestyle recently, and coincidentally iUNIK happens to send me their products which are also very much based on the idea of minimalism. Now let’s present the minimalism skincare iUNIK, which attempts to pursue skin happiness through the simplest packaging and ingredients, without being overwhelmed by fancy ingredients and colourful designs.

iUNIK sent me three products to try out, all of them picked and chose by me:

iUNIK Vitamin Hyaluronic Acid Vitalizing Toner

iUNIK Rose Galactomyces Synergy Serum

iUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream

Let’s look at them one by one.

iUNIK Vitamin Hyaluronic Acid Vitalizing Toner

This is a gel-type toner that intends to nourish and revitalize your skin with its 45% hyaluronic acid and 5% sea buckthorn extract. As such, it is meant for individuals with dry, flaky, aging and dull skin. Generally, any skin that looks yellowy, dull and cranky.

One thing good about this toner is that it is packed in a 200ml bottle, about 50ml more than normal toners out there, so there is value for money here. The toner is packed in a simple plastic container. The yellow packaging here is meant for revitalizing as well as for sea buckthorn extract.

So, what is sea buckthorn extract? It is actually a kind of berry that grows on a shrub-like tree. It is rich in natural AHA-like components like malic and acetic acids, as well as flavonoids, vitamin C and essential fatty oils. As such, topical application can help to heal wound, provide antioxidizing benefits, reduce collagen depletion and even out your skin. Sea buckthorn oil is also loved by many fans out there especially those with dry and mature skin for its anti-aging and nourishing properties.

This, coupled with niacinamide and licorice root extract will help to even out the skin, making it fairer and clearer.

But, after several weeks of using it, I decide not to like it. The texture is too rich and viscous to get absorbed into my skin. It takes some patting and massaging for the product to sink in. Dr. Wu and Hada Labo use a lot of hyaluronic acid and they don’t have this absorbency issue, so it is the technology used here that I am not entirely happy about.

Plus, I honestly did not notice any changes in my skin tone after several weeks of using it, in isolation with other brightening products. So, there is a lack of efficacy. Poor absorbency, and a lack of visible results, are reasons I won’t repurchase.

Now, let’s look at the serum that combines rose extract and yeast.

iUNIK Rose Galactomyces Synergy Serum

I was really excited about this product. I expect this to be like Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence, or at least Manyo Factory Niacin. But unfortunately, except for better hydration, this doesn’t seem to do much for my skin.

This is meant to be a lovely serum for all skin types especially troubled skin with excessive sebum production and pores concern. This will work well for dull and rough skin too!

50% of this serum is yeast ferment water and 10% is rose water. Basically, with yeast, you can expect brighter skin tone, firmer and healthier skin. Yeast extract can do many things, among which brightening, anti-oxidizing, firming, sebum regulating, and wrinkles repairing. And rose water helps to hydrate and tone the skin. There is also sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide, adenosine, allantoin and many more in here, those things I love seeing in my skincare products.

The texture of this serum is nice. It is slightly viscous, but not rich at all. It gets absorbed easily by the skin, leaving no stickiness whatsoever. There is no scent to it either.

Honestly, I dint see much from this serum. My skin is not visibly brighter or firmer after using. It is not really a treatment essence kind of products. My skin is better hydrated, and that is the thing I love about this serum, but hydration is not really what I expect from here. One thing I do notice is that my whiteheads are lesser, and skin becomes smoother after using it, so it certainly carries some exfoliating properties.

iUnik Centella Calming Gel Cream

Finally, we are on my favourite product of this line. This centella asiatica calming gel cream is a cult favourite of both myself and my husband. It is lightweight, fast-absorbing and super hydrating. It regulates the sebum production on my husband’s skin really well. He experiences less oily, calmer, and more comfortable skin days when he is on it. He finishes this cream really fast and will definitely repurchase.

As for me, my experience is not as dramatic as my husband, because I requested this cream mainly because I knew my husband would love it, and he did! But I do try it out myself, just to see how it would work on normal-to-dry skin. For me, it is a really refreshing and hydrating gel cream. I love using it when my skin is feeling itchy or uncomfortable. Its calming and soothing effects are superb! It is not the most hydrating cream for me, but I really enjoy the feeling when I put this on my skin. One of the best centella products I have ever used! Love the texture so much!

This cream is blessed with 70% centella asiatica water and 10% tea tree leaf water. No wonder it can be so hydrating, soothing and blemish-calming. If you look at the ingredients, this also has niacinamide and licorice root extract in it, to improve the elasticity of your skin and to reduce dark spots and acne scars from your old blemishes. Alfalfa, broccoli, cabbage, rapeseed extracts and so on are also added for antioxidizing benefits. Centella asiatica extract, tea tree leaf extract and adenosine are also added to strengthen the skin soothing and calming effects of this cream. Plus, a little bit of lightweight humectants and sodium hyaluronate to hydrate. It is a cream made with love.

To cut things short, iUNIK carries products that impress me and those that don’t, and that’s okay because skincare is meant to be a subjective experience between users and products.

One thing really good about iUNIK is that they are their own suppliers, made from ingredients they supply. So cheap is one thing, quality assurance is another. They can always show you their QS reports and certifications if needed be. Of course, this doesn’t mean efficacy. But at least, you get the assurance. And since they are their own suppliers, you can get the products at lower prices compared to big brands.

You also cant get wrong with the packaging. I mean, when you buy things for your mom, for instance, you can tell her specifically that yellow first, pink second, and green third. It is easier to distinguish that way. And it is also simple but colourful.

Out of all iUNIK products, my favourite is the Centella Calming Gel Cream. The texture, ingredients, and performance are definitely above our expectations. My husband actually resisted when I asked him to try out the Some by Mi Miracle Cream that ippuni sent me. I needa persuade him to try out different things just to see if it is the Centella Calming Gel Cream that he really wants the most to make him stay with Some by Mi!

The Sea Buckthorn Toner fails me because the texture is too rich and non-absorbency for my liking. I have normal-to-dry skin and prefers watery products. But I also used viscous toner before, like Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner and Hada Labo Lotion, so I am not too biased when I say the texture is too rich.

The Rose Synergy Serum is not as good as other similar products in my opinion. I do think that it helps to hydrate and smoothen my skin, but nothing substantial. I will still finish it, but wont repurchase.

I hope you find my review above helpful. And do leave me any comment below if you have any questions or things you wish to add. I will see you in my next post.

You can get this from: SASA | Hermo | Gmarket
[Disclaimer] Product is purchased with my own money. All copyright of contents and images in this article is strictly mine.