Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Essence

 

Pricing/Packaging:

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for ~33$. US shoppers can find it here. This product comes in a good quality tinted glass pump bottle, which will help keep active ingredients intact. Also I do like this packaging from an aesthetic point of view as well.

Ingredients:

Water, Sclerotium Gum, Snow Fungus Extract, Gluconolactone, Taiwan Jobs Tears Extract, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate,  Butylene Glycol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Jobs Tears Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Lecithin/Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil/Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Phragmites Kharka Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Jobs Tears Water, Kalanchoe Extract, Galactoarabinan, Grape Leaf Extract, Alcohol, Yeast Extract, Thiamine HCl (Vit B1), Pyridoxine HCl (Vit B6), Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Phytoferulin Complex (Kalanchoe Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Alpine Scullcap Extract, Masterwort Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Alps Wormwood Extract, Leontopodium Extract, Calendula Flower Extract, Chamomile Flower Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract),  Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine.

Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial ingredients, not extensive research available or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) 
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)

Ingredients Discussion:

This formulation is extremely loaded with different plant extracts and other actives, making a very long ingredient list. However, for the sake of simplification I will be focusing only on about top 60% of the list. Because anything that is listed below preservatives is usually present in such a small concentration, that it doesn't affect skin very much being it a good or a bad ingredient. In this case, everything below phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone will not be discussed.

Overall I am very impressed with this serum. It promises to clean and minimize pores, brighten and moisturize the skin, and the ingredients here actually can deliver promised results. The main actives here are: 10% snow fungus extract, 5% gluconolactone, 5% job's tears extract and 3% niacinamide. But there are also hyaluronic acid and vitamin C with ~1-2% concentration. Other actives in the first half on the ingredient list include plant oils/other moisturizing ingredients (job's tears and meadowfoam oils, lecithin, galactoarabinan, oleanolic acid) and antioxidants/anti-inflammatory actives (poria cocos, phragmotes kharka, grape leaf, kalanchoe and yeast extcacts, thiamine [vit B1] and pyridoxine [vit B6]).

But going back to main ingredients. In my opinion there are three star ingredients here. First one is gluconolactone, which can be classified as a polyhydroxy acid, or PHA, whose properties are similar to AHAs, meaning it is an exfoliating agent. At 5% concentration it can gently remove layers of dull dead skin cells, revealing smoother brighter skin. Also, there is some research suggesting that PHAs have less irritating side effects in comparison to AHAs.

Second one is niacinamide or vitamin B3. This anti-aging ingredient works as cell-communicating agent and helps tighten pores, reduce hyper-pigmentation and stimulate general healthier skin processes.

Third important ingredient is vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant to keep at bay many free radicals from sun exposure, environmental damage and internal oxidation. It also is really helpful ingredient in reduction of hyper-pigmentation.

As for snow fungus and raw job's tears extracts, I haven't found a lot of published research, but there are indications that they do have some moisture binding and antioxidant properties. And even though this essence have rather light texture it still can moisturize skin very well (there is also moderate high concentration of hyaluronic acid with strong water binding properties as well).

There is only one irritant in this composition - alcohol. But I am not that concerned about it, since it's not very high on the list. Also there is no added fragrance, which I find actually more important in considering this product safe for sensitive skin.

So as you can see, this essence/serum indeed has an amazing composition, with adequate amount of actives to help skin look smoother and brighter.

Consumer thoughts:   

This product has a watery gel like consistency. It is not sticky and soaks in to the skin relatively quick. I enjoyed using this serum in the mornings under my sun protection. I even applied it around my eyes and on the lids without any irritation, even though it contains some exfoliants. This essence has no distinctive scent.

Verdict:

Excellent product. Highly recommended. Worth the price. Suitable for most skin types. Of course you will not see results immediately, but in a long run it will improve your skin. Also you will see more dramatic results if you have never used chemical exfoliants and skin lightening ingredients before.

5 out of 5.