Another week, another review. Unfortunately this week I don't have images of the product itself because I am writing this after I have emptied this product. I know, clever, right? Reason being I have some qualms with this product and wasn't sure at the time whether I want to review this or not. In hindsight I should just get images of the product and review them, good or bad, before I empty them*.
*because I am Asian, I am very prone to emptying products regardless of whether or not I like them, unless product in question is making my face worse and I just cannot use it any more.
So let's start!
Packaging
When this first came to me, I thought it was glass because it kinda looks like it! But it's not and I am relieved because it is not heavy and I won't break it. This probably also keeps the costs, and thus price, down so I am not mad at that all. The only problem I have is the cap of this - why can't they just make it like normal caps? For some reason this cap isn't great at dispensing the product, which is really weird, seeing that it's just a hole. That being said, all in all, unlike some other reviews I've seen, I'm okay with the packaging.
Ingredients
So I will tackle this first because it really is the ingredients that made me think I would fall head over heels with this product - shortest ingredients list ever, and no water either!
Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Arginine
I love the heart of where Pyunkang Yul lies - skincare from traditional oriental medicine and creating products containing safe ingredients for all skin. And I think this is why I struggled because I don't dislike this product, but I certainly don't love it like some others.
As you can see, this product does not contain hylauronic acids or glycerin either. The key ingredient is a root extract, which is apparently an ingredient used often in oriental medicine - I have seen this ingredient in other products too but definitely not the first.
Consistency
Apologies for the lack of images for this! The consistency for this toner is thicker than your normal, more watery toner. Honestly it is this toner that made me now prefer a thicker consistency (loving the Whamisa ones!) in my toners.
Here is where things go downhill - my skin struggled to absorb this product. Yes, a toner.
I was genuinely surprised because this is not the first thick consistency toner I have used; I have used the super thick Proud Mary toner, less thick Skin79 toner, and equal/slightly thicker Whamisa Deep Rich toner and even though it takes longer for my skin to absorb this as it would do a watery one, this Pyunkang Yul toner for some reason just sits on my skin and chills before it gets absorbed.
If you have seen my morning routine, you'll know that I literally do not have time in the morning to spend 10 minutes patting my products in. When this isn't absorbed in time for my moisturiser/sun cream, the cream meshes in with the toner and I then have a weird mixture of product on my face.
Let me also tell you - I do 3 layers of toner on my face in the morning and 7 when I really need the hydration. This has not really performed that well for me on my skin.
Effacacy
Continuing from the consistency, it's making me think because it doesn't have alcohol to dilute it down a little to make it easier to absorb. However, the Whamisa deep rich essence toner does not have alcohol either, so it is likely to be the root extract that is finding it difficult to be absorbed, in addition to not having alcohol - this is just my guess and may not be the reason at all so take this with a grain of salt!
Perhaps also because this product does not have hylauronic acid or other ingredients to support it as a toner, I find this less hydrating than a lot of other toners I have used. This is where I really struggled because I really want to love this product, but don't!
So with that in mind, I do think this is still a great toner for those with sensitive skin and dry skin. Reason being there isn't much in there that would irritate the skin and even though it may take longer for the skin to absorb, I still think this would work brilliantly for these skin types. Mine is combination (gearing towards oily) and dehydrated so for me I need something that not only would hydrate the skin, but also able to retain the hydration. Even though I can use moisturisers to seal it up, my AM routine uses a lighter moisturiser/sun screen so I can use my makeup products.
Although this toner doesn't feel as hydrating as I'd like it to be, I have not run into much problems with dry/flaky bits, perhaps it is because I use 3 or 7 layers of this instead of 1.
Price
This retails on Yesstyle for around £15 (they often so sales and discounts for members so this may end up lower!), which is actually a great price for a toner that doesn't have much additives and have root extract as the primary item. It's very affordable if you want a richer and thicker toner without a much higher price tag (whamisa retails for around £33-35).
The Verdict
As much as I'd love to give this a high score, this is a 3/5 product for me and I am unlikely to repurchase this. As much as I like my thick toners, I would still be inclined to try other toners at the same price range, or higher for toners like Whamisa. This unfortunately has not worked for me, however I do think it would still work brilliantly for other skin types - usually what doesn't work for my skin works amazingly well for my friend who has the opposite skin type! For this price I would recommend giving it a go, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Do you have a similar experience with this product or do you love it? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Want to read other reviews? Here are a couple that you may be interested in:
- Olivarrier Dual Moist Toning Lotion (opens new window)
- Heimish Bulgarian Rose Water Mist Serum (opens new window)