Everyone's heard of the haladabo gokujyun premium lotion. But did you know that the gel from the same line is amazing too?

I had to replace my previous HG sleeping pack, meishoku ceracolla perfect gel (RIP). In my search for a dupe, I decided to try hadalabo since I'm already a fan of the brand. I was not disappointed.

Skin type/Climate
For context, I have combo skin that is very prone to dehydration. I live in an area with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters.

My skin has always been on the dehydrated side. But one winter, it was suddenly extra parched. I slathered on layers and layers of toner and hydration. My skin would feel good for like 10 minutes and then would go back to feeling tight and dry and just so uncomfortable. Misting only gave me seconds of relief. And I knew it wasn't dryness because adding more moisturizer just made me oily. On a whim, I tried a thick layer of my summer moisturizer (meishoku ceracolla gel) and was blown away. My skin retained hydration! It was plump in the morning! Now I always have a sleeping pack/occlusive in my routine.

Analysis

Ingredients
Water, butylene glycol, glycerin, hydroxyethyl urea, pentylene glycol, ppg-10 methyl glucose ether, squalane, triethylhexanoin, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, agar, alpha-glucan, ammonium acrylates copolymer, aphanothece sacrum exopolysaccharides, behenyl alcohol, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer, disodium edta, disodium succinate, glucosyl ceramide, hydrolyzed collagen, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, hydroxypropyltrimonium hyaluronate, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, ppg-17-buteth-17, sodium acetylated hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronate, succinic acid, triethyl citrate

Guys. This ingredients list. Look at all the goodies! So many excellent humectants, emollients, and occlusives. BG, urea, PG, squalane, glycerin, ceramide, collagen, HA. 😍 I was initially debating between trying this and the naturie hatomugi gel, but these ingredients won me over so quickly.

Manufacturing Info
Manufacturer: Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd //
Distributor: The Mentholatum Company

Rohto is a Japanese pharmaceutical company with a long-standing history both in Japan and globally. They also happen to produce a bunch of the sub's favorite skincare products: skin aqua sunscreens, rohto melty lip balms, hadalabo (ofc), and melano cc.

I don't have a favorite skincare company, but if I had to pick one, Rohto would come the closest (which is kinda unfair because it encompasses so many brands). I'm always impressed by the quality products they put out at such affordable prices. And unlike many brands that fall in and out of popularity, their products stand the test of time. They were popular a decade ago when I first got into skincare and they still are now.

Testing

Packaging
I. Hate. Jars. I will almost always pick a product in a tube or pump over a jar. I hate sticking my fingers in them. I hate always having to clean spatulas and then inevitably losing them. I hate how my cat's fur (love her though) will always inevitably contaminate the product no matter how careful I am. This product would be literally perfection. Except. It's in the dreaded jar.

As you can see, I've transferred it all to airless pump jars. It's a huge pain in the ass. But not only are they more hygienic, I found some pretty cute pink ones! But of course they're cheaply made and they've all cracked at some point. On the hunt for better quality airless pump jars.

The jar itself is not sealed when you open it. But most of Rohto's products are like this. The seal is in the box or casing rather than the bottle itself. In the case of the hadarabo gokujyun perfect gel, the box is sealed both top and bottom. It will perforate when opened from either side so you can tell if it's been tampered with.

Texture
Sticky, sticky, sticky! If you have sensory issues, beware. In the humid summer, this takes forever to try down and my face inevitably rubs some off on my pillow. It sinks in much quicker in the dry winter. I do slather a pretty thick layer on, but even when applied in a thin layer, it's sticky. For me, there's something satisfying about slugging like this but it's definitely not for everyone. But even layering it thickly, it doesn't feel heavy or suffocating at all like petrolatum jelly. It actually feels quite light if that makes any sense. And it doesn't just sit on top of my skin and make a greasy mess. It sinks in!

Fragrance
None! And no chemical or herbal scent from its natural ingredients. I sometimes use it inside my nostrils to keep them from shriveling in the winter (sorry if that's TMI) and only then can I smell a sharp, clean scent. Like very hospital-like sterile.

Performance
This works its magic overnight. My skin is so plump and hydrated when I wake up! Very effective at helping to keep my dehydration at bay. There is sometimes a film/layer on my skin in the morning but not one that makes me feel greasy. It really seals everything in as my last step. I do sometimes use it during the day when my skin feels like it needs something extra. No issues under sunscreen and makeup as long as it dries down first. But that dry down can take a while so I use something else for my daytime occlusive (isntree HA sleeping mask).

The one thing that I hate about this (besides the jar) is that it will sting sensitive areas. I haven't had an issue with using this when overexfoliated, just these specific circumstances. I thought it would be a good idea to slather this on my lips for some moisturizing and plumping. Nope. Immediate burning. Wiped it off right away.

Also skin that is raw and irritated will sting too. My philtrum gets pretty cracked during the winter because allergies and runny nose and the cold. I thought this might help protect the area and heal it. Nope. It just hurt.

It is safe for the eyes at least! It doesn't sting! And I do suffer from dry eyes because of allergies and rubbing so this helps… Except when I've rubbed so much that I get little tears on my lower lid. Then it stings. Ow.

Other Considerations

CF/VG Status
This product is not cruelty-free. Rohto allows third party animal testing when required by law.

Price
100g: ~$18 USD

Took me 3 months to pan with daily usage and then some. I kept a separate jar to also use on my eyes and another for my nose and even my feet sometimes. Would not recommend walking or putting slippers on after slathering it on your feet. Learned that the hard way.

Overall Impressions

HG. I don't think I could live without this. I would cry. My skin would cry out all its hydration. I'd be a sad, shriveled raisin.

Comparisons and Alternatives

• Isntree HA sleeping mask – I mentioned this as my daytime occlusive. If you hate stickiness, this one's for you! I'll likely do a full review when I finish my tube but that looks like it'll take a long while. It sinks in much quicker and dries down nicely compared to hadalabo. But it's not nearly as long lasting.

• Naturie hatomugi gel – I haven't tried this one but as I said earlier, it was my other contender. I might try it one day out of curiosity (it's so dang cheap!) but I'm pretty happy with hadalabo's and prefer its ingredients list. Would love to hear from others who've tried both

• Abib overnight probiotics rice mask – Another one I haven't tried but similarly to haladabo, I've heard it described as being light enough for oily skin but thick and sticky for plumping occlusiveness. It's a little more expensive for a little less product though. And again, I also prefer hadalabo's ingredients list