This winter, in a quest to get rid of my parched skin, I decided to try a bunch of popular Asian beauty moisturizers that are supposed to be great for dry skin. For context, I have super dry skin and sometimes get eczema on the sides of my face, neck, and eyelids. None of these creams helped with the eczema—only topical steroids work for that.
My skin is dry but not flaky or cracked, so your experience might be different. Ever since I finished Accutane a few years ago, my skin has just been dry to the touch. I also get mild cystic acne. It feels like every moisturizer I use gets soaked up overnight, leaving no trace behind.
I tested all these creams with a hydrating serum underneath, trying to find the thickest and most nourishing one. The serums I used were Prequel MultiQuench (non-AB), snail mucin, and Torriden’s Dive-In Serum.
Here are my thoughts on each one:
Aeastura 365: This is probably my fave out of the bunch. Way more moisturizing than Illyoon. I think this is the reformulated version with niacinamide. It leaves a rich finish/layer, which I really need. But even with this, I don’t wake up super hydrated, so it’s not a miracle fix.
Zeroid Intensive Oint: I expected this to be richer, but it’s not. It’s kinda like Illyoon, but more waxy/matte. Not as nourishing as Aeastura—when I wake up, I can’t really tell I had it on.
Isntree: This one’s interesting because it looks like a gel cream at first. But once you start rubbing it in, it feels kinda like glue if you use a lot. Surprisingly moisturizing given the texture, but not enough for me.
Mary & May: Surprisingly nourishing for a lightweight cream. I’ve been using it during the day since it’s not enough for night. One issue is it leaves a white cast that takes a lot of rubbing to get rid of.
Zeroid Richenic: Very light gel cream. I wouldn’t use this at night unless I layered another moisturizer on top. It could be a good day option or for gentle exfoliation. Might burn if you have really sensitive skin.
Torriden Solid In (not pictured): People say this is a dupe for the infamous Dr. Jart cream. It’s been a long time since I’ve used that cream, but I wanna say it was more moisturizing. However, this has no smell (none of these moisturizers do). I still think it’s pretty good. I would say this is my second favorite.
That’s all I have! I’ve also tried Illyoon and Soon Jung’s x2, but they’re just not enough for me. Would love to hear other recs!
by orangepeel_16