Hera,

Review : (Essences)SK-II Facial Treatment Essence VS Missha , Hera ,Secret key

10:26:00 PM Unknown 5 Comments

Helo everybody =)

Today i want to compare SK-II Facial treatment essence with other watery essences.

If you wonder what is watery essence , SK-II Facial treatment Essence is a great representative.

This ' Treatment essence' is light weight and almost water-like ,high performance and helps to recuperate skin condition.

Because it is watery , the best way to use it is apply this before other heavier/thicker products.

Cleansing - Toning - Watery essence - essence/serum/ampoule(Which thicker) - Moisturizer


I skip the packaging and ingredients list because SK-II FTE  just too well-known.
This is 330ml bottle with pump , which is the biggest size in counter .
I prefer this because bottle is durable and easy to control amount that i need .

This is how they discovery 'Pitera' (The main ingredients in SK-II Facial treatment essence  )

My thought about SK-II Facial Treatment Essence :
-Almost water-like consistency .It smell like saliva and a bit sour ,it doesn't smell good for me,It is because it contains high percentage fermentation liquid , but don't worry the smell will fade out quickly.
-Fragrance-free
- I get 1 or 2 pump onto cotton pad and pat onto my face and neck .( and repeat 2 times)
 *I found this way work best on me . if you worry it will spend too much of product , you can try   with just one layer .
-It doesn't feel heavy or sticky after apply 3 layer , it create a healthy glow.
-It does good job in clarifying , and even out skin tone
-I can definitely feel  my skin turn 'crystal clear' like what advertisement said (in three weeks)
-It doesn't give much in moisture/hydrate, you will still need to apply hydrating serum afterward if you have dry skin
-Why this essence so special for me  , it is because it helps to balance my combination skin . I have a bother combo skin , my T zone is oily and U zone is dry . I get blackhead forest always  and dry itchy on my cheek. I can feel my skin being 'balance' after i use SK-II facial treatment essence , fewer dry and itchy , and less sebum produce . 
This make my skin having less problem and i like it =)

These is all my thought for SK-II facial treatment essence , I enjoy the process and results , and i will always repurchase ( I didn't use everyday but i always come back to this when feel i need )



Before i start to talk about others essences , i wanna share my favorite cotton pad to apply watery essence or expensive lotion.

I found that using cotton pad to apply essence are convenient and evenly . I wet cotton pad with essence and slowly pat onto my skin , and repeat at least 2 times to achieve best results ( I didn't do this way everyday because this will make my bottle finish up quickly)


Unicharm Silcot Sponge facial cotton 
Make skin amazingly moist with 50 % less lotion

As you see the name ' sponge ' , this cotton doesn't feel cotton , it more like a thin layer of sponge .
It doesn't give silky/soft feeling like others cotton pad when you wipe over your skin , so this sponge are suitable to ' pat' on skin .
Its perfect to use as cotton pad face pack or to apply 'expensive' lotion , because it really need only a tiny bit to wet whole cotton .

 This is the side view of silcot sponge cotton with others cotton . I can tell there are almost 3x thinner than others .

I do a experiment to show how it really spend less lotion , i took 2ml water and spread on different cotton and you can notice the difference ;


These are 3 different type of cotton pad
Left to right
1. Guardian cotton facial square
2. Shiseido facial cotton
3. Unicharm silcot sponge facial cotton

I pump 2 ml water on each cotton , 3rd (silcot ) is almost completely wet with just 2ml .


I put on my arm and silcot sponge cotton able to stay on my skin very well .

And because it is sponge texture , you can always squeeeeeeze out all the remaining lotion in cotton.

If you looking for a cotton pad that able to help you save/spending less expensive lotion , silcot is a great choice , but the downside is it doesn't feel silky soft .




Okie now start off with other watery essences that i wish do comparison with SK-II facial treatment essence .
I would like to call them SK-II essence 'alternative'.
You can pick the one according to your skin needs and budget .


1.Missha Time revolution The First Treatment Essence . 130ml


-Made in korea
-Contains fermented yeast extract 80 %
-Transparent plastic bottle with twist lid
-At the first step of skin care after cleansing
Step : Cleans - The First Treatment Essence - Eye cream -  Lotion - Cream

-Missha essence smell like rice wine for me , ya cooking rice wine
This one .lol . But a lot gentle , no worry it won't make you drunk haha
-Missha gives more moisture , so two layer are enough
-It does soothing , even skin tone , and balance sebum level
-Watery consistency , just a tiny bit thicker than SK-II one 

For me , Missha is more like Robin , Yes the Batman's sidekick  (and of course , SK-II is the batman)
Missha do a good job like what SK-II does, but in mild , slower way .

For example SK-II essence gives 'crystal clear skin' in 3 weeks, missha essence will need to take around 5-6 weeks .


If you looking for cheaper alternative for SK-II essence , Missha First Treatment Essence really worth to try . First the price is a lot cheaper and it gives the 'close to' result too . I use this as a maintain product , as i mention earlier i didn't spend SK-II essence everyday , so i will use Missha essence during the day i didn't use SK-II .



2.Hera Cell Essence -This 15ml mini trial size

-This is my last trial bottle , i got a 5 or 6 bottle of sample when i order something from a korean
 merchant
-Watery consistency ,the color look like barley water
-Smell good and delightful  (in perfumey )
-Gives brighten and even skin tone , i can feel it in two week , my skin is fair and glowing .
-I can feel my pore getting smaller a bit , and skin seem more lively

I like this products , it does a good job but not in the same way with SK-II essence , Hera really brighten up my skin like having a spotlight on top ..lol
I not sure will i repurchase this in future because the scent a bit bothering me , it gives good smell but too intense for me because it doesn't fade right away , and as i layer up other essence and cream , the smell mash up ¯\_(°╭╮°)_/¯ ..



3. Secret key starting treatment essence-150 ml ( Rose edition )

-inexpensive , less than Rm50 including shipping .
-Good glassy and classy packaging , look similar with SK-II essence .
-Give hydration (only )
-I like to layer up to get a good moisture barrier for my skin .Sometime i use this to soak in cotton pad and have a quick 3 minutes mask .
-Mild and natural rose scent
-Contains Galactomyces and others plants extract .
-Alcohol, coloring, fragrance ,paraben free

This is not the best product as an alternative for SK-II essence , because the results are totally different . But it gives hydration and the contains are pure and natural ( you can click on the picture to read full ingredients list) . I still recommend to try since it is cheap ,especially for people who just started spending in skincare and need a lightweight essence .


Thanks for reading
Stay tune for my second episode SK-II essence comparison .