REVIEW | Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion EX

REVIEW | Sulwhasoo Essential  Balancing Emulsion EX

Ingredients:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Octyldodecyl Myristate, Glycerin, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Adenophora Stricta Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Angelica Tenuissima Root Extract, Honey, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Natto Gum, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Behenate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Carbomer, Palmitic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Triethanolamine, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

Packaging: Since my little bottle is a 15ml-sized sample bottle, it doesn’t have a pump or anything, you just have to pour the emulsion out, but from what I gathered, the full-sized bottle has the same design. For me, it’s not very convenient but not so much trouble, either.

My little 15ml-sized bottle vs. full-sized bottle (125ml)

Texture: Milky light cream. It absorbs pretty quickly and leaves no feeling of stickiness, thank God (stickiness is what I hate the most).

Scent: The emulsion has that kind of Sulwhasoo’s typical herbal smell. It is not bad and actually quite relaxing but you may be not into this scent if you don’t really like traditional-medicine-type of scent.

My thoughts: I really like this emulsion. It is lightweight but not so lightweight that you feel nothing after applying. You’ll definitely feel like there is a layer of moisturizer on your skin as it absorbs fast but not completely disappears. It is not sticky at all but it keeps my skin moisturized for hours which makes it my preference for winter dry days. That said, if you have oily combination skin like me or are looking for a decent light moisture to use underneath make-up, this emulsion will serve you the best. But if you are extremely oily or don’t need to much moisture for summer sweaty days, you should probably avoid this one.

For 3 weeks that I use this emulsion, my skin does feel better and smoother. I can clearly feel the difference on the next morning if I am too lazy and skip the emulsion the previous night. I can’t say about the long-term effects as I only have a sample bottle and I’ll need to use it more than 3 weeks to conclude. But so far, I’m quite satisfied with the result and in my opinions, anything that makes my skin feel better, even just a little better, is worth a try.

As you can see in the picture below, I almost run out of it but this little 15ml-sized bottle does last me for about 3 weeks with 1-2 uses everyday.

My rating: 4/50