Unboxing Beauty

Disclaimer: I received this product complementary from Jolse.  All opinions are my own and unbiased

My readers know I love Jeju-y things and also all manners of hanbang (I always referred to it as Asian herbal ingredients, until I found out that hanbang is the more appropriate term!).  So when Jolse gave me the opportunity to pick a few things out from their shop for review purposes, I choose fermented and hanbang products, including this one ~ It’s Skin Jeju Wild Ginseng Bio Cellulose facial mask.    I love a good ginseng mask and hey, Jeju Island.

Description: For Moist, Firm, Nutritious, Vital Skin. Targets four areas: firming care, moisturizing care, glowing care and nutritious care.  Jeju wild ginseng bio cellulose mask sheet consists of Jeju wild ginseng (panax ginseng extract) that contains plenty saponin. It manages skin flexibility, soft texture and gives a lot of moisture and glow to the skin while making the vital skin.

This is a hydrogel mask, but it is a one piece, so that makes it a better fit for me.  I dislike 2 piece hydrogels, as the lower piece always slides off my face!   It’s Skin Jeju Wild Ginseng contains 20% ginseng extract.   

Ingredients of Note

• Panax Ginseng (20%) is used in anti-aging skin care products, as it is can stimulate the skin and activate the blood flow, which will increase toning and production of new skin cells.  It also has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, due to natural carbohydrate called saponin, and will help reverse damage caused by free radicals, such as hyper-pigmentation and also combat free radicals to prevent new skin damage of fine lines and wrinkles.  Ginseng detoxes your skin and leaves it radiant and glowing.   Applied topically, it helps stimulate collagen production to promote cellular renewal.  Its herbal properties and usage dates back over 5,000 years.
  

• Phellinus Linteus is a mushroom that grows on mulberry tree trunks and is also known as black hoof mushroom.  It is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and has the ability to help with skin issues such as eczema.  It has been shown that phellinus linteus has the same antioxidant effects as Vitamin C (source)

• Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam)  This extract is found in many anti-aging firming skincare products.   Wild yam is supposed to have a property similar to progesterone, called diosgenin and it also has estrogen properties. These hormones are very helpful, especially for women who are entering menopause, either peri, pre or post stages. There has been a study (source) that stated that wild yam can help restore the skin barrier in your epidermis, by encouraging the production of keratinocyte cells~ the main cells in our outer layer of skin. It also helps with hyper-pigmentation and can prevent sun spots, based on another study (source).  It does make sense that wild yam will help with firming your skin. 
  

• Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed (Job’s Tears/Chinese pearl barley) contain nutrients, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.   Job’s Tears have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for skin as it helps heal and lighten blemishes, redness and will help soften your skin. 

• Sodium Hyaluronate is an intensive moisturizing ingredient which bonds water to keep skin hydrated. It is a natural substance found in the human body and it made up of amino and uronic acids, and helps retain 100 to 1,000 times its own water weight in our skin cells.
  

• Arnica Montana Flower grows wild in the alpine mountainous regions and helps soothe and heal your skin.  It contains anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and  antibacterial properties and has been used in herbal medicine since the 1500’s.

• Artemisia Absinthium (Wormwood) has been used in traditional European herbal medicine to  help heal skin wounds and contains a rich source of antioxidants. 
  

• Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow Leaf)  is really an all purpose herb.  It has been used for wound healing and calming skin issues and as an antimicrobial, helps keep wounds free from infection.  Since it contains salicylic acid,  it helps heal blemishes and prevent new outbreaks.  It is an anti-everything ~anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidant.   It works for both dry and oily skin, and can soothe, heal damaged skin and relieve irritated skin. 

• Gentiana Lutea is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial herb
  

 

Very pretty packaging ~ I like the mauve shading against the pearl white along the arts & crafts design.   Okay, on to the mask!!  This mask, as I mentioned earlier, is a one piece hydrogel and the essence is on the thicker side, not watery at all.   It has a light floral scent, which reminds me of illi Hanbang Total Age Cleansing Foam and since that product is supposed to smell like ginseng flowers, that is what this must be as well.  It is very pleasant and for someone who normally dislikes florals scents, that says a lot! I love the scent of illi Total Age line and if you like that scent, you will like this as well. 

 You can see by the photo below, I had a lot of essence left over in the bag ~ this was only part of what I removed from the package.  I used most of the essence to pat onto the mask and also on my décolletage

This has both the plastic solid white “pearl paper” and a mesh-like paper with the hydrogel sandwiched in between the two.   I always recommend removing the thinner paper first, as that side goes towards your face.  The thicker pearl (plastic) paper will be facing outwards and it is used to place and adjust the mask on your face, without tugging or damaging the delicate hydrogel.    This has a really good fit for a hydrogel and with the exception of my chin area, where I had to move it upwards to have the mask sit on my chin instead of under my chin, the fit was just near perfect.  It still had some gaps around my nose.  This mask also didn’t slide and move around like most hydrogels I have used, as I do think that is due to the thicker essence, which acted like a strong glue.  

Ahh, my horrid selfie.   I rarely do them, but I wanted you to see the fit of the mask, even though I didn’t have the tip of the nose folded out properly.

 

 

I actually kept this mask on for 40 minutes, which might be a bit too long, but it was so moist that I forgot!  Also, this is a very comfortable mask ~ my face was a bit tacky with the residue and I could see the moisture on my face.  My neck area, where I applied the extra essence, was VERY sticky and remained so for over an hour!   I did a skin moisture level test and it was at 62% on my face after 5 minutes.  After one hour, my face is still “glowing” with the moisture from the mask, although it is not sticky anymore.   I can see the essence lurking on top of my skin.

I did not have any allergic reactions nor did my face have any acne breakouts from this mask ~ I was worried about that, because it was so rich and nourishing, and the residue from the essence was still visible after an hour or so.   However, by the morning, my face was soft and plumped up.

 

Ingredients: Water, Panax Ginseng Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Glycereth-26, Trehalose, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum , Phellinus Linteus Extract, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Root Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed Extract, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract , Gentiana Lutea Root Extract , Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance  cosDNA.com analysis

image source

image source

 

Final Thoughts

I really liked this mask a lot.  It is rare to find an anti-aging mask that contains such thick and rich essence that doesn’t cause some skin issues the next day!  This mask not only contains anti-aging ingredients, but ones that heal and prevent blemishes and other skin issues.    I loved how my face felt that evening after I removed the Jeju Wild Ginseng mask ~ it was still moist and radiant.   I would only use this mask at night time, as I fear that my skin cannot absorb all of this rich essence quickly enough for a morning routine.  However, if you have dry skin, you could probably try this as an AM mask.  My next haul with Jolse will include this mask, for sure!  This is a spa-treat type of mask, as it is not that inexpensive and I do not need this type of intense moisturizing and nourishing treatment on a daily basis.  I have never tried an It’s Skin mask before and I have to say, I am pretty impressed with this one.   I believe the Wild Ginseng line is fairly new as well. 

Where to Purchase

I received mine from Jolse and there are two products in the Wild Ginseng line from It’s Skin

• It’s Skin Wild Ginseng Bio Cellular Mask  $5.26
•  It’s Skin Jeju Wild Ginseng Cream   $35.18

[ I received this product complementary from Jolse.  All opinions are my own and unbiased  ]