Unboxing Beauty

When Commleaf came out with two new lines this past fall, I knew I wanted to try the Skin Relief series (review here) but I was also interesting in the VitaRice line as well.  I was lucky enough to get into Style Korean’s Try Me; Review Me campaign for the VitaRice line ~ when I received the email, I practically fell out of my chair as I have applied so many times to Style Korean campaigns and never got picked!  I hit the jackpot with this one. I have posted about Commleaf in the past (read review here) and am so happy to try more from their brand! 

Skin type/concerns:  Oily, aging, blemish prone, pores, hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. 

I received these products complementary to review and was not paid.  All reviews are my own honest opinion and  I never have been asked to write copy for a brand.  This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you.

Commleaf is a brand, born to soothe the skin of the people today with the substances of the clear nature as their skin is fatigued from hazardous environment.  It is a low stimulation brand that contains natural substances that safeguard the skin healthy by bringing out skin’s inherent power. 

Packaging

I will be repeating some of the same information here that I wrote up on the Skin Relief series.  The packaging deserves its own section as it is so beautiful and one of the prettiest designs I have seen this year.  These bottles and jars are made from heavy clear glass.  They all have “wavy” sides, but it is more apparent on the bottles ~ the way these are designed, it is also feels ergonomically correct in my hand as well.  The products do not have 4 sides, but five, as they are cut into a pentagon shade.   Commleaf chose this design as it is meant to represent the five essential nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and lipids (fat/oil) and the five factors for skin balance: wrinkles, firmness, brightening, oil/moisture balance and soothing.  Each container has the Commleaf logo embossed on the side and the toner and gel-cream have bright silver caps, with the Commleaf logo. The packaging is eco-friendly.

Commleaf is the brand, born to soothe the skin of the people today with the substances of the clear nature as their skin is fatigued from hazardous environment.  It is a low stimulation brand that contains natural substances that safeguard the skin healthy by bringing out skin’s inherent power. 

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Key Ingredients

The VitaRice skincare products all have the same key ingredients:  Three different types of rice extracts ~ brown rice is full of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other nourishing compounds to help clear your skin, treat acne and has skin brightening and firming benefits.  Rice contains γ-oryzanol, which is a potent antioxidant that can slow the production of hyper-pigmentation and prevent freckles and age spots.

Rice ferment filtrate is a byproduct from making sake.  It contains more than 100 amino acids, organic acids, saccharides, vitamins, nucleic acids and esters. Rice ferments, diluted with water, has been used for centuries in Japan as part of a skin care routine, due to its moisturizing abilities from kojic acid. It also will suppress the performance of melanin so that hyper-pigmentation is reduced and your skin tone is brighter. Ferulic acids, a powerful antioxidant, are also found in lees and it helps absorb UV light, which helps prevent skin aging. Due to its own natural alcohol content, it is an astringent and also contains antibacterial properties to help control blemishes.  This also has rice bran (rice bran oil) in it and that is obtained when rice is polished and it comes from the hard outer layer of the rice seed and contains 15 to 20 percent oil. It has a vast amount of lipids and contains phytic acid, squalane, vitamin E, phytosterols and ferulic acids, which help eradicate free radicals and it contains 44% of omega 6 and 2% omega 3 essential fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation.

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This line is full of great ingredients such as super-food oat kernel, helping to keep skin moist, supple, helps remove oil and dead skin cells. Green tea is full of powerful anti-oxidants, due to its high concentration of polyphenols: catechins, tannins, flavonoids ~ which are anti-bacterial agents as well as acting as an astringent, retains skin moisture and hydration. Green tea helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  Prebiotic fructooligosaccharides is made from sugar, helping with hydration and promoting probiotic bacteria ~  which is important as it will help reduce inflammation and redness.  And yes, there is a probiotic ingredient in here, so this double whammy of having both will help keep your skin barrier healthy, smooth as it improves your skin.  Probiotic bifida ferment lysate should help revitalize skin so it is clear and radiant, increase hydration and prevent dehydrated, rough skin. It should also firm and restore elasticity to your skin while strengthening your skin barrier to help prevent damage from environmental factors 

Beta glucan helps stimulate the production of collagen and speeds up wound healing while soothing and calming skin due to its anti-irritant and strong anti-inflammatory properties. Beta glucan will moisturize, locking in natural moisture and is an anti-aging and anti-wrinkle ingredient due to its anti-oxidant properties and also helps repair your moisture barrier. Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid helps supply nutrition and strengthen your cell barrier and will penetrate deep into your skin, while retaining moisture. Algae are full of minerals, vitamins and nutrients, peptides and antioxidants. It helps condition your skin, while softening and detoxing.

Collagen deeply moisturizes the skin while ceramides are lipids (fats); important in helping to repair and protect your moisture barrier. They will  keep your skin hydrated and plump as they retain water. Ceramides are found naturally in your body and you lose the ability to produce as you age, so adding them to skinare products helps with anti-aging. Anti-aging palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 helps with toning, lifting and skin elasticity.

The VitaRice line also has a slew of vitamins, called the VITA 5 Complex, which is weird, as I count SEVEN vitamins.  The ingredients that make up their VITA 5 Complex are which consists of panthenol (vitamin B5), pyridoxin HCL (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), helping to provide nourishment, anti-oxidant care and moisturization.  There are two more vitamins, niacinamide (vitamin B3), which helps brighten and improve skin, while providing anti-inflammatory benefits and folic acid (vitamin B9), which is rarely found in skincare as it is pretty much untapped in this market.  Studies show folic acid applied topically can slow down premature skin aging, repair DNA damage and photo-aging (source)

These products are rated level green from EWG’s Skin Deep database and its fragrance is very lovely and I can’t really place it ~ however, it has to be coming from the geranium maculatum oil ~ spotted cranesbill.  This is a very herbaceous scent, warm, green and a bit spicy.  There is no added coloring these products.

VitaRice Essence Water:  This toner looks like a gel toner in the bottle.  There is a reason why it is called an essence water and that is because it is thicker than water.  These bottles are impressively heavy ~ it has a standard pin hole applicator.  Not only does this have all of the key ingredients, but a few notable ones: Fourth generation moisturizer polyquaternium-51 (lipidure) retains moisture better than beta-glucan, while centella and chamomile helps soothe and heal your skin and rosemary’s anti-septic properties prevent skin issues, plus it supports collagen growths and has anti-oxidant properties that will combat free radicals.

Rice Extracts

• 10 ppm saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate 
• 110 ppm oryza sativa (rice) extract
• 10 ppm oryza sativa (rice) bran extract

VITA 5 Complex + Friends

• 20,000ppm Vitamin B3
• .09 ppm Vitamin B5
• .1 ppm Vitamin B6
• .1 ppm Vitamin B7 
• .0015 ppm Vitamin B9
• .1 ppm Vitamin B12  
• .1 ppm Vitamin C  

This is so hard to get out of the bottle with that pin hole applicator ~ I have to turn the bottle upside down and shake it like a ketchup bottle!  The essence water comes out in droplets and they actually hold their drop-shape on my skin.  Seriously, this stuff looks like a gel, but it isn’t, as once I start to pat it into my skin, it absorbs nicely, without a sticky residue.  It leaves my skin very soft and very supple with a cool refreshing feeling.  PLUS THAT SCENT.  Okay, I know what this reminds me of and you will all laugh ~ but crushed tomato leaves with a hint of lemongrass.  That is what it smells like to me.  This has a pH level of 5 and it increases my moisture levels by 32% and decreased my oil levels by 36%.  

VitaRice Essence Water Ingredients:   water, glycerin, methylpropanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, niacinamide (20000ppm), dipropylene glycol, centella asiatica extract, portulaca oleracea extract, algae extract, eclipta prostrata leaf extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, cynara scolymus (artichoke) leaf extract, oryza sativa (rice) extract(110ppm), oryza sativa (rice) bran extract(10ppm), ginkgo biloba leaf extract, collagen extract, camellia sinensis leaf water, hydrogenated lecithin, geranium maculatum oil, sodium hyaluronate, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, carbomer, tromethamine, adenosine, polyquaternium-51, beta-glucan, fructooligosaccharides, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, bifida ferment lysate, saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate(10ppm), butylene glycol, schizosaccharomyces ferment filtrate, biotin(0.1ppm), cyanocobalamin (0.1ppm), ascorbic acid(0.1ppm), pyridoxine HCL(0.1ppm), hydrolyzed keratin, panthenol (0.09ppm), raffinose, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, ceramide NP, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, folic acid (0.0015ppm), ethylhexylglycerin  cosDNA

Vitarice Glow Serum:  This is a mini-me of the huge toner ~ same bottle design but about a 1/3 of the size!  This also has an eye drop applicator.   The serum is actually beautiful looking and has an inner iridescence glow to it.  Notable ingredient outside of the key ingredients: beets!  Beets are a rich source of anthocyanins, which are the flavonoid pigments that protect vegetation from sun damage.  They act as antioxidants and will help protect your skin from free radical damage as well as helping reverse some of that damage.  They can help repair cells damaged from free radicals and stimulate the production of new, healthy skin cells.  This also has anti-inflammatory benefits, so it can help soothe and reduce swelling and redness on your skin. 

Beets can help prevent wrinkles, fine lines and helps heals blemishes.  They can also help with dry skin and improve your skin tone, by overall brightening ~ Beets contain vitamin C, so that helps with reduce the appearance of skin hyper-pigmentation and also refines your skin’s texture, leaving it smooth and soft. 

Rice Extracts

• 1000 ppm saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate 
• 2000 ppm oryza sativa (rice) extract
• 1000 ppm oryza sativa (rice) bran extract

VITA 5 Complex + Friends

• 20,000ppm Vitamin B3
• 756.5 ppm Vitamin B5
• .1 ppm Vitamin B6
• .1 ppm Vitamin B7 
• 1.5 ppm Vitamin B9
• .1 ppm Vitamin B12  
• .1 ppm Vitamin C  

This serum is thicker than the essence water and the eye drop applicator is so finicky ~ it doesn’t pick up a lot of the serum with a good squeeze on the bulb.  I don’t know if I got a defective one or not, but that applicator makes it difficult to pick up this lovely glow-y serum.  This has the same tomato leaf crushed and lemony scent to it as the essence water and I can feel how moisturizing it is ~ this does have dimethicone in it, so it has that lovely slippery slick feel to it.

This milky radiant serum is hydrating and nourishing to my skin ~ it dries down quickly and without any sticky or tacky residue.  Once again, this had a very cooling effect on my skin, while leaving it soft and supple.  It increases my moisture level by 38% while reducing my oils by 41% 

Vitarice Glow Serum Ingredients: water, dipropylene glycol, methylpropanediol, glycereth-26, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, niacinamide (20000 ppm), dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, betaine, algae extract, eclipta prostrata leaf extract, beta vulgaris (beet) root extract, oryza sativa (rice) extract (2000ppm), oryza sativa (rice) bran extract(1000ppm), avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, pteris multifida extract, cynara scolymus (artichoke) leaf extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, collagen extract, opuntia coccinellifera fruit extract, hydrogenated lecithin, geranium maculatum oil, sodium hyaluronate, camellia sinensis leaf water, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, hydrolyzed corn starch, ceramide NP, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, silica, butylene glycol, tromethamine, sucrose distearate, saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate(1000ppm), panthenol (756.5ppm), glyceryl polymethacrylate, xanthan gum, adenosine, fructooligosaccharides, beta-glucan, glyceryl stearate, polyquaternium-51, bifida ferment lysate, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, schizosaccharomyces ferment filtrate, hydrolyzed keratin, lactobacillus ferment, raffinose, folic acid (1.5ppm), leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, biotin(0.1ppm), cyanocobalamin(0.1ppm), ascorbic acid(0.1ppm), pyridoxine HCL (0.1ppm), palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, ethylhexlglycerin cosDNA

VitaRice Moisture Cream:  Unlike the Skin Relief Moisture Cream, which was a gelly, the Vitarice Moisture Cream IS a cream.  It comes in a nice squat jar and I use a spatula to remove the contents, and it has a nice thick, emollient texture to it (plus the lovely scent!)  This has several emollients in it ~ silicone methyl trimethicone,  hydrogenated neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride,  polyglyceryl-3 methylglucose distearate.  Shea Butter contains a rich source of concentrated natural vitamins and fatty acids ~ oleic, stearic, palmitic, linolenic ~ and is highly moisturizing and nourishing. It helps repair your skin, as well as reduce skin inflammation due to its lupeol cinnamate compound. It also smooths your skin to protect it from drying and it strengthens your skin over time as it helps aid in the collagen production.  

Rice Extracts

• 1000 ppm saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate 
• 2000 ppm oryza sativa (rice) extract
• 1000 ppm oryza sativa (rice) bran extract

VITA 5 Complex + Friends

• 20,000ppm Vitamin B3
• 81.5 ppm Vitamin B5
• .1 ppm Vitamin B6
• .1 ppm Vitamin B7 
• 1.5 ppm Vitamin B9
• .1 ppm Vitamin B12  
• .1 ppm Vitamin C  

This is very thick on my skin, but surprisingly, it absorbs quickly into my skin.  It leaves quite the dewy finish, so I have used this as a night cream and also as a neck cream. It softens my skin nicely, but it is too heavy for my oily skin.  Dry skin types would love this better than I do.  This increased my moisture levels by 30% and increased my oils by 33% 

VitaRice Moisture Cream Ingredients: water, glycerin, methylpropanediol, methyl trimethicone, hydrogenated neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, 1,2-hexanediol, niacinamide(20000ppm), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, caprylic/capric triglyceride, trehalose, polyglyceryl-3 methylglucose distearate, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate SE, algae extract, eclipta prostrata leaf extract, ulmus davidiana root extract, amaranthus caudatus seed extract, oryza sativa (rice) extract(2000ppm), oryza sativa (rice) bran extract(1000ppm), ginkgo biloba leaf extract, collagen extract, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, pteris multifida extract, cynara scolymus (artichoke) leaf extract, hydrogenated lecithin, geranium maculatum oil, camellia sinensis leaf water, sodium hyaluronate, palmitic acid, carbomer, stearic acid, behenyl alcohol, tromethamine, cetearyl alcohol, beta-glucan, ceramide NP, bifida ferment lysate, saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate(1000ppm), hydrolyzed keratin, butylene glycol, allantoin, adenosine, fructooligosaccharides, sodium stearoyl glutamate, schizosaccharomyces ferment filtrate, cholesterol, polyquaternium-51, panthenol(81.5ppm), hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, myristic acid, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, raffinose, folic acid(1.5ppm), biotin(0.1ppm), cyanocobalamin (0.1 ppm), ascorbic acid(0.1ppm), pyridoxine HCL (0.1ppm), palmitoyl pentapeptide-4  cosDNA

Final Thoughts

Commleaf VitaRice Nourishing series is just that ~ very nourishing and moisturizing for my oily skin.  I have not noticed any brightening effects, as this is an initial impression and I rarely get good brightening results in a few weeks ~ however, my skin looks more hydrated and refreshed when I use the Essence Water and Glow Serum, without being dewy or sticky.  The Glow Serum brings a radiance to my skin.  The Moisture Cream is too rich and dewy for my skin type although I manage to get it work nicely as a neck cream.  The crushed tomato leaves and lemony scent is just so earthy and lovely ~ it is the only way I can describe it, as it took me so long to figure it out ~ one of my favorite perfume oils by the Haus of Gloi is called Insalata Nocturna ~ which is described as “In the night garden, green Bolivian lemon, rubbed tomato leaf, olive leaf absolute, black fig syrup and basil“.  The VitaRice smells almost just like it to me!   If you have oily skin like me, you can’t go wrong with the Essence Water and Glow Serum.  If you have dry skin, all three products will work for you.  My only complaint with this line are the applicators for the Essence Water and  Glow Serum ~ They both should be pump bottles as they are too thick for the products.  

Where to Purchase

Style Korean ~ currently, all Commleaf products are 20% off ~ as of 12/8/2018.  I am not sure when this sale will end.

• VitaRice Essence Water 120mL $30.40 USD (normally $38.00)
• VitaRice Glow Serum 42mL $31.20 USD (normally $39.00)
• VitaRice Moisture Cream 60mL $31.20 USD (normally $39.00)

[ disclaimer: products received complementary for review purposes.  blog post contains affiliate links ]