Naruko is one of my favorite Taiwanese skincare brands and I love their Raw Job’s Tears Brightening line. I have reviewed many of Naruko products in the past (see reviews here). Several months ago, I received three products in the newly revamped and reformulated Raw Job’s Tears line and they even shortened the name from Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening to the Raw Job’s Tears Brightening. I was send these products from Naruko Canada/USA for review purposes and I am now down to the last product ~ Naruko Raw Job’s Tears Brightening Essence. I have never tried the Essence in the previous formula, so this is brand new to me!!
I also included the Raw Job’s Tears Brightening Sheet Mask review and comparison as a bonus as it was originally posted on my Instagram account. Taiwan’s leading skincare brand is Naruko and their night gellys are very popular. Naruko claims that one is sold very 2 minutes! You can use CouponCode0527 promo code to save 10% off your orders at either Naruko Canada or Naruko USA. I don’t make any commissions off the code, this is just a thank you for my readers.
Skin Type/Concerns: Oily, blemish prone, pores, aging skin with fine lines/wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation ~ sun damage and PIH
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.
Ingredients
Oh Naruko packs a lot of ingredients in their skincare, but they have a reason for their madness!
Job’s tears (Coix lachryma-jobi) by Leonardo da Vinci
Job’s Tears (coix lacryma-jobi) also known as Chinese Barley, Pearl Barley, Adlay Millet. It’s main skincare benefits are: brightening, moisturizing, anti-aging, repairing and calming. To go into more detail, Job’s Tears is an anti-inflammatory and will help reduce redness and swelling, along with helping to detox and firm your skin. It also contains coixenolide, a fatty acid, which helps reduce blemishes and hyper-pigmentation as it can inhibit the melanin production of your skin. Job’s Tears are also rich in iron, phosphorus and calcium minerals as well as a trio of B vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin) and niacin is known for its skin brightening properties. Naruko uses organic raw Job’s Tears from Nantou,Taiwan. They use a technology that helps extract all of the active ingredients, which provide anti-aging benefits and moisturization.
image from narukousa.com
Other skin brightening ingredients include 3% tranexamic acid, derived from lysine. This synthetic amino acid has smoothing, brightening and astringent properties. It helps suppress the effects of melanin, causing a reduction of hyper-pigmentation. Niacinamide is a powerful antioxidant that helps even out skin tone, reduce post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation while acting as an anti-inflammatory, enhancing your skin barrier function and improving skin elasticity.
Naruko added a new complex to their Raw Job’s Tears Brightening line ~ a traditional 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙗 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙞-𝙎𝙞𝙭®, consisting of angelica sinensis root, cornus officinalis fruit, glycyrrhiza uralensis root, lycium chinese root, phragmites communis and salvia miltiorrhiza root, which will help brighten skin to a healthy glow
Evermat®, is another Naruko complex, containing enantia chlorate bark and oleanolic acid. This complex helps minimize the appearance of pores, reduces shine and oiliness, mattifies the skin, is an astringent. It can do all of this as enatia chlorate can suppress 5-a reductase enzymes, which contributes to the sebum production.
Tremella fuciformis, or snow fungus, is a white gelatinous parasitic fungus that has been used in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) for centuries, as well as for culinary dishes. It draws water to the skin, just like hyaluronic acid, helping keep your skin hydrated and moist, plumping up fine lines and wrinkles. It is supposed to be 120% more efficient than HA, as its particles are smaller than hyaluronic acid ~ it penetrates your skin better and more easier. Snow fungus is a natural organic alternative to hyaluronic acid. It contains Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin ~ we need produce it when we get it thru exposure to the sun and also in foods and supplements. Also, snow fungus is an antioxidant, helping combat and reverse free radical damage, including lightening of hyper-pigmentation spots.
image from narukousa.com
Plant collagen galactoarabinan, known as GA, helps promote cell regeneration, reduces TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss), refines and smoothes your skin texture, while minimizing the appearance of pores. Yeast Complex B is a polysaccharide which contains hydrating and repairing yeast extracts along with vitamin B1 and B6 to help control oiliness and balance the skin. Another yeasty ingredient is black yeast produced pullulan, full of water-binding polysaccharides and antioxidants.
Panthenol helps cellular renewal and is an effective moisturizer. It is derived from plants and this ingredient comes from vitamin B5. Panthenol is a natural humectant, which retains moisture and hydrates the skin. It also is a good lubricant on the skin, making skin look soft and smooth. This also has a slew of deeply moisturizing ceramides ~ ceramide NP, ceramide AP and ceramide EOP
phytosphingosine which will help repair and protect your barrier function. Centella asiatica is a common herbal ingredient that is used medicinally to help speed up wound healing, such as blemishes and skin rashes. It also helps minimize the appearance of pores. Caffeine helps reduce puffiness, by stimulating and improving blood circulation
Naruko added two forms of skin brightening stabilized vitamin C, 3-0-ethyl ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate, which are both great additions to this serum ~ water and oil soluble 3-0-ethyl ascorbic acid is one of the more stable vitamin C’s out there, so it can penetrate into the skin’s deeper layers without causing any skin irritation, yet over 80% of EAC converts to ascorbic acid. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate, AKA SAP, helps protect and improve the skin, as well as all of the other vitamin C stuff ~ brighten, antioxidant, anti-aging, adds in collagen production and anti-inflammatory.
Phytoferulin™ is Naruko’s blend of 11 concentrated herbal ingredients: kalanchoe pinnata, glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root, alpine skullcap (scutellaria alpina), masterwort (peucedanum ostruthium), ginkgo biloba, alps wormwood (artemisia umbelliformis), leontopodium alpinum , alpine willowherb (epilobium fleischeri) , calendula officinalis , chamomilla recutita (matricaria) and , camellia sinensis (green tea) extracts. This complex will help prevent hyper-pigmentation and environmental stress to your skin, while being a powerful antioxidant and brightening agent. This complex is very effective in hydrating your skin, while controlling oil.
This does contain horse chestnut, so if you are on a blood thinner, like warfarin, please talk to your physician first. This is a powerful anti-inflammatory that also helps reduce swollen veins. Gotta give it up for some minerals in here ~ zinc gluconate helps reduce oils, acts as anti-inflammatory and is used to help treat blemishes. Ammonium glycyrrhizate is great for damaged or dry skin, as minimizes flaking skin and it also helps make your skin supple
Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Tranexamic Acid, Methylpropanediol, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/ VP Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Pentylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Butylene Glycol, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Fragrance, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, 3-0-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Galactoarabinan, Phragmites Communis Extract, Curcuma Kwangsiensis Extract, Curcuma Wenyujin Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Glycerin, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Yeast Extract, Sodium Citrate, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Leaf Extract, Zinc Gluconate, Poria Cocos Extract, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Sodium Benzoate, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Kalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Epilobium Fleischeri Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Oleanolic Acid, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Peucedanum Ostruthium Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Biotin, Ceramide EOP cosDNA
I love the packaging on this ~ a lovely deep maroon glass bottle, to protect it from light with an eye glass dropper applicator. My only complaint is that the serum collects around the bottle’s edge, dries down and looks like eye boogers. The serum has a gel consistency that feels so cooling and refreshing on my skin ~ with a warm and earthy yeasty scent to it.
This turns watery and my skin absorbs it well ~ it does take about a minute to fully sink in and even then, there is a slight tacky residue, but once I apply another skincare product over it, like a lotion, that goes away.
My skin FEELS wonderful. Soft, supple, not rough or dry. This isn’t pore clogging, as it has a lot of ingredients that help keep pores clean and the finish is not dewy or oily looking, thanks to the oil controlling ingredients in here. This doesn’t pill under makeup or make makeup slide around.
This product feels absolutely amazing on my skin and I love how, over the course of a couple of months, my skin has clarity and looks brighter, my pores are clean and my skin isn’t that oily but still has a natural glow to it. Naruko products work well with other brands as well ~ I find them to be one of the more gentle brands out there that does provide solid results. I loved this essence so much that I purchased another bottle of this in my Naruko haul I recently made.
Bonus Review
One of my favorite sheet masks from Naruko is their Job’s Tears Brightening Mask. The older version, in the all maroon package, was really great at giving my skin an overall brightening effect and minimizing the effects of my pores. One of the complaints I had was that the mask was VERY long in the forehead, even for me, and drooped over my nose. It also had a slight bitter scent and it did have a bit of a tacky residue initially.
The new formula moved ingredients around, making some of the brightening ingredients more prominent and higher up in the ingredients list, such as 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙙 and 𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 both excellent ingredients for brightening the skin overall. Tranexamic acid also has an astringent benefit and helps suppress melanin, reversing hyperpigmentation. 𝙅𝙤𝙗’𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 is an anti-inflammatory and will help reduce redness and swelling, along with helping to firm your skin. It also contains coixenolide, a fatty acid, which helps reduce blemishes & hyper-pigmentation as it can inhibit the melanin production of your skin.
This has the powerhouse of 𝘀𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘂𝘀, whose mucopoly-saccharides really pumps up the hydration on your skin. Naruko added a new complex to their Raw Job’s Tears Brightening Mask ~ a traditional 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙗 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙞-𝙎𝙞𝙭®, which I mentioned in the Brightening Essence. 
The mask still comes with a pearl plastic protector ~ Naruko masks are thin, but they aren’t stretchy, but it does help with ease of application. The scent is much more satisfying ~ it smells like yeasty bread, making me very hungry! The fit is much better too ~ the long forehead & droopy nose has been fixed! Lots of clear watery essence here and Naruko masks are great for a 30 to 40 minute wear time. Once again, my skin looked brighter overall, less ruddy, pores looked minimized ~ I love a good pore care mask and this time, the essence was not tacky at all. My skin felt really hydrated too. They changed the formula, but the results are still fantastic! Two thumbs up!!
Ingredients: water, butylene glycol, glycerin, hydroxyacetophenone, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, tranexamic acid, phenoxyethanol, allantoin, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, triethanolamine, hydroxyethylcellulose, xanthan gum, glycosyl trehalose,hydroxyethyl urea, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, glycereth-26, propylene glycol, fragrance, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, tremella fuciformis sporocarp extract, urea, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, kalanchoe spathulata extract, curcuma longa (turmeric) root extract, ethanolamine, coix lacryma-jobi ma-yuen seed extract, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract,yeast extract, lactobacillus, niacinamide, aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) seed extract, enantia chlorantha bark extract, vibrio alginolyticus ferment filtrate, phragmites communis extract, glycyrrhiza uralensis root extract, 1,2-hexanediol, ammonium glycyrrhizate, soy amino acids, angelica polymorpha sinensis root extract, cornus officinalis fruit extract, lycium chinese root extract, salvia miltiorrhiza root extract, artemisia umbelliformis extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract,epilobium fleischeri extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, glycyrrhtza glabra (licorice) root extract, leontopodium alpinum extract, panthenol, peucedanum ostruthium leaf extract, scutellaria alpina flower/leaf/stem extract, zinc gluconate, sodium citrate, caffeine, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate,citric acid,oleanolic acid, biotin cosDNA
Where To Purchase
This new formula is sold at Naruko, of course! Naruko has several different stores around the world too. Naruko Canada and Naruko USA ship to Canada and the USA. Use CouponCode0527 promo code to save 10% off your orders at either Naruko Canada or Naruko USA on any purchase ~ I don’t make any commissions off the code, this is just a thank you for my readers.
- Naruko Raw Job’s Tears Brightening Essence 30 mL NarukoUSA $33.50 NarukoCanada $29.63 CAD
- Naruko Job’s Tears Brightening Mask 1 box/10 masks NarukoUSA $25.50 NarukoCanada $22.13 CAD
Naruko USA offers flat rate shipping of $6.99 for orders under $74.99 and free shipping for orders over $75.00. Naruko Canada is a bit more complicated so I did a screen shot here of their shipping rates.
Unboxing Beauty 