When I first saw this packaging at a meeting (aka a party) I was kind of curious. It looked a bit off and reminded me of a body lotion. I mean that's what I thought it was because of the only legible thing on it says "skin care lotion".
But it turns out it's much more than just that. It's a hydrating toner that is very praised amongst Asian skincare fans. Of course, I'm talking about the Kikumasamune HIGH MOIST Sake Lotion.
Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Skin Care Lotion Hight Moist
... is an ultra-hydrating Japanese lotion with sake.
The lotion contains the same concentration of Kiku-Masamune's famed dry sake (Japanese rice liquor) as the regular version, which is naturally high in kojic acid to hydrate, soothe, smooth, and brighten the skin. It features a rich, alcohol-free, slightly acidic formula with a blend of ceramides, amino acids, arbutin, and placenta extract to naturally protect the skin barrier against moisture loss and free radical damages.
The lotion's generous size makes it economical for use on the face and body, and as a 5-minute lotion pack.
I mean, it's huge. That means that yes, you have to be creative with using it up.
See, it's big. And yes, I'm still not over that. Most toners contain max 250ml of product. Usually even less.
But okay, I wouldn't be writing this review if it was just big, would I?
The lotion has a light sake scent if you use it without a cotton pad. If you use it with a cotton pad the light sake scent turns into a bubblegum scent. I find it really interesting but luckily the scent vanishes after application.
The thing that impressed me the most is how hydrating it is. Before it, I was using hyaluronic acid serums to add a boost of moisture to my skin. But sometimes it just wasn't enough.
Well, with this "lotion" I could skip the hyaluronic acid and use a cream over it. My complex skincare routine got reduced to three steps.
The lotion is highly moisturizing and really I don't think I'll ever go back to plain hyaluronic acid. This is a godsend and I'm so happy that my skin is reacting nicely to it. Otherwise, I'd be stuck with a huge bottle.
The bottle has even a pump that can be closed (pushed down and locked) for travel purposes. It's a bit messy to do so, but I'm glad that this option exists.
Here are the INCI ingredients:
Water, glycerin, butylene glycol, rice ferment filtrate (sake), glutamate, arginine, leucine, ceramide 3, Ceramide 6 II, placenta extract, arbutin, Glycyrrhizic acid, soy protein, maltitol, methyl gluceth-10, peg-60 hydrogenated castor oil, hydroxyethyl cellulose, alkyl styrene/acrylic acid copolymer, citric acid, sodium citrate, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, fragrance
You can read more about the ingredients on Skincarisma.
The hydration lasts for a long time and that's one of the reasons that excite me about it. The second is that this huge bottle is only about $13!
I love it so much that I thought about getting a backup, but then again I still have 1/2 of it left ... I'll wait.
+ the ingredients are promising (minus the glycerin if you're sensitive to it)
+ very moisturizing
+ you get A LOT of it
+ the bottle is pink and if you know me, you know I love the pink color
+ inexpensive (500ml for $13)
- the scent but it vanishes upon application
Rating:
From me, it gets 5 cherries as it checks all the boxes I need in a product. It moisturizes (delivers the claims), you get a lot of it and it's inexpensive. It's ultra moisturizing and that's something I wasn't expecting from it but I'm loving. I started using it as a body lotion before using a body butter, just to use it up quicker. The bottle is huge and pink which is a plus. The scent is very ... sake-like but if you use with a cotton pad (you'll use it quicker) it smells like bubble gum. Fascinating!
This bugger surprised me and I'm keeping it in my routine.
