Skincare essence is one step in the Korean beauty comprehensive skincare routine. Essences are commonly mistaken for toners, serums, and face mists. But they are much different from any of these products.
As a skincare maximalist, you certainly want to know what a skincare essence is, why, and how it is different from the preceding toners and succeeding serums.
Every extra step in skincare is worth the time and money spent. In the same vein, when you understand what essence is and how to use it correctly, you will get a bang for your buck.
Read to see all you need to know about this K-beauty skincare product, why it is important, and if you should be using it.
What Is Skincare Essence?
Skincare essence is a liquid-based product that may look like a toner or a serum. Essences are skincare products that hydrate and nourish your skin with active ingredients.
Simon Ourian, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Epione Beverly Hills explains that essences provide your skin with a lot of benefits that include prepping your skin for other products, enhancing penetration, and replenishing your skin’s moisture levels.
Skincare essences are watery products that your skin can rely on for moisture and nourishment. They usually come after toning and just before serums and moisturizers.
Although not everyone finds them necessary; if you have used one before you’ll agree that they are good for the appearance of your skin.
What Is Skincare Essence Good For?
Skincare essence is good for skin moisture levels. Skincare essence is good for opening your skin to goodness. These products mediate cleansing and moisturizing, so, they bring balance to your routine.
Essences are lightweight products that penetrate your skin and hydrate it in a few minutes. It unclogs your pores of debris, just like toners, and regulates sebum production.
Also, it helps to balance your skin pH, bringing it to a state where oil and moisture levels are steady.
Furthermore, this Korean genius acts as a humectant and helps to prevent water loss from the surface of your skin. Therefore, it protects your natural barrier and makes your skin resilient against irritants that can penetrate your skin and cause acne or premature aging.
Some essences contain plant extracts, and this makes them a good addition to your anti-aging routine. The antioxidants fight off the formation of free radicals which may manifest in the formation of fine lines and facial wrinkles.
These products have also been proven to promote skin elasticity. Skincare essences are good for every skin type and concern. Sensitive skin types will find the essence soothing.
Does Skincare Essence Work?
Yes, it does. There is a skincare essence for every skin type and every skin concern. Skincare essence preps your skin to drink up the active ingredients in serums and moisturizers.
Some essences are a little bit sticky, and these work well for spot treatments. Others are on the watery side and are very hydrating. On application, you’ll feel the ingredients melt into your skin and leave your skin feeling plump.
Overall, skincare essence improves the texture and tone of your skin. Also, it enhances the ability of your skin to retain moisture and keep out irritants.
How Does Skincare Essence Work?
Skincare essences work on a cellular level. How do they do these? Essences have smaller molecules that are more lightweight compared to moisturizers. Therefore, they penetrate deeper and carry all their goodness to the depths of your skin.
They use their humectant properties to attract moisture to your skin. Binding to the water molecules, the small molecules seep into your skin and replenish moisture.
With the moisture boost, certain lipids in skincare essence enhance your lipid barrier and protect your skin from environmental aggressors.
Essences are exceptionally good for oily and combination skin. Oily skin has sufficient and maybe excess oil and will thrive better with water. A hydrating essence will supply this water deficiency and regulate sebum production.
Furthermore, their small molecules penetrate your skin and pave way for optimum penetration of the active ingredients in serums and moisturizers. Mediating skincare at this point, the products applied after essence are more effective.
What Should You Look For in Skincare Essence?
There is a skincare essence for every skin type. Different essences have been modified to suit different skin types and their concerns.
The base ingredient in every essence is water, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin. Every other ingredient is modified based on skin type.
If you have dry skin, you need an essence that contains high concentrations of hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Also, niacinamide and glycolic acid can help boost moisture levels when your skin feels parched, especially during harsh weather conditions like winter.
Oily and combination skin types should look out for essences that contain exfoliating acids like salicylic acid and glycolic acid. However, these ingredients should be combined with hyaluronic acid to soothe their drying effect.
In addition, skincare essences that contain antioxidants, fermented yeast, botanical extracts, minerals, and vitamins will provide optimum protection to every skin type.
Their anti-inflammatory properties will help to soothe sensitive skin and protect it from skin flares. Fermented yeast also offers a good degree of protection from UV rays which can cause acne breakouts, premature aging, and hyperpigmentation scars.
Are Skincare Essences the Same as Toners?
Skincare essence and toner are two different skincare products. To start with, toners are cleansers and skincare essences are not. Both products are commonly mistaken on account of their close similarities in their consistency.
Toning works on the surface of the skin; it provides surface-level hydration. Essence, on the other hand, works on a cellular level and hydrates your skin from beneath.
Additionally, essences are usually more concentrated than toners. They contain more active ingredients, and this makes them more potent.
Based on the method of application, using a cotton pad to apply toner makes it more effective in cleansing your skin. Skincare essence is best applied by misting or using your palms to rub it in.
Using a cotton pad to apply essence will only waste the ingredients. This skincare product is watery; therefore, the product will rather gather on the cotton pad.
Are Skincare Essences the Same as Serums?
No, skincare essence is not the same as your skin serum. These two products share the closest similarities, especially in consistency and ingredients formulation. However, there are differences.
Serums are more potent than essences. Serums contain more active ingredients and these ingredients are in higher concentrations. Therefore, they are more targeted in their line of action.
The main purpose of essence is to hydrate your skin while serum addresses skin concerns like aging, skin resurfacing, firming, and skin discolorations. Skincare essence cannot carry out these tasks.
In addition, while you can skip essence but use serum, you cannot and should not use essence and skip serum (unless you do not need it to address skin concerns).
Are Skincare Essences the Same as Moisturizers?
Skincare essences and moisturizers are two different skincare products. Essence has a more lightweight formulation when compared to the molecular size of moisturizers.
As a result, skincare essence penetrates your skin deeper and better to deliver a moisture boost. Also, moisturizers contain occlusive and emollient ingredients which are not present in essences.
These ingredients are what keep your skin moisturized hours after application. Moisturizers are used over serums and other products (except oil) to seal in moisture and enhance the effectiveness of other products.
When Should You Use Skincare Essence?
Use skincare essence if you love a detailed skincare routine. Asides from this reason, you should use essence when your skin feels too parched.
Additionally, serums that contain actives like retinol may irritate sensitive skin types. In such a case, you may take a break from serum and use essence instead.
Skincare essence comes after cleansing and toning your skin, and before you apply serum and seal in moisture with a moisturizer.
How to Use Skincare Essence
After understanding all there is to know about skincare essence, you should know how to apply it to your face. When you correctly apply your skincare products, you reap the benefits of the ingredients.
- Cleanse your face with a mild facial cleanser to remove oil, dirt, and makeup residues
- Afterward, double-cleanse your face with a toner. Dampen a clean cotton ball with toner and wipe your face and neck
- Toning will get rid of stubborn residues of oil, makeup, and cleanser
- After toning, your skin is ready to receive essence. Release some of the product onto your palm and gently press or pat it all over your face
- Hold on a few minutes for your skin to drink it up
- Thereafter, pump out the serum and release about 5 drops on your palm and gently tap it into your skin. Tap it all over to evenly distribute the product
- Also, wait up to a minute for the serum to absorb into your skin
- Layer a face moisturizer over your face to lock in moisture
- Then, you can continue with other products down your routine. Do not forget to layer SPF at the end of your routine
Are There Any Potential Side Effects?
Skincare essence is considered safe for the skin. Most formulas are made from a combination of natural ingredients that will not harm your skin. Essence does not contain alcohol which can dry out your skin.
Regardless, you must look through the ingredients list on the bottle to check for ingredients that may irritate your skin.
If an essence contains an ingredient that will not suit your skin, leave the product and look for what matches your skin preferences.
FAQs
Is skincare essence necessary?
Skincare essence is not a must-have step in skincare. Its complementary role can be filled in by toners, serums, and moisturizers which are essential for skin care. However, if you feel the need to add essence to your skincare routine, you can.
Should you skip toner and use skincare essence?
If your cleanser is mild enough, you can skip toning and begin treating your skin with essence and serum. However, you should use toner to double cleanse and get rid of stubborn residues of impurities that your cleanser didn’t reach.
Moreover, some cleansers may leave residues on your skin. Toners help to remove these residues and balance your skin’s pH to make all other products effective.
Can you replace serum with skincare essence?
No, you should not skip serum after applying essence. Asides from hydrating your skin, the other benefit of applying essence is to prepare your skin to receive the actives in serum and moisturizer.
In addition, essences are not as potent as serums. Serums are tailored to target skin concerns like skin resurfacing, firming, and revitalizing.
Should you use essence every day?
Yes, you should. If you see the need to treat your skin with the extra hydration boost of essences, you should use skincare essence every day. Apply essence after cleansing and just before moisturizing during your morning and evening routine.
Conclusion
Skincare essence sometimes looks like toners, looks and feels like serums, and can be as moisturizing as moisturizers.
Essence is another step in your skincare that can feel like two steps combined. Regardless, they should come in between cleansing and moisturizing.
The major benefit of skincare essence is to hydrate and nourish your skin. Moreover, other ingredients and essences can address skin conditions like acne and aging.
Pick a formula that takes your skin type into account and gives you better skin days.
Thanks for reading.
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