SKINFOOD Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off- Review!!!

SKINFOOD is an established Korean skincare brand and roots itself in food.

The brand works around the philosophy of using food for healthy skin and all of their products have food as their key ingredients.

You can say SKINFOOD is Korea’s LUSH. Their ingredients however are not as clean as LUSH.

Being such a skin care junkie I had to try SKINFOOD and the first product I purchased was their Black Sugar Honey Wash off Mask. I got this on Souq and it didn't cost much. I believe this was for about AED 40.

It's a wash off mask featuring organic black sugar granules for exfoliation, and rich honey that softens skin for a clean, smooth complexion.

My Experience:

This mask smells delicious... I mean lick worthy delicious. I could see the honey floating on top of the mask. It even looked edible to me.

You have to mix the honey and sugar bits before you apply it. I used my sanitized finger straight into the pot and stirred the whole mixture until it transformed into a thick non drip formula. If you skip this step let me forewarn you that the mixture will be too runny and will drip.
 I applied it all over my face; left it on for 40 mins and washed it off with warm water.

Trust me my face was shining bright and was baby soft.

This mask was an instant favorite. I usually only use LUSH most of the time but I have a feeling this mask will take over soon.

My skin looked and felt so beautiful it is difficult to describe it to you guys.

Let’s look closer at what’s in the product:

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sucrose, Glycerin, Honey, Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Caramel, Lanolin, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Bht, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Fragrance

Hmmm… not all food is it? I had to break this down to understand what’s going onto my skin.

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate- A synthetic ester and oil-like liquid that functions as an emollient to defend skin against moisture loss.

Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate-This synthetic polymer is based on PEG (polyethylene glycol) and fatty acids derived from coconut oil. Function(s): Skin-Conditioning Agent - Emollient; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent

Lanolin- This ingredient may be derived from animals. A product of the oil glands of sheep, extracted from their wool. Used as an emollient in many skin care products and cosmetics and in medicines. 

Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer- is a gelling agent that thickens, emulsifies, and stabilizes products and solutions. It leaves a feeling of velvety softness

ISOHEXADECANE- is a branched chain hydrocarbon with 16 carbons; it is a component of petroleum; used as a skin-conditioning agent in personal care products.

Polysorbate 80 is used as an emulsifier as well as a solubilizer – helping to dissolve ingredients so that they can more easily blend together. It makes products look creamier and more attractive.

Ethylhexylglycerin (octoxyglycerin) is a topical skincare ingredient and deodorizing agent, often indicated as a conditioning ointment in the treatment of eczema. As its name suggests, ethylhexylglycerin is made using glycerin.

1,2-Hexanediol- A synthetic preservative and moisture-binding agent belonging to a class of agents known as higher molecular glycols. It is considered non-sensitizing. 

Pheww!! That’s a long list of synthetics going onto my skin. 

I’m not so sure why the brand emphasizes on putting food on your skin while their ingredient list speaks otherwise. Let's just say its a marketing make-believe tool to convince us that the brand uses only food as their ingredients. 

We can clearly see that SKINFOOD has used these synthetic alternatives to make the product rather than just stabilize the formula.

Final Verdict:

This mask works very well, it checks all the right boxes. It is exfoliating, moisturizing and brightening. The only downside is that it contains quite a bit of synthetic alternatives/fillers and over a period of time you need to detox your skin or go completely natural.

I have checked each ingredient individually and all of them had low to moderate risk factor. None of them were flagged as unsafe. Even though they are safe alternatives; it still makes me a wee bit uncomfortable to use it on a regular basis. I absolutely love the way this mask smells, the way it feels on my skin and the after effect it has on my skin. I just wish it was more natural and less synthetic.