Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

Naturally I decided to kick off my beauty blogging adventure with the big Kahuna (and the first Korean skincare product I ever tried), Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. No doubt it's a product that those who know a thing or two about Korean skincare have heard of before. The product is famous for being a lower cost dupe of the Japanese SK-II essence and still manages to hold its own in head to head comparisons.

The product is currently in its second generation, as proudly touted on Missha's Korean website. While I can't remember exactly when. the changeover happened sometime after I started using it in December 2014. Fans rave about it and everyone in Korea and those who follow Asian Beauty abroad knows about it. So what's the big deal?

According to the box: The First Treatment Essence is a "wrinkle repairing & whitening cosmetic." If you're anything like me you'll read that and think, "Yeah, bleaching my skin... no thanks." Many Korean skincare products promise to whiten your skin and there's a lot of debate as to whether that means bleaching or brightening. I've used the product for over a year and no my face is not shades lighter than the rest of my skin but in my case it does help lighten hyperpigmentation from acne scars. More from the box: "Highly concentrated essential essence for the first step of skin care to recover rhythm and to make radiant and healthy skin by raising skin moisture and radiance level." Sounds like a bunch of word salad to me but we do get the key word in any Korean skincare routine: moisture. It's not just heresay, studies show that keeping the skin well hydrated is the best way to combat wrinkles.

The First Treatment Essence is (typically) packaged in a clear glass bottle. I say typically because Missha is currently having a Line themed promotion and they're selling bottles of that look like Line characters Brown and Sally I saw them and I had to buy them >< More on the price and the promotion below but I digress...The packaging is sleek and the bottle itself is sturdy and a bit on the heavy side. Although the packaging feels sturdy, the fact that the bottle is made of glass, however, leaves me constantly worrying that one day I'm going to drop the bottle and have it shatter everywhere. The product itself doesn't look much different than water in color and viscosity as it is clear and runny. This product isn't an extremely fragrant one. The scent is very light with a slight hint of yeast and fermentation. Because of that I can see this product being well received by both men and women. Even my 20 year old brother let me put some on him because it doesn't have "girly smell" XD

The directions on the box say that after cleansing your skin you should put the product on a cotton pad and then apply it to your face. I did it this way for a while when I first bought this product but eventually I just started putting some of the product in my palm and applying it directly to my skin with a light patting motion.

The First Treatment Essence claims to be effective in "Soothing / Smoothing / Balancing sebum level / Moisturizing / Improving skin tone / Firming / Wrinkle repairing / Boosting." The product is 80% fermented yeast extract and the main ingredients are Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, which has moisturizing properties and Bifida Ferment Lysate which is believed to have a probiotic anti-aging effect on the skin. At the time that I am writing this I am only 23 (24 Korean age) and because of that I can't say whether or not it's effective at firming or repairing wrinkles. However in my experience this product 1) Is gentle and soothing on the skin, it's not one of those tingly or irritated toners that are fairly common in Western skincare 2) Helps balance the sebum levels in my combination skin, which can be frustratingly oily primarily on my forehead during the summer months 3) Is an effective first layer of moisture on my skin (I'll confess there are some summer days in my humid hometown in Georgia where all I put on my face is The First Treatment Essence, sunscreen, and some CC cream XD) 4) Has improved the turnover rate for my skin, I've noticed that acne and acne scars heal faster since I started using The First Treatment Essence and because of that it 5) Has improved the overall appearance of my skin.

The price: The 150ml bottle is 37,000₩ (~$33) , The 130ml bottle (including those Line bottles) is 32,000₩ (~$28), with the current promotion you can buy a 150ml bottle and a 130ml Line themed bottle for 48,000₩ (~$42).

My ratings

Price: 4/5. There are many cheaper products in the Korean market but I doubt you'll find any that are as effective as this one

Effectiveness: 4.5/5. This is the main reason I keep repurchasing, even though it costs an arm and a leg to buy it while in the States

Packaging: 3.5/5. To be honest the bottle is a bit heavy and not great for packing in a backpack for overnight or weekend trips and I live in fear that I'm going to drop it one day and accidentally have the glass shatter everywhere ><

Overall: 4/5. My loyalty to this product remains even though over a year has passed. Repurchase?: Yes. Absolutely.

TL;DR If I could only have one Korean product in my skincare routine it would be Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence.

Have you used Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence? How do you feel about it? Still have questions about Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence? Leave them in the comments ^^

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