Stabilized Sakura and white flower capsules prevent melanin synthesis and vitalize skin tone with the reinforced skin whitening effect.

Ginkgo leaf extract and lotus flower extract absorb into skin evenly and brighten skin tone by helping blood circulation in skin.

White flower capsule melt on skin smoothly and absorb quickly without leaving stickiness.

Raspberry and Lycium Chinese Mill extract protect skin from UV rays and outside harmful factors so that skin keeps healthy.

Trehalose and hyaluronic acid moisturize skin. Seeds oil such as jojoba seed and macadamia keep skin smooth and soft.

Gratuitous pictures of the pretty boxes

Ingredients Analysis and pH results

Click image for large size

red

Aqua, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Niacinamide , Glycerin, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Ceteareth-12, Cetearyl Alcohol , Cetyl Palmitate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Triethanolamine , Cellulose Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate , Sclerotium Gum, Natto Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract, Ascorbic Acid , Malic Acid , Dextrin, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract , Citrus

Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Convallaria Majalis Root Extract, Magnolia Liliflora Flower Extract, Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/leaf extract, Glycyrrhiza Inflata (Licorice) Root Extract , Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate , Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil , Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Olea europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil , Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance

Mmm Hyaluronic Acid image source) Aqua, Methyl Gluceth-20, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Niacinamide , Alcohol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Phenyl Trimethicone Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Collagen, Zea mays starch, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Lactose, Vitamin E Acetate , Acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Triethanolamine , Trehalose, Sodium Hyaluronate , Xanthan Gum, Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract, Ascorbic Acid , Malic Acid , Dextrin, Arnica montana, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Hedera Helix Extract, Hydrolyzed conchiolin protein, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Convallaria majalis, Magnolia Liliflora Flower Extract, Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/leaf Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Lead Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil , Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance

Cetearyl Alcohol, scored a 2 on both Acne and Irritant on Cosdna. Here's their cosmeticsinfo.org page, with no flags of note.

Why are they used in cosmetics and personal care products?

Cetearyl Alcohol and the other fatty alcohols keep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components. These ingredients are also used to alter the thickness of liquid products and to increase foaming capacity or to stabilize foams.

Triethanolamine, not even going to get all link-ified here, we've seen this plenty.

Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil. Seeing as this scored a 2 on both Acne and Irritant, I am going to assume that it makes some people break out, but it didn't flag on cosmeticsinfo.org:

CIR Safety Review:

Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil and Hydrogenated Evening Primrose Oil were included in the CIR Expert Panel's review of plant-derived fatty acids oils. Based on a history of safe use in food, the composition of the oils, and data indicating that these ingredients were not dermal irritants or sensitizers, the CIR Expert Panel concluded that plant-derived fatty acid oils including Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil and Hydrogenated Evening Primrose Oil were safe as used in cosmetic products.

Olea europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, scored a 2 on Cosdna under Acne.

Oooo, I know this one! *waves raised hand in the air*





Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, while this didn't flag on cosmeticsinfo.org, it did score a 2 on Acne and a 0-2 on Irritant from Cosdna.

I did find that it is used a folk remedy for acne, although with the caution not to use it undiluted on the skin. I also learned that Jojoba oil is not an oil, it's actually a wax ester, and it does not penetrate the skin.





My experience and final thoughts





So, let me start with the Mela Defense White Capsule Essence: it broke me out. I am suspicious that it was the high number oils in it, as my skin doesn't tend to do well with oily products and they're quite comedogenic for me. For example I have yet to find a single oil cleanser that doesn't clog my pores and break me out; I don't think it's even a matter of permeability into the skin. I think it's a matter of things just getting caught down in my giant, gaping pores and there is so much dust/particle debris in the air here that things get clogged up fast.





The Essence has a thick, gel-like texture with little beads of cream (?) suspended in it; it's not hard to break them down and work it into the skin, however.





I broke out by the next morning when using this, so per usual I stopped for a few days until it went away, tried it again, and it broke me out within a day. I made a third attempt (they were not dramatic, and it could have been stress, sleep, diet, hormones) but nope, back again. I've now decanted all of this and sent it off to some friends. Godspeed, tiny jars; I hope it works better for them than it did for me.





Mela Defense White Boosting Toner, however, I liked. I didn't love it, and it's definitely not a pH adjusting toner like the kind I need for my pH dependent products (Vit C, BHA, AHA - click here to read more about why I use a pH adjusting toner) as it just has way too many moisturizing ingredients. Acids are best applied to bare skin, and this was very much a 'hydrating' style toner. The, however, I liked. I didn'tit, and it's definitely not a pH adjusting toner like the kind I need for my pH dependent products () as it just has way too many moisturizing ingredients. Acids are best applied to bare skin, and this was very much a 'hydrating' style toner.





February's Hanbang Project went live and I switched to that hydrating toner instead. I have a hydrating toner waiting in the wings as well as Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion on my wishlist, so I don't see myself repurchasing this anytime soon, but if I didn't find something I loved, I'd happily go back to it. Still, my expectations of toners is pretty low, so I wouldn't read the advertisement for this product and expect marvelous whitening effects. That being said, it was a low pH, so good for the skin, gentle, hydrating, smelled pretty, and didn't break me out. I used it daily untilwent live and I switched to that hydrating toner instead. I have a hydrating toner waiting in the wings as well as Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion on my wishlist, so I don't see myself repurchasing this anytime soon, but if I didn't find something I loved, I'd happily go back to it. Still, my expectations of toners is pretty low, so I wouldn't read the advertisement for this product and expect marvelous whitening effects.





Have you tried and loved, or hated, any of the Mizon Mela Defense White line? Drop me a comment below, or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter!

All the best,

-Cat





** Disclaimer: All products reviewed/mentioned in my blog, are 100% purchased with my own money, with a single exception of a press sample I tested & reviewed in 2015 which swore me off of them forever. This blog contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the former before you shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to assist in this blog supporting itself. Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.

I chose thebecause my combo-dehydrated skin does best with a routine that features, many, many hydrating layers followed by sparing application of richer creams/occlusives at the very end. (.) So, I load up on essences/serums/ampoules (and sheet masks) and keep creams and oils to a minimum. I still use them, but they're not the driving force of moisturization for my skin.According to Mizon's site page on the Essence, the key ingredients are:You'll notice that there are no bolded ingredients.Still, it sounded like a nice hydrating essence and should at least add another watery layer to my skin.Plus, I have to be honest. A huge part of the appeal for this product was the look of the packaging and the fact that it was made from freakin'. Can you blame me?!I was hoping that it would 1. fade my skin damage, 2. hydrate my skin, and 3. smell pretty. Packaging isn't everything, butpackaging ...I don't normally go for pictures of the packaging for multiple angles as I don't think it contributes much, but I'm making an exception for these:So pretty @_@. The boxes are white with a soft pink stylized cherry blossom design that wraps around the entire package, concentrated most on the two sides pictured above. You'll see in the shot with the ingredients/instructions that the motif even carries around to the back of the box. Gorgeous!So I was thinking this was going to be easy, after all Urban Outfitters carries Mizon (if massively overpriced) and they have Ingredients lists in English, plus there are three entries in Cosdna for this toner, so I totally won't have to transcribe it off the back off the box, right? RIGHT?Yeah no. Going off the listed ingredients on my box, not a single one of the 4 options was an exact match, ingredient by ingredient (order does matter!) to my box. Sigh. That means doing it the hard way. I have entered it all into Cosdna here (Toner pH result was 4.5, which is fine for an AHA but I don't think it exfoliates. I'll explain more in the Final Thoughts section. Anything that scores a 2 or above gets a, good ingredients of note get aThe pH for the Essence was a typical 5.5, which is common for moisturizers as there is no serious surfactant power required. The ingredients on my box seemed close enough to the Cosdna entry , so I have posted it here.There are certainly a lot of extracts and oils in there as well, which could be beneficial, but the science on those tend to be murky.Triethanolamine is a pH adjuster, so give it a friendly wave and thank it for neutralizing itself for the sake of the greater good; its noble sacrifice helped adjust the pH of this product.Undaunted, I sent about to google Evening Primrose Oil + acne. My results (granted from a general google search) is that EPO is actually used as a folk remedy for acne, including hormonal breakouts, so I'm more mystified as to why it got flagged than ever. So ... if EPO makes you break out, stay away?Olive oil can be comedogenic for some people, so watch out for that if you react to olive oil.wasn't tagged, but some people have issues with it, so watch out for that.