On my trip to South Korea recently, I discovered a new #seoulmate. Many of them, in fact, but this stood out the most. Behold: the beginning of a love affair with Cremorlab – a skincare brand I scoured Seoul days on end for. For three days, I popped in and out of EVERY Olive Young and Watson’s I saw without buying a single thing. How crazy is that? To make things even crazier… I’ve never tried a single product from this line, ever.

I swear, when I finally hunted it down, I stood there in the aisle pinching myself. It was so surreal.

The brand in a nutshell: Other than pretty packaging, Cremorlab products are centered around a T.E.N water philosophy, which stands for Thermal water therapy, Eco energy and Natural nourishment. Extracted from 1,100m underground in the Geumjin region somewhere in Korea, this thermal water (also the base of all Cremorlab products) contains 37,600mg/l of minerals – which is 300 times the amount found in ‘regular’ thermal water. In addition, the balance of water to minerals in what they call a golden ratio, delivered in a size smaller than your pores, heightens absorption rate of products into your skin.

The fairytale I fell for: Once upon a time, a small countryside agriculture town in Korea enjoyed crazily abundant harvests and the residents were always very healthy. It caught the attention of the Korea government, who brought in experts to dig deep (haha), ultimately discovering the underlying pristine water as the source. Estimated to be purified for over 260 million years underground, the magical water boosts a 1:6:1 golden ratio of calcium and magnesium and contains loads of selenium, a cancer-fighting antioxidant not commonly found in thermal water. It is currently used in hydrotherapy for cancer patients with positive results.

There are also no parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, artificial colours in all Cremorlab products.

And so, after fruitless hunting for days, I bought EVERYTHING on the shelf (some in duplicates after trying it out there and then) and continued poking my head into every LOHB’s store, just in case they had something I haven’t already bought. I don’t think I’ve been so obsessed in a while.

HAUL LIST

Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask x 16

Hydroplus Aqua Tank Water Full Mask x 4

Hydroplus Nutrition Deep Intensive Mask x 4

Triple Bright White Bloom Floral Mask x 2

T.E.N. Cremor Cleansing Veil (70 sheets)

T.E.N. Cremor Mineral Water Mist 300ml

T.E.N. Cremor Mineral Treatment Essence x 2

T.E.N. Cremor Shadow-Off Eye Cream

T.E.N. Cremor Face Smooth Pudding x2

T.E.N. Cremor Face Fresh Water Gel

T.E.N. Cremor Essence Tonic

T.E.N. Aqua Essence Water Fluid

Hydroplus Snow Falls Velvet Toner

Hydroplus Snow Falls Melting Cream x3

Hydroplus Snow Falls Water Full Serum x2

Phew! To be honest, I relished recounting how much I bought in images and in words, as if that would justify the effort and hours spent looking for it.

It’s taken many words and a few photos to get here but these masks above, are the reason I’m foaming at the mouth with regret at this haul. My interest in Cremorlab was first piqued by an Into The Gloss review of the Herb Tree Blemish Minus Calming sheet mask – it shall be henceforth referred to here as the Pink Mask for the sake of my fingers – and how it regularly sells out on Peach and Lily.

For some stupid reason, I decided to keep a lid on the haul monster in me and only lugged 16 sheets back with me. Maybe somewhere in my head I was trying to enforce responsible hauling, especially with an untried brand. Urgh.

So I tried on the mask three days ago. IT IS UNICORN TEARS, AS AMAZING AS THEY SAY. But that lovebombing is for another day.

The pain is here: one of these masks retails for USD6 on Peach and Lily. On Qoo10 (I know, last resort) it is selling at 77SGD for 5. Watsons Malaysia? RM10.90 per sheet. HMall (which is in Korean) at 30,000won for 10.

What I paid: 1,500won per piece. Which is S$1.80 each. Or USD1.30.

$1.80! $1.80!!! AND I ONLY BOUGHT 20+ OF THEM!!!!!! *SLAPS SELF WITH FRYING PAN*

I am now considering flying to Seoul just to haul 40kg worth of these back. *wipes tear off cheek*