Cla- who?

A few months ago, I discovered that a friend of mine in Korea started her own company as a Korean cosmetics retailer. We started talking and she asked me if I would consider blogging for her site Kokofash. I said sure! And she sent me the items over. However, due to the reasons outlined in my Organised July post, I’ve decided to post the review here instead.

I received everything from Clabiane through Kokofash with no deadline or pressure to write a positive review. Which is exactly how I like it! So here goes my 100% honest review of the Clabiane W-Line, I hope you enjoy it!

About the Brand

Cla- who? Clabiane is a Korean Dermatologist brand that’s been around since 2005. Their parent company is Won Medco Co., Ltd. who manufacture laser products that are used for cosmetic purposes. All Clabiane information is pretty much exclusively in Korean which while frustrating, is understandable as they’re only available in Asia through selected retailers and dermatologists.

As skeptical about dermatologist endorsed products as I am, ingredients don’t lie so let’s see what Clabiane promise! There’s a lot of repeated ingredients in every product, but the three heavy hitters are:

y-PGA

y-Polyglutamic acid which is produced by Bacillus suhtilis (the stuff they use to ferment soybeans with to make natto) and claims to be more effective than hyaluronic acid as a moisturiser and skin repairing agent.

Ceramide-3

Ceramides are the main component of the stratum corneum of the epidermis layer of human skin. Together with cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, ceramides creates a water-impermeable, protective barrier to prevent excessive water loss due to evaporation as well as protecting against the entry of microorganisms. (source: wikipedia)

EGF

EGF is a low-molecular-weight polypeptide that that stimulates cell growth and proliferation (source: wikipedia)

At best, the only ingredient that I can put faith in is ceramides, because peer-reviewed research on the other two is shaky and all I could find were brand promises. However, the research goes where the money is, so I can’t fault them for not having a ton of publicly research if no-one is funding it!

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What I received

I received every full size product from the W-Line, except the CC cream, because I knew it wouldn’t work at all with my skin colour.

I also received three different kinds of masks that you might have seen on my Instagram feed. I’m going to do a separate post for those otherwise this will just be wayyy too long!

My Experience

This is my skin the day before I started anything Clabiane. As you can see it’s just irritated and angry with me. Most of the time my skin looked like this.

I have an oily t-zone that’s prone to closed comedones that cannot be bested by any form of chemical exfoliation or Vitamin A products. Just before I received these products, I had made up my mind to focus more on healing my skin barrier rather than constantly firefighting acne with chemical exfoliators. Which meant, my routine focused more on wound healing and skin barrier repairing ingredients like honey, propolis and ceramides. Which is why I was SO EXCITED for this!

My testing was pretty haphazard in that I didn’t have a real schedule and just picked the things I liked the look of to try. As there was so much stuff, I kind of went with the approach of, I would give things a good effort, but if I didn’t enjoy it I would drop it. That way I would know what I really liked and what I didn’t. That being said, I made sure to try and test everything for at least four weeks. Some were clear winners, some were okay and others were total duds.

Love ❤

Revitalizing Toner

Ingredients:

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyglutamic Acid (y-PGA), Chlorphenesin, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Carbomer, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Glycerin, Ceramide 3, TEA-Cocoyl Glutamate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, rh-Oligopeptide-1 (EGF), Perfume

Oh the toner. OH THE TONER. Right off the bat, let me just say that I will be repurchasing this product. It is everything I want in a toner and more. Of all the products I used, this is the one that I could see made a huge impact on my skin. I’ve been using it almost daily since the end of May, and I’m 2/3rds of the way through. I go everywhere with this product, I can’t bring myself to decant it either because the packaging is so pretty, so I carry around the bottle in the box. I’m honestly surprised it’s lasted this long!

Texture & Application Method

It is a very light weight toner that feels just like water, and has a very light chemical/fermenty smell to it that I initially hated but have now grown to love. All the products in this range have the same-ish smell. It is quick to absorb and don’t leave my skin feeling sticky or like I’ve put anything on there. I use it like a first essence toner morning and night after my cleansing routine. I find that if I wait too long to layer something on top of it my skin starts to feel very dry and tight, so for that reason I don’t consider it very moisturising at all.

Effect

Smooth. Even. Skin. This toner really changed the game for me. Most of the first essence toners I’ve seen have either been chock-full of chemical actives like BHA & AHAs which I’m trying to move away from as my skin doesn’t really respond to it, or fermenty goodness with niacinamide, which my skin hates. Now I know what all the fuss was about first essences, using it really helped everything else absorb so much quicker in the morning (yay) and prepped my skin for whatever I was about to slather it with.

Like

Hydro Filler

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Polyglutamic acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, rh-Oligopeptide-1, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide 3, TEA-Cocoyl Glutamate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Perfume

I’ve found this to be like a concentrated version of the toner, with all the same main ingredients in a slightly different order. What does this mean? No idea! As fanserviced-b explained, we can’t really trust ingredient list orders because each country has their own requirements of how an ingredient list is to be laid out.

Texture & Application Method

It is a lot stickier and a lot thicker than the toner. It does not absorb as easily because of its consistency. You have to rub it in a little bit for it to absorb, and it does so by going through a brief ‘tacky’ period where it kind of gives you a ‘mochi mochi’ effect. But when it dries, it dries matte like nothing is there.

It smells almost exactly the same as the toner, just a little sweeter and again, if I waited too long to layer something on top my skin felt dry. I note it, because I have oily skin and my skin never feels dry! For that reason, I tended to mix it with my Skinfood Honey Propolis Essence, I felt they worked well together.

I liked it well enough, but I enjoyed using the toner more, which is why this is just in the ‘like’ column. That being said, I am really liking this and will continue to use it. I’m imagining this will last me well into next year as I’ve yet to finish the first tube!

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PGA Cream

Ingredients:

Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglutamic Acid, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide 3, TEA-Cocoyl Glutamate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, rh-Oligopeptide-1, Perfume

Revitalising Lotion

Ingredients:

Water, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycerin, Triethylhexanoin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyglutamic Acid, Dimethicone, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, rh-Oligopeptide-1, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide 3, TEA-Cocoyl Glutamate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Perfume

Texture & Application Method

They smell exactly the same, and they work the same, but honestly I prefer the PGA Cream in the tub (gasp!). I know, me liking a tub product? It feels a little lighter than the lotion, and because it’s so compact, it’s easier to decant and travel with than the lotion which I find a little bulky.

I actually found myself layering the PGA cream as a sleeping mask and using it that way, I enjoyed it more by letting it absorb itself. In the morning after using it, I always found my skin to be really hydrated and soft. I tried to use the lotion the same way, but I found it absorbed too quickly to sit like a mask would. Surprisingly neither of them were too heavy for daytime use, but as I have so many products for the day time that I’m layering I preferred using them both at night.

NO 😡

Foam Cleanser

This was a big disappointment to me because I accepted it thinking it was pH 6, unfortunately it was pH 8 which meant it was a NO GO for my skin. I won’t go into why acidic cleansers are good for your skin, amazing bloggers like snowwhiteandtheasianpear and skinandtonics have talked about it at length.

Sun Block

Ingredients:

Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Niacinamide, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Octocrylene, Stearyl Alcohol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Chlorphenesin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyglutamic acid, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide 3, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, TEA-Cocoyl Glutamate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, rh-Oligopeptide-1

This one was super painful, because it is my absolute perfect sunscreen. SPF 50/PA+++, UVA & UVB protection, applies like a lotion, no white cast, faint fragrance, no oxidising, dries matte. Downside? Niacinamide! BAH. I tried patch testing it anyway but my skin understandably lost it and as soon as I applied it I knew I’d made a huge mistake. I gave it to my mom, she loves it and her skin loves it. Ugh. Damn Niacinamide!

Conclusion

Clabiane W Line worked well for my skin! It wasn’t a miracle worker, I still have hyper-pigmentation, still deal with oily skin at times and still have some closed comedones on my forehead. However, my skin is overall super smooth in a way that I didn’t think would happen for me. The texture has improved so much and I no longer get random pimples just because why not. My forehead is largely clear, as is my chin area. YAY!

I really enjoyed using the entire line and despite the shaky research behind it, my skin really benefited from the products. So that’s a big -phew- isn’t it? First sponsored review and it goes mostly okay!

It’s been a while since I’ve used everything in one range, and I had fun testing these amazing products that I wouldn’t have ever had a chance to. Would I purchase the whole range? No. Similar ingredients seem to keep cropping up over and over again, so for me it was a case of finding which product fit my routine and running with that. As I have oily skin, I’m a big fan of liquidy/gel things which is why I think I prefered the toner over everything. Big surprise with the PGA Cream though, I did not see that coming as a favourite of mine!

Where to buy?

All these products can be found on kokofash.com or by clicking the logo above.

I’ll be very honest, these products are very expensive. They aren’t roadshop brands they’re premium products and their price reflects that. I’m currently counting the pennies, but I have to have that toner because it is bomb and my skin clearly responds to it. As someone with wierd skin sensitivities, there isn’t much I can do but suck it up and pay premium prices for products with ingredients my skin loves. Even the dupes I’ve found for the toner are pretty similar in price, so why not go with what you know?

If you’re curious about the products, I encourage you to read more about them on kokofash.com, as they’re full of micro reviews in English. There is only one other review here that’s it! This brand isn’t very well known outside of Asia. The owner of Kokofash, Jieun (instagram, facebook), has tried every single product she sells so she knows them inside and out. It was her enthusiasm that actually got me excited to try this brand, and when I was worried I wouldn’t love it as much as she did, she was super chill and told me to just love what I love. Plus she’s so pretty I can’t stand it!

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