Summer is sandal time, which means it’s also time for feet to come out of hibernation from inside of socks and winter boots.

Now I don’t know about you, but my feet came to be in rough (heheh) shape. Much to my horror, I’d begun to develop callused heels like my parents; the balls and sides of my feet also began to get a little leathery. So, in hopes of avoiding a future of attacking my feet with a pumice stone, I turned to foot masks.

The first one I tried was The Face Shop’s Smile Foot Mask, which helped make my foot feel a little bit softer but didn’t give me any disgustingly satisfying skin peeling like some reviewers had experienced. :c This pack by Mijin Cosmetics is the second one I’ve purchased in hopes to attain that sweet feet molting. I actually picked it up randomly, not knowing much about the product or brand, albeit with high expectations; after all, peeling is in the name, right? Sounds promising, right?? ; w ;

So in the end, did it deliver? Well, I guess you can take the following as a spoiler on that one.

** Warning! The post contains pictures of skin peeling off my feet that you may find unpleasant and straight up gross. If you just want to know the summary of this review, please CTRL+F ‘Concluding Thoughts’ after the cut to skip the pictures, or read until the 2nd warning and then use CTRL+F. **

Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money and I am providing my honest opinion of my experience. I have no affiliations with any companies or organizations connected to this product.

Note: Some photos in this post were also edited to improve the lighting, but otherwise they are untouched.

The Product

Description from the official website:

“This peeling pack, for rough and cracked skin on the feet, exfoliates dead skin cells, leaving your feet softer and younger-looking. The dead skin cells come off after 4–6 days and are completely removed after 2 weeks, resulting in soft and moisturized feet.“

Description from a product page:

“ * Works on rough/thick skin

* Removes dead skin cells + moisturizes + soothes skin + protects skin

Peeling pack for your rough and cracked feet. It Removes dead skin cells and make your feet softer and more younger-looking. Dead skin cells come off after 4–6 days and are completely removed after 2 weeks, turning feet soft and moisturized.”

A bit about the company

Mijin Cosmetics is not a well-known or often discussed brand, at least to my knowledge. They specialize in different lines of sheet masks, as well as some hand and feet packs like this one. I was actually surprised to notice that I’ve randomly tried some of their MJ Care Essence Masks before. I think they might have been a lower end line, judging by the price ($1) and packaging. My experience with their masks was pretty mediocre. However, they have several other lines of masks on their site, some of which I assume are probably a bit more higher end. Regardless, I was curious as to how this foot pack would work.

Ingredients (At first I couldn’t see them, but I saw them underneath the English/French information sticker and was able to peel it back.)

Water, alcohol, lactic acid, glycolic acid, sodium citrate, glycerin, urea, butylene glycol, beta-glucan, snail secretion filtrate, artemisia princeps leaf extract (Japanese mugwort), chaenomeles sinensis fruit extract (Chinese flowering quince), cinnamomum zeylanicum bark extract (“true” cinnamon), phellinus linteus extract (black hoof mushroom), camellia sinesis leaf extract (green tea), ganoderma lucidum ([Lingzi] mushroom) extract, chrysanthemum indicum flower extract (chrystanthemum), diospyros kaki leaf extract (Japanese persimmon), tricholoma matsutake extract (matsutake mushroom), polysorbate 60, panthenol, allantoin, salicylic acid, citric acid, fragrance

Ingredients Highlights

(Bold and underlined – potential acne triggers, Bold and italics – main functional ingredients)

I put the ingredients into CosDNA, which you can see here.

Butylene glycol is a common ingredient used as a solvent and moisturizer that is flagged as carrying a mild risk for triggering acne. However, since you’re using this on your feet (which can take more abuse than your face, skin-wise) I think you might be all right here. Still, proceed with caution if you’re sensitive.

Lactic acid and glycolic acid are common AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) that help exfoliate skin to help improve the look and feel of it. It also contains salicylic acid, a common BHA (beta hydroxy acid) which is another chemical exfoliant that many people use for acne and unclogging pores. In the context of this foot pack, I believe these ingredients are the stars (specifically the AHAs, I suspect) that are responsible for the peeling and whatnot.

Notably, the majority of the rest of the ingredients are derived from plants, fungi, or (in one case) snails! Overall these generally serve the purpose of moisturizing/skin conditioning, although some hold antioxidant properties such as green tea.

My Experiences

Packaging & Application: The package is pretty nice. I kinda like how many (or most) foot packs have baby feet on them. It makes sense though – who wouldn’t want perfectly soft, freshly born feet?

On my pack, most of the sticker was actually in French (oddly enough). So I decided to try and put my high school French to use, and I’ve roughly translated it:

“MJ Gentle Exfoliating Liquid for Feet

Usage – Clean your feet. Carefully remove the small bags and cut the ankle portions of the bags. After putting the bags on your feet, tighten the opening of the bags with self adhesive 90 minutes to gently penetrate the skin, and clean your feet. You will see skin coming off in three days to a week.

Caution – 1. If you develop the following symptoms, stop usage and consult a dermatologist: a) When rash, swelling, or irritation occur, b) When the above symptoms develop on an area exposed to sunlight. 2) Don’t use on parts that are painful, have eczema, or dermatitis. 3) If contact with eyes occurs, wash with water immediately. 4) Keep out of the reach of infants.”

After this, you see the only English on the package which are the directions paired with the diagrams. Interestingly, some of the English words cover things that aren’t in French, and vice versa. Here’s what’s included in English:

“How to use: 1) Separate each product. 2) Pour each peeling liquid into pouch. Put them on the feet. 3) Seal the entrance with stickers and leave for 90 minutes. 4) Wash off the remainings with running water.

*TIP: Once callus starts peeling off in 3~4 days, do not peel off by force. It is recommended to use once in two weeks. Works better with warm foot wash. *CAUTION: For external use only. Do not swallow. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes.”

If that wasn’t enough, the information on online product pages for the pack offers extra information as well:

“[How to use]

Please refer to the picture on the back of the pouch.

① please separate parts devided with dotted line on the pouch

② Please put the peeling essence into the socks. after sheet absorbs few essence, please put on socks.

③ using sticker, seal the socks and leave it for 90 minutes.

④ after 90minutes, put off the socks and wash your feet.

[Directions]

1. Dead skin cells come off after 4–6 days and are completely removed after 2 weeks, turning feet soft and moisturized.

2. Wait until dead skin cells are naturally peeled. Do not try to peel them off because it could leave scars.

3. The amount and period in which dead cells are peeled off may vary.

4. Too much foot peeling could cause skin irritation. It is recommended that this process be done once every two weeks.

5. Wear thick socks during foot peeling for better results.

6. Take a warm footbath for quicker results.”

The gist of it is the same across the board, but I think there are some important and helpful details that are exclusive to each translation. There was also Japanese on the package but unfortunately I don’t know nearly enough to even begin translating it.

Anyway, I decided to follow what was on the product page with the exception of taking the initial step of cleaning your feet from the French instructions.

It’s pretty straightforward; everything is easy to tear open (you don’t need scissors). I poured the liquid into the cotton lining of the ‘socks’ and let it soak in for maybe a minute.

Before putting them on my feet I laid them flat and mushed it around so the liquid was more evenly distributed throughout the sock. I also liked the convenience of the stickers, and having the logo + product name was sort of a nice touch as well.

After that, get yourself ready to sit in one spot for an hour and a half. Find a movie, line up some shows, or maybe buckle yourself down for some work. Get some snacks, your beverage of choice, and get comfy. Walking in these isn’t impossible, but sort of annoying and I think you probably could slip if you’re not careful. Me, I used these as an anchor to keep me studying at my desk. :C

Scent, Texture & Consistency: The liquid you pour in is clear and looks like water. It smells like alcohol, but with sort of an earthy, herbal scent that reminds me of some kind of liqueur. Kinda similar to what’s in cherry cordials. At first I didn’t notice it much after I sealed it; however, I did open my socks to readjust the tightness so I think I might’ve let out some of the liquid and smell more than it normally would have. After an hour and a half I started to get a bit of a headache, but I’m sensitive to some scents so I can’t guarantee this will be a common experience. Either way, I wasn’t a fan of the smell.

The liquid is also somewhat sticky, as I discovered while putting it on and taking it off. The actual sock’s texture and thickness is sort of like a garbage bag. Having it on your feet is sort of weird to me – it feels like my feet are really sweaty or wet and stuck in socks. But actually I guess that’s what it is isn’t it….? :’)

Effects: I did this on June 2nd in the morning. Unfortunately I’m an idiot and I forgot to take a before shot to compare, but in general my feet were somewhat rough (mild-to-moderate) with some callusing/heavy dryness on my heels especially. The first photo below is also still a fairly accurate depiction.

** Caution: From this point on, there are pictures of my peeling feet; please CTRL+F to ‘Concluding Thoughts’ if you want to skip the play-by-play. **

Immediately after:

You can see some of the calluses/dry and dead skin on my heels and on the balls of my feet. After rinsing my feet, I noticed a slight improvement in the skin’s texture. They felt a bit smoother and softer, but not dramatically so. My heels were moistened and softened a bit more, but they still felt a little rough and tough. At this point, the effects are underwhelming.

Day 3:

On day 2 my feet seemed no different. By the morning of day 3 my feet actually seemed kind of tough and leathery again, similar to how it was before the mask. However, during the evening, I noticed a bit of skin starting to peel off on the side of my foot. (Sadly no pictures since I was out of the house when I noticed and I forgot to take a photo when I got home.) Up until this day I’d been wearing socks or slippers to try and help the process along.

Day 4: The game changer, or: “it came in like a wrecking ball”

Holy crap. The peeling came full force while I took a shower the morning of day 4. I noticed it after my feet had been wet for a while and (since my eyesight is HORRIBLE) I only realized something was up when I felt a weird sorta gritty feeling beneath and between my toes. Anyway when I got out and got my glasses on, I saw the peeling in its full glory and it bestowed a mix of amazement and fascination upon me.

Now, full disclosure: I picked and peeled at my feet. I’m 1000% aware that the directions say not to but, well. I’m weak. The temptation was too strong. It was like when I was a kid and I would peel dried liquid glue off my fingers… (Ｔ▽Ｔ);; Anyway, I only peeled skin that was a) already well on its way to coming off and b) easy to peel. I left alone anything else that was clearly not ready to come off. I think that the warning is to deter people from picking at themselves prematurely and/or excessively which could then potentially cause damage.

This isn’t to say that I recommend you do what I did – please don’t follow my example; be safe and follow instructions instead. I don’t mean to encourage that you disregard the instructions; rather, I just want to be 100% honest about my experience and to share how to ‘safely’ pick if you feel compelled to do so/or cave in like I did.

Tip: If you want to speed up the process without picking, try soaking your feet for 15-20 minutes or so in warm water.

Day 5:

Starting from the previous day, I wore socks whenever possible. This a) may help the shedding and b) helps contain the mess of dead skin.

Tip: If possible, take and shake off your socks over a tub/shower/drain/garbage can for easier clean up.

Anyway, by the end of day 5 the skin on the arches of my feet had completely come off (albeit with some more of my… intervention). Now, most of the skin left to shed was on the areas of my feet that were more callused.

Day 6:

On the morning of day 6, a bit more skin came off overnight. The shedding of skin on the tops of my feet were also quite noticeable by now, too.

Day 8:

By day 7 my feet had pretty much shed all of its skin. This picture is from day 8, since I forgot to get a photo the night before. Apologies for the poor lighting; hopefully you can still see the difference well enough. In any case, by the one week mark, I had fresh skin on my feet that was definitely softer and smoother than before. The calluses on the heels, sides, and balls of my feet were also removed which was the crowning achievement for me. ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ There are also no scars or other signs of my picking whatsoever.

It’s worth noting that, while I did speed the process along somewhat by picking, I didn’t do it constantly or excessively, and the majority of my skin came off on its own.

The product claims that all skin cells will be removed 2 weeks after use. Maybe if I’d left my feet alone it might’ve but for me, I honestly think that everything has been removed by now. Nevertheless I’ll update this again in a week about whether it has or not.

EDIT JULY 22/15: Well. I really missed the mark on updating in a week, but I’m here all the same to say that there was no further shedding. And while I’m here, I’d like to say that my feet are just now beginning to get a little rough-looking again, mostly on my heels. For a while I was pretty diligent about moisturising my feet but lately I’ve been forgetting – oops. However, they’re still not as bad as they were before this foot pack.

Concluding Thoughts

Effectiveness

How does it stack up to its claims? This pack delivered. My feet peeled within the expected time frame, and afterwards they were significantly smoother and softer.

Ingredients

This pack’s got AHAs and a BHA, which evidently made it effective. It also contains a lot of extracts which I found interesting, and may be preferable to people who prefer naturally-derived skin conditioning ingredients. However, it does contain alcohol and I found the fragrance to be very strong.

Price & Value

I bought this for $6.12 which to me, is rather expensive for a pack. I didn’t realize it was this much and if I did, I’m not sure I would’ve gotten it. But I’m satisfied with the value in the end considering that it was effective.

Accessibility

I bought this at Galleria, a local Korean Supermarket in the GTA. I couldn’t find many links to buy it online, but it does seem like Mijin Cosmetics have shops on Alibaba and BuyKorea. However, I know nothing about buying from these sites as an individual.

Overall Rating & Opinion

Pros:

+ Effective and true to its claims

+ Cute and solid packaging

+ Good ingredients list

Cons:

– Difficult to find/not widely available

– Expensive for a one-time use product

– Strong fragrance

Overall Rating: 4/5 – I would repurchase this but I’m interested in trying out alternatives that may be cheaper and less strongly fragranced. Nevertheless, if you can get a hold of this pack at a fair price, I would recommend it for sure!