BRAND REVIEW: DEAR KLAIRS PART ONE

About the brand

Klairs is a cruelty free and almost entirely vegan brand (one of their products contains honey). They emphasize the use of safe ingredients and do not use alcohol, parabens or artifical fragrances in their products. They are environmentally conscious and market their products to those with sensitive skin.

I first heard about the brand a couple years ago after stumbling upon Wishtrends youtube channel. The host of the channel, Eunice, would always rave about their products and would suck me in due to her bubbly and informative personality. She also has sensitive skin and boasted about Klairs working great for her so I wanted to get on the Klairs bandwagon asap!

A bit about my skin: I have very sensitive, dehydrated, dry and acne prone skin. Over the years I have come to find out that my skin is particularly sensitive to alcohol, lavender oil and eucalyptus oil and occasionally reacts to orange peel and tea tree oil. I have an issue with products not absorbing properly and drying out my skin or irritating it and it's been a struggle finding products that pin point all my concerns.The top 3 things I look for in a product is that it's hydrating, doesn't cause acne and has no fragrance. I can tolerate very light scents that are not from ingredients that are sensitizing but overall if I could have all my favourite products entirely scent free I would. The saddest part about being allergic to lavender oil is that I actually really love lavender. I love to drink it and I enjoy the smell of it but my skin cannot stand it. My mom bought lavender laundry detergent and it smells fantastic but it makes my skin incredibly itchy and I'm like WHY AM I LIKE THIS??????? It's one of the few types of fragrances I can tolerate out there yet my skin cannot stand it at all.

I have tried quite a bit of Klairs products and have a weird relationship with the products and the brand. I love their philosophy, what they stand for and that they're trying to produce products that are geared towards those with sensitive skin since there hasn't always been a huge market for it. However, due to my skins sensitivity to a few essential oils, a good majority of Klairs products did not work out for me. Which is upsetting because it's a brand that is based on being great for sensitive skin.. yet they use ingredients that are known to sensitize it. To be fair, not everyone will react to essential oils and they can work great for various types of people, which is evident because there thousands of people with sensitive skin that are incredibly happy with Klairs products. I'm just a sore loser because I really wanted this brand to work for my skin because it falls into several things I look for in a beauty brand. The brand has made efforts to create products without essential oils too so I am grateful that they listen to their customers and try to make things work for everyone but I wish they would focus more on ingredients that aren't known to sensitize the skin or have an entire separate line without essential oils (it's a LOT to ask for though and I understand that). I by no means hate the brand or their products and if they release more products without essential oils I would definitely look into buying them in the future because I still stand by the brands philosophy. 

Disclaimer: I will be completely honest when reviewing these products but keep in mind that everyone's skin reacts differently to products and my own experiences won't necessarily reflect yours. A product that ruins my skin can completely transform yours for the better, so don't completely dismiss a product unless you know for sure that your skin has similar reactions to ingredients as mine!!! It's good to know other peoples experiences before purchasing something and if you have had a different experience please comment your own along with your skin type and concerns just so the review isn't one sided and can be helpful to various people!!! 

I'll stop rambling now and get into the products I've tried and loved and ones that I didn't enjoy using! I will be listing the products from least to most favourite!

8.  Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask

$33 CAD for 90 ml

The first product and my least favourite of the products I've tried from Klairs is the Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask. This mask is advertised as being incredibly nourishing and a good complementary product to use alongside their Freshly Juiced Vitamin C serum. The Vitamin E in this mask helps stabilize and aids in absorption the vitamin c in the serum. It also helps to protect your skin from the sun after using vitamin c products since vitamin c causes photo sensitivity (makes your skin hypersensitive to the sun). This product has niacinamide and adenine to brighten the skin and provide anti-aging benefits. 

The texture of this mask is like nothing I've tried before and it was incredibly fun to play with. It's a pudding like consistency that melts into your skin when you rub it in (somewhat similar to a cleansing balm I guess??). Upon first application it absorbs well into the skin and gives a plump feeling. However, the feeling only lasted a couple hours before it started to make my skin feel tight and super irritated. As I mentioned above, I am incredibly sensitive to lavender and eucalyptus oil and this product contains these two ingredients (R.I.P MY SKIN). 

It has an incredibly strong fragrance as well but I can not pin point the exact scent, I believe it's a mixture of the lavender, eucalyptus,  orange peel and lemon peel essential oils with the other ingredients. While taking photos for this I forgot how potent the scent was and felt irritation for the couple of minutes I had it open to take photos. It may have gone bad since it's been sitting on my desk for awhile without being used but I remember it bothering me in the past as well. After rubbing it into my hand after taking texture shots my hand felt irritated and that's a sign that those with super sensitive should be cautious because both the skin on my face and hands are EXTREMELY sensitive. I used this for a little under a month and had to stop because my skin just felt too sensitized and dry after using this and I was really disappointed. I was in the search for a good cream that would hydrate and soothe my skin (this has sodium hyaluronate and centella) and thought that these ingredients would do that. However, because of how finicky my skin is those ingredients were overshadowed by the essential oils. I was also disappointed with how the label for the product rubbed off really easily. It's not the worst that could happen but I was just bitter that the product itself didn't work for me at all and on top of it the packaging wasn't the best. However, I really liked the lid for it's mirror and despite hating the cream itself, I used the lid a lot to apply make up and skincare when a mirror wasn't around (kind of ratchet, I know). It was the only thing keeping me from giving it away. 

I would not recommend this for those with super sensitive skin or anyone who's looking for something soothing and hydrating. However, if you know you aren't sensitive to any of the ingredients it contains, don't mind fragrances and don't need something incredibly hydrating it is a good product. I think it would work well for those with normal, combo or oily skin because it isn't heavy and absorbs quite fast. It is pretty affordable considering the size and a little goes a long way as well. 

7. Rich Moist Soothing Cream

 $30 CAD for 60 ml

Another product that I didn't enjoy using was this cream! It is said to provide rich, immediate and long term moisture for those with sensitive skin. It contains various ingredients that are supposed to help strengthen your skins protective barrier and help with soothing dry and irritated skin. It is recommended to all skin types especially sensitive skin, is fragrance free and has a pH level of 7.11. In the beginning I did enjoy this cream, it absorbed well and made my skin feel nourished after application. However, it felt like throughout the day my face would feel greasy but also feel tight at the same time? I recently found out that my skin is dehydrated so that may have been a reason why my skin reacted that way as it wasn't holding onto moisture the way my skin needed it to. It has a light fragrance which I appreciated compared to a few of their other products. I don't know if it was a combination of the products and the weather at the time but greasiness is something that rarely happens to me since I have super dry and dehydrated skin so I wouldn't recommend this to people who struggle with greasiness or who have a lot of steps that provide moisture to their skin (as this might be too heavy in addition to other products). Similarly to other products by Klairs, my skin was alright for the first month or so but after awhile my skin started becoming sensitive to the essential oils. I got through the tube which is good since I hate wasting products but it also didn't last very long considering I used it for at most two months before having to stop. I did notice a few small under the skin break outs after using this too so I don't know what was going on there. Compared to a couple other products by the brand, this one has a really long ingredient list which in most cases I'm not a huge fan of. I have the less is more mentality and appreciate brands that are minimal when it comes to ingredients. I would recommend this to those with combo to dry skin who are not sensitive to any of the ingredients or to those with oily skin that have very few moisturizing steps in their routine (or even using it at night would be good). A little goes a long way but I do think it is pricey for the amount you're getting.

6. Supple Preparation Toner 

$24 CAD for 180 ml

Out of all the products I've tried from Klairs, this one was the one I had highest hopes for. Everyone with dry and sensitive skin raved about it and are still raving about it to this day. It worked really well for me at first and it's the only klairs product I repurchased but for some reason my skin could not tolerate the second bottle at all. The first bottle I used made my skin feel so hydrated and supple, the most it ever felt in ages. Living in a province with extremely harsh winters takes a huge toll on my already dry and sensitive skin and finding a toner that doesn't make my skin dry and tight is extremely hard. I did experience slight tingling in the beginning but I was able to go through a bottle just fine. I didn't enjoy the fragrance but I was able to tolerate it because it wasn't too strong. However, after buying the second bottle my skin did a 180 degree flip. My skin starting feeling itchy and irritated every time I used it. At first I thought it was other products I was using at the same time so I did a process of elimination and discovered that this was the culprit. I was extremely upset because I thought I finally found the ONE, my toner SOULMATE but my skin decided to be a jerk and react to it. It was such a shame too because it comes in such a large bottle and lasts for ages. I'm very anal about not wasting anything and having to waste such a big bottle made me really angry and bitter. I was about 1/4 through the bottle when I had to call quits on using it. I don't know why the second bottle had made me so irritable, I bought it from a reputable retailer so I don't think it has to do with the product being a fake. I don't know if the ingredients changed at all between the time I used the first bottle and the second. The most probable explanation would be that my skin had become sensitized over the duration of me using it and it got to the point where it couldn't tolerate it anymore. I would recommend this to anyone who isn't sensitive to any of the ingredients because it is a great product. It absorbs quickly, great for layering, deeply hydrates your skin and makes it supple. It lasts ages because it comes in such a large bottle and it's only $24. I'm getting upset all over again writing this review AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. If you are sensitive to any of the ingredients I recommend checking out the unscented version and seeing if that works. I heard it's quite similar but I have not tried it because I was turned off of it after experiencing so much irritation from the scented version.

5. Mid-Day Blue Sun Lotion SPF 40/PA++

$26 CAD for 50 ml

This was one of the first korean sun creams I tried and I actually didn't mind it. It has the typical Klairs scent to it (similar to the rich moist cream) but the fragrance isn't too overpowering. I used this for about a year, took it on hiking trips in the summer and wore it throughout the winter as well. It absorbs pretty fast and sits decent under make up, however you have to make sure it's fully absorbed before applying your base make up or else it will pill up or just not let your base make up set well. The reasons why it's not my favourite sun cream is because it isn't hydrating, has a white cast, can get greasy at the end of the day and of course, has essential oils in the ingredients. However, compared to the other products with essential oils, this didn't irritate my skin as much as the others. It could possibly be the other ingredients added into it that kind of counteract the sensitizing aspects of it or maybe because I didn't use it everyday it didn't sensitize my skin as much as the other products which I used once or twice a day. I would recommend this to people with normal, combo to dry skin. I'd be weary if you have oily skin because I don't know if it'll be too heavy depending on the season. In the summer I felt like it made my skin a little greasy but in the winter I think it would work well for those with oily skin because it has a bit of a matte effect. I also think it's decent for those with sensitive skin, as long as you know for sure you aren't sensitive to the ingredients and you make sure to thoroughly wash it off every time you use it. I wouldn't recommend this to people with medium to dark skin tones because it has a white cast that lingers for quite awhile. However, if you are super pale like me it actually kind of works in your favor and helps to reduce the look of redness. I wouldn't repurchase this as I have found better sun creams but it's definitely not a terrible one. I have been eyeing their new suncream since it doesn't have essential oils in it but I'm in no rush since I'm enjoying the sun cream I've been using the past year (I'll write a review on it soon!!!). After looking around for it online I think it might be discontinued?????/? I'm not sure but if you have any information let me know haha.

* all prices listed are the prices on mikaela-beauty except for the suncream

Click here for part two of the brand review.

Where to buy
mikaela-beauty: freshly juiced vitamin e mask / rich moist soothing cream / supple preparation toner / unscented supple preparation toner * HAS FREE SHIPPING IN EDMONTON ON ORDERS OVER $60

wishtrend: freshly juiced vitamin e mask / rich moist soothing cream / supple preparation toner / unscented supple preparation toner / mid day blue sun lotion (it is currently unavailable, I don't know if it's being discontinued though???) * HAS FREE SHIPPING ON A COUPLE SETS

sokoglam: freshly juiced vitamin e mask / rich moist soothing cream / supple preparation toner / unscented supple preparation toner / mid day blue sun lotion * HAS FREE SHIPPING FOR U.S ON ORDERS OVER $35

testerkorea: freshly juiced vitamin e mask / rich moist soothing cream / supple preparation toner / unscented supple preparation toner

I have ordered from all these retailers and haven't had any issues! 

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