Is the Son & Park Beauty Water worth your money?
First things first: what on earth is a "beauty water?" Any water-based liquid skincare could be called a beauty water, but in the case of the best-selling Son & Park Beauty Water (P1,269 at Althea), you get a makeup remover, toner, and on-the-go skin refresher in a sleek bottle. It received raves in the beautysphere when it was released last year by two of South Korea's hottest celebrity makeup artists Son Dae Sik and Park Tae Yoon. Its lust-inducing minimalist packaging and multi-purpose promise got it on many a beauty fiend's good side. But of course, as we love to ask here at Project Vanity - does it work?
A look at the US FDA-compliant ingredients (please see in the bottom) list shows that it's predominantly made of water, roseflower water, orange peel extract, and witch hazel water mixed with many, many other plant-based extracts and oils. Of course we've got alcohol, emulsifiers, and preservatives in the formula but nothing that I personally find alarming for my skin. This combination allows it to be more than just micellar water; it has skincare ingredients that are known to help fight dullness and uneven areas of skin quickly.
Because of the clever mix of ingredients, the Son & Park Beauty Water may be used in the following ways:
- As a makeup remover. It is passable as a makeup remover for non-waterproof makeup, but it is less potent compared to drugstore micellar waters in the market. I'd still go for Garnier or Bifesta for this purpose, BUT I do appreciate that I can use the Beauty Water this way if I'm not wearing a lot of makeup.
- As an after-cleanse toner. You can use it as a prep product before the rest of your skincare routine. It dries quickly with no sticky or filmy residue, and it helps balance the skin's pH (useful if you're slathering on a high pH facial wash). Fanserviced-B reports that its pH level is a good 5.
- As a prep product before makeup. The Beauty Water may also be used before applying your makeup. It's a great way to clear off whatever oil or sweat you (or your client) may have accumulated before the routine while brightening skin at the same time.
- As a mid-day skin refresher. Transfer some of the Beauty Water in an atomizer bottle and spray it on whenever you want to cool down your skin at work. If you don't wear makeup, you can also wipe it on your face to clean up grime if you feel like your skin needs it.
Here's the Son & Park Beauty Water as a makeup remover in action:
As you can see, it took about five swipes to remove makeup that's just water-resistant. It's ideal for light makeup only; if you're wearing heavy foundation or eye makeup, you'll take at least three soaked cotton pads before they come off. It's a waste of money, IMHO, when other makeup removers can perform much better.
However, I do highly recommend the Beauty Water as a toner, makeup prep, and face mist. It excels at these functions as it's almost like a skincare essence, but it in a more versatile form! I like to think of it as skincare instead of a makeup remover as it's pretty impressive at brightening skin. It's more sulit that way as you get a whopping 340 ml of product in a bottle. Most similarly-priced essences would be at 100-150 ml at most.
You can get the Son & Park Beauty Water at Althea. ^_^ Yes, I've been reviewing a lot of Korean products from Althea lately because I ordered a few - okay a lot - of things from the store a couple of months ago. God I love that place.
Do you need a Beauty Water in your life? Why or why not?
Re-shuffled ingredients list from Soko Glam that complies with US regulations (South Korea has different regulations when it comes to listing ingredients):
US FDA-compliant ingredient list: Water, Rose Damascena Flower Water, Orange Peel Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, PEG-7 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Alcohol Denat., Xylitol, Phenoxyethanol, Decyl Glucoside, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel, Grapefruit Peel oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Water, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Water, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine), Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit/Seed Oil, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Rose Flower Oil, Propylene Glycol, Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Extract, Ferula Galbaniflua (Galbanum) Resin Oil, Malic Acid, Sucrose, Urea, Tartaric Acid, Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Extract, Mentha Rotundifolia Leaf Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Mentha Spicata Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Dehydroacetic Acid, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben. (from Soko Glam)
