Brightening and youth-boosting are two skincare effects that beauty addicts constantly lust after. It seems Sulwhasoo has formulated the ultimate elixir for both. Dana Koh discovers more.
A good part of our day is spent beautifying ourselves. Throw technology and social media into the mix and we’d have spent even more time trying to get the perfect #selfie. But what if you found out that there was a single skincare line that could reduce all that time and effort into a five-minute beauty routine by helping you re-attain a youthful complexion that glows from the inside out? That is exactly what Sulwhasoo’s new and improved Snowise range is formulated to achieve, as we soon discovered at its global launch at Koh Samui. Since its introduction in 2002, Sulwhasoo’s whitening range has managed to garner an evergrowing group of loyalists. This latest collection is set to push the brightening boundaries with five reformulated products that promise to deliver even more visible results.
Headlining this global unveil is the eighth generation Snowise Brightening Serum. This 2016 release—powered by Sulwhasoo’s proprietary patented ingredient, White Ginseng Saponin, which has a powerful whitening effect— features a reformulation that helps boost skin’s natural collagen production capabilities, plumping it as it illuminates. It is a fundamental solution that the brand has termed the “Balancing Brightening Factor,” designed to combat and cure “Skin Shadowing”—the dark, hallow-like areas on skin caused by the sagging and dullness that occurs due to excessive production of melanin and a loss of elasticity.
Obsessed about brightening and with retaining a youthful mien, I asked Kate Kwon, Brand Science Manager of the Branch Science Research Team at Sulwhasoo, what the key differences between the existing and new line are. She says: “The previous Snowise Brightening Line focuses on colour care effects by improving changes in three colours in the skin through anti-glycation actions.
Capitalising on Sulwhasoo’s expertise in anti-ageing and 50 years of research in ginseng, the upgraded Snowise Brightening Line has identified a fundamental solution: The Balancing Brightenin Factor, a genetic element in the skin, which restores balance, clarity and transparency by stimulating collagen production and suppressing melanin formation.” What this essentially means is that this improved Snowise Line plumps and firms up complexions in the way only complete hydration can, while giving it a serious boost of radiance—or what Sulwhasoo calls “Volume Brightening.”
One can’t help but compare Sulwhasoo’s latest skincare terms to filters on a photo editing application. And in truth, they do yield very similar results.
Having experienced Sulwhasoo’s Snowise Illuminating Facial, I could finally understand why women (and some men) have been known to swear by the products: I couldn’t resist the temptation of a selfie because my skin was noticeably glowing.
According to Kwon, the Snowise Brightening Serum enhances the delivery and stability of active ingredients, thanks to the brand’s proprietary encapsulation technology, which helps skin absorb the product rapidly. This lighter weight formula contains White Ginseng Polysaccharides 2.5 times more concentrated than before, explaining how “skin is as moisturised as a watersoaked sponge, making it firm enough to bounce light.” On top of this, products including the Snowise Brightening Exfoliating Gel, which gently rubs away impurities, oil and dead skin cells with a blend of White Ginseng and walnut shell powder; and the Snowise Brightening Spot Treatment, which stimulates collagen synthesis at a deeper level to eliminate melanin from within, were used. The results show: I’ve witnessed “Volume Brightening” first hand.
Even more heartening was news of a new generation of whitening water and fluid by 2017, including the Snowise EX products for eyes, cleansing and UV protection. But that’s for another story, and perhaps another idyllic escape. Till then, I’ll be enjoying my mini Sulwhasoo massage facials at home.
