INNISFREE BIJA CICA BALM

I'm so excited to share this latest discovery with you. It's definitely not a new product in the market, but it is pretty new to me. 

I was honestly not expecting much from this Bija Cica Balm from the Korean brand Innisfree. The short description on the front doesn't seem appealing to me. At first, I thought it was just some sort of a glorified petroleum jelly that covers, seals and protects the skin, but it is definitely much more than that and it has surely blown my mind with its awesomeness.

I only have a sample sachet that contains 1 mL of product, but I believe it is also available in a 7 mL sample tube and a 40 mL full size tube. I actually received this sample sachet as a freebie included in one of my Shopee orders some time ago.

About a week or two ago, I was having "bad skin days". My skin was breaking out. It was a little worse than normal and I did have a bit more spots here and there, but it wasn't anything major. I used to have extremely few spots, propabably less than 5, but last week I had more than that but surely less than 10. I'm just making things more concrete for you guys, but it's not exact and I don't count my blemishes. Anyway, that wasn't the thing that bothered me. What freaked me out back then was that my blemishes were taking longer to heal. My skin usually recovers within a day or two without me doing anything and the blemishes dry out fast and tend to vanish easily, but that's surely not the case last week. It was already the 2nd or 3rd day when I noticed that the blemishes were still looking and feeling pretty fresh as if they were not about to dry out and go anywhere anytime soon. I had a gut feeling that my skin barrier has probably weaken either due to the current products that I've been testing out, hormones or aging. I felt the need to do something and help my skin. I looked into my stash, but I didn't have the usual blemish fighters or solutions. Fortunately, I found this product there and decided to give it a go. I added it as the last step in my skincare routine. I didn't used it all over my face, I only put it on the blemished areas. After just a single use, my skin started to show signs of improvement so I kept on using it day and night. After 2 to 3 days, my skin has finally come back to normal. 

This product doesn't just protect the skin against external irritants, it also effectively calms and heals the skin without drying it out. 

It has a creamy gel consistency. It's rather thin and light. It applies evenly and gets absorbed into the skin easily. It is white in color and it has a pretty light to almost non-existent scent. 

The list of ingredients is down below. It contains 90% natural ingredients and is free from many possible irritants. 

WATER, PROPANEDIOL, GLYCERIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, SQUALANE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, MADECASSOSIDE, MADECASSIC ACID, ASIATICOSIDE, ASIATIC ACID, TORREYA NUCIFERA SEED OIL, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, ORCHID EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, PANTHENOL, C12-16 ALCOHOLS, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE, PALMITIC ACID, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, POLYSORBATE 60, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, TROMETHAMINE, DISODIUM EDTA, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL

Let me also include the other details that I got from Innisfree's website:

WHAT IT IS

1. Centella asiatica 4X* for intensive troubled skin care 

Formulated with centella asiatica 4X, a high-purity refined substance, repairs damaged skin by providing intensive care. 

*Centella asiatica 4X contains madecassoside, madecassic acid, asiaticoside and asiatic acid. These four key ingredients offer intensive care for skin concerns. 

2. Bija oil and D-panthenol for a healthy-looking skin 

Bija oil protects skin with its antibacterial & regenerating effect, while D-panthenol reinforces skin barrier. 

3. ‘Mild cica care’ with 90% naturally-derived ingredients 

It contains 90% natural ingredients* and free from perfume and parabens. 

* Free of ‘20 Synthetic Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid’ designated by "Hwahae", Korea's cosmetic ingredients analysis. 

4. Safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin 

It is safe for acne-prone skin as it has passed the non-comedogenic test (IEC KOREA, 4-week test) with the test result showed that it will not cause acne on skin. 

5. 6-free system 

No Parabens, No Animal Ingredients, No Synthetic Colors, No Mineral Oils, No Fragrance, No Imidazolidinyl Urea

HOW TO USE

Apply evenly on the face before using cream. For spots care, apply a thick layer on the affected area.

I think this product deserves more praises and raves. It's a better, gentler yet efficient alternative to strong ingredients and products that are meant to protect the skin and calm any skin irritation, acne and other blemishes such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, patches and the likes. It even suits people who have sensitive and acne prone skin, so it's a good match to pretty much everyone. 

I definitely recommend this product for you guys to try!

Until next time!

💖