At a glance
Discover my mini-review of the Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream from the Korean skincare brand Missha!
Author
Today, let’s continue to explore the wonderful world of hanbang, this cosmetic trend inspired by traditional Asian medicine with my mini-review of the Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream!
I feel like the range Misa Geum Sul of the South Korean brand Missha is not super well known outside of Asia.
Missha has 3 ranges in its catalog inspired by traditional Asian medicine, they’re considered as the brand’s signature lines.
First of all, the packaging feels definitely more high end than its other collections. It’s inspired by the bottles of old products used by members of the royal family of the Joseon dynasty, excuse me for a moment.
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In Korea, there are indeed several brands like that, with this very luxurious packaging style and generally, they’re very high-end brands, with the price that goes with it (Sulwhasoo, The History of Whoo, Sooryehan…).
Missha’s hanbang collections are certainly the most expensive from the brand but they remain quite affordable compared to their competitors. Perfect if you want to discover this type of products worthy of an empress without having to sell a kidney!
The hanbang formulas are also quite specific. Their ingredients list are quite “old-school”, i. e. formulated with many, many active ingredients (it feels like the more, the merrier) and these ingredients are usually inspired by traditional Asian medicine.
Note: this type of formulation is losing ground in Korean cosmetics these days. There is a desire for simpler and “safer” formulas amongst younger people.
Mini-review:
Missha Misa Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream is a perfect representation of this trend with its XXL list of ingredients!
In this cream, you can find plants, herbs, mushrooms, fermented ingredients, roots, spices, but also ingredients of animal origin not necessarily very accepted culturally in the West (here, deer antler extracts) (I have to clarify: deer antlers fall naturally and there is no harm done in the process of obtaining them but I suspect that it will still disturb some of you!).
Does this formula remind you of a magical recipe with all these “forest-based” ingredients? Because for me, it does! I think that’s probably why I’m so fascinated by the hanbang, because of my love for Merlin the Magician 😉
I read some raving reviews about this cream before going to Korea, so I bought it while I was there and have been using it since last year.
Yes, you read that right, I’ve been using this cream for more than a year now (thank you, preservatives ^^)! First, the jar is huge (30ml) and the texture is so rich that you don’t need much. I only use it at night, too. But it’s clearly the best price for quantity value ever!
I was interested because this cream claims a result on hydration, wrinkles and dark circles, which are my main concerns regarding my eye contour.
Of course, I didn’t have crazy expectations, I know that no product can correct my very deep dark circles for example. They’re genetic and they were already there when I was 15. But I’m quite interested if this product is able to lighten their color, on the other hand!
And I must say that for this particular claim, the Missha Misa Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream has been quite effective. I know that the product I use in the morning has also played its part on the result (I’ll talk about it in the future #teasing ) but since I’ve only been using the latter for a shorter time, I’ve already noticed some progress with this Missha cream alone.
I also appreciate the comfort it gives me, and this without giving me puffy eyes when I wake up, which is always nice (knowing that I don’t have a big natural tendency to have eye bags anyway, just to clarify).
In conclusion:
In short, I’m happy with this product, I think I will repurchase in the future. The only thing that bothers me a little bit is its lifespan. I’m a serial cosmetics tester, so a whole year with the same product is a bit too long!
The retails between $27 and $32, according to the retailers, for 30ml.
And you, have you tried this eye cream? Are you tempted by hanbang cosmetics? Tell me more in the comments!
Product Review in detail
Summary
Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream
"This gentle eye cream revitalizes and brightens the eye area using powerful ingredients from traditional Korean herbal medicine. Formulated with Ginseng Water, Wild Ginseng Extract, Gold, and Reishi Mushroom Extract, this herbal concoction gently pampers your delicate eye area while treating signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles, and dark shadows around eyes.
This formula is free of colorants, parabens, triclosan, mineral oil, and GMOs."
Recommendation
A good eye contour cream.
Price
$27 - $32
Details
Pros
- I love the packaging inspired by the ancient jars used by the Korean royal family, I feel like a princess using it!
- it's probably one of the best value for quantity ratio products I've ever used: the jar lasted me more than a year!
- the super long list of ingredients, packed with active ingredients for the eye area (which can be a con if you have allergic and intolerant skin, but I haven't),
- the very rich and nourishing texture, perfect to use as a night cream (it doesn't make my eyes puffy when I wake up),
- the anti-wrinkles and brightening action on dark circles, just what I'm looking for in an eye cream,
- the long-lasting moisturizing effect.
Cons
- as always, I would have preferred an air-less jar format, but I don't think they do those in this kind of luxurious packaging ;)
product name
Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream
brand name
Missha
size
30ml (!)
made in
South Korea
packaging
A very pretty and precious golden jar, super luxurious. It's inspired by the cream pots used by the royal family of the Joseon dynasty of Korea (so fancy!).
fragrance
It contains perfume but it's very subtle, it smells like a cream.
texture
A rich cream that is absorbed very quickly, leaving the skin very comfortable but not greasy.
For Who
– according to the brand, for those over 30 years old,
– for mature skin,
– dry and/or dehydrated skin,
– for colored, dark circles.
Concerns
– dryness,
– dehydration,
– wrinkles and fine lines,
– dark and/or colored dark circles.
Method
I use it in the evening (but you can apply it twice a day if you want) at the end of my routine, just before my night face cream.
I take a tiny amount of product (the equivalent of a grain of rice) and I gently massage it onto my skin, from the inside to the outside of the eye contour, smoothing the skin very delicately (this area is fragile) and finishing with dabbing pressures. I always apply a little bit on my lip contour as well!
Key Ingredients
The main ingredients of the Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream:
– Ginseng water to moisturize the skin and smooth out wrinkles.
– Wild ginseng and Reishi mushrooms fermented in pure gold, to brighten the skin and reduce dark circles.
– Asian medicinal mushroom Phellinus Linteus, fermented ginseng extract to smooth the delicate skin around the eyes and restore its elasticity.
But also anti-wrinkle adenosine, hydrating hyaluronic acid, lightening arbutin, anti-oxidant green tea, etc. etc.
The ingredients list is very long!
Ingredients
Ginseng Root Water, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Titanium Dioxide, Arbutin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phellinus Baumii Mycelium/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Aquilaria Agallocha Stem Extract, Velvet Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract, Asparagus Lucidus Root Extract, Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Chidium Officinale Root Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Honey Extract, Sesamum Inidicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Cynanchum Wifordi Root Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Psoralea Corylifolia Fruit Extract, Trichosanthes Kirilowii Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Zizyphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Lilium Candidium Bulb Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Seed Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Wood Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Acorus Gramineus Root/Stem Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Castanea Sativa (Chestnut) Seed Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Extract, Scrophularia Buergeriana Root Extract, Corydalis Turtachaninovii Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Fruit Extract, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Papaver Rhoeas Petal Extract, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Pueraria Thunbergiana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Flower Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf, Morus Alba Fruit Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Alpinia Officinarum Root Extract, Abies Koreana Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Ferment Filtrate, Adenosine, Gold, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Polyacrylate-18, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polyisobutene, Aluminum Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30, Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromenthamine, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance
Ingredients not included
– dyes,
– parabens,
– triclosan,
– mineral oil,
– silicones,
– GMO.
Shop for this product
Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing Eye Cream $27 - $32
Author
I just bought a jar from bodynseoul.com soooo excited to start using