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Home to some of my favorite products I’ve tried on Beauty Lab, Neulii is a Korean brand I’m always excited about. As my toner, serum and cream from the AC Clean Saver line have recently become #empties, I figured it was time to test some of the brand’s other products! Among its offerings, the minimal, luxe brown pump bottles of the Bio-Water B9 Hydration Serum, CicaPepta Repair Serum and Peony Acmella Antioxidant Serum caught my eye. The serums boast three different effects to care for your skin: moisturizing, soothing and anti-aging. Read on to see whether they lived up to my expectations!
First Thoughts
In addition to emollients, solvents and humectants such as propanediol, glycereth-26, 1,2-hexanediol and butylene glycol, all three serums share a number of natural extracts with antioxidant properties: camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, aspalathus linearis (rooibos) extract, euterpe oleracea (acai berry) fruit extract and aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) fruit extract.
Because of the similar formulas, the three serums share other commonalities as well. They’re largely scentless (sensitive skin types who hate artificial fragrances, rejoice!), except for the CicaPepta Repair Serum, which has an ever-so-slight herbal scent from its centella asiatica infusion.
Neulii describes the Bio-Water B9 Hydration Serum as having a soft and fluid texture, the CicaPepta Repair Serum as having a non-sticky finish, and the Peony Acmella Antioxidant Serum as a rich, non-greasy essence. Again, I found the texture of all three serums to be essentially the same. They’re lightweight and comfortable on skin, and are quickly absorbed into skin with a non-sticky finish.
Designed for use after toner, these serums are great for both day and night use. I had no issues incorporating them into my skin care routine, and they made my skin feel moisturized and soothed. Below, I elaborate more in-depth about the ingredients and effects of each serum!
Bio-Water B9 Serum
The Bio-Water B9 Serum boasts moisturizing ingredients dipropylene glycol, sodium hyaluronate and glycerin, as well as beta-glucan to protect skin against external aggressors and Vitamin B9, which reduces pimple-causing porphyrin and revitalizes skin. It contains both water-soluble and oil-soluble components to hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier, so the skin can better retain moisture.
I don’t typically struggle with dryness, but this winter, I’ve been waking up to flaky skin and a general tightness most mornings. I’ve enjoyed using this serum after my toner and before locking everything in with a powerful moisturizing cream. It’s refreshing on skin and offers instant hydration both day and night. I’m also beginning to see subtle changes in my skin’s ability to retain moisture for longer periods!
CicaPepta Repair Serum
Like the Bio-Water B9 Serum, the CicaPepta Repair Serum offers moisturizing care and strengthens the skin barrier, but with an added dosage of star ingredient centella asiatica. It’s formulated with five moisturizing ingredients, including panthenol to lock in hydration and Bio-Placenta (which contains five types of peptides) to strengthen and revitalize the skin barrier. It contains centella asiatica leaf extract, as well as madecassoside and asiaticoside, which are both active skin care ingredients derived from the centella asiatica plant. Altogether, they offer healing, skin-soothing and antioxidant effects for damaged skin that is tired, weakened, dry and sensitive.
My skin isn’t terribly damaged, but my dry winter skin feels more sensitive than usual. To that extent, I found the CicaPepta Repair Serum gentle and calming. Similar to the Bio-Water B9 Serum, it boosted my skin with instant hydration.
Peony Acmella Antioxidant Serum
This anti-aging serum is infused with paeonia albiflora (peony) flower extract from Korea’s Jiri Mountain and acmella oleracea (paracress) extract from Madagascar. The former offers a brightening effect while the latter is a natural alternative to Botox that increases elasticity, reduces wrinkles and creates soft, smooth skin. It’s also enriched with a super-antioxidant extract that protects skin against UV rays and other environmental factors.
Although I’m not struggling with wrinkles or loss of elasticity, skin starts aging in your early 20s, so it’s always good to treat it with preventive care! I appreciate the serum’s promises of skin-brightening and protection against UV rays, as dullness and acne scars are some of my constant skin problems. However, I don’t think I used the serum for long enough to see those benefits. My dry skin did feel softer and smoother after daily use, and I will continue using this serum to see how its anti-aging effects unfold.
Overall
I liked that all three serums were lightweight, easily absorbed and non-greasy, and I had no issues with application or use during my trial. In terms of effects, all three were moisturizing and soothing, but one qualm I have is the similarity of the three serums. I didn’t notice many differences in how the formulas looked, smelled and felt, or the benefits on my skin. Of the three, the Bio-Water B9 Serum is my favorite, simply because it delivers exactly what it promises. These serums won’t deliver drastic changes to your complexion or skin texture, but if you’re looking for non-irritating, moisturizing serums, they are all trusty picks.