Fifty Shades of Snail

Well hello, honey. It’s good to see you back. ლ(´◉❥◉｀ლ)

Ever since I discovered the joys of honey and propolis, I’ve been finding more and more ways to get the sweet stuff into my routine and loving just about every bee product I try. But as great as serums and ampoules and sheet masks are, they’re just not as integral as moisturizing creams. A good moisturizer is one of the foundational components of a well rounded routine: everyone needs one. That’s why I’m glad a nice number of Korean brands also make honey creams. I’ve been testing and comparing two such honey creams for the last several weeks.

I’m From Honey Cream vs. COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream

The humectant and emollient components of honey make it a natural fit in moisturizing creams, and the sky’s the limit for brands to blend in additional skin-friendly actives and botanicals. Both of the honey creams I tested provide intense moisturization, but I’m From Honey Cream also focuses on brightening and anti-aging, while COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream aims to strengthen skin’s moisture barrier. Here are the contenders’ ingredients.

I’m From Honey Cream:  Propolis extract, glycerin, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, honey, propylene glycol dibenzoate, macademia integrifolia seed oil, betaine, cetyl ethylhexanoate, butylene glycol, niacinamide, polysorbate 60, cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, glyceryl stearate SE, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, sodium hyaluronate, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, stearyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, panthenol, tocopheryl acetate, royal jelly extract, morus alba bark extract, centella asiatica extract, carbomer, arginine, polyglutamic acid, beeswax, hydrogenated lecithin, caprylic/capric triglyceride, menadione, polyglyceryl-10 diisostearate, adenosine, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol, caprylhydroxamic acid, boswellia serrata resin extract

COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream:  Honey extract, butylene glycol, glycerin, caprylic/capric triglyceride, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, betaine, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, dimethicone, 1,2-hexanediol, beeswax, elaeis guineesis (palm) kernel oil, elaeis guineensis (palm) oil, hordeum vulgare leaf extract, cetearyl alcohol, sodium hyaluronate, ethylhexylglycerin, ceramide 3, xanthan gum, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, adenosine

Let the battle begin!

Round 1: Potential irritants and acne triggers

Our first step when looking at any skincare product should be the ingredients, so I ran both of these lists through COSDNA.

I’m From Honey Cream: Uh-oh! CosDNA analysis of I’m From Honey Cream pops up quite a few warnings, so people with acne-prone or sensitive skin will want to use this cream with caution. Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil gets a whopping 4 in the acne column, meaning that it is likely to cause breakouts if you’re acne-prone, and glyceryl stearate SE gets a 3. A whole bunch of other ingredients score 2s for acne as well: cetyl alcohol (a moisturizing, rather than drying, alcohol), stearic acid, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, and stearyl alcohol, which is another moisturizing alcohol. Butylene glycol gets a 1. CosDNA also identifies several ingredients in I’m From Honey Cream as potential irritants: coconut oil, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate SE, jojoba seed oil,  stearyl alcohol, and carbomer. Beeswax is also noted as a potential acne trigger and irritant. Bottom line is that if you want to try I’m From Honey Cream, definitely patch test for at least a few days first.

COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream: CosDNA analysis of COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream shows that it has a much blander, objectively safer formulation than I’m From Honey Cream. Cetearyl alcohol is the only ingredient to score higher than 1, with twos for both acne and irritation, while the very common ingredients butylene glycol and dimethicone get 1s in the acne column. COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream does also contain beeswax, which CosDNA notes may be an acne trigger and/or irritant in the 0-2 range.

The winner: COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream. This isn’t surprising, given COSRX’s stated goal of using minimal ingredients in the production of high-performance skincare products suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Round 2: Actives

Moisturizing creams can be a great vehicle for the delivery of proven actives to improve skin condition. In this round, we’ll take a look at what proven functionality the contenders offer.

I’m From Honey Cream: Wishtrend’s lengthy and ridiculously capslock- and exclamation point-filled I’m From Honey Cream product page makes a lot of claims about the cream. In addition to hydrating and nourishing, which are baseline expectations for any cream, I’m From Honey Cream also supposedly calms, firms, and whitens skin. The nice thing about this product is that it has the actives to back up the claims. Niacinamide will both brighten and improve elasticity, arginine shows significant promise as an anti-aging ingredient, menadione (vitamin K3) activates epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), and the anti-inflammatory adenosine has been shown to significantly improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. All in all, this is a great mix of actives for a moisturizing cream.

COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream: Adenosine is the only active to note in this cream. The ingredient commonly appears near the end of product ingredient lists, and here it’s allllll the way at the end, indicating that there is only the tiniest bit of it in COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream. To be fair, however, COSRX doesn’t make any claims about this cream that aren’t backed up by its ingredients. This is just a simpler product overall.

The winner: I’m From Honey Cream. That list of actives is just too good to ignore.

Round 3: Performance

Now we get to the fun part. What’s it like to actually use these honey creams?

I’m From Honey Cream has an interesting texture. It’s a stiff, silky cream that’s easy to scoop out of the jar. Upon contact with my face, it softens up quickly into a melty, very spreadable oil texture with a faint sweet scent. I like the rich feel of the cream, but it takes quite a while to absorb–as Wishtrend warns on the product page–and leaves a very glossy finish afterwards, even with extended patting sessions. For this reason, I only use I’m From Honey Cream at night. It adds too much shine for daytime, even for a dewy skin lover like me.

As far as effects go, I’ve enjoyed I’m From Honey Cream a lot. When I use it, I wake up to soft, firm, and supple skin, and in conjunction with the rest of my skincare routine, it keeps my skin looking even and bright. I’ve been quite happy with this product.

I’ve also been happy with COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream, however. Like I’m From Honey Cream, COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream is a fairly stiff and silky cream, but unlike I’m From Honey Cream, it has a waxy rather than oily texture, pats in quickly, and dries matte, making it more suitable for daytime use as well as nighttime. The matte finish and lack of scent remind me strongly of Cerave in the tub. This will be a good thing for Cerave users wanting to try out some Asian products.

The ceramides in this cream give it barrier repairing capabilities, which I was able to put to the test several times. My neck is very prone to overexfoliation, and I always forget whether I’ve used acids on my neck the night before, so my neck gets irritated, itchy, and overexfoliated quite a bit. Few creams help alleviate the discomfort, and the I’m From Honey Cream hadn’t, but I’ve found that a single application of COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream will completely calm the irritation and help my skin feel like it’s back to normal. The soles of my feet were also feeling unbearably dry and tight after a Tony Moly Shiny Foot Super Peeling Liquid molting session. Not even Neutrogena hand cream was helping, but COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream did. And on my face, it keeps my skin smooth, lustrous, and velvety soft.

The winner: COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream for superior versatility and fast, impressive barrier-healing results.

Conclusion: For those of you who know of my passion for niacinamide, it may be surprising that I picked COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream as the winner in this competition. Here’s the thing. I love niacinamide (and my other favorite actives) so much that I’ve built an entire extensive routine around it. The ingredient features prominently in so many other things I use that I don’t really consider it critical in my moisturizing cream. I can live without it for the sake of the faster absorption and skin-calming powers of the COSRX.

That’s not to say that I’m From Honey Cream is an inferior product, however. All those actives really are compelling, and the glossy finish may be attractive if you’re looking for much more glow than your current products give–in fact, Wishtrend advertises it as a benefit.

When choosing between these creams, ultimately it will boil down to your skin type and your product needs. If your skin is sensitive, acne-prone, or suffering from a compromised barrier, then the COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream will most likely work better for you. On the other hand, if you can handle the ingredients in the I’m From Honey Cream and want a richly moisturizing multi-tasker that will help brighten and firm your skin while it softens, then I’m From Honey Cream will be your winner. Both of these creams are very good products, and I’d be happy to use either one of them again.

Ratings:

I’m From Honey Cream: 4/5

COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream: 4/5

Where can I buy COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream?

A 50ml jar of COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream is available from the following Crazy Snail Lady-approved retailers:

• On sale for $21.58 from our bae Jolse
• On sale for $22.77 at Wishtrend
• For $23 at Memebox US (US only)
• For $24 at Cupidrop (ships from within the US)

Where can I buy I’m From Honey Cream?

I’m From Honey Cream appears to be exclusively distributed by Wishtrend* (affiliate link), where a 50ml jar currently sells for $31.90.

But wait! There’s more!

My honey cream adventure isn’t over! Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I’ll be receiving a trio of products I’ve been dying to try for ages. Remember how much I love the Banila Co Miss Honey & Mr Flower Hydrogel Mask? I’m getting the Banila Co Miss Honey & Mr Flower Essence Oil, Essence Oil Stick, and Cream! So stay tuned, because I’m sure I’ll be bursting with excitement to tell you all about those honey products as well!

What’s your favorite honey product? Tell me about it in the comments!

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