If mermaids were real (but not fish-faced Lovecraftian monstrosities), would they have nice skin? They’re always luminous beauties in the stories and legends, of course, and would benefit from the skin benefits of seaweed and possibly other marine substances too, but at the same time, you’d think they probably get a fair amount of sun exposure out there in the ocean, and all those crashing waves probably make quick work of even the most water-resistant sunscreen. I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, since mermaids aren’t real. But if mermaids were real and had access to online ordering of Korean beauty products, I bet some of them would have a few bottles of Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence tucked away in their skincare wardrobes.

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Purpose: Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence claims to smooth and moisturize skin while fighting signs of aging.

Best suited for: All skin types, but especially combo-dry and/or dehydrated skin.

Do not use if: You are sensitive to botanical extracts, fragrance, or anything else in the ingredients list.

When and how to use: After cleansing and any toner or first treatment essence steps but before any heavier serum or ampoules, apply one or two pumps to face and neck. Pat in and continue with the rest of your skincare routine.

Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence ingredients:  Sea water, butylene glycol, glycerin, squalane, butylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, citrus unshiu peel extract, orchid extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, camellia japonica leaf extract, achillea millefolium extract, adenosine, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, xanthan gum, tromethamine, polysorbate 20, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, fragrance

CosDNA analysis

Notable ingredients: Sea water is the first on the list here, and according to Jolse, where I bought this product, the Jeju Lava Seawater Essence contains 84.5% of it. I’m sure that to many people, this just means the product is packed full of water, and they might indeed be right, technically, but since I have a well documented thing about sea water and other ocean ingredients^{and am good at magical thinking}, having such a high concentration of sea water excites me. It’s actually the reason I chose this essence over the line’s Deep Essence, which is probably more suited to my skin type but only contains 73.8% sea water. In my mind, sea water may be at least a little superior to plain water thanks to the micronutrients left behind by whatever algae, seaweed, and other ocean organisms once called it home. Anyway, my skin responds well to marine stuff. And I love the ocean.

Of course, I’m not going to just go slapping a bottle of sea water on my face. The Jeju Lava Seawater Essence also contains glycerin, a common but highly effective humectant and possible skin-repairing agent; squalane, a skin-identical barrier-repairing ingredient that is excellent for improving moisture retention but is sometimes derived from shark liver oil; and the anti-aging ingredient adenosine. And since this is an Innisfree product, it also contains Jeju Juice, which is what I like to call the particular blend of botanical extracts found in pretty much all Innisfree products. The fruit and floral extracts that comprise Jeju Juice provide a dose of antioxidants to help fight cell-damaging free radicals that can prematurely age skin.

Overall, the Jeju Lava Seawater Essence boasts a far shorter ingredients list than most other Innisfree products I’ve tried, as I mentioned in my first look at the product. It doesn’t look like a super powerful wrinkle basher, but that’s what I use Curology for. I bought this product to try as a simple hydrating essence with some barrier-supporting abilities.

Performance

This one gets put in the Better Than Expected! category. Also the Probably Gonna Get It Again! box.

Winter has ended. That doesn’t improve the life-sucking dryness of the SoCal air where I live (in fact, it’s probably dryer now that our “rainy” season is about over), but it does force changes to my skincare routine. Rising temperatures mean heavy layers will become intolerable even though my tret-addled skin still needs plenty of hydration, moisture, and general support. I’ve already swapped a lot of thicker serums out for lighter essences, like this one. The hope is that the right essence (or, more realistically, combination of essences) will help my skin stay its juiciest while providing antioxidant protection but without also suffocating my face.

Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence is a lightweight and extremely slippy essence that glides like a leaping manta ray smoothly over my skin, then sinks in without a trace like that same manta ray when it dives beneath the waves. It smells much better than manta rays, though. The Jeju Lava Seawater Essence has a subtle herbally-lavender scent with a hint of the ocean, almost exactly the way Innisfree’s magnificent discontinued Eco Science hydrogel masks did (the scent also reminds me strongly of Aveda Shampure, which was my HG cosmetic smell for years). Subtle is the key word here. Unlike many products from this brand, the Jeju Lava Seawater Essence isn’t overly fragranced. In fact, the scent is so nice that I wish it were just a little stronger or more lasting–but with skincare fragrances, better to err on the side of subtlety than to go too far in the other direction.

And what happens once the product sinks into my skin?

It’s pretty great, actually, especially on days when I’m running short on time and can’t pack on too many layers. A pump or two of product makes my skin feel drenched with hydration and lastingly refreshed from within and silky and nicely plumped on top. Imagine a microscopic view of the upper layers of your skin, thinned out a bit by prescription tretinoin and occasional exfoliants. Now imagine little emollient molecules settling into the cracks and crevices between the cells, filling in any spaces and thickening up that protective layer so that hydration stays put beneath the surface while the surface feels its best. It’s a nice effect that I definitely missed on the days when I chose to skip this step to see whether I felt the same without it. As an added bonus, the Jeju Lava Seawater Essence is entirely watery without a hint of oiliness or greasy residue; my skin might be able to take a bit more richness, but for oilier complexions that still need a hydration boost and some barrier support, the consistency of the product seems close to ideal.

The smaller details of the product seem worth mentioning, too. Innisfree’s essences come in generously portioned 50ml airless pump bottles. The pump mechanism is sturdy and mess-free, and airless pump bottles help to preserve the effectiveness of the antioxidant ingredients in the product by preventing exposure to air. Some might complain that the bottle should be opaque to keep light out as well, but I personally prefer the transparent plastic, since it lets me see exactly how much product I have left. I like to reorder things in a timely fashion instead of freaking out when I realize I’ve used it all up. I’m about halfway through the bottle after over a month of use, and 3 months shouldn’t be long enough for the antioxidants to lose their goodness.

Conclusion: Innisfree Jeju Lava Seaater Essence isn’t an all-kill Holy Grail product. It doesn’t brighten or reduce redness as far as I can tell, nor will it provide a noticeable insta-firming effect on skin that’s started to lose elasticity. Then again, there are other product types better suited to producing those kinds of effects. For hydration and lasting moisture retention with some bonus texture help and antioxidant protection, I find the Jeju Lava Seawater Essence pretty exceptional. The mild fragrance and quality packaging make it a pleasure to use, too.

Rating: 4/5

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