Moisture creams vary in moisturizing power

- Consumers need to choose products after considering moisturizing power, skin feelings, price, etc. -

  Moisture creams are one of the basic skin care products to provide moisture to the skin, and recently, with an increasing interest in skin health and beauty, the market for moisture creams has been growing. 

  Accordingly, in order to provide objective product quality information, the Korea Consumer Agency (President Lee Hee-sook) conducted a test and assessment on the moisturizing power, skin feelings after application, and safety of ten (10) different moisture creams* from the ten (10) most popular brands among consumers selected through a consumer survey.

* Dr. Jart+ (Vital Hydra Solution Biome Moisture Cream), The Face Shop (The Therapy Royal Made Moisture Blending Cream), Mamonde (Floral Hydro Cream), Mishaa (Super Aqua Ultra Hyalon Cream), Biotem (Aqua Source Moisture Cream), Belif (The True Cream Aqua Bomb), IOPE (Hyaluronic Cream), Innisfree (Artichoke Layering Intense Cream), Kiehl’s (Ultra Facial Cream), CNP (Dual Balance Waterlock Moist Cream

  The result of a test and assessment of the moisture creams revealed that the products varied in the moisturizing power and skin feelings after application, and that they differed in the price for 10ml by up to seven times. On the other hand, all of them met the relevant standards for safety (involving heavy metals, preservatives, etc.), volume of contents, and statutory labelling requirements.

ㅁ Tested products varied in moisturizing power which is the core function of moisture creams.

  As the result of a test* and assessment of moisturizing power for measuring the water content of the skin after the application of moisture creams, all of the tested products were rated ‘good’ or higher 30 minutes after application while they varied to a certain extent in moisturizing power after lapse of four hours.

* ‘Guideline for Method to Verify Labels and Advertisements of Cosmetic Products’ (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 2018) was applied to measure the water content on the inner forearm (the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist) skin of 30 women in their 20s-50s.

 -  (Moisturizing power 30 minutes after application) As the result of a test of moisturizing power after application, all of the tested products were rated ‘good (★★)’ and ‘very good (★★★).’

 - (Moisturizing power four (4) hours after application) The moisturizing power of five (5) products four (4) hours after application was rated ‘very good (★★★),’and three (3) products rated ‘good (★★),’ and two (2) products rated ‘fair (★).’

ㅁ Tested products varied in skin feeling, and thus consumers need to choose products depending on their personal preferences.

 ㅇ The tested products varied in skin feelings, when or after applying moisturizing creams (e.g. aqueous feeling, spreadability, greasy feeling, stickiness, and residual feeling)*, and thus consumers was able to make diverse choices depending on their personal preferences.

* The Guidelines for Human Application Testing and Efficacy Testing of Cosmetics were applied mutatis mutandis for the assessment of skin feelings when (or after) 50 women in their 30s-40s applied moisture creams (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 2015).

 ㅇ (Aqueous feeling, spreadability) All of the tested products were rated higher than‘average (3 points)’in ‘aqueous feeling’which is the degree of moisture in the skin, and ‘spreadability’ which is the ability of a cream to spread on the skin evenly without resistance.

 ㅇ (Greasy feeling, stickiness, residual feeling) The tested products showed differences in ‘greasy feeling’ which refers to the level of grease on the skin, ‘stickiness’ felt on the face and hands, and ‘residual feeling’ which is the degree of feeling creamy on the skin after applying moisture cream.

ㅁ Tested products varied in the price for 10ml by up to 7.4 times.

 ㅇ The tested products varied in the price for 10ml by up to 7.4 times at KRW 1,467~10,800, and thus, consumers need to consider not only moisturizing power and skin feelings when or after applying moisture creams but also price when choosing products.

   -‘Innisfree (Artichoke Layering Intense Cream)’was the cheapest price (KRW 1,467/10ml), but its moisturizing power 30 minutes and four (4) hours after application was rated ‘good (★★),' and ’fair (★),' respectively. And ‘Biotem (Aqua Source Moisture Cream)’was rated ‘very good (★★★)’in moisturizing power 30 minutes and four (4) hours after application, but was the most expensive one (KRW 10,800/10ml).

    - Meanwhile, in terms of moisturizing power, which is the core function of moisture creams, ‘Michaa (Super Aqua Ultra Hyalon Cream)’was rated ‘very good (★★★)’30 minutes and four (4) hours after application, thereby gaining a good score in cost-effectiveness (KRW 4,000 for 10ml, second cheapest).

ㅁ All tested products met the relevant safety standards.

 ㅇ As the result of a test on heavy metals (seven (7) heavy metals including chromium), preservatives (15 preservatives including benzyl alcohol), and hydrogen ion concentration (pH), all of the tested products met the relevant safety standards.*

   * Regulation on Safety Standards, etc. of Cosmetics (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Notification No. 2019-93)

ㅁ All tested products met the relevant labelling requirements.

 ㅇ The volume of contents (actual volume compared with the labelled volume), fragrance substance (flavoring agent), and statutory labelling requirements of all the tested products met the relevant standards*.

 * (Volume of contents) Regulation on Safety Standards, etc. of Cosmetics (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Notification No. 2019-93)

   (Fragrance substance (flavoring agent), statutory labelling requirements) Cosmetics Act (No. 15947), Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act (No. 1577)

  Going forward, the KCA will continue to provide information about safety and quality comparison of chemical household products in order to help consumers make better and more reasonable consumption.