In-depth Skincare Review: Naruko Majoram and Lavender serum

Majoram and Lavender Serum -S$26.90 from Naruko's Singapore (for residents in Singapore only)

Is your skin feeling dull lately?

Is it lacklustre?

You need a brightening serum! 



And this is it.

I got this serum as part of the Majoram and Lavender set since I was running low on my Oil Out series and wanted to try the eye cream, eye gelly and stuff. 

While there are hit and misses for me in this Lavender set I bought, this one is a sure 'hit'.

The serum is stored in a classy purple glass bottle with a push-type dropper tool. I’ve read reviews online that people experience problems extracting the serum when it is almost used up. Since I am not near using the serum as of yet, I cannot comment on it. But while the packaging looks cute to me, I think it isn’t practical since the opening of the bottle is so small and I have to be careful with it lest serum gets scrapped on the sides and as a result, wasted.

Whoops sorry for the colour differences! Taken under different lighting.

If I could own just one item from the Lavender range, I'd surely pick this serum. 

Like the other items in this range, the serum contains ellagic microcapsules. According to Wiki, these ellagic microcapsules contain ellagic acid which 

‘is a natural phenol antioxidant found in numerous fruits and vegetables' that provides the intense brightening.’

Like most Naruko products, my mildly sensitive skin did not react to it due to its gentle formulation.

I love how this serum really brightened my skin dramatically. I don’t think my photo below does it justice, but if you can observe, the right side of my hand seems brighter than the left. It works better for my face as my face is darker than my hand!

I don't think you can see the differences very well since my hand is pale to begin with.

Because it does such a great job at brightening my face and making me look radiant, I tend to reserve it for special occasions where I look too tired and dull. Also, I try to alternate product usage to prevent my skin from being accustomed to it and hence ceases its efficiency.

(After using this serum my face really looked much fairer and when topped with a pink lipbalm from Metholatum, I looked ghastly white.)

My face isn’t in dire need of brightening so I think this serum will suffice to give it the occasional boost. For those who do require intensive brightening, perhaps the use of the entire Lavender range will be best.

Besides its brightening abilities I think this serum is great for hydrating oily/normal skin types too. Its texture is a thick gooey gel with a fairly strong fragrance of lavender (and possibly majoram but since I don’t know how that smells like I cannot comment).

Now, I am not a lavender person. In fact, I dislike lavender.  Crabtree and Evelyn’s previous formulation of its lavender range seals my dislike for lavender smells. However, Naruko’s Lavender serum scent is tolerable for me, despite my disdain.

However, if you’re allergic to smells it’s best to steer clear of Naruko products as they tend to contain essential oils as the products’ fragrance.

Also, on the point of sensitivity, I do not think the Lavender range is best for sensitive skin. While my sensitive skin does not react to it, it does nothing to soothe it either. It’s more like a ‘meh’ feeling compared to Naruko’s other products like the Raw Job Tear’s series.

In all, I think this is a fairly great product and I hope they’ll never stop making it.

P.S: I noticed that Naruko’s serums contain PEGs, which some may feel queasy about due to it being potentially contaminated. However, PEGs tend to be of low concentration in Naruko's products as they are near the bottom of the ingredients list.

For more information, this article may be of help.

http://www.phend.co.za/health/Chemical5.htm

The ingredients, according to Naruko.us

Purified Water (Aqua), Snow Fungus (Tremella Fuciformis) Extract, Mulberry Extract, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Ellagic Acid Millicapsule, Phytoferulin® Extract [Kalanchoe Spathulata Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra(Licorice) Root Extract, Alpine Skullcap (Scutellaria Alpina) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Alps Wormwood (Artemisia Umbelliformis) Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Alpine Willowherb (Epilobium Fleischeri) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamolmilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract], Matricaria Maritima Extract, Encapsule Vitamin E, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Butylene Clycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Essential Oils of Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), Marjoram (Origanum Marjorana), Ho Wood (Cinnamomum Camphora), Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris), Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea), Sweet Marjoram (Origanum Marjorana), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus)