Don’t worry, Hada Labo fans. I didn’t suddenly discover something bad about the famous and bestselling hydrating toner.
The thing is, I just keep discovering other products that, for my purposes, are better.
Here’s why a toner like Hada Labo Super Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion can be so useful:
Anti-aging isn’t just about preventing wrinkles. It’s also about mitigating the loss of volume in your skin (yes, I, too, have seen the Juvederm commercials). Volume-that plumpness and firmness that differentiates youthful skin from aging skin-decreases with age (and UV exposure) as collagen breaks down, the natural hyaluronic acid content of skin decreases, and skin begins to lose its ability to effectively hold moisture.
A hyaluronic acid product like the Hada Labo lotion helps minimize the appearance of volume loss by infusing skin with an extra shot of hydration and humectants for a temporary plumping effect. That’s why I used Hada Labo lotion diligently for a long time.
The thing is, the farther down the rabbit hole I fell, the more I discovered other products-serums and ampoules, primarily-that were capable of providing an equivalent amount of plumping hydration, while also adding other key ingredients that my Hada Labo lotion does not. The products in my current routine that do this are:
- COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power (ugh) Essence, which provides fermented nutrition and the brightening, anti-aging, oil-controlling, barrier-strengthening properties of niacinamide along with light hydration;
- Shara Shara Honey Bomb All In One Ampoule, which delivers the healing, antioxidant, and moisturizing powers of my new favorite ingredients honey, propolis, and royal jelly extract along with more niacinamide and a number of other anti-aging antioxidants and provides intense hydrating moisture for a plumped-up glow; and
- Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum, which gives me a large amount of powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant green tea extract and yet more volumizing hydration.
Taking a look at the rest of my lineup, I realized that my essence, serum, and ampoule had rendered my Hada Labo lotion redundant. It was an extra step in my routine without any compelling actives-I wouldn’t call it a waste of time, but it was a waste of mine.
Yes, Hada Labo does make a couple of lines of products with other actives in them, such as their brightening line with vitamin C and arbutin and their anti-aging line with collagen and a retinoid, but I’ve looked into those, and I still don’t find them as compelling as the products I’m using.
That’s why what’s left of my current bottle of Hada Labo lotion has been removed from my basket and placed in the medicine cabinet. I’ll still draw on it when the weather is just so arid that every drop of hydration matters, and I sometimes put it on my lips before primer or lip balm, but I no longer consider it an everyday must.
How do you keep your skin plump? Do you use Hada Labo lotion?
