Inspired by Korean cosmetics, cult beauty range 100% Pure offers an impressive cocktail of super-hydrating essences for all skin types.
Winter skin will love you the more you splash on. Of course applying toner with cotton bud is so last season – pat onto skin with hands, so it bypasses dead skin cells on the surface of the skin and penetrates the deeper layers instead. Apply 2-7 layers until skin feels soft, supple and nourished.
When the deeper layers of the skin are hydrated, skin becomes plump and bouncy like a grape. Skin that lacks hydration is wrinkled, dull and “empty” like a raisin.
I’ve had my eye on the essences by cult range 100% Pure, which offer quite a cocktail of formulas for different skin types. What better time to get my hands on them than in the middle of winter when the skin’s hydration levels have become depleted by the cold weather and skin feels as if it had shrunk by two sizes.
My test included the following 100% Pure products:
Puristry Flower Water Toner
Puristry is 100% Pure founder Susie Wang’s own brand. All of the products are USDA-certified – the only US organic skincare certificate. The criteria are strict; 95% of ingredients used must be organic.
The Puristry toner has a thicker formula than regular toners, and is extra beneficial for dry and sensitiveskin. Rose water and calendula hydrosol hydrate skin, sooth redness and have anti-inflammatory properties. Hyaluronic acid provides intense hydration, while essential oils boost anti-inflammatory and brightening effects.
The Puristry toner hydrates my own skin so effectively that any signs of shrinking disappear.
Sea Culture Hydrating Toner
This toner can be described as an intensive elixir. Aimed for dry and agingskin, it has a rich formula (richer than the Puristry toner mentioned above), and active ingredients are a notch more potent – getting my heart racing. Chia water provides intense hydration and mineral-rich sea kelp extract soothes, repairs solar damage and prevents fine lines and wrinkles. Sea kelp and xanthan gum give the essence a gel-like consistency, creating a bright and luminous appearance on skin. Candida saitoana evens out wrinkles and invigorates metabolism, which has a skin-clarifying effect.
The essence almost feels like a 2 in 1 product – toner and serum in one. A single layer was quite enough for my skin, and more than two would have felt unnecessary. This is my new go-to essence!
Fermented Rice Water Toner
The essence contains fermented rice water, sake, to brighten pigment spots. Also the active ingredients in the toner efficiently combat pigment spots and brighten skin tone, such as white mulberry water, liqorice root, bearberry, shiitake mushroom, vitamin B3, willow bark, lemon and grapefruit, which are also anti-inflammatory and sooth redness. Hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA provide hydration.
The toner left me impressed already a year ago, and now my bathroom shelf has to include a bottle of sake for the face at all times.
Tea Tree & Willow Toner
From one potent essence to another: the effects of this astringent can be felt on the skin immediately. Designed for acne and impurity-proneskin, the essence comes with tea tree in two different forms (water and essential oil) as well as witch hazel, willow, turmeric, Oregon grape, parsley and neem – even the toughest breakouts will be crying for mercy. Glycerin, hyaluronic acid and algae extract ensure skin won’t feel dry.
The product works as a purifying serum on my skin. These days, I need purifying products fairly rarely – the last time was at Christmas and New Year when a group of blemishes paid a surprise visit. This is a useful bottle to keep handy in case of future need.
Those with combination skin prone to impurities would benefit from the astringent as a course of treatment every now and then alongside some other essence.
Purity Hydrating Tonique
Designed for skin with acne and impurities, this facial spray is a little milder than the astringent above. Although it’s a spray-on bottle, it’s good to remember to pat the product onto skin by hand to increase absorption.
Lavender hydrosol balances sebum secretion and has anti-inflammatory properties alongside calendula, echinacea, goldenseal and tea tree. The product has a runnier texture than the Tea Tree & Willow Toner and doesn’t contain glycerin, which can be felt on the skin. In my opinion, this is a budget version of the Tea Tree & Willow Astringent.
Mint White Tea Tonique
If you find it hard to open your eyes in the morning, this one is for you! The facial spray for normal or combination skin comes with a good dose of peppermint, making sure eyes open wide in an instant.
Aloe vera and rose water create a hydrating, rejuvenating and soothing base for the product. White tea, licorice root and nettle protect skin from free radical damage and pollution. Antibacterial tea tree, thyme, sage and lemongrass prevent further breakouts.
100% Pure seems to be quickly becoming one of my favourite ranges. Last year, their new skincare products took me completely by surprise and I found myself especially falling for their moisturizers with the perfect runny consistency.
What do you think about the 100% Pure essences?
Photos Katja Kokko
Translated by Rebecca Watson
