So a couple of things happened. Back in February, I ordered my first Memebox, and got some pretty spiffy things. And about a month back, I read a review posted on /r/AsianBeauty about Horse Oil, which I found fascinating, but had no interest in trying, because it kind of squicked me out.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I decide to make use of my Memebox items, and try them out. I put on the "schmancy" Bidan Cream, thinking it was just going to be some junk product. It spreads like heaven even though I used the tiniest amount. The smell is a soothing herbally tea scent. The next morning? My face is baby soft and glowy. Fancy pants Sulwhasoo doesn't do this to me. What. Is. In. This. Thing? I rip open my Memebox and dig out the packaging.
Here's the product description for the Moksha Bidan Cream on the Memebox Info Card:
Transcribed:
This advanced, luxurious cream is formulated with rose hip oil and 20 more natural ingredients to repair damaged skin tissue, prevent breakouts, and restore skin resiliency and elasticity, delivering a smoother, more toned appearance. It strengthens the fragile skin texture, minimizes blemishes and fine lines to enhance skin's youthful radiance. The results? Skin is as soft as "bidan" - which means "silk" in Korean.
How to use:
On cleansed and toned skin, evenly apply 1 to 2 dollops of cream onto the face. Massage.
How to use:
On cleansed and toned skin, evenly apply 1 to 2 dollops of cream onto the face. Massage.
Yeah, buddy. I've got rosehip oil that I put on neat. It doesn't do that to my face. Let's see ingredients.
 |
| I know that looks hard to read. That's because it is hard to read, because they use this funky corrugated cardstock that warps the words a bit. |
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allium Cepa (Onion) Bulb Extract, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-18 Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Alcohol, Horse Fat, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Freesia Refracia Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Acanthopanax Senticosus (Eleuthoro) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Morus Nigra Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Yeast Extract, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Citrus Aurantium Dulsis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Pogosternon Cablin Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Ooh, baby. I'll break this down later in this post, but that's a rather sweet looking ingredients list at first glan-....what does that say?
...Niacinamide, Alcohol, Horse Fat...
Yep. I used horse fat. On my face. I did it.
............................andIlikedit.
I mean, I like horses. I'm American, so to me, they're majestic and beautiful, and they can poop in the streets on parade days, because they don't give a dang what you think. But for some people, they're no different than any other meat animal, and tallow (rendered animal fat) is commonly used in cosmetics such as soaps and lipsticks. At the same time, while I can't go without my regular rations of bacon, I don't really get excited about pig collagen on my face. (I wonder if bacon face masks are a thing?) So now what?
Some late night Googling revealed that horse oil is a by-product. The animals are slaughtered for their meat, and the cosmetic industry calls dibs on the leftovers, specifically, I think, the fat under the mane. So there's a slight positive, that no animal died specifically so I could smear this on my face. It's suppose to be high in fatty acids and similar to the sebum our faces produce, so it absorbs very readily. It's also 11th on the list, so the likelihood of there being more than 1% of it in there is highly unlikely. (Niacinamide's usage rate is typically less than 5%, and it appears ahead of horse fat.)
Ok, so I've justified it to myself. It's not even a horse oil product, or advertised as one. It just happens to have a little in there. I've already written like half of a review, so I might as well go on and finish.
Price: ($)
I got this as part of the Daily Must Wears box, but according to Memebox, this is a $46 jar. Which is utter BS. The problem is Memebox no longer even stocks this product. Rankiss, the parent company of Moksha (who also makes the Labellona Hair Clinic conditioners that were part of that box), lists it on their website for 39,000 Won, but that's also crazy talk. I found their company on GMarket, where you can get a regular 50 ml jar for 10,900 Won, which is $9.96. At ~$0.20/ml, that's cheaper than Benton's popular Steam Cream, and at under $10, that's one of the most affordable things I've tried. [5/5]
Ingredients:
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allium Cepa (Onion) Bulb Extract, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol(1), PEG/PPG-18 Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Alcohol, Horse Fat, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Freesia Refracia Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Acanthopanax Senticosus (Eleuthoro) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Morus Nigra Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Yeast Extract, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Citrus Aurantium Dulsis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Pogosternon Cablin Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol
- Potential acne triggers are listed in red.
- Potential irritation triggers are listed in orange.
- Potentially hazardous ingredients are listed in purple. (Note: this is according to the rating system on CosDNA, which rates them according to reports from CIR, RTECS, and the FDA on if these ingredients could be harmful with long term usage to the skin, cells, or human body.)
(CosDNA entry)
Butylene glycol is the only flagged potential trigger on here (with a paltry 1/5 rating), and it's in virtually every sheet mask in existence, as well as a bunch of other cosmetics. While not flagged by CosDNA, this product also has alcohol and essential oils.
Now, on to the notable ingredients! *rubs hands together* It's advertised as having 21 natural ingredients that are beneficial for skin - it doesn't even have water! Instead, first on the list is aloe barbadensis leaf extract, which is a popular skincare ingredient, as it hydrates and has anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea extract (4th) is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well. I found some research papers that indicate onion bulb extract (5th) may be effective for wound healing. Niacinamide (9th), oh niacinamide. What an amazing ingredient it is. It lightens pigmentation, brightens skin, enhances barrier function, helps with acne, increases ceramides, prevents TEWL. It's just an all-star ingredient.
Next is horse fat (11th), but we've already talked about that (ad nauseam). Pumpkin fruit extract (19th) is pretty exciting, as it can potentially stimulate collagen production and all sorts of other goodies. It also has broccoli extract (17th), soybean seed extract (21st), and yeast extract (28th), which other companies have spawned entire lines of products around. I want to go on and on, but it has so many extracts. Basically, a lot of anti-inflammatory ingredients, some commonly used to treat psoriasis and eczema, although I assume at higher concentrations. Do note that a lot of these ingredients are listed way low, and so they might sound nice, but not offer much in terms of real benefits.
The "star ingredient," which I'm going to assume is Rosa Damascena Extract is 20th down on the list, and isn't necessarily rosehip oil. (Damascus Rose extract is a thing, and you can extract oil from its rosehips, but....it would be labeled as such on INCI listings, right?) This is the most expensive of roses for extracts, and while it is commonly used for perfumes, it can also have antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing properties.
Cyclopentasiloxane is the second ingredient on the list, and is a very popular silicone in cosmetic formulations. It's also in Sulwhasoo's Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, which is what makes them feel so silky and spread so easily.
[4/5] (a lot of essential oils)
Butylene glycol is the only flagged potential trigger on here (with a paltry 1/5 rating), and it's in virtually every sheet mask in existence, as well as a bunch of other cosmetics. While not flagged by CosDNA, this product also has alcohol and essential oils.
Now, on to the notable ingredients! *rubs hands together* It's advertised as having 21 natural ingredients that are beneficial for skin - it doesn't even have water! Instead, first on the list is aloe barbadensis leaf extract, which is a popular skincare ingredient, as it hydrates and has anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea extract (4th) is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well. I found some research papers that indicate onion bulb extract (5th) may be effective for wound healing. Niacinamide (9th), oh niacinamide. What an amazing ingredient it is. It lightens pigmentation, brightens skin, enhances barrier function, helps with acne, increases ceramides, prevents TEWL. It's just an all-star ingredient.
Next is horse fat (11th), but we've already talked about that (ad nauseam). Pumpkin fruit extract (19th) is pretty exciting, as it can potentially stimulate collagen production and all sorts of other goodies. It also has broccoli extract (17th), soybean seed extract (21st), and yeast extract (28th), which other companies have spawned entire lines of products around. I want to go on and on, but it has so many extracts. Basically, a lot of anti-inflammatory ingredients, some commonly used to treat psoriasis and eczema, although I assume at higher concentrations. Do note that a lot of these ingredients are listed way low, and so they might sound nice, but not offer much in terms of real benefits.
The "star ingredient," which I'm going to assume is Rosa Damascena Extract is 20th down on the list, and isn't necessarily rosehip oil. (Damascus Rose extract is a thing, and you can extract oil from its rosehips, but....it would be labeled as such on INCI listings, right?) This is the most expensive of roses for extracts, and while it is commonly used for perfumes, it can also have antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing properties.
Cyclopentasiloxane is the second ingredient on the list, and is a very popular silicone in cosmetic formulations. It's also in Sulwhasoo's Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, which is what makes them feel so silky and spread so easily.
 |
| pH is right at 5. |
[4/5] (a lot of essential oils)
Performance:
Forget smell-o-vision, you need to feel this on your skin. This is more of a gel than a cream. It's clearish brown in color, and smells vaguely woodsy and fruity. It's pleasant and unoffensive. I use the tiniest amount, and it spreads so beautifully, then sinks to nothing. No residue, no shine, no stickiness. On some days, I add a couple drops of rosehip oil to it, and that naturally leaves a sheen, but is still quickly absorbed. In the morning, my face glows like I've just spent all night sleeping in a sheet mask, and so soft, it's like I layered it with a sleeping pack. I'm in awe at how well my skin responds to this cream.
It's packaged in a tiny little plastic jar. Seriously, it was a very underwhelming experience receiving this. The spatula looks exactly like the ones at Sephora for trying out samples. Just a cheap thing, and no place to store it. I keep everything in the box, which is made of a corrugated card material that's probably sturdy enough for travel and storage, just don't get it wet. I'm sure any more effort to fancy up the packaging would result in a steep hike in price, so that's fine. Put it in the dang tub.
 |
| Srsly tho? |
[5/5]
Personal View:
I almost want to call this HG. Seriously, if you've read my blog at all, you know how picky I can be, and how readily I find flaws in things. I really like this moisturizer. It's a little hard to obtain, and the horse fat makes me a little uneasy, but it is just so nice. And so affordable.
That ingredient is the only reason I feel conflicted on whether or not I would rebuy, but then that ingredient might be one of the things that makes it so dang nice. I think after it's used up, and I move onto a product that I find lacking, I will end up rebuying it. (Hello, Avecko!) I also wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to others, provided they are ok with the ingredients. [4/5]
TL;DR:
The Good: So affordable, leaves skin soft and glowy on par with luxury moisturizer, travel friendly.
The Bad: Ethical dilemma, hard to obtain, essential oils.
- Price: 5/5
- Ingredients: 4/5
- Performance: 5/5
- Personal View: 4/5
- Average: 4.5/5
This product is:
- 5 Free (No mineral oil, artificial dyes, TEA, parabens, benzophenone)
- NOT alcohol free
- NOT essential oil free
- NOT silicone free (it's basically some plant extracts suspended in silicones)
