REVIEW: The Face Shop Eco-Therapy Arsanite Crystal Water Super Gel

The Face Shop's Eco-Therapy Arsainte Crystal Water Line (Blue) is the newer version of Eco-Vert Line (Green). Both lines target sensitive skin. and lately everyone's been raving about this "Super Gel" and the sales personnel from TFS also told me that this was the best seller from the line so I decided to check it out. 

It's supposed to be oil-free, 7-formula free moisturizer so it's works well with sensitive and oily skin. It has astringent properties (contains alcohol) that clean pores, and claims cooling properties as well. I've read from other reviews that this helped cure their dry patches, so I guess this works for all skin types. Below is the product description and ingredients list.

I've been using this for a month now so here's what I think so far:

Price:

It's quite pricey for a gel moisturizer. The Face Shop sells them for about Php 1098 i think (Around 20 bucks) for 100 ml. Slightly higher than regular moisturizers.

Packaging:

This product has the cutest packaging ever (TFS' packaging is always amazing). It's made of thick glass so its pretty heavy. And the cap has a really cute snowflake embedded on it. It comes in a box (that's also cute) but minus points for hygiene since it's in a tub and it doesn't come with a spatula. Overall, I like the packaging because of it's pretty high quality. The not-so-good part is that it's probably what you're paying for, the packaging.

The cap.

Ingredients: 

Phyto-hyaluronic acid water- this is supposed to promote better absorption and retention of moisture.

Alcohol - If your sensitive to alcohol, be careful about using this.Good for those who want astringent properties.

A list of ingredients is provided on the image above so check it out :)

Consistency:

It's like a watery, less greasy version of Etude House's Collagen Moisturizer. If you haven't tried that, it's like the pictures below. It takes a few seconds for it to fully absorb (depending how much you put). But after that, your skin would feel like it just drank a lot of water.

The tub is full of the gel. I just lightly dip my finger on top and the product sticks (don't get me wrong, it's not sticky). No need to scoop it out.

Performance:

Whitening - I read a review who said that the person experienced whitening effects and I did too, but I say the skin is just having a healthy glow. I assume it's the astringency or since it's skin-deep moisturizing, there's less oxidation happening to the skin.

Cooling effect - There's a little cooling effect which is common in most gel moisturizers. TFS suggests you to store this in the fridge for maximum effectiveness which pretty cool (get it? cool?).

Moisture - My face feels moisturized all throughout the day. No greasy/ oily feeling. 

Fragrance:

It has a strong medicinal smell (like a vapor rub or something) . But  it's not that bad.

Conclusion:

Good quality gel moisturizer but no wow-factor for me. And the smell is a tad bit off-putting. ~

Pros

• Non-greasy
• Since it's oil-free, it won't clog your pores
• Good quality packaging
• Nice cooling effect
• Moisture lasts all day
• Slightly prevents skin oxidation
• Keeps skin from being dry

Cons

• I wish there was more oil control 
• I wish it had anti aging properties too
• Not alcohol-free
• Price
• The smell

Repurchase?

For a gel-moisturizer, I'm planning to try out Holika Holika Aqua Fantasy Cream next instead buying this again. I tried out a sample of HHAFC and I liked the texture and feeling more than this.

However we all have different skin types and who knows it might work well for you, even if it's not my favorite. If you have extra cash and are interested to buy this, it's worth trying out since it's a decent product. 

Do you have this product? Are planning to buy it? Tell me what you think in the comments below :D