There's been many products that I've tried this past month, but none of them pushed me to do a review as this product has. I've recently finished my Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleanser and in the process of debating whether or not to repurchased it, I started to use a few of the deluxe samples of the Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam that I had.
Hanyul is a brand that I was unaware of until Actress Jun Ji-Ji Hyun (from My Love From Another Star) began endorsing it. Her picture has been all over the Aritaum store windows. Out of curiousity and need of a new skin care routine, I purchased the Hanyul Optimizing Serum and the Essential Rice Emulsion. I received some Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam foam samples with my purchase.
Originally, I disregarded these purchases because of it's plain packaging but after I had finished my Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleanser, I really needed something. My oh my, did this cleanser take me by surprise.
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I'm a little embarrass to say that until I tried this product, I had no idea what Artemisia is. In case you're like me, I'll provide you with a brief introduction.
According to the
Merriam-Webster, Artemisia is
"of composite shrubs and herbs (as the sagebrushes and santonicas) that have strongly scented foliage and small rayless flower heads".
The word Artemisia is named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and the forest.
I have always been really interested in mythology so I find this snippet of information really interesting to learn about.
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Claims
According to Hanyul, the Artemisia used in the Cleansing Foam, as well as their Pure Artemisia line, is from Ganghwado island. Artemisia is said to be used in baths because it contains skin purifying qualities.
The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam aims to remove impurities without stripping the skin of moisture.
The Pure Artemisia line targets dull skin by using the skin purifying powers of Artemisia.
Price
180ml / 18 000 Won
Hanyul can be found at all Aritaum stores.
Packaging
The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam comes in a simple green squeeze tube and a plastic white lid - very simple and plain, no frills. Although initially I found this packaging to be very boring, I eventually realize that the plain simplicity of the packaging is to reflect the pureness of the product.
Product
The cleansing foam is white. It looks no different from most cleansing foams. It's pretty solid so it's quite easy to control how much you want to squeeze out of the tube.
Performance
Cleansers are usually the things I pay the least attention to among all the items in my skincare. Unlike with moisturizers and serums, I tend to stick to the same cleanser from start to finish - just because I usually don't notice much difference between one and another except the scent. I began using this product with no expectations in mind but it has really blown me away with it's performance.
Lately, I've been experience quite a few clog pores. They're probably the result of a combination of longer days and the inability to wash my face half way through the day. Anyhow, I can feel these clog pores whenever I touch my face and they have been frustrating me. My skin must've gotten used to the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick because it no longer has much effect on me anymore. That being said, when I had finally ran out of it, I didn't know if I wanted to repurchase it or not. This is where my random samples of the Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foams come into the picture.
The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam has a very clean herbal scent. It smells very natural and pure. I'm not really sensitive to scents, so it doesn't bother me. As with most scented cleansers, the smell usually washes off anyways. However, if you're not keen on herbal scents at all or if you're extremely sensitive to smell, you may want to avoid Hanyul.
It's recommended that you use approximately 2cm's worth of product per use but I usually use less than that as it foams up really easily and really well. I like to massage this product all over my face so that it fully cleans off any dirt, pollution, oil and sweat that may be on it. During this time, the herbal scent of the cleanser really relaxes me. The foam washes off easily. My skin feels really clean and soft after using this cleanser. It doesn't feel stripped of moisture but it also doesn't feel like it added moisture. I find that my moisturizers absorb easily after using this product. Over time, the longer I use this product, the less clogged pores I feel on my face. I'm really satisfied with this product.
I don't recommend anyone to use this to clean off base makeup though. Usually cleansing foams are too gentle to remove heavy duty things like base makeup. Foundations and BB creams should be properly removed with a cleansing oil or a cleansing cream first.
The Good:
- removes impurities really well
- doesn't stripe my skin of its moisture
- lathers really well
- rinses off easily
The Bad:
- may be only available online for people outside of Korea
Overall
I found this cleanser to be the perfect balance between cleansing and moisturizing for me. I have really enjoyed this cleanser and I'm ready to order the big size. In my preference, I like this more than the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick because I feel that it cleanses my skin better. The Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing stick is still a very nice product and I would recommend it over Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam to people with really dry skin as I do feel that Sum37 is more moisturizing.
Btw: I have dry - combination skin.
