Hi everyone, today I'm reviewing the highly hyped Primera Watery Cream Alpine Berry! Primera is a relatively new brand that launched under Amore Pacific. (Amore Pacific is a large company that owns many Korean businesses such as Etude House, Innisfree, Iope, Hera etc. ) The thing that makes Primera different from other brands is that it focuses on pureness and nature. This cream has been highly raved about in the Korean beauty community and it is also the first Primera product that I have tried.
Primera in Myeongdong
This is really how the inside of the store looks like! I feel very peaceful when I'm inside because it looks so clean like a very ideal fictional science lab that studies plants. Their store and their packaging reflect their image - that they are very simple, natural and very scientific. Sadly, at the moment there's not a lot of English information on this brand nor their products.
You can open the box to read some information on the inside.
Main Claim: A cream that provides rich hydration with alpine strawberry and aloe vera leaf extract whiel vitalizing the skin with papaya fruit extract containing vitamin C and keratinoid.
What makes this product so amazing:
Onto the actual product!
Packaging: The lid is a simple round, white plastic lid. The jar is a light blue glass. There is a thin cover between the lid and the jar. It's a bit heavy because of the glass. I like how the simple and pretty it looks.
Consistency: It has a gel- cream consistency. The gel is able to hold its shape a little when you take it out of the tube. It feels very slippery and spreads easily on the skin.
Scent: It has a very herbal scent. It really smells a bit like ginger to me.
Performance: I use this cream twice - three times a day - morning, aternoon (after nap), and night time after my toner and serum. It feels cool as I spread it over my face and sinks into my skin right away. Although it has a very slippery feel when you touch it - almost like an oily cream, it doesn't feel oily at all. It feels very light and it hasn't clogged any pores. I've used this cream for about 4 weeks now and I'm half way through my jar.
Although it claims to be a cream that provides rich hydration, I don't think it does. After switching to this cream from Scinic Snail Matrix Cream, I noticed that the areas around my nose felt a bit dry and flakey and the skin aroud my cheeks had a slight tight and dry feeling. It could be that it's winter here in Seoul and the floor heating system is making everything much much drier that any other season. However, I am still a bit disappointed in this cream because the Scinic Snail Matrix Cream and Nature Republic Watery Max Cream were able to perform during this time of the year but this cream could not. Not to mention, this cream is much more expensive than those two. The Primera Watery Cream retails for 35 000 Won - about $35 U.S.D.
I was also really excited about the natural ingredients and I had hoped that it would treat my skin well but I don't know how exactly how effective the ingredients are either since I don't have the full list of ingredients, just the main three which were listed on the box. I haven't really noticed any positive changes in my skin other than the nose area becoming a bit drier.
This cream wears fine under makeup. It doesn't make my bb cream roll up as some creams do. (*cough* the newer version of Nature Republic Watery Max Cream).
You can see that even though it is a gel-cream texture, it still holds its form pretty well.
It spreads easily across the skin like a gel, leaving no residue nor stickiness.
In the After picture, you can see that the skin looks more moisturized.
Price: 35 000 Won
Overall:
I'm not really impressed by this cream. I really like the texture but it just doesn't live up to the claims. I think there are many more affordable creams out there that can do a much better job in taking care of my skin. Maybe I will try this again in the Summer but with its high price tag and lackluster performance, I'm not sure. If you live in a more humid area or planning to use this cream in the spring or autumn, it may hydrate your skin better than it has for mine.
