Nature Republic's Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream has been a recipient of the Allure's 2011 award. Based on this award, I decided this must be a cream worth considering. I bought this about two months ago and have used it for everyday since. I love this cream.
Claims: "Super Aqua Max' Aqua Moisturizing cream contains rich minerals rom deep sea water and 30 kinds of pure mineral plants, delivering immediate hydrated purification. It works on the silicone gel network system, to create a thin protective film that prevents environmental damage. The natural moisturizing factors provide continuous hydration to your combination skin."
- This is from the english prints on the side of the box that housed the jar of cream. I am glad that they have english on the box as I can't read Korean. They also have some words in Chinese and Japanese.
Performance: This cream spreads easily and provides a nice cool sensation (not minty). It's fresh floral scent is relaxing and not overbearing. It has made my skin look healthy and glowy for the last two months. I currently reside in Seoul, and the weather here is becoming dryer as the winter season begins. This cream has kept my skin hydrated.
I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of having 30 mineral plants in the ingredients nor the goodness of other sea water, I just know that this cream has performed really well this past two months and did everything I expected a good cream to do.
What I love about it: It has a light fresh and floral fragrance that I can't really describe and it absorbs easily into the skin as if you had pat it with water. Some other cream will leave you with an oily sheen, but this is not like them. I love the smell of it so much that I look forward to applying this. It gives me a temporarily cooling feel, as if I am receiving a facial in a spa. The smell along with the feel makes application of this cream very relaxing.
What I don't love about it: Almost nothing, other than it not lasting very long which is not the cream's fault. I tend to apply this cream very liberally on my face and neck. One jar of this cream lasts me two months. If you apply just a careful amount, it may last you longer.
* Update * Although I still love this cream for the fall and winter, I find it too heavy for Korea's humid summer. In fact, Nature Republic actually came out with two new ICE creams for the summer to replace this product.
Price: 10950 Won for 80 ml. (Around $10 US.)
Texture: As you can see from the picture above, the cream is slightly minty tinted. Fear not, the colour does not transfer onto your face (even if it did, it would probably just minimize redness - as green counters red). It applies clear and spreads easily. The more you spread and massage the cream into your skin, the more watery it becomes.
Availability: Nature Republic is a Korean brand and is not easily available for the world outside of Korea. However, I think you can purchase it on eBay (although, like with all products purchased on eBay you should be careful). If you are in Seoul Korea, Nature Republic is everywhere, from subway stations to subway exits. They often have 30-50% off "Nature Day" sales as well so you should look out for that. So far I have never seen this cream go on sale, probably due to its popularity.
Rating: A+
This is definitely one of my favourite purchases. It is an amazing product. I highly recommend this to people who love fast absorbing- non oily film - fresh floral scent creams.
