Review: BEAUSKIN Shea Butter Hand Cream - Jasmine

My interest in hand creams first came about a few years ago because my work involves a whole lot of hand-washing and, therefore, moisturizing.  At present, though, I think I'm just a hand cream addict =P  It's so easy for me to justify spending a few extra dollars on nice lotions/creams because they're fun items I can easily tote around.  They boost my mood with their delicious scents and envelop me in their fragrance, all while functioning as a protective emollient for my chapped hands.  I can easily share them with my friends and start conversations about skincare & interesting ingredients.  There's a never-ending assortment to try out and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Whenever I create online hauls of new skincare or beauty items I frequently add in a new hand cream I haven't tried.  Thankfully, I'm always able to find them on sale or at least at very low cost through the dependable RoseRoseShop.  My latest product for dry hands I've been using is BEAUSKIN Jasmine Shea Butter Hand Cream, also available in Rosemary flavor.

I've viewed jasmine as a staple of Asian teas since childhood but never truly came to enjoy it until I moved to a college town with a milk tea shop on every corner.  My go-to boba drink was always jasmine green milk tea but these days I've cut diary from my diet so it seemed natural to get my jasmine fix via skincare. =P

I don't own any other BEAUSKIN products and really don't know too much about this brand except that it's Korean and capitalized haha.  I've seen some of their sun cream products and masks but have never tried them out.  To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked this item up if it weren't for the jasmine scent and cheapness (under $3 for 100ml) on RoseRoseShop.

This hand cream is housed in a squeezable tube with a shiny metallic finish.  It comes in a dark brown cardboard box (not pictured) with a jasmine picture and understated labeling.  The entire feel of the packaging/design is straightforward, of good quality and elegant.  When dispensing the product it's easy to control the flow and volume that comes out.  

The creamy white texture has a medium consistency and spreads around quite easily.  When I first squirt out a bit I'm hit with a lovely jasmine aroma but after working the product into my hands I find it's not as natural-smelling and reminds me more of perfume.  I can't tell if this effect comes from my nose quickly getting used to the scent, but my mom agrees with me this is a strongly flavored hand cream and probably best in moderation if you don't want to overwhelm others' noses.  Jasmine seems to be a universally appreciated scent but I personally wouldn't apply this hand cream at work or in close quarters with folks that can't get away from the strong fragrance out of courtesy.

I love how shea butter is included in the ingredients but it quickly absorbs without a greasy feeling or sheen added to my hands.  I couldn't find a list of the ingredients on CosDNA so here's a screenshot of the tube packaging (please forgive the quality).

Update: I created an account and uploaded the ingredients here.

Many folks normally avoid alcohol, mineral oil, parabens, etc. in their skincare but I'm not too worried when they belong to a topical hand cream that won't be going near my acne-prone face.  I've also previously posted about how I don't go out of my way to avoid parabens and the reasons behind this.

Performance:

Unfortunately, after ~20 minutes of application I can feel my skin tightening again and needing an additional application of this hand cream.  Since my hands run on the very dry side, I'm not too surprised.  It usually has to be a pretty heavy product to keep them hydrated for much longer but then those are uncomfortably greasy and leave marks on things I handle.  Given the need for a balance between hydration and comfortable application I'd say this hand cream is best for folks with normal skin but not so much the frequent hand-washers.  However, as mentioned previously, I'd only use this strong-smelling product at home or on weekends when I'm not forced to continuously wash my hands throughout the day, so I don't feel I wasted my money here.

Would I repurchase?  Probably not... if I want a perfume I could buy one separately because jasmine is a popular and widely available scent, especially in Asian markets.  I also have more effective hand creams and the large size of this one (100 ml) makes for a less portable hand cream than I'd like.  There's an available 30 ml size on the BEAUSKIN website and a quick glance at their available products shows it to be a modest brand with only a small collection of make-up & skincare.  I'd be open to trying out more of their products in the future, but probably not the other hand creams in this line.

Summary

• Packaging:     5/5 (hygienic; easy to control flow; opaque)
• Smell:             3/5 (very strong; need to LOVE jasmine!)
• Performance:  3/5 (ok moisture; good absorption; not long-lasting)
• Value/Price:   5/5 ($2.71 +shipping for 100ml here)
• Recommend? Maybe (for normal skintype & jasmine-lovers)
• Repurchase?  No