Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive

After trying out snail filtrate & bee venom in my skincare routine I had no reservations about giving fermented products a go.  It was hardly intimidating given the weird things I've slapped onto my face in hopes of achieving healthier skin.  I used up several foil packet samples of Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence without any bad reactions and probably would've bought this original formulation had RoseRoseShop not had a sale on the newer version, The First Treatment Essence Intensive.  (So this review isn't a comparison between the two versions [sorry!] but only my impressions of the newer formula.)

Missha is a very popular Korean company for both skincare and cosmetics.  The first Asian beauty product I ever tried out, a BB cream, was created by Missha and to this day I still use their makeup faithfully.  Before joining the fermented club I'd never tried their skincare items beyond samples but I did regularly see many positive reviews online.  Since I didn't want to drop big $$ on the most well-known yeast product (SK-II Facial Treatment Essence), I opted for Missha's more affordable dupe.  The Time Revolution line also has serums, ampoules, toners, etc but I was only interested in the popular essence.

Even though frosted glass bottles are elegant, I find them impractical since they're heavy, drive up shipping costs and I'm scared of their breaking by accident.  This essence comes in a clear-ish plastic bottle with a secure screw-on lid and I like that I can see the amount of product left in case I need to re-order in a timely way.  The small opening is unfortunately awkward at dispensing the desired volume.  It spurts out quickly and repeatedly stops so I've actually transferred a lot to a glass bottle with dropper and replenish as needed from the original container. This is possible because the essence is surprisingly thin, like water, which resembles a toner more than a serum.  However, I still use my Benton snail essence afterwards so I'm fine with a more slippery and fast-absorbing texture.  The smell of this product is a light "yeast-y" one that fades quickly. 

The ingredients have only a "1" rating from Butylene Glycol as a potential acne irritant and everything else is "0," including the active ingredient of 80% Fermented Yeast Extract.  Missha markets this essence for "moisturizing, firming and balancing" as well as "wrinkle repairing, improving skin tone, etc," a lengthy list of aims but "balancing sebum level" is really the one I hoped to benefit from the most.  Literally everything I put on my face is evaluated for its acne-fighting abilities, even if that's not its sole purpose.  As someone who suffers chronic hormonal/cystic acne I'm always hyper aware of whether a product can decrease my breakouts.  This priority is sometimes different from other skincare bloggers that have better skin than mine so I definitely want to point out products I review often live up to their claims but I won't repurchase because I'm looking for something that can stave off my acne.  In the case of this Missha essence I really hoped that by boosting my skin's moisture barrier more I'd have less breakouts.

I used this product for 3 months at least twice per day, after cleansing and applying BHA or AHA.  If I went by lightest to thickest texture in layering my skincare then I should apply this watery essence first (the instructions say to do this).  However, I want my BHA and AHA items to have first dibs on my cleansed skin since they're my main weapons in my fight against breakouts.  So I tend to apply BHA/AHA --> Missha Essence --> Benton Snail Essence --> Moisturizer, etc. in the mornings & early evening after make-up removal.  I'd skip it for my bedtime routine because I also use a Vitamin C serum and don't want it's ascorbic acid to interact with the niacinamide in this essence (in case of flushing).  Plus, I'm usually tired and trying to plop into bed asap so would rather skip an extra layer if possible.

Application is easy because I dispense a few drops onto my palm and dab all over my face (I don't like cotton pads because they're rough and waste product).  Afterwards my skin feels moist without being sticky & a few minutes is sufficient for me to feel ready for my next essence layer.  I hate impatiently waiting for slow absorbing serums/lotions so this is a great plus! 

I think this essence doesn't need the word "Intensive" in the name because I found it to be very gentle and soothing.  It never caused redness, burning or itching and had no issues interacting with other skincare products (congealing or sloughing into balls, etc).  Immediately after applying I could tell my skin was plumper & softer and my fine lines were temporarily less visible.  It didn't really help reduce redness if I happened to overdo my AHAs and needed help with that, but I think I can detect a subtle improvement in the redness of my cheeks over the last few months. 

Now the important question.... will I repurchase?  Honestly, I'm still unsure!  It's summer now and I don't worry too much about dry skin so I find this essence's hydrating properties are a nice but not must-have addition to my skincare routine.  When I've accidentally skipped it I don't feel as if my face is suddenly more dry, dull or red.  Maybe I need more time after quitting this product to see a significant change and detect how much this essence was really helping me out... and maybe not.  Perhaps I need to wait until winter when my skin naturally becomes dryer to really feel its benefits... or not!

At the end of the day, I have to go back to my priority: reducing my acne.  Since my breakouts have not increased or decreased in frequency after 3 months of using this essence (bleh), I have to conclude it doesn't help my particular type of troubled skin.  I did see some positive online reviews for the original formula where folks mentioned their breakouts dramatically improved after using it, but I guess I'm not a part of that lucky group.  Yeast is not the magical acne-fighting ingredient I've been searching for.  :-/

Summary

• Packaging:     3/5 (hygienic; sturdy; bad volume control)
• Smell:             4/5 (weird but very mild & fades fast)
• Performance:  3.5/5 (gently hydrating, fast absorbing)
• Value/Price:    4/5 (on sale -130ml for $15 +shipping at time of purchase)
• Recommend? Maybe (for dry/normal types without acne)
• Repurchase? Maybe (if I need more hydration during winter)