Singapore isn’t exactly known for its skincare brands like people do with Korea. But, we are seeing an increasing trend of new skincare brands and products popping up on the island.
One to join the bandwagon is Singaporean skincare company Kyssva, started by local influencer Francesca Tan who sought to find all-natural, affordable remedies for skin issues. As an influencer, Francesca has collaborated with a number of skincare brands including L’Oreal and Estee Lauder. Having experienced difficulty in finding suitable skincare products, she set out to look for viable solutions by conducting extensive research and development with high-quality, sustainable and pristine ingredients.
Founder Francesca Tan shows off the AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask.
Editor’s Review: AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask
The term “microbiome” is used to describe the complex ecosystem of organisms found on the epidermis. This ecosystem is essential for skin health because it acts as a barrier against pathogenic microorganisms, controls moisture levels, and limits inflammation. Chemicals and environmental stresses can wreak havoc on this balance, resulting face issues including dryness, irritation, and breakouts.
While the idea of a skin microbiome is not new, it only has just begun getting more attention in the beauty business. Kyssva is set with the objective to develop cutting-edge, microbiome-friendly skincare products that restore the skin’s healthy balance. And among its microbiome-friendly offerings is the AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask (S$59).
I decided to give the AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask a try for ourselves.
Five sheets of freeze-dried mask and five vials of AGLOW Essence are included in each box (20ml). To use, I had to pour one glass vial of the AGLOW essence onto one sheet of the freeze-dried mask for the mask to soak up the essence before putting the mask on my face for 10 to 15 minutes. Now, in terms of packaging, I kind of feel this is rather wasteful for a one-time use product – pretty as the packaging might be. The vial was also very difficult to open; in the end, I had to use a pair of scissors to cut the plastic cover off.
One might wonder why Kyssva decided to use freeze-dried mask instead of the wet facial masks that most of us are used to. Apparently, traditional pre-wetted masks need preservatives and stabilisers in order to retain the effectiveness of active ingredients. Preservatives and stabilisers are unnecessary ingredients, which might cause our skin to become sensitive with usage. Thus, the folks at Kyssva uses freeze-dry technology instead to avoid adding these harmful ingredients into their products.
Now, on to looking more in depth at the ingredients of the AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask. The freeze-dried mask contains goodies such as jojoba seed oil, shea butter extract, squalene and centella asiatica leaf extract, among other ingredients. I also noticed the inclusion of snow fungus extract, which is said to have the ability to hold five times more water than hyaluronic acid.
As for the essence itself, there are four different forms of hyaluronic acids working together to provide a dewy, hydrated appearance and to stimulate cell renewal. The four hyaluronic acids are sodium hyaluronate, hydroxypropyltrimonium hyaluronate, sodium acetylated hyaluronate and hydrolysed hyaluronic Acid. Perfect for thirsty skin in need of hydration.
I also appreciate the fact that the essence contains bacillus/carrot root ferment filtrate, which is a reservoir of excellent antioxidant and skin-glowing actives, as well as Vitamins A, B, C and K.
The flagship ingredient, however, is the desert resurrection plant, otherwise known as the Rose of Jericho. Resurrection plants are a source of several compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. They produce phenolic compounds (flavonoids), terpenoids, and biflavonoids such as robustaflavone that helps to protect the skin from oxidative stress and act as natural anti-ageing skin actives.
A must-have anywhere you go.
Verdict
After using the AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask, my face did feel hydrated and nourished. I did develop one small pimple after using the mask but I think that is coincidental and I wouldn’t attribute that to the use of the mask. For the product benefits, I have no doubt the mask is good for skin.
My only gripe is the packaging. Being environmentally conscious, I tend to avoid one-time-use products and don’t like excessive packaging. The vial was also difficult to open. If Kyssva could improve on the packaging issue, it would be perfect.
The AGLOW Instant Dewy Mask (S$59) is available for purchase on the Kyssva website. For more information, visit www.kyssva.com, or check their Facebook and Instagram.
