This is a product I’ve fallen in love with this past Autumn – the Goodal Keratina Anti-Aging Double Serum Light.
7:3 ratio of serum:oil
Probably like many other people, I’ve always been adverse to and wary of incorporating a facial oil to my skincare routine because with normal skin that tends to lean on the oily side, it seemed unnecessary and I was afraid it would exacerbate the oil issue. However, with the changing colder seasons, even oily skin can feel more dry and tight, and in need of some extra moisture. But before you write this off as just another oil, this is actually a hybrid of oil and serum in one, which makes it a lot friendlier and effective for different skin types.
PRODUCT INFO:
Goodal is a brand well known for their fermented skincare. It is housed under the Club Clio brand along with two makeup lines – Clio and Peripera.
The Keratina Anti-aging serum comes in two versions. The double serum and double serum light. They are visibly different as the latter has a paler pink colour than the original. I picked up the light version as it has a thinner, less oily consistency. If your skin leans on the dry side, consider the regular ‘double serum’.
This retails for KRW29,000 (approx. GBP20.90/USD25), for 70ml of product.
This serum is interesting because its not a straight up facial oil or serum, but a combination of both.
It has a dual effect of raspberry extract and natural seed oil (with a 7:3 ratio) which makes the skin more firm and elastic. The serum also improves skin texture and clarity by promoting the turnover of keratin (the outermost layer of skin), and thus provides an anti-aging effect. It also claims to have a lightly adhering moisturising effect to improve the moisture and smoothness of the skin.
What is keratin?
Keratin specifically is a type of protein in the outermost layer of your skin called the epidermis, and acts as an agent to bind and glue all the cellular structures together. Your hair and nails are mostly made of up keratin. Skin however is constantly shedding and renewing but when there is a buildup of keratin it can cause skin to look patchy, flaky and end up blocking your pores. This causes a buildup of dead skin cells and sebum trapped in your pores, which in turn can cause more skin issues such as acne, comedones, uneven skin texture and dullness. By promoting the turnover of keratin, as this serum claims, you can maintain healthy, clear and soft skin.
PACKAGING:
Pump nozzle to dispense product. 1 and a half is usually enough for my face and neck
I absolutely love how this product looks and is what initially drew me to it. It comes in a sturdy/weighty frosted glass bottle with a pump and cap. I really appreciate the cap because it clicks on very satisfyingly so you don’t have to worry about it falling off and wasting product. Of course the best thing is that you can see the beautiful coloured serum through the bottle with the separation of the pink raspberry extract below and the clear seed oil above.
APPLICATION:
After mixing the serum and oil, it should become a pale pink cloudy colour
As you can see the serum mixture is clearly separated between oil and liquid so before you apply make sure you fully shake the bottle to evenly mix it all up. It should then look like a cloudy pale pink serum.
As with all my skincare, especially at the essence/serum stage, I apply from thinnest to thickest consistency. If they’re about the same, I will apply the one that is most potent or addresses more of my current skin concerns. This oil serum is pretty thin and light so I typically apply 1 and half pump after my toner and first essence and before my other creamier essences/serums and moisturisers.
INGREDIENTS:
Ingredients list
I absolutely love the ingredients list for this. Its chock full of powerful ingredients and these are some notable ones:
Fragaria vesca (strawberry) extract – contains vitamin C and has antioxidant benefits. It is also good for oily skin to help with sebum and large pores.
Sunflower seed oil – high in antioxidants and vitamin E which help in preventing premature aging from free radicals and UV rays. Its emollient properties provide a protective barrier to help skin retain its moisture and is also effective against inflammation, irritation and redness.
Jojoba seed oil – this is an amazing ingredient for skin. You’ll see it in a lot of make up removers and facial wash cleansers as it can control your sebaceous glands to regulate sebum production and clear out the gunk which forms whitehead and blackheads. This makes it great for acne prone people. It is also emollient so its moisturising, anti-inflammatory, speeds up the skin healing process and smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles.
Apple seed oil – stimulates collagen production and reduces signs of aging. It has natural UV filtration properties that protect your skin from sun damage. It also strengthens the skin barrier and elasticity.
Tumeric root extract – tumeric is the new up and coming superfood but it also is great for skin and has been used in Asian medicine dating way back. It has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to counter common skin conditions such as eczema, rashes and acne.
THOUGHTS:
When I entered the Clio store, a facial oil was the last thing on my mind that I wanted to buy. I chanced upon this newly released serum because they had a big promotional display for it and it looked so pretty and luxurious looking. Coupled with the fact it said ‘anti-aging’ and smelt divine, I was sold. There’s the saying ‘dont judge a book by its cover’ but when it comes to Korean beauty, packaging truly is irresistible.
So why do I love this so much? Unlike what you’d expect from an oil based product, this serum/oil hybrid is incredibly lightweight but hydrating and sinks into your skin quickly! I love applying this because its spreads so smoothly and leaves my skin really soft and plump. It has a very thin, almost watery consistency and while it does leave your skin feeling very moisturised, it doesnt feel heavy or too oily. I’m able to use it both morning and night because it works well under makeup by creating a smoother canvas, is light enough to layer with other essences/serums and doesn’t make me more oily during the day.
Thin, runny consistency. Just a little more viscous than water.
You can see and feel the oil as you massage it in.
Immediately after application it absorbs without leaving an oily film behind; just a light hydrated glow
Also, I can’t not mention the amaaaazing scent! Out of allll the countless skincare products I’ve tried, this by far has the best scent ever. I could sniff it all day long. I need to find a perfume that smells like this. Its a fruity, but fresh berry smell, with a hint of floral.
I used this consistently for 3 months, and this has really helped in getting my skin from being quite dry and dehydrated when I got back from Korea, to being in almost normal condition. Of course I can’t give it all the credit because I used other thicker serums and creams to pack on the moisture, but having an oil really helps because it does plump up the skin and fill in the fine lines more effectively than a regular serum can.
If you’ve tried Goodal’s popular Waterest Water Lasting Oil, this does feel a lot more substantial and ‘oil-like’ in comparison to that. You can barely detect the oil aspect of the Waterest and it applies like an essence. That one would suit oily skin better while the Keratina is better for those looking for deeper skin-deep hydration.
The one thing I would say to be careful about is how well you shake up and mix the oil and serum together. Sometimes even when it looks well mixed, I’ve pumped it out and its more oil than serum because it feels oilier on my skin, takes longer to sink in and can leave your skin looking very dewy/shiny. I’ve found that it mixes better when you shake it side to side rather than up and down.
Despite that, I feel it has improved my skin texture a lot; (although I still recommend you regularly exfoliate in conjunction with using this serum as that is the most effective way of removing dead skin cells). My skin tone is slightly more even and less dull but the results aren’t drastic. I feel it gives better short term effects rather than long term results. I really like how soft and smooth it makes my skin feel. I really recommend this for normal/combo people to use in the autumn/winter time and dry skin types could use this all year round because it’s still light enough for summer and will keep those pesky flakes at bay. (Or alternatively go for the original double serum version).
