We may earn commission from the affiliate links on this page, but we only recommend products and services we love. We promise!
As someone with combination skin that leans towards oily, my skincare routine mostly consists of products that are lightweight and have a gel formula, as these sink into my skin faster and I get to avoid that dreaded malagkit feeling. It's different when I travel to a country with a colder climate, though—it's like my skin goes into panic mode and I find that my skin dries up so fast So. Freaking. Fast! I get dry patches between my eyebrows and on my cheeks, so my makeup tends to lay on my skin weirdly. It's just not a good time for my skin in general.
Recently, I went to Japan to attend the 2024 MAMA Awards with my work bestie. As you know, at this time of the year there, it's nearly the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. And as someone who's lamigin AF, it was already cold enough for me—especially with the harsh winds at night. That meant that my skin would go into overdrive once more and become really dry—I knew I had to pack something that would moisturize my skin while also being light enough that it wouldn't add any more weight to my luggage. (I needed a lot of space for my shopping and pasalubong, obvs!)
The Laneige Cream Skin landed on my desk not too long ago, and I knew it was the perfect product for my trip. Since it's a toner-moisturizer hybrid, it meant that I could pare down my skincare routine. (Read: Hello, more luggage space!) Was it enough to moisturize my skin during the trip? Keep on scrolling for my honest review:
Editor's note: The product used in this review was gifted.
What is the Laneige Cream Skin?
The Laneige Cream Skin is a milky toner that contains ceramides and peptides that serve to deeply moisturize your skin and strengthen its barrier. If you feel like you've seen this product before, you probably did! Originally called the Cream Skin Refiner, it has been given a much-needed 2024 update with an improved formula and sleeker packaging. It costs P1,800 for 170ml of product. (It's also endorsed by Jin of BTS—a.k.a. my first-ever K-pop bias and the LOML...but that's neither here nor there, lol!)
The Cream Skin's key ingredient, Cerapeptide™, is a potent blend of Hydro-Ceramide for hydration, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11 for barrier reinforcement, and Phyto peptide for collagen production. It's also enriched with white leaf tea that moisturizes, soothes, and strengthens the skin barrier all at once. Basically, it's the perfect product to use if you have dry skin or if you're going to a place with a v cold climate. *raises hand*
My honest review of the Laneige Cream Skin
- Name: Ches
- Age: 25
- Skin type: Combination skin leaning towards oily, acne-prone
As I mentioned earlier, I recently went to Osaka, Japan to attend the 2024 MAMA Awards. (Special shoutout to Metrobank and Visa for our trip!) While I was packing for the trip, I knew that I needed to have enough luggage space for all my clothes and the things I needed (read: wanted) to buy while still staying well below 20 kilograms. That said, I decided to pare down my skincare routine and just bring oil cleanser, facial wash, toner, moisturizer, and acne gel. My toner and moisturizer are extremely bulky, so I just went for the Laneige Cream Skin, since it's already both products in one. That brought my skincare routine down to just four (!) products.
I'm sure everyone who has ever been on a trip abroad can relate—I was lazy AF to do my full skincare routine at the end of the day after all the walking I did. I was glad my skincare routine consisted of just four products. As for how I applied it, I just used my hands to pat the Cream Skin onto my face then waited for a few minutes before dabbing acne gel on my fresh (*cries*) pimple.
It was just lightweight enough for the Japanese weather.
When I first tried the Cream Skin back home, it felt way too heavy for my skin due to our hot weather and the fact that my skin gets oily fast. But for Japan's weather, it was just right. It didn't feel heavy or sticky, and my complexion didn't feel dry even at night when it became windy.
It managed to keep my skin moisturized the entire day.
Ngl, I was having good skin days while I was in Japan that I didn't bother doing a full face while I was there. After doing my skincare routine, I just did my eyebrows, dabbed on liquid blush, did my cat-eye, and applied lip tint. The result was dewy, glowing skin—something I couldn't easily replicate back home.
It was the perfect product to use for the sandwich method.
I liked it so much that I decided to integrate the Cream Skin into my normal routine, albeit only using it twice a week. Due to the ceramides in the ingredients, it was the perfect product to use for the sandwich method since I use actives (i.e. this microneedling serum) to help chemically exfoliate my face. Applying a layer of Cream Skin in between the serum greatly helped in lessening the irritation and redness that I would normally experience when I didn't use Cream Skin.
Laneige Cream Skin: Is it worth the splurge?
At P1,800 for 170ml of product, it's not the cheapest skincare product in the market. But, I'd say that the ingredients in the Cream Skin—a combo of ceramides and peptides—are super helpful, especially for those with either dry or normal skin types or people who use actives like retinol. If you have extra money to spare, I'd say go for it!
Laneige Cream Skin, P1,800, Mitsukoshi Beauty BGC
Follow Cheska on Instagram.
Links are updated regularly and as much as possible but note that products can run out of stock, discounts can expire, and listed prices can change without prior notice.
For more discounts and deals, check out Cosmopolitan Philippines' exclusive vouchers.
