Product Review: Hada Labo Shirojyun lotion

 

The Product

According to Japanese beauty brand HadaLabo, a bottle of their Shirojyun lotion is sold every 4 seconds!  That is a pretty convincing statistic, as is the many glowing reviews of this product online.  The Hadalabo Shirojyun lotion is actually what we in North America would call a toner as it works to refresh, moisten, and purify cleansed skin.  This particular lotion also has whitening ingredients to give you a youthful, elegant glow with it's "pure and simple" beauty philosophy.

The Guts

The primary agents in this lotion/toner is Supahiaruron Acid and Hyaluronic Acid, which act as powerful hydrating ingredients that replenish your skin's moisture as well as repair its outer seal to prevent further moisture from escaping.  Hyaluronic acid is very popular it seems in Japanese beauty products.  HA is found naturally in one's skin, but as we age, we produce less.  The Shirojyun lotion acts to repair the skin's barrier to retain moisture and return it to its natural moisture balance.  For those with sensitive skin, this lotion is also perfect for you as it contains no fragrances, mineral oils, alcohol, or other irritants. 

Price & Packaging

I bought this lotion on sasa.com for around $12 for a very large 170mL bottle.  The packaging as you can see is very simple with a straightforward flip-top lid.

Effectiveness

Using the Shirojyun lotion requires a bit of a different technique than regular toners.  After cleansing, pour about a dime sized amount into the palm of your hand, spread the product between your palms, and then slap your face.  Now, I don't mean you should just bitch slap yourself, but use more of a gentle clapping motion against your face and pat the product in.  HadaLabo even provides a helpful video on how to use the product (the girl here is having an ectastic time using it!).  After this step, use your moisturizer as normal.  

When I first tried this product, I thought it was a moisturizer and used it during the day.  The product is quite watery and translucent.  When applied, your skin immediately feels super moist and soft, almost dewy.  It absorbs quickly with some energetic slap/patting, but leaves it very very slightly sticky for a minute after.  I still think you could use this lotion as a moisturizer and toner in one if you have normal to oily skin and it is summer when you want a lighter moisturizer.  However, if you have normal to dry skin and it's winter then you may wish to follow up with a day moisturizer.  

The biggest con with this product was that it made my skin break out!  A couple weeks after using it regularly, I got little minor zits all over my T-zone.  Considering this product is supposed to be non-irritating, I was certainly disgruntled.  After a couple more weeks, the zits have gone and my skin has settled back down.  Perhaps it just needed to adjust to these new, strange ingredient combinations? 

Buy or Ditch?

At the moment I am still on the fence with this one, but I will say Buy if forced to choose since I have yet to read a bad review of this product, it's cheap, and the tutorial video is hilarious.

Final Verdict: B-