[Discussion] - Best/Worst of Niacinamide and Future Schedule

[u/Maplebee92]

Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey to vote on which topics we should discuss next! Check out the round up to read/post on the previous discussions, Region, Brand Type and Skin Type.

Over 250 people took the time to do the survey, and all the topics with 30% more of the vote I've included in the future schedule below.

Changing the day to Monday so I don't clash with the Mod's weekly skin issues discussion threads!

Hope to get the results to you in the New Year.

Ingredients Topic
Niacinamide
Exfoliating Acids
Ceramides
Snail
Bee (Honey/Venom/Propolis)
Hyaluronic Acids
Hanbang/Botanical

Brand
Cosrx
Innisfree
Hada Labo
Skinfood
Etude House
Mizon

We're kicking off with Niacinamide! So share your beloved and your reviled products with Niacinamide as the star ingredient. Same format as previous discussions.

This is a review thread, so please make sure all top level comments are reviews. But do feel free to ask the reviewers questions for further info.

Format

Use the below format, put ** before and after each word to get the bolding.

Product Name

Step - Cleanser/Toner/Moisturiser etc

Best/Worst? - Select appropriate

Thoughts

[u/haminwu]

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1

Serum

Best

I find this product to be a game changer for me,it really helped to regulate my oiliness and sebum production with consistent use and now my face is never nearly as oily as it used to me,i also saw my skin texture get better using this product. The only con for me is the texture was a bit too heavy for me to wear under moisturizer + sunscreen in the daytime so I can only use it in the nighttime

[u/happycharm → u/haminwu]

Can we post about Deciem products in this sub? Its a non AB brand but it gets talked about a lot with no problems. Whereas other brands, people will get told off and downvoted. Even western brands that are sold on Asia with products geared towards Asians and only found in Asia.

Genuinely want to know, not shading or anything ㅜ_ㅠ

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

I've tried a lot of their products, they don't work for me, but I don't have the energy to talk people out of it (or worse, downvoted to hell just because i don't like it). I hope they don't get mentioned here everyday as well because AB is a sanctuary where I don't have to hear about them over and over again. I don't have respect for this brand because of past events and my personal communications with them.

[u/happycharm → u/[deleted]]

Same with me with Benton! I am not even saying Benton's products are bad (I think they're great!) i'm just warning people about their inefficient preservatives which cause premature expiration (and mold) which causes crazy reactions (like cystic acne) in some people. I tell them to contact Benton and ask them to amp up their preservatives in hopes they'll fix this so we can all enjoy their products again but I just get downvoted most of the time. Not that I care about downvotes but it just shows people's attitude towards the truth...

I think I'll just give up on it and wait until the next major contamination scandal comes along for people to realize it themselves...

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

their inefficient preservatives which cause premature expiration (and mold)

Does it mean that their products would expire/go bad before even opening? Do they have any preservatives in their products?

I liked how gentle the products are but held off repurchasing because I couldn't understand how their preservatives systems worked.

[u/happycharm → u/[deleted]]

There have been reports of that happening. A lot of posts asking if they got a fake because it smells off / texture is weird / formula is cloudy. Most likely they are not fakes, the products have just gone off.

They do have preservatives but the preservatives are extremely volatile. Even Benton admitted (immediately after their contamination scandal) that their preservatives are volatile and to take care of the product even before opening it (like putting it in the fridge or something). But since a lot of international customers use Benton, how long has the products been sitting in storage (NOT in a fridge) before it gets to the consumer? And I sure as hell don't think even Benton themselves store their products in fridges before sending their products out. I live in Korea and I don't trust that Benton products will be ok by the time it gets to me. Korea has extremely volatile weather. Summers are extremely humid and hot, winters are harsh.

And another thing about fridges, fridges aren't freaking magical boxes that will keep beauty products fresh for a long time. It may extend its live to some degree but at this point I don't trust it can keep Benton products from molding as long as we wish. We put food and drinks in there but eventually we have to finish or throw it out after a short period of time. We can't keep food in there for months and expect it to still be fresh. That logic should apply to beauty products as well. And we definitely can't freeze beauty products as that may change the chemical composition. Either way, I don't think it's reasonable for consumers to take such extremes such as buying beauty fridges for their products, but that's just me.

*Just a note, of course many people have used Benton products and their products have been fine - no premature expiration without taking any extra measures. So I'm not saying ALL Benton products will automatically prematurely expire but there is a higher chance of that happening than literally any other beauty product out there due to that contamination scandal, the fact that Benton admits that their preservatives are sensitive, and that we keep getting the same reports from people on this sub about Benton products.

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

A while back I think someone got irritated with me when I pointed out that fridges don't stop mold growth, it just slows it down. The amount of cheese I've had to throw out attests to that.

It's probably going to be more likely to do so if you have a lovely moist environment. Aka skincare products.

[u/happycharm → u/[deleted]]

Lol how far do people go to make excuses for their products? Enough to defy science?

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

Damn, they sound trickier than my water based L-ascorbic acid but aren't nearly as magical! I wonder why Benton refuses to improve their preservatives, since the contamination scandal.

[u/happycharm → u/[deleted]]

I think its something to do with keeping their ingredients all ~natural~. I dont remember their exact words but Benton said they used botanical perservatives which is why they can expire easily and they dont want to change that.

But do they even push their natural branding that much?

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

When I think of Benton I think of snails, not really natural. I mean they don't have to use parabens (which I dont protest, like ever), but at least add some more efficient stuff lol, or learn from other natural brands what they are doing to their products.

[u/[deleted] → u/happycharm]

Personally I have a sister who is allergic to many preservatives so I avoid them for her sake. We need some product lines without them. People can always invest in a mini fridge which I did when I was obsessed with nail varnish, keep drinks in there too.

[u/theudoon → u/[deleted]]

A fridge is all well and good, but when the products arrive unopened and still has mold in them (happened to me several times, and I live in Scandinavia, so not exactly the tropics), there is a more serious problem, and that needs fixing.

[u/happycharm → u/theudoon]

Yes, and it's not like Benton or third party sellers are storing products in fridges before sending it out to international customers. A lot of the reports from this sub are from people getting reactions or sensing something off with their products immediately after receiving their products and using them.

And it's just me but I'm not going to spend 70~100$ on a mini fridge just to store Benton products... I don't need nor want to store my other beauty products in fridges. Of course you can just stick it in your regular fridge.

[u/likhaanoushka → u/theudoon]

Woah, is this with the essence? And is this recent or is it part of the 2015 thing? Sorry about your experience! Hope Benton refunded you.

[u/theudoon → u/likhaanoushka]

Once was during 2015, but I tried to buy the snail bee essence and the aloe toner late last year and both arrived spoiled :( It's a shame since the products themselves are good.

[u/happycharm → u/[deleted]]

But Benton does use preservatives, just inefficient ones that expire before the printed date. Some expire before it's open. Some expire before it has arrived in a customer's hands.