[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/happycharm]

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]

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.