Japanese skincare lines for sensitive skin?
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enjoys freebies · Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:04 pm Quote

Hi Everyone,

Wondering if any of you know any Japanese brand that have lines designed for sensitive skin. My mom and I have been long time DHC users and it's been great, but seems like as with age, my mom's skin has gotten super sensitive, so i am looking for something else for her.

We tried Fancl (a japanese line that uses no preservatives whatsoever), but the expiration dates and everything being packaged in small time sensitive bottles were too much for us to handle Confused

i have heard that kanebo or kao have sensitive skin lines but i am not too familiar with either of these brands and it seems like a lot of information available for them isn't in english unfortunately. any other recommendations would be awesome. thanks!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:56 am Quote

Sorry, I don't have any Japanese suggestions for you. Maybe tiger_tim has some thoughts.

But topic of DHC, my friend and I were just talking about it and how much my friend likes it (but hard to find where she currently lives). She was saying that her skin also has a very good reaction to Decleor. Has your mom tried any of their products?

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:34 pm Quote

I have very sensitive skin and here are the Japanese skincare products that I have had luck with and those I haven't. Rolling Eyes

Note the good and bad thing has nothing to do with what I think of the products. Good means it did not irritate my skin and bad means that it did.
Kose Sekkisei Good-Cream. Bad-Lotion, Emulsion and White Powder Wash.
Komenuka Bijin Good-Cleansing Powder. Bad-Foaming Cleanser.
Kanebo International Good-Cleansing Oil and Silk Peeling Powder. Bad-Creamy Soap. Unsure yet- Sensai Eye Balm and Sensai Lotion II, Emulsion I, Emulsion II.
Sheseido Good-Benefiance Eye Cream and Ultimate Cleansing Oil . Bad-Everything I tried from "The Skincare" line.

I guess I cannot recommend one product line but I hope you find this helpful anyway!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:36 pm Quote

Hi Ulana--i am so in love with DHC too! does your friend live in the US? if yes, she can order directly from the DHC website. there's always ebay also, but sometimes the prices on there can get a bit ridiculous. we haven't tried anything decleor ever-is that a japanese or french line?

Hi TheresaL--i was a long time user of the skincare line from shiseido--i still use their foaming cleanser as well as their new white lucent cleanser which i like equally. i feel a bit shiseidoed out if you know what i mean--i would like to try a new line if possible. i have always wondered about komenuka bijin myself and kanebo creamy soap. i think i might go with the kose sekkisei cream for her since i have been curious about it also.

thanks for the input!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:53 pm Quote

Hi skincareaddicted,

Decleor is from France. Really nice and quite gentle. I use the Rose d'Orient night balm (2 times a week) and the Neroli aromaessance in the day. I just got the cleansing cream for dry skin, haven't tried it yet. But once I do, I'll give a review (ha! I made a rhyme). Laughing

My friend is in Canada. She's been eyeing up the US website lately. So we'll see what she ends up going with!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:44 pm Quote

skincareaddicted - I've got very sensitive skin too and will develop little red bumps when using anything that doesn't agree with me. I had a bottle of the Kose Medicated Sekkisei Milk which is a light milky lotion. Initially it was fine but then the bumps showed up. If your mother has sensitivities, you should be aware the Kose is very heavily fragranced. The lotion I used also contained AHA's which probably caused the irritation.

Boscia is another Japanese line that has no preservatives. In fact I think it's also made by Fancl? It's available at Sephora.

enjoys freebies · Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:53 am Quote

skincareaddicted wrote:

Hi TheresaL--i was a long time user of the skincare line from shiseido--i still use their foaming cleanser as well as their new white lucent cleanser which i like equally. i feel a bit shiseidoed out if you know what i mean--i would like to try a new line if possible. i have always wondered about komenuka bijin myself and kanebo creamy soap. i think i might go with the kose sekkisei cream for her since i have been curious about it also.

skincareaddicted the Sekkisei cream is one of those products that I don't have right now and I am really wishing that I did. When this ends up happening I know I have found a winning product. stardust mentioned the fragrance of Sekkisei and it does have fragrance (IMO it is a very nice subtle fragrance in the Cream version). I usually do have bad reactions to fragrances but the one in the Cream did not bother me. Just a warning is you try the Komenuka Bijin Cleansing Powder. This product did a great job of cleaning my pores and eliminating whiteheads/milia if I used it a few times a week. I loved the effect so much that for a while I used it every evening and before I knew it I was getting more milia. I will say this is another product that I don't have right now but wish I did. I think that I prefer it to the Kanebo Silk Peeling powder.

enjoys freebies · Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:22 pm Quote

Have you tried Arouge line?
It was selected as top seller at cosme.net(one of the biggest Japanese website that provides ranking of the products by the viewers. It's a cllo site). Developed for super sensitive, dry skin. The NANO tech is introduced in the line and the price is reasonable. I used to use the skin balansing toner mist and I loved it. You can check its website at www.zenyaku-usa.com

There are some super-natural skin care line

- Rishiri Konbu-the ingrediant is 100% essence of organic kelp (no chemical, or paraben)-so many minerals you can imagine...

- To-nyu - super fresh to-nyu(soy milk) line (no chemical, or paraben)-great for hydration.

Only you can check these products in Japanese stores in NY, NJ, CA. Tel:212-922-0139

enjoys freebies · Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:58 pm Quote

Ulana--i checked out decleor in the essential day spa store, and wow, tempting. and we get a discount too, don't we??

stadust--yup, i have only to date tried one kose sekkisei product and that was their peel off mask, i forget the correct name, but it's the black one, and i did notice heavy fragrance. i wonder if there's a way to get a sample first before i buy that.

TheresaL--wow, you seem to have a vast knowledge of a lot of products, you're making me jealous! the other day i realized, with so many products out there, and me being only mortal, i won't get to try half as many as i want in my lifetime Laughing

Juju--the whole site is japanese, darn. i often wish i should taken japanese in college instead of french! do you know where i can read additonal reviews or anything in english? anyhow, i am gonna give them a ring and hope there are stores in southern cali Very Happy

thanks everyone, always helpful, love you ladies!

enjoys freebies · Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:07 pm Quote

skincareaddicted-I have tried an amazing number of products in the past 2 years. Rolling Eyes

With sensitive skin, I try something and if it irritates me I move on to something else. I do try to get samples but sometimes it is hard to tell if something will be a problem with a tiny sample!

I believe that Neiman Marcus sells the Sekkisei products. If you don't have one near you you can call the closed store (not the 800# on the website) and request a sample.

About the website Juju mentioned in the upper right hand corner it says English, click on that and you are good to go! I am thinking of getting the travel pack. This line sounds great for sensitive skin.

enjoys freebies · Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:49 pm Quote

stardust--sorry didn't see your reply earlier, but yup boscia is made by fancl. i have heard good reviews about boscia and have often wondered about the line whenever i pass it in nordstrom's.

TheresaL--duh me, i didn't even see that since my screen is small (on my laptop), i had to scroll all the way to the right Laughing

sounds good and the price isn't too bad.

i think i have decided on either arouge or la roche posay. anyone know which one is better for my mom? she is in her 50s, has sensitive skin, and also rosacea--which has been acting up because of the hot summer here in southern cali.

enjoys freebies · Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:12 pm Quote

also, her skin isn't dry, it's combo, but more on the oily side like mine. juju, do you think arouge is ok for this skin type or is it really more for drier skin?

enjoys freebies · Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:35 pm Quote

skincareaddicted wrote:

i think i have decided on either arouge or la roche posay. anyone know which one is better for my mom? she is in her 50s, has sensitive skin, and also rosacea--which has been acting up because of the hot summer here in southern cali.

La Roche Posay is one of my favorite lines. I use their Toleriane Fluid moisturiser everyday. It's light yet gives my normal-dry skin enough moisture except for during the coldest winter weather. Best of all, it has a very short ingredients list and so far I've had no problems with it - I'm on my third bottle. I also use the Toleriane Dermo-cleanser which has a milky texture and it takes off all of my makeup, including mascara and liner but if your mother uses waterproof products, she might need a separate remover.

enjoys freebies · Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:45 pm Quote

Always try some samples first, like travel pak TheresaL suggested. Arouge line is well supported by many women who has a similar skin issues as you and your mother. I found that there are some retail stores that carries this line in CA. Check the site at http://www.zenyaku-usa.com/Zenyaku_RetailStores.asp.

Also they are sending out 7 SAMPLES away!
http://www.zenyaku-usa.com/jp_sample.html
But, the form is in Japanese, only address and name part is in English, so I suggest either call them to request for samples or fill out the address, name, and disregard the rest. Don't forget to click the link at the very end of the page that says "Send". Good luck!

enjoys freebies · Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:38 pm Quote

stardust wrote:

skincareaddicted wrote:

i think i have decided on either arouge or la roche posay. anyone know which one is better for my mom? she is in her 50s, has sensitive skin, and also rosacea--which has been acting up because of the hot summer here in southern cali.

La Roche Posay is one of my favorite lines. I use their Toleriane Fluid moisturiser everyday. It's light yet gives my normal-dry skin enough moisture except for during the coldest winter weather. Best of all, it has a very short ingredients list and so far I've had no problems with it - I'm on my third bottle. I also use the Toleriane Dermo-cleanser which has a milky texture and it takes off all of my makeup, including mascara and liner but if your mother uses waterproof products, she might need a separate remover.

I read a lot of rosaceans had problem with the squalane in LRP toleriane fluid. Just a word of caution.

enjoys freebies · Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:30 am Quote

skincareaddicted wrote:

TheresaL--duh me, i didn't even see that since my screen is small (on my laptop), i had to scroll all the way to the right Laughing

sounds good and the price isn't too bad.

i think i have decided on either arouge or la roche posay. anyone know which one is better for my mom? she is in her 50s, has sensitive skin, and also rosacea--which has been acting up because of the hot summer here in southern cali.

skincareaddicted I almost missed the English part myself!

I don't know which LRP products you are thinking of but let me share my experience with the Toleraine range. The Toleraine Foaming Cleanser is way too drying even for oily skin. I even had my husband try it to see what he thought and he said it felt like he had washed his face twice (he uses soap)!! The Toleraine Fluid is very nice texture wise and is great for oily skin because it absorbs very well. However, I did find that if my skin was feeling even a little irritated the Fluid stung my skin when I applied it. I also have a suspicion that it was clogging my pores and causing more breakouts although this might not be a problem with your mother. I am not using the Fluid now but perhaps in the future I will try it again and see if it causes the same problem.

I am going to order the Arouge travel kit today and request samples. I will let you know how it works with my sensitive/dehydrated/oily skin. If your Mom tries it let us know what she thinks!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:39 am Quote

sorry this is a little off the subject but .....I live in japan and try my best not to use any japanese products....they all test on animals.. Sad

.and I asked DHC they said they didnt but the I heard that every japanese cosmetic company MUST test before releasing to the public so dont know how they dont but would love to believe them (DHC).....maybe the laws here are changing...would like to believe so ...
with the internet and thanks especially to sites like EDS choices are far greater .....

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:46 am Quote

ooops should have added that I have had periods of super sensitive skin and thalgo was brilliant....as was clarins..... Razz

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:49 am Quote

m, i almost placed an ebay order for LRP's fluide moisturizer, the price is really good by the way. i am gonna go ahead with arouge probably since i am partial to japanese lines.

TheresaL--i am placing my order right after this post, so i will definitely let everyone know how arouge is as i am always tempted to try every new product myself Laughing

i noticed the travel pack doesn't include a moisturizer (unless the silkening gel can be used as one) so i am gonna go ahead and order the moisture replenishing cream.

juju--i filled out the free samples form too, i had no idea what i was typing besides my address and i was randomly checking boxes! Laughing

annachan--yeah, animal testing sucks, but i realize that companies that don't test on animals benefited from animal testing currently and in the past for certain ingredients in their products, so maybe they aren't so less evil. yeah, if only they would just use humans, since i am partial to animals even the creepy crawlies!

thanks for everyone's input, i really appreciate it!

enjoys freebies · Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:20 am Quote

Hi, annachan,

I don't think it's entirely true that all Japanese products test on animals. In fact, there are many companies are not testing on animals. You can check the site at http://www.nomoreanimaltests.com/cosme/cosme_list1.htm. It's up-dated on Dec.04, so I'm sure there are more companies in this list by now.

In Japan, it's regulated to test on animals by law if there is a brand new ingredient that yet hasn't been introduced in the market.(cosmetics, hair care products, cleaners, detergents, home care products, fabric, medicines, etc). It has to pass the sefety issue to get an approval. So I guess it's also true that some ingredients might have been tested on animals by the suppliers and the makers did not aware of it. That actually makes me wonder there are many ingredients that are imported from Japan like CoQ10, for example (sorry if I'm wrong about this..) and used in many products in the world.

Also generally, the awareness of animal rights has been pretty low in Japan and Asia, some companies are hesitant to state it as no animal testing on the label due to insecurity cause by the consumers.

However, there is a big movement re.animal rights in Japanese government, trying to enforce the concept of 3R (Refinment, Replacement, reduction).

The good news is nowadays, many consumers refuse to buy products that injure and kill animals in the laboratory. This grass-roots movement has made an impact on large cosmetics companies. For example, this year, SHISEIDO and KAO developed a test-tube method of determining allergic substances safely, instead of sacrificing animals.

enjoys freebies · Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:04 am Quote

OH MY GOSH! i love love love arouge now! the samples i requested came today (right after i placed an order online--darn! i would have ordered everything full sized). and my mom and i used the samples, and my god, my skin feels so nice and hydrated without being heavy. and as for my mom, her skin did not reactive negatively at all, not even the "raw" part of her cheeks that have become extra sensitive and red because of the summer heat. thanks so much juju! how did you hear about this brand? and do you know if they have a more expansive line in japan? their selection now seems limited. TheresaL--you're gonna love it too when your set comes! oh, and for anyone who wants to try samples, i found the english site http://www.zenyaku-usa.com/Zenyaku_Sample.asp

enjoys freebies · Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:20 am Quote

thanks Ju Ju for taking the time to explain that there are some companies that are changing....still makes me blue though that there are so many companies that do in this day and age..(when its actually unnecessary)... Crying or Very sad

apart from companies that never have there are so many companies that did but stopped decades ago when testing on animals was no longer necessary as they had developed other methods for testing (growing skin cultures etc) and yes skincareaddicted testing on humans would be better (and now many natural companies do)(lush for one)well I guess its a bit of a sad subject and I LOVE my skincare ...bit of a junkie...thing is if I can keep away from companies that do I will and support companies that dont .....

enjoys freebies · Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:26 pm Quote

skincareaddicted、I'm glad that you liked Arouge line. I used to use this line for cleansing and toning. Mist is perfect for touching up my skin hydrated and supple instantly. I was having an affair with other line for a while, so I forgot about arouge. I'm thinking to repurchase the mist again. There is a product called "UV Mosist Beauty Up" waiting for approval in USA now, so it may be available very soon. This has a triple effect for the skin, SPF 20 PA++, moisturizer, and primer. It does not contain any preservatives, parabens, alcohol, frangrance, it may be a great one for the sensitive skin like you and your mother. Keep checking the site.

enjoys freebies · Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:41 pm Quote

Juju--the beauty up spritzer sounds awesome. i have been trying to make the samples last between my mom and i Laughing

until the travel pack comes! since i get so obsessed, i will definitely be checking the site often for new additions Wink

enjoys freebies · Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:47 am Quote

skincareaddicted
I just got an email from arouge and they say the skin brightener can be used for the eye area for dirk circle and wrincles. The reason they don't have an expansive product is that since arouge has developed targeting for sensitive,dry skin (rosacea, eczema, etc) to improve hydration level. So they focus more on basic care that should be enogh to cover the problem. I think it would be ideal though...,

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