VT Cosmetics Cica Soothing Kit

Do you know that.....

Cica is the latest K-Beauty ingredient taking over the skincare realm?
Calling out to all sensitive skins - REJOICE, because it is the miracle ingredient for you.

✨ About CICA 

Cica is actually a nickname for its scientific name: centella asiatica. 

** Fun fact of the day: centalla is a well-known herb commonly eaten in Asia, used for medical purposes in several countries and even tigers in Asia roll around in the plant in order to regenerate their skin! **

• Why should we use cica skincare? Like what does it do?

Cica has a huge list of skin benefits, but it's most well-known for its healing, soothing, antibacterial, and inflammatory properties, meaning it is ideal for sensitised skin. And let's be honest, since we all have sensitive skin at times, cica skincare really do suit everyone.

Cica skincare is great for conditions such as eczema, scarring, psoriasis and cellulite, and are incredibly moisturising. 

We know how stress, pollution, UV light, and diet can affect our skin and make it more vulnerable to the outside world. This is how the hero ingredient comes in - to soothe, comfort 'stressed' skin; it's a go-to for anyone suffering from skin sensitivity or flare-up. 

Even if your complexion isn’t particularly stressed out, you may find cica skincare a welcome addition to your daily routine: moisturisers or serums with this ingredient are great for dry, aging and sensitive skins, as they boost collagen production!

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When I first received this set, I could say I was a bit novice with cica skincare, as I hadn't explored much of it before. But after using this set since last month, yes it has been a decent amount of time now and with a bit more research, I can now say I'm confident about the itty bitty bits of this skincare ingredient. So... let’s get into this review!

The Cica Care Collection is actually quite extensive but since I was sent the 

Cica Set, I’ll be reviewing the six products in there: Cica Mild Foam Cleanser, Cica Skin, Cica Mild Toner Pad, Cica Bubble Sparkling Booster, Cica Cream and Cica Sleeping Mask. (All of these are available on the StyleKorean website - click on the name)

• About this collection - 

The entire line focuses on its soothing goodness from its own concoction of calming ingredients in a form of Cicaliao™. The Cicaliao™ mixture has Centella Asiatica Extract, Propolis Extract, Green Tea Extract, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassoside, and Madecassic Acid. On top of that, it also included Cicahyalon™ (adds in triple hyaluronic acid) that aims to moisturize the skin. And yaas, this line is the collaboration of VT Cosmetics with the super popular boyband called BTS. 

▶ CICA MILD FOAM CLEANSER

This foam cleanser claims to thoroughly cleanse skin without stripping off its natural oils.

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: Infused with cult favorite ingredient centella asiatica and potent cica extract soothes irritated skin while added hyaluronic acid moisturises and strengthens its barrier. 

⇢⇢ Packaging: I received 5 samples of these in 1mL each. The full sized product is 300mL, which is super large for a cleanser! These sachets are easy to travel with!

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: Smells herbal but very soothing. Has a dense and creamy texture just like your typical foaming cleanser.

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: Could you believe that I cleansed twice with just a sachet of this! A pea sized amount of this is enough to cleanse your whole face. It bubbles up really easily too! As it claimed, it doesn't dry my skin and leaves my skin smooth and soft!

▶ CICA SKIN

Cica Skin, a lightweight toner, claims to refine skin texture, remove surface impurities, as well as provide soothing and moisturising care. It’s intended to use as the first step to your routine aka as a toner (after cleansing) and makes use of a Water Capture System to create a long lasting hydration effect.

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: 

• trademarked Cicaliao ingredient
• PHA (Gluconolactone) to remove skin impurities and excess sebum for a smoother and clearer complexion

⇢⇢ Packaging: Comes in a standard shape bottle made from frosted plastic - simple & pretty! It has a gradient design that goes from an opaque dark green to a light green tint - doesn't it just look so mesmerising under the sun? It's lightweight, of a good quality too and less prone to fingerprints, compared to some other frosted glass bottles I've used previously.

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: It has a thin and watery texture (like any other toner) but it has a light green tint to it. I applied it by patting into the skin, though sometimes I also saturate a cotton pad with it too and leave on my skin for few minutes.

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: This fits in perfectly to my AM and PM routine. It has no oily residue and I definitely felt that my skin looked smoother while using this. In general, the biggest strength of this product is in the hydration – it really deeply hydrates and gives a fresh finish but doesn’t leave any stickiness. It’s lightweight and easy to layer up too, which is why I love using this in the mornings.

▶ CICA MILD TONER PAD

This is a multi-purpose toner pad that claims to help smooth out skin texture while soothing and balancing skin. It gently exfoliates (safe for sensitive skins!); removes dirt, oil and sebum in your pores. 

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: for a toner pad, I was pretty amazed at the ingredients included!

• Willow Bark Extract = natural form of BHA
• Salicylic acid = pretty potent in skin exfoliation!
• Cicaliao concoction = calming ingredients; help to minimise the possible irritation caused by exfoliation
• Witch Hazel Extract = treat skin inflammation and acne
• Allantoin and Beta-Glucan = further boost its soothing properties while adding some anti-aging benefits

⇢⇢ Packaging: It comes in a sturdy tub of 60 pads with a tweezer, which I found very hygienic and easy to pick up a single pad! 

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: The pad is soaked with the cica toner, hence the ample of greenish toner seen in every pad. It has two different sides, the embossing side which is the rougher one to exfoliate the skin, while the other side is the smooth one. 

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: These toner pads are very convenient and they do really help in smoothing out, soothes, hydrates my skin! I found this toner pad so gentle & mild without feeling any irritation when applied. Has a cooling sensation when applied and has refreshing cica scents.

▶ CICA BUBBLE SPARKLING BOOSTER

This is a wash-off clay mask that claims to help in removing skin waste, excess sebum, and dead skin cells, as well as giving the skin feeling moisturised and revitalised. It also claims to soothe tired and sensitive skin due to the cica concoction in it.

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: This is a Kaolin clay-based mask that has soothing ingredients as well as multiple plant extracts that ‘might’ give antioxidant benefits.

⇢⇢ Packaging: According to VT this is necessary to come in little packets because the mask activates when exposed to air so putting it in a jar isn’t feasible since they want keep it fresh and “potent”! A single sachet is ample for my face even to my neck area.

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: This comes in a box of ten sachets.When you first squeeze out the mask it’s dark green but it changed to this creamy sage color almost immediately and starts to bubble, fast! It doesn't bubble up too much though, just a lil puff, and only to leave for a minute or two and rinse off!

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: This bubbly mask gave a bit tingly sensation but definitely didn't irritate my skin! After rinsing it off, my skin seems brighter, pores are cleaner and seemed minimised.

▶ CICA CREAM

This is one for fans of gel formulas and deep hydration. It promises to give an immediate soothing effect and is great for giving an instant boost of hydration to skin. It also forms a sort of moisture barrier over the skin, so the benefits are quite long lasting. 

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: 

• has three types of ‘care’ (Calming, Moisturisng and Hydrating) through three ingredients: 
• Beta-Glucan for hydration
• Ceramide NP to improve water retention
• Panthenol (Vitamin B5) for calming benefits

⇢⇢ Packaging: Comes in a metal tube packaging. Nothing fancy but I do like its simple aesthetic. Very convenient as it stands easily on its own, minimalistic and lightweight - easy to travel with!

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: A gentle, soothing texture that comes in a gel form, has a light green colour (but applies on clear) and is a non-greasy formula. It has a light, fresh scent.

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: I love that this cream uses a Layering Moisture System to provide maximum moisture to the skim, deeply hydrating in a lightweight formula. That being said, it does a great job beneath make up as it locks in hydration for a long time as its non-greasy formulate won’t break up your foundation. However, just something to note, it might feel a little bit tacky if you’re not used to it and it takes quite a long time to somewhat absorb into skin eventhough it smoothes easily over skin.

▶ CICA SLEEPING MASK

As the last step of your skincare routine (but definitely not the least), there is this sleeping mask! This claims to penetrate deeper into tired skin, forming a moisture film for hydration throughout the night – just like you’ve had a wonderful night’s sleep. As with all sleeping masks, this is meant to be applied at night as the last step to your skincare routine, and then simply washed off in the mornings. 

⇢⇢ Key Ingredients: 

• Centella Asiatica Extract
• Centella 4x Complex
• Green Propolis Extract
• Triple Hyaluronic Acid helps to strength the moisture barrier and also care for dry skin

⇢⇢ Packaging: Out of everything, the most unique thing about this product is the packaging. The little coffee sachets are so cute. They are all in paper/foil packet so it’s perfect for travelling as you can just take how many ‘nights’ you need – no concerns about decanting or spillage. In addition, it helps to keep the product ‘fresh’ for as long as possible (since they are all sealed until use). Each box comes with thirty tubes, so hypothetically a month’s worth, but practically, I think it can be used for more, like 2 months! (reason explained in the final thought)

⇢⇢ Texture & scent: This formula is a bit thicker than I expected, with more of a milky and creamy gel consistency. It’s soothing on application and hydrates fairly well. However, the thicker formula doesn’t absorb as thoroughly; it isn’t greasy or heavy but leaves a slight film the next morning, just remember, it’s important to fully wash it off the morning after.

⇢⇢ Overall thoughts: I received two sachets in this set, which I've only used twice (with one set, reason on the next paragraph) - but oh my, in general I just love to use sleeping masks on nights when I know I won’t be catching enough sleep, or when my skin is so tired that it needs deeper hydration.

One sachet also contains quite a lot of product! I end up having to decant it to a lil clean container to use for the second night, so I think it’s possible to use one sachet for two applications.

I love using sleeping masks, especially those with more soothing benefits. One of my top favourites is the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask so the standards are high. This gives a dewy finished look after wash in the following morning. Very moisturising and refreshing. 

Here's my verdict - Laneige or Cica?...... 

Efficacy-wise, I think that the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask is still my personal favourite. I found the individual sachets rather inconvenient but can see myself using this more once I start travelling again though. It is on the expensive side too compared to other sleeping masks and looking on the environmental side, the packaging waste - this just uses a lot more than having a single tub. This could be perfected if they switched to eco-friendly paper and print coating too.

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Woohoo if you have read this far, well done! Now can you tell this was a large collection to get through? 

So yea these are the products that I’ve tested out from VT Cosmetics! Have you used any of their skincare before? I’m a huge fan of cica products and I definitely recommend this set as it's versatile enough for everyone with all skin types and if you want to try it out without having to buy individual products!

It was such a fun experience for me. Eventhough I didn't have any battle wounds to heal, but my skin does look more supple, glowy, and healthy when using this set!

As I mentioned earlier, before receiving this box, I did not know much about Cica skincare - so this was a great opportunity to master my knowledge - thank you once again to StyleKorean for sending me this set to try! Thank you so much❤️

Now it's your turn - did you learn much in this post? 

Love,
Melon xoxo

** This set was sent to me by StyleKorean for review purposes. All opinions are honest and my own.

 I was not paid for this post but please note that affiliate links are used on my blog. These go towards supporting Melon Glows and future content on this blog. Thank you x