Quite a few of my reviews wait until I’ve had a lot of time with a product.
How long I wait before reviewing a product comes down to why I’m testing the product. If it’s for well-aging, then generally it needs about at least a month to six weeks, which is one cycle of skin cell turnover and when you might start to see effects.
I already knew that the HaruHaru Wonder Black Rice range was good and this product cements my opinion.
I’ve posted about the HaruHaru Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream as an acne treatment for sensitive skin.
What you haven’t seen me post about is the toner and cream from this line.
I’ve used the sensitive (fragrance free) version of the toner before I started writing for UNBLEMISH and it’s a great product. So hydrating, silky smooth and a little moisturising, what’s not to love?
Back then, I hadn’t read Bianca’s thoughts on fragrance so I was still avoiding it.
Now I’ve realised I don’t have an issue with fragrance, although that doesn’t mean I like all fragrances!
The scented products from HaruHaru Black Rice range have a lavender fragrance and use real lavender oil, which smells exactly as you’d expect – sadly, I am just not a fan of it. Which is a shame, because the cream is very well-formulated.
It’s mousse whipped deliciousness that spreads beautifully and absorbs like it’s made of air.
If you like lavender and want a significantly moisturising but not heavy feeling cream, it is absolutely worth trying.
Thankfully for my nose, neither the ampoule nor the eye cream have fragrance!
Texture and Packaging
The HaruHaru has a perfectly balanced, classic serum texture in a lightweight gel format.
This one should be suitable for all skin types because it absorbs so well.
Sometimes a product that absorbs well can be hard to spread but this spreads appropriately – I can use a quarter of a dropper to cover my entire neck and chest.
Obviously your money is going on the ingredients but I’m glad it has an appropriate cosmetically elegancy for the price, as it is one of the more costly products.
I do have a complaint about the dropper, though: it isn’t all that good. It doesn’t pick up the product very well, it’s very hard to get much more than a quarter of a dropper once you’re half way through the serum.
It’s not a deal breaker for me as a little goes a long way and I’d probably be tempted to use too much if it did work better!
Ingredients
The star is here, of course, rice, which does a lot of great things for your skin. Read more about rice extract here.
Not only that but two rice epidermal growth factor peptides! This is what the 2FG in the product name stands for and it is intended to increase collagen production and help reduce fine lines.
Of course, there’s a nice combination of hydrating ingredients and plant extracts for antioxidants.
Experience
Lots of products are hydrating, it’s a hallmark of K-Beauty, right? I sometimes think that very watery products trick my brain into thinking that they’re extra hydrating because water is hydrating!
Thicker textures are associated with being more moisturising but that doesn’t mean that thicker textured gel serums aren’t hydrating.
Because I’m often in a rush, and I generally have a separate neck routine to my face, I like a multitasking product for my neck.
What’s particularly good about the HaruHaru is that is deeply hydrating whilst also absorbing quickly and giving me skin-repairing anti-aging benefits.
I’ve been using the HaruHaru as my only dedicated hydrating step for over a month now to give it a really tough trial.
Adding the Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner (in small amounts a couple of times a week) doesn’t count because it’s primary purpose isn’t hydration and I’m not using very much very often.
If I’m in a super rush and I skip the HaruHaru and just use my Benton Deep Green Tea Lotion and a thicker moisturiser (whatever I have to hand) then I notice that my skin is a bit dehydrated by the evening. This manifests as tight feeling skin and I don’t like it!
It goes to show how hydrating the HaruHaru is, which is a win for me because it combines hydration and well-aging effects in one product.
Whilst hydration is immediately noticeable, well-aging effects on fine lines take longer to show up.
I’ve been using this for about six weeks, at least once a day (I have skipped the odd routine as I mentioned above).
My neck varies in sensitivity so using even gently formulated classic actives like retinal regularly makes me cautious. That’s not to say I had any issues with it, I didn’t, but the sensitivity does tend to be fine then flare so I decided to go with something else, which is why I tried the HaruHaru.
I knew it was likely that I could use the HaruHaru daily over a long period of time but the question was more how effective it would be.
I do see an effect on my fine lines and neck creases, which is excellent. As I mentioned in the eye cream review, I started to see effects on wrinkles and if you’re looking more significant results, pairing the ampoule with the eye cream is the way to go
Nonetheless, by itself I’ve seen an improvement in the elasticity of my cleavage area generally. We’re talking fine lines at the top of the boob area where there’s generally smooth skin but it crinkles with movement.
With the HaruHaru, the skin doesn’t crinkle so much with movement.
Final Word
This is an excellent product that I can’t wait to combine with the eye cream from the same range – but on my neck, of course!