Sooryehan The Black Serum

Sooryehan The Black Serum 

Sample sachets of Sooryehan's The Black Serum on white silky material. The packet is in the shape of the full size bottle.

About my skin

I used to stick to more affordable products and use a lot of different products to address features like signs of aging, larger pores and CCs, redness and dull skin. But better products means less products - and also far more enjoyment - in my experience, YMMV!

I'm going to call these things I'm addressing "features" rather than "concerns", which is just a personal preference. My skin doesn't need fixing, I just tailor my routine to address certain aspects of it. This may seem a pedantic choice of words but language matters! I'm 40 with combination to drier skin plus dehydration after moving to a hard water area.

Generally prone to texture and CCs but not acne (unless I've used a product that disagrees with me).

My neck is dry, dry as a desert, and can be sensitive, so I use an entirely different routine that would be too bland for my face - plus, my neck routine wouldn't address my face skin features.

Introduction

Apart from SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (and Clear Facial Treatment Lotion), this was my first higher tier product.

Although SK-II worked wonders for my skin and was a revelation, I quickly found other things that were similar enough and did a good enough job, compared to the 30ml minis of each of the SK-II products I tried.

But The Black Serum was a completely different experience to anything else I'd tried and immediately blew me away!

Cost of The Black Serum

TesterKorea is the 90ml version for $65 and it comes with a / some bonus product(s).

But you can also get it from Yesstyle for £52 with a 21 day wait, so I assume that's 21 days before it ships. I haven't used Yesstyle so I'm guessing a bit here.

KoreaDepart has various options, too.

The samples are currently $1.20 for 12 sachets of 1ml each from TesterKorea.

Packaging

I can't really comment on this because I've been using sample sachets.

I would have bought a full size already but I didn't realise just how many sachets I'd purchased because I kept adding a few more to each TesterKorea order I did and I clearly got carried away. Plus, I've got some other product trials lined up now.

I've been using this serum pretty much nightly for this entire year with some gaps when I've done short routines.

Texture & Feel

It is silky and viscous, thinner than honey and nicely liquid on application.

It has more substance than most serums from the non-luxe arena but it's more liquid than, say, Sulwhasoo Timetreasure serums.

It feels smooth to apply and ensmoothening - it dries to a pleasantly smooth surface, like a second skin, melting to become one with my face.

See AB Muse's review for texture and I'd strongly recommend reading AB Muse's serum reviews if you're in the market for a new luxe serum!

There's links to Odile's reviews in the next section, which show texture.

Ingredients

I'll direct you to Odile's video on The Black range - it's all you need to know about the amazing biotechnology and ingredients in this product line. For those who prefer to read, here's Odile's blog entry.

I'll list the ingredients here and credit here to Odile for the ingredient list, which is found on her blog linked above:

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Propanediol, Sorbitol, Serine, Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Panthenol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Trehalose, Silica, Dipropylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Adenosine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Natto Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Arginine, Allantoin, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract, Citric Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Sodium Lactate, Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment, Yeast Extract, Honey, Polysorbate 20, Beta-Glucan, Angelica Gigas Extract, Yeast Beta-Glucan, Atractylodes Japonica Rhizome Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Methionine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Paeonol, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Fragrance, Linalool, Limonene

My memory is rubbish: I thought this had oil in it and the Sooryehan Bon Firming cream didn't but it's the other way around 🤦🏻‍♀️

This is relevant to no-one, just a testament to my addled brain because I thought I preferred not go use oil AM which was another reason not to use The Black Serum AM 🤷🏻‍♀️

Fragrance

My fragrance descriptions are, if you've read any of my other posts, a bit limited.

But there's something about this fragrance that inspires rapturous delight!

The Black Serum was not only my first luxe product but also my first fragranced product (for skincare) and it was a wonderful introduction to how amazing products can smell!

This is what I said on Reddit when I briefly reviewed the serum in November 2022:

Warning: flights of fancy coming up!  

The third time, I decided to treat this serum like the (relatively) premium product it is: I very gently pressed it into my skin, then kept pressing and massaging very gently for five or ten minutes. Wow, I felt relaxed, the fragrance enveloped my senses: I could have been walking in a forest with lots of night blooming flowers (I'm pretty sure that's not a thing but night blooming flowers is what the scent makes me think of), it's a cool summer night and there's soft grass beneath my feet...

Odile's description is way more useful to a new user, as she says what it actually smells like:

The serum has an amber floral fragrance that smells subtle and refined at the same time.

What Step?

Ok, so I apply this a little weirdly!

Because it has occlusive properties, I apply it after my retinal serum (or I did before I stopped the retinal). It isn't necessarily thicker and it has more slip, but I find that everything works better this way around.

The only products I don't recommend using it with Cosrx 96 essence (the serum then didn't dry properly) and Cosrx 92 cream (the cream pills).

Otherwise, it's worked perfectly with every single product I've tried it with, even after oily toners and essences, like Dr Ceuracle Kombucha essence.

Current routine (all Sooryehan unless otherwise stated)

• (Trialling) Bon cleansing foam
• Decorte Phytotune Refining SoftenerA
• AM: Melano CC anti-spot essence
• PM: Decorte Hydra Clarity Treatment Essence
• PM: Ginseng First Essence
• The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Seol White Balancer
• PM: Hyobidam Fermented toner
• The Black Serum
• Decorte Liposome Advanced Repair Face serum (eyes only)
• AM: Hyobidam Fermented emulsion
• PM: Bon Firming Cream
• SPF: Verdio UV Moisture Gel or Canmake Mermaid Clear (if I'm feeling fancy!)
• Occasionally: Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Invigorating serum, inplace of or as well as The Black serum.

Experience

Usage

I know I keep saying Sooryehan products are a joy to apply and this serum doesn't buck the trend!

It is delightful and the only reason I didn't use it night and day initially is that one sachet (1ml) takes a while to absorb but a few drops absorb very easily - so I've switched to using a few drops AM & PM instead for the last month or so and use a sachet across a few routines.

I keep the open sachet in my empty Bon Firming cream jar. It's not exactly sanitary to keep a sachet open for a day or so, but I haven't purchased a full size yet because I want to test an all Whoo Gongjinhyang Seol routine first! I'm impatiently waiting for that order of Gongjinhyang Seol products to arrive!

Anyway, back to The Black Serum: it's not like the full 1ml sachet didn't absorb in a reasonable time frame, it does - but I'm usually short on time AM.

And since switching to an all luxe routine, where all the products have highly superior absorption properties, I'd noticed that The Black Serum took the longest to absorb if I used a whole sachet. But a few drops does actually absorb nearly as quickly as, say, the Whoo balancer.

Effects

I've been thinking for a while now that my skin tone is more even.

I had commented on how calm my skin was when I first started using this serum: since then I've found that my skin is consistently more even-toned.

I think one of the main reasons is that The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Seol White Balancer is adding to the skin tone evening effects of The Black Serum.

I don't want to get ahead of myself as I'll do a separate review of the Whoo balancer, although I am pretty sure it's having a positive impact. Plus I like it!

Besides the noticeable calming effects, it's hydrating, moisturising and occlusive. These are excellent benefits for a serum.

I also mentioned in my Ginseng First Essence review that I tried just the First Essence and The Black Serum which worked well - hydrated comfortable skin all day, although I'm not sure if I'd want to use so few products regularly.

I've now tried the following short routine AM for several days in a row to further test the hydrating effects of The Black Serum:

• Decorte Phytotune Refining Softener
• The Black Serum
• Decorte Liposome Advanced Repair Face serum (eyes only)
• Hyobidam Fermented Emulsion
• Sunscreen

My skin was happily comfortable all day, no noticeable dryness or tightness. However, I do think my skin looks a little less plump when I don't add the additional AM steps.

Since I added the Decorte Phytotune Refining Softener to my routine, I've been wondering how much I need The Black Serum because it's so happened I've also done short routines skipping The Black Serum.

I miss is how calming it is on days where I've skipped it. It's fun to really test new products, as I have with The Black Serum and the Decorte Softener, but my skin misses the extra hydration and ingredients. However, it's good to know I've got great products that will support my skin if I am really low on time.

I've now completed a month-long trial where I use The Black Serum, in smaller amounts, twice a day. My skin is very happy. I did also think I'd do a longer test where I'd skip The Black Serum more consistently but I don't want to give it up 🤷🏻‍♀️

My skin tone continues to look its most even - I have pigment from sun damage and am prone to flushing at the drop of a hat, so my skin tone is never particularly even. However, I think The Black Serum imparts over all calmness so those aspects aren't as prominent.

Evening my skin tone and calming reactivity is really important to me because it's one of those things that can be hard to tackle, especially reactivity.

Of course, The Black Serum doesn't stop flushing but it seems to me that the flushing tends not to bother me so much, because my skin tone is more even generally.

A further note on lack of plumpness - I tend to find that I start seeing eye area sagging 2-4 weeks after I stop using retinal-type products.

I'm about 2-3 weeks to my retinal and AHA embargo now. I've finished the very short routine test so we'll see how it goes. I'll revisit my progress in a few more weeks as I want to allow enough time for the effects of the retinal and AHA to wear off and to give the Decorte serum time to work (hopefully) on my eye area.

The only ways in which The Black Serum suffers in comparison to other products is when I think about the application and texture of Sulwhasoo's Timetreasure serums.

The Timetreasure serums are so thick that they're basically gel creams - I've tried gel creams that are more runny! And yet they absorb quickly (especially when I use a similar amount to The Black Serum).

And I love the highly sophisticated eau de cologne fragrances of the Timetreasure serums.

However, realistically, they are absolutely out of budget whereas I know I love The Black Serum and it's much more affordable.

What will be interesting to see is how Whoo's Gongjinhyang Seol essence compares to both The Black Serum and the Timetreasure serums. I'm excited! Plus, of course, doing an entire routine from one particular line is an interesting concept.

There was a discussion on the AB sub recently about whether it was worth it to use an entire line and the consensus was that one wouldn't get the range of ingredients so it would be a waste of time.

I didn't contribute to that discussion because I definitely used to think like that and to some extent, I see the logic of the argument.

But given my concerns are uneven skin tone and fine lines, using the whole Gongjinhyang Seol range makes sense to me!

Plus, I'm not sure the logic applies to higher end skincare products that contain a range of highly potent active ingredients by way of their extracts. For shorter ingredients lists, yeah, it makes sense, but I'm inclined to think that it's different for luxe brands. That's my instinct, anyway.

I figure I have enough product to try it for a month so I'll report back with a first impressions review once I've completed the trial.

However, I can see myself purchasing a full size of The Black Serum. I lust after an entirely Sooryehan face routine - I wrote this sentence a while back and I've since moved my routine to almost entirely Sooryehan, apart from actives and sunscreen.

If I'm honest with myself, I have little desire to put products on my face that are not Sooryehan. Unless they're from Decorte, Whoo or Sulwhasoo 😂

Final Thoughts

The Black Serum has a perma-spot in my routine - unless doing a whole routine of Whoo Gongjinhyang Seol suits me better!