Sooryehan's The Black Serum Update

In honour of my panic that it had been reformulated, here is my update post!

Whilst being a very nice product that I enjoy using no end, the headline of this update is that I forgot that extracts could deliver specific results. The Black Serum has a variety of anti-inflammatory ingredients and that is likely to be the reason that it calms down redness for me.

Why only The Black Serum works but nothing else must be down to the ingredients it has that other products don't or higher quality extracts than previous things I've tried with some of the same*

The rest of this post is about why I'd forgotten this key fact.

*A note: going back through Reddit posts, I've claimed a couple of times that other things have calmed my skin! However, a combination of drier skin, hard water and medication have totally borked my skin so now it's just The Black Serum (or other products from the range in conjunction with the serum).

Highlights from the last review and link

Link to Sooryehan's The Black Serum review

I said it was thinner than honey, silky and smooth to apply as well as ensmoothening on my skin.

When it comes to the fragrance, I still find it delightful. More on this below.

And yes, it's still calming! This, as well as the general user experience, is what keeps me using this product - although I do wish that every product from The Black range would dry more quickly and also not be so shiny.

On closer acquaintance

Fragrance

The fragrances of the Sulwhasoo Timetreasure serums are dramatic: in terms of positives, they have significantly more complexity and sophistication than many other products but the volume is up to 11 on strength. The only comparable things in volume of smell that I've tried are Whoo's Gongjinhyang Essential Moisturizing Balancer followed by the Whoo Bichup Ja Yoon cream. I don't always want a fragrance that is An Event but rather something that's good company.

It doesn't have to be rarefied, as long as it is refined - just because i want something easy going doesn't mean I want something bland.

I stand by my night walk in the forest description of The Black Serum and the fragrance is very user friendly. In comparison, I do have to think about whether my brain will irritated by using one of the stronger fragrances. I do not always want to have to think about what I'm putting on my face and shouty fragrances are definitely part of the equation.

Application

For the feel of the serum, I find that the ensmoothening factor is something that happens with good quality products with some kind of silicone content.

Not only do I particularly enjoy this sensation and finish, I find my subsequent products glide on beautifully. I know I talk about this a lot but it's pretty important to me. Many a nice product has been ditched because it lacked this factor.

It's not a thing everyone likes - AB Muse does not and also read this if you haven't.

Link to AB Muse's post on Misfit products

Am I going to link to this post in nearly every of my posts? It is probable.

In fact, AB Muse and I use this dislike/like scale of that siliconey feeling to recommend/de-recommend products to each other. It's a useful tool to have.

The siliconey feel is protective to me and it's one of the things I found wasn't quite hitting the spot with the Sooryehan Ginseng First Essence recently.

Link to the Sooryehan Ginseng First Essence update post.

Shininess

If combined with too many siliconey products in my morning routine, I can find I'm at the shiny end of glowy, which isn't ideal.

Perhaps what I interpret as shine would be perceived as glowy by someone else and as I mentioned in my recent post, I'm trying to make peace with it or, failing that, ignore it.

Link to my post on cream textures.

Before I say what I'm going to say next, I don't apply this as a judgement to anyone else, it's only about my perception of my skin. You should go for whatever finish you like but I know my "preference" is determined by norms of my youth.

I am a 90s teen survivor of thin brows and matte foundation. I'm aware how long ago the 90s were but your teen years are formative. I have grown out of a lot of 90s trends but skin is a difficult one to shake.

I can accept glowy and satin (like a powder highlighter) but anything l interpret as shine bothers me!

For some people, I bet my shiny skin just looks glowy and they might chase the effects I get from my product combinations.

The Black Essence Moisturiser is much more of a glow-shine culprit than The Black Serum.

For me, I'm constantly trying to tamp down the shine.

Using the right amount

I've already sort of covered this in my Sooryehan Ginseng First Essence post but I'm expanding on it.

One of the few annoyances I have with using The Black Serum is not the fault of the product, it's my continued use of sample sachets - whilst they're generally easy to use, I can't dispense a reliable amount which leaves me applying too much or not enough. Both scenarios are frustrating so after 18 months of using it, I've purchased a bottle.

Of course, the full size is vastly more pricey than the samples: compare 9c per ml versus $1 per ml. I could decant the samples but there's a risk because the preservatives and technology used in the serum may not work properly in a random container. And lately, the samples from TesterKorea have a noticeably different fragrance to the full size.

Anyway: I had thought that it took a while for The Black Serum to absorb but that's just down to using too much. Usually the variability in product amount dispensed from the sachet is too much because if I think that I didn't squeeze out enough, I'll add more and that's where I regularly end up with too much!

However, whilst it absolutely does take longer dry than some of my other products, one pump of the bottle, is perfect for my AM routine: it absorbs quickly and doesn't lead to shininess by itself. Problem solved!

It is definitely worth devoting some of my skincare budget to The Black Serum bottle. I regret not doing it sooner because it's so convenient to have an appropriate amount for my morning routine. I will be purchasing the 60ml jumbo bottle next month (as I haven't run out of my current one yet).

I will keep some samples in stock for travelling, though, it's very handy to save on space.

Further thoughts on performance

After trying a lot of products for the sheet fun of newness, I'd kinda forgotten about the power of antioxidants.

It all gets a bit jumbled in with the narrative that actives (retinol, acids etc) are more significant (or the only thing that works) for which there's a reinforcing echo chamber online.

Even though vitamin c is classed as an antioxidant, that particular fact appears to get subsumed to its status as an active.

That's not to say that cosmetics users don't focus on antioxidants but there's often seems to be a specific hierarchy because antioxidants (outside of vitamin c) are less proven. And even vitamin c is less well-proven than retinoids.

And then there's the perception that "evidence" for antioxidants is gleaned from limited studies or those funded by manufacturers that are therefore sure to have bias.

Like I said in my Whoo lip product review, I'm far less bothered about studies and studies done by LG get an "oooh LG" response from me!

Link to Whoo lip product review

And one of my favourite things about LG is the research institutions they've developed so why not trust the brand's manufacturer studies, despite potential bias.

Link to Odile's The History of Whoo Ultimate guide which talks about the research centre.

I like LG products and so - if there's a sample or mini - I'll just give it a go and see what works. There are plenty of samples out there so I get to properly try things out before committing.

And I tried The Black Serum because AB Muse recommended getting the samples.

I had of course already heard of Whoo and Sooryehan from Odile's videos but I'd assumed it was out of my price range and too fragranced (I have discovered that some products are not to my personal taste at all!)

Realistically, many products from those brands remain beyond what feels justifiable to me, however, like I've said time and again on this blog, it's an investment that has paid off because I can use less products which arguably saves money in the amount of products I purchase.

And it means I'd be likely to purchase a full size if it's not above $50 for one product. But if a product is really really nice, I'd consider higher priced options. Some products are just that good! Hence my purchase of The Black Serum full sizes.

A shorter routine is very valuable to me because of the time it saves (well, duh but true). I can actually do my skincare right before bed because a short routine that is still effective takes five minutes, fifteen if I want to go all out. I'd still rather spend more time and apply a few extra products for fun but it's not necessary to do this every day if I don't feel like it.

Whereas before, I'd be tempted not to do anything at all because I'd need to apply quite a few products which is too exhausting to contemplate, leading me to just avoid the whole process. Which is a bit of a mad attitude but if you're super tired, there's a logic to it for the tired brain.

Anyway, back to trusting LG as a brand: it has kinda led me to forgetting about what ingredients might do because I've tried a lot of products with antioxidants that don't seem to have much impact.

They're great in theory and I'm sucked in by that ingredient halo because said products do contain some extract. Except we as consumers don't really know whether the extract is good quality or if there's an efficacious amount of the extract in the product. Go back to Odile's video on snail for a demonstration!

Link to Odile's video on snail.

As a result of this forgetting, the calming benefits of The Black Serum have been a mystery.

Except it shouldn't have: there's multiple extracts that have anti-inflammatory actions.

Two types of Liquorice, Turmeric, Astragalus Membranaceus and Amur Cork Tree Bark extracts, and that's just the ones that Incidecoder recognises. A very cursory Google search suggests Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract and Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract have anti-inflammatory actions too. There may be other extracts in the serum that also have an effect on inflammation.

So the point is: the calming effects should have been immediately obvious from a glance at the ingredient list.

But like I said, I've used plenty of products that are said to be super calming because of ingredients like Centella which haven't done anything much for my skin.

Although in the side note above, I have in the past said that certain things, like SK-II essence, appeared to calm redness but for the price and texture, it never compelled me to repurchase beyond a few minis. Whereas I've noted time and again, using Sooryehan's The Black Serum for the last 18 months, that it definitely calms redness.

Does it get rid of redness? No but it helps.

Do I notice effects on my fine lines and skin texture? That is hard to say because I use a lot of products that are targeted at fine lines.

And, importantly: the stress of moving and changing jobs, less humidity, vastly harder water, medication and probably a less quality diet all have negative effects on skin.

A tornado of aggressors all at once!

I absolutely think my skin would be very sad without the excellent products I use. I would be noticing a substantial loss of skin quality. There's still some things that aren't quite right with my skin but when you consider all of those skin stressing things, I think I'm doing pretty well.

I'd make an argument that visible calming effects aren't just about the appearance of the skin. There's also skin comfort so proper moisturising makes a difference for sure - The Black Serum adds to the moisturising-heavy focus of my routine.

Did I switch to anything else or amend my usage of it?

I am going drop this category going forward as I change up my routine all the time but for now I'll use it as an excuse to briefly talk about the other products from this line that I've tried.

The Black Exopert cream: also calming and has a delightful whipped texture. I do prefer more noticeably silicone texture, like the Sooryehan Bon Firming Cream or their Hyobidam Fermented cream. However, it's very nice so I'm not complaining generally, it just may also be too creamy and not siliconey enough for humid, sweaty summer evenings.

And I do need to use up the last of my Bon Firming cream, which has been working quite well this summer (in conjunction with a light cream or emulsion, for example).

As I mentioned above, The Black Essence Moisturiser is shiny and I would use it anyway but have slight consternation with the shine.

I've switched it to PM now so I still get delight and calming but less annoyance.

The benefits of using all three products from The Black line stack and I want to try The Black Single Essence, although I'm debating it. 

I'm strongly considering using The Black Exopert as my winter day cream, which I wasn't sure about due to no silicones, although this is largely a defunct concern now I have the Whoo Cheongidan cream as an eye cream to plump my eye area.

Will I repurchase?

A thousand times yes!

The only question is whether I get a bigger bottle next time... And what my long-term moisturiser should be to keep the shininess down - or, of course, mattifying sunscreen.

And it's not an issue with non-silicone moisturisers.