Does anyone else know what I mean when I say I have “skin anxiety”? Growing up, my skin and I have never really seen eye-to-eye with one another. Even before I hit puberty and greeted my first pimple, I had already been struggling for years with eczema all over my body. My skin was always so dry and itchy, making it impossible for me to not scratch furiously at the afflicted parts. This inevitably led to scarring as I was constantly picking at scabs and splitting open my delicate skin. By the time I was a teenager, my arms and legs were covered in dark spots, proof of a battle with my skin that I was constantly losing.

Skincare was also never a priority in my family, so when my first pimple came, and then another, and another, I just left it be, thinking it would go away on its own. It never did. I can’t remember when those pimples eventually turned into acne, and the soft, smooth skin of my childhood disappeared forever. I just remember looking in the mirror as a teenager, and wishing I could turn back the clock. Stop this in its tracks before it became as bad as it did.

Unfortunately, I grew up in a country where the weather was always hot and humid, so I constantly had to deal with sweaty, grimy skin, and this mistakenly led me to believe that I had oily skin. I don’t. I actually have combination/dry skin, and as it turns out, I suffer from rosacea as well, a condition I knew nothing about until recently. However, not knowing any of this 10+ years ago, resulted in me drastically worsening my poor skin. I used harsh cleansers, scrubbing my skin raw, thinking that this would be the best way to deep clean my pores.

Thankfully this is no longer the case today. I’ve since learned how to communicate with my skin better, and pay attention to what it’s actually telling me. Developing a proper routine, and being extremely careful about what products I use on my face has definitely helped. However, this means that I am extremely reluctant to try out new products on my skin, in case I develop a negative reaction. Moisturizer has been missing from my routine for a long time, as I had not been able to find one I could trust. Until now.

Instant Relief for Sensitive Skin

Let me introduce you to Make P:rem’s Safe Relief Cream. Consisting of only 12 simple ingredients, this rich moisturizing cream is so natural and gentle in its formulation that even a baby’s delicate skin will love it. Director Pi, a prominent beauty creator who also works as a beauty director at Elle Korea, named the Safe Relief Cream as one of the best creams she knows out of a 100. The cream is also rated green by Environmental Working Group (EWG), as it has zero toxic ingredients and allergens.

Known in Korea as anshim (안심) cream, which literally means safety cream, this cream is meant to function as your go-to moisturizer for all of your hydration needs. I’ve been using it not just on my face, but on my hands, elbows, legs… just about anywhere on my body that feels dry and could use a generous helping of moisture!

A creamy melting gel texture

The secret of this cream is Make P:rem’s innovative approach of only using a handful of natural ingredients with powerful skincare properties. The result? A highly effective cream that is gentle on all skin types. The key ingredient in this cream is squalane, which is derived from olive oil. Squalane is actually a natural part of the human body, as it can be found in sebum. It has emollient properties and provides your skin with a natural layer of oil to guard against moisture loss.

Fully absorbed without greasiness!

Less is More: Ingredient Deep Dive

Other important ingredients to note are the arctic raspberry extract, sage essential oil and the bergamot fruit oil. These 3 ingredients all have antibacterial qualities, making them acne-fighting essentials as they keep your skin clean and fresh. Sage essential oil and bergamot fruit oil also help to fade scars and dark spots, promoting a more even skin tone. While sage oil is anti-inflammatory, thereby reducing redness, bergamot oil can also function as an analgesic, meaning it lessens pain and can easily calm dry, agitated skin.

Although I often avoid drying alcohols in the products I use, the kind of alcohol in this cream is far from harmful, and much more beneficial than you would think. Cetearyl alcohol is known as a fatty alcohol that is sourced naturally from coconut or palm oil, meaning it is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids. It also possesses emollient properties, and is good for emulsifying and thickening, which is how the Safe Relief Cream manages to have such a rich, dense feeling.

How it Feels

To apply the cream, use its ergonomic spatula to scoop out a dime-sized amount of product and gently transfer to the desired areas you would like to moisturize. I enjoy giving myself more of this cream than I should as it feels so luxurious on the skin, and as its name suggests, there is instant relief following application. I can’t tell you how many times as a child when I would cry because the cream prescribed to me by the doctors would leave a burning feeling in my sensitive, heavily-cracked skin. Since I began using this cream, all that I can think about whenever I apply it, is how much I wish I could go back in time and give it to my child self. She would have really appreciated it.

You will notice when you begin to rub the cream into your skin, two things: one being that the cream will slowly dissolve into a thin, cooling gel as you gently brush it across your moisture-starved skin, and the other being that the cream has a very distinct, soothing fragrance that stems from the sage oil. I find applying this cream at the end of a long day is a very good way to relax and pamper myself, due to the aromatherapeutic quality of the sage oil.

This moisturizer may appear thick and creamy at first glance, but after you apply it, the gel-base ingredients will quickly emerge. Its consistency is nowhere near being greasy nor oily; on the contrary, your skin will absorb it so fast that you will be tempted to put more. Skin is left feeling hydrated, bouncy and nourished but without any sticky residue. This is great for me, as I can apply the cream even while I’m typing this and not worry about leaving grease stains all over my keyboard!

The Results

My eczema-prone skin has been absolutely loving this cream, as I still suffer quite a bit from dry and cracked skin on my hands, and after applying this cream just a few times, the look and feel of my skin has visibly improved. I can definitely tell that my skin’s elasticity has been strengthened and that the moisture from the cream has been locked into my previously parched skin. It feels amazing to be able to flex my fingers without worrying about breaking my skin, and not having to resist the urge to scratch anymore.

Calm, hydrated skin!

Meanwhile, on my face, my skin has never felt softer. I had already been incorporating the immensely popular 7 Skin Method into my daily routine to give my skin the moisture it lacked, and after adding in the Safe Relief Cream, my skin has just blown me away with the results. Not only has the redness from my rosacea died down considerably, but my cheeks are visibly plumper and rounder now. I feel absolutely baby-faced and can’t stop myself from poking my cheeks nowadays because of how soft-to-the-touch they are now.

Overall, after using Make P:rem’s Safe Relief Cream, I don’t think I can go back to using any other moisturizer now. Since it’s February, the Month’o’Love (as Katie called it in her post about this month’s Gamechanger), I’m declaring this cream as my Valentine, given that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with it. I’m sure you will too.

Stay glowing,
Jayne