Better skin in 30-days with Swanicoco Skin Care

My skincare used to change a lot, but even if I know my skin and ingredients well there are some problems that I can't really work on. I was invited to take a part in Swanicoco Swans2 program, I've changed my skincare completely about a month ago and what was the result? Was it worth it or not?

What does Swanicoco stand an?
Swanicoco is a South Korean cosmetic brand full of healthy skincare product. Products are based on fermentation process - a process which makes all the ingredients easier to absorb by the skin. According to Swanicoco, their product are cruelt-free and free from chemical colourants, fragrances, parabens, etc. 

How does my skincare look now?

I base mostly on Swanicoco product but there are some products from other brands which I couldn't remove

AM routine: Cleansing (Bioderma H2O) - Toner (Swanicoco) - Ampoule (Swanicoco) - Serum (Troiareuke - optional) - Eye Cream (Innisfree) - Emulsion (Swanicoco) - Cream (Swanicoco) - Suncream (The Body Shop)

PM routine: Cleansing (The Body Shop butter + Dr Jart/PTR/By Wishtrend Cleanser - depends on skin condition) - Toner (Swanicoco) - Sheet Mask (optional) - Serum (Troiareuke - optional) - Eye Cream (Innisfree) - Emulsion (Swanicoco) - Cream (Swanicoco) 

Swanicoco Bio Ferment Fermentation Snail Care Skintoner

Ingredients: Water, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Water, Aspergillus/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, rh-Oligopeptide-1, Saccharomyces/Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root/Lycium Chinense Root/Ophiopogon Japonicus Root/Panax Ginseng Root/Poria Cocos/Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Ferment Filtrate, Bacillus/Cordyceps Sinensis/Ganoderma Lucidum/Inonotus Obliquus/Lentinus Edodes/Phellinus Linteus/Schizophyllum Commune/Tricholoma Matsutake Extract Ferment Filtrate, Saussurea Involucrata Extract, Saccharomyces/Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Imperata Cylindrica Root Ferment Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Ceramide 1, Carbomer, Arginine, Rosa Centifolia Flower Oil, Magnolia Kobus Bark Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Thujopsis Dolabrata Branch Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract.

Swanicoco Bio Ferment Fermentation Snail Care Emulsion

Ingredients: Water, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Water, Aspergillus/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Stearic Acid, Lactobacillus/Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract/Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract/Luffa Cylindrica Fruit Extract/Morus Alba Root Extract/Pueraria Lobata Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Saccharomyces/Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Imperata Cylindrica Root Ferment Extract, Saussurea Involucrata Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Ceramide 1, Carbomer, Arginine, Saccharomyces/Lycium Chinense Fruit/Rehmannia Glutinosa Root/Cuscuta Chinensis Fruit/Cistanche Deserticola/Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit/Chrysanthemum Morifolium Fruit/Poria Cocos/ Cinnamomum Cassia Ferment, Rosa Centifolia Flower Oil, Magnolia Kobus Bark Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Thujopsis Dolabrata Branch Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract

This skin toner is not a toner you might know from European and American products - it's thicker than a toner but it's easy to spread. The smell of this product is one of the most amazing scents that product can have - we usually think that fermented product smells bad but not in this case - this one has a nice, almost floral scent. The texture reminds of slime a little bit - try not to think about this product like a product with a slime, I'm a kind of person who's always scared of strange stuff that's why I didn't use horse oil cream yet - it seems to me too disgusting to put it on my face. The emulsion seems to be very similar to the toner - even the scent is the same but it's thicker formula - it looks like a lightweight cream.

As you can see the ingredients are very pure - ferments, plant extracts, collagen, peptides, Centella and green tea. All the ingredients are important but let's focus on the most important ingredients that do the whole job. Glycyrrhiza Glabra known as liquorice is an antioxidant which in the beauty industry in Europe is underrated. It has a strong meaning for acne-prone skin, because of antibacterial and soothing properties, but it's also an ingredient that makes skin and post-acne changes on your skin brighter. Snails in Korean products are not a new thing, there are lots of controversies around this ingredient related to slime harvesting - yes, actually the whole process is called harvesting, in some languages term harvesting is related to apples and other fruits but not to the slime. Obviously, it's not a pure slime, fresh slime - there's a long process before this ingredient goes to your cosmetic. So why this ingredient is so precious and unique? The secret lays in its properties, slime is full of vitamins such as Vitamin A or Vitamin C but it's also a source of collagen. It's another antioxidant that can help with acne, post-acne scars and even wrinkles, it's also a strong humectant. Ferments - you might actually have some product of fermentation in your houses, for example, pickled tomatoes or cucumbers. Sake or natto gum is another product of fermentation, same with tofu. Why is this process so good for your skin? Thanks to this process each of nutrients are broke down into smaller pieces which are easier to absorb by the skin, fermented ingredients are smaller and way more powerful than usual ingredients. 

How did this duo work for me? I must admit that I fell in love with toner, I've checked the moisture level before skincare and after using a toner and the effect is fantastic - my skin became really moist, the sebum production is balanced and I had no allergic reactions. The emulsion is not bad, it can be a substitute for a heavy cream in the summer but right now - I think that even if I remove this emulsion from my current skincare I wouldn't feel any change. The only thing that's bad about this series - even if I like the packaging, you don't really know when you're going to be out of the product. 

Swanicoco FGF 99% Pure Ampoule

Ingredients: sh-Polypeptide-11, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Carbomer, Arginine, Adenosine, Olibanum and Rosa Damascena Flower Oil.

FGF stands for Fibroblast Growth Factor. FGF has a meaningful role in cell growth, wound and scars healing. It stimulates collagen synthesis and as you know collagen production decreases with age. This factor should help with various skin problems like wrinkles, pigmentation, scarring and wound healing. How do FGF works? Let's say that your body is a computer and FGF is a programmer, it turns out that some of the files are corrupted - you've got a serious wound on your leg. What will the programmer - in this case, FGF do? The programmer needs to send all the help to this one place, FGF changes the direction of all the amino acids and stem cells to focus on the broken piece of your body. I had some fresh wounds and I've got problems with post-acne scars and PIE, I have to admit that the smell of this product is not nice - is a plain smell which I thought that I'm going to throw up after smelling it, it's a liquid substance which... really works! It speeds up the healing process, my skin does not peel off anymore and I see some changes if it comes to the pigmentation, all the changes on my skin are disappearing quicker than before. The price of this ampule might be really high because I saw prices between 60-100$ but that's a real superhero, I can't use tamanu oil since I can get cross-reaction to this product and tamanu oil is an ingredient that even Liah Yoo recommends for acne-prone skin and pigmentation. I'll use it for a longer time but after a month effect is really good.

Swanicoco Dr. Syul by Swanicoco, Shining Luminous Mask Pack

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Glycereth-26, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Polysorbate 20, Sucrose Dilaurate, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Glutathione, Collagen Amino Acids, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Arginine, Alanine, Tyrosine, Histidine, Leucine, Methionine, Erythritol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Copper Tripeptide-1, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentapeptide-20, Alpha-Arbutin, Ethyl hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Arginine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Propanediol.

This mask was really good even if I wasn't sure how I'm going to react to the Pea Extract, my skin was moist and bright, the scent was really nice but the mask was so big, I was joking that next time I have to cut it. I totally recommend it!

Swanicoco 2GF Bio Mix Mask Pack

Ingredients: Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium phosphate, rh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-11, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 20, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Phytosterols, Crinum Asiaticum Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Arginine, Alanine, Tyrosine, Histidine, Leucine, Methionine, Hyaluronic Acid, Althaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Honey Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Colloidal Platinum, Ginsenosides, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Erythritol, Polysorbate 80, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Arginine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine.

Another mask which I immediately fell in love with! This mask mixes EGF & FGF. EGF stands for Epidermal Growth Factor which is a FGF sibling, it can penetrate deeply under the skin and it boosts cell growth to replace the old cells with a new one. EGF is an ideal ingredient if you want an ingredient which will help with wrinkles or to prevent early skin ageing. This mask is really good in my opinion, it's different than a normal cellulose mask, it's smaller than Shining Luminous Mask Pack and it's very moisturizing, after using it, I've checked my skin in the morning if my skin is moist or dry and it was so moist, I couldn't believe. 

Swanicoco The Bio Nature Daily Swan Mask Pack

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, rh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-11, Silk Amino Acids, Neofinetia Falcata Callus Culture Extract, Erythritol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Solanum Tuberosum (Potato) Pulp Extract, Ipomoea Batatas Root Extract, Allium Cepa (Onion) Bulb Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Asparagus Officinalis Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, Oenanthe Javanica Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine, Potassium Hydroxide, Ethyl Hexanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Propanediol

I was so happy with effects of two previous masks that I had to try this mask too. The ingredients look nice - the onion extracts speaks to me because you know I live in a country when we like to joke about onions. What's wrong with the ingredients? I don't see anything bad, maybe Allantoin should be higher, same with Adenosine. Maybe they should add Centella because right now this mask didn't work on my skin, it does nothing - besides decreasing skin moisture. 

Swanicoco Overnight Intensive Recharging Hydrogel Mask Pack

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Glucomannan, Glycereth-26, Propolis Extract, Honey Extract, Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Chloride, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Dextrin, Adenosine, Betaine, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Disodium EDTA, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Tin Oxide, Gold(1ppm), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil.

I thought that the previous mask was a mistake until I've tried this hydrogel mask. Hydrogel masks are told to be better than cellulose masks but I think it's not true. This mask is recommended to every person who has problems with wrinkles, the main job of this work is not to moisture your skin but to brighten your skin and hide some wrinkles. The hydrogel is very delicate, one wrong move and it'll tear apart. Another problem is that you have to apply it carefully, 

I had a drop of it in my eye and it burns like hell. I had a one day break between two masks and you know what - this one is even worse than the previous one, the skin moisture in the morning was on a tragical level, it wasn't on that level since I've started to use Wayskin - I woke up with a very dry skin. I just think that my skin don't like hydrogels. 

Swanicoco Lifetime Saver Bio Cream

Ingredients: Mineral Water, sh-Polypeptide-16, sh-Polypeptide-4, sh-Polypeptide-22, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isoamyl laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Collagen Amino Acids, Grifola Frondosa Fruiting Body Extract, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Astaxanthin, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Swiftlet Nest Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Angelica Gigas Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Bletia Hyacinthina Bulb Extract, Trichosanthes Kirilowii Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Trehalose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sorbitan Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine, Caprylhydroxamic acid, Propanediol

The cream has a herbal scent and rich but not oily texture, but I feel like there are couple things that didn't really work for me. Let's start with a fact that this cream leaves my skin not oily but also it's not moist enough, especially in the winter, it's a nice cream - I could even keep using it instead of Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream but there's a small detail which makes all the things complicated - Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, a highly comedogenic oil, a small hoodwinker! I was pretty sure that my skin reacts to The Body Shop sunscreen but even if I've stopped to use it from time to time, I could feel some cysts under my skin - a small cysts, a little bit like a milia. This product contains PEG-100 Stearate and Laureth-7, but I'm not going to focus on that. If your skin is normal then this cream can really do its job.

Let's focus a little bit on ingredients, this product contains 3 sh-Polypeptides, each of this peptides are growth factors. They do not work only on the surface of the skin, they can dig way deeper into the skin, that's why they are so popular in anti-aging creams. They stimulate collagen synthesis and help with wound healing. Ceramide NP - ceramides are naturally occurring in your skin, they balance the skin and protect it from water loss when your lipid barrier is destroyed using ceramides in your skincare can improve lipid barrier. This ingredient is very effective on dry skin. Even if there are some ingredients which can be really good for your skin, in my case Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil has changed everything completely. I'll probably end up using it on legs hoping that my legs won't have any reactions to this product but I plan to change my face cream this month.

Overall Feelings

I feel very positive about this change. For sure I'll stick to toner and FGF ampoule - as long as I'll be able to get ampoule in good price because even if it's a very precious ingredient I feel like I'm going to be broke if I want to buy it at a regular price. I might buy emulsion in future but definitely, toner, ampoule and 2GF Bio Mix Mask Pack are my favourites. 

Let's talk about a less enjoyable thing...

... money. So how about prices? I've checked the prices on beautytap, previously known as w2beauty since it's probably the only online store with all these items Swanicoco Bio Ferment Fermentation Snail Care Skintoner and Emulsion costs $15 each, it's not a bad price, I think both are really affordable. The FGF ampoule costs $53 so that's the most expensive product here, you can decide if it's affordable or not but for me it's a game changer. Cream costs $42, for me it's overpriced. Sheet masks cost between $2-$5.

Do you know Swanicoco? Which product seems to be the most interesting to you?

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*** This post was made in collaboration with Swanicoco as a part of Swans2 program, even though it still shows my personal opinion on the topics and products***