How to brighten your skin during the sleep? Hanyul Midnight Yuja Sleeping Mask Review

Yuja might not be the hottest ingredient lately but Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask is definitely the hottest sleeping mask on the market! Maybe it's the yellow packaging that reminds of sun and summer standing behind the popularity of this product? Design is important but in this case, the popularity of Hanyul Moonlight Yuja Sleeping Mask is in a mystery ingredient called Yuja - a source of Vitamin C. Is it as good as Hanyul Yuja Oil?

Yuja or just lemon?

Yuja or Yuzu is an ingredient which I've never seen anywhere in Europe and even when I talk with my friends about my favourite facial oil which is actually oil from Hanyul Yuja series no one knows what I'm talking about. It's a fruit that might remind you of a mandarin but bit bigger and yellow or a grapefruit. The roots of this fruit come from China but Yuja became popular during the Tang dynasty and since then you can find it in local cuisines of both Japan and Korea. Yuja isn't another superfood, it's a source of Vitamin C that's why you can see it in some skincare products. It's not a lemon even if it might smell similar and it comes from the same citrus family still differences between Lemon, Yuja, Grapefruit and other ingredients from the same family might be huge. 

Hanyul - couple words about the brand

I feel like I don't have to say that Hanyul is a South Korean brand, but you might not be aware that Hanyul is a brand which is usually classified as Hanbang brand because you can clearly see that Hanyul is inspired by Korean traditional medicine and folk remedies even if later we have this huge tradition vs technology battle if it comes to skincare. Hanyul mixed both and they did a great job, this brand offer series based on rice, artemisia, red beans, brown pine needles and other local plants. Yuja series is quite young and besides Sleeping Mask you can actually get yourself a huge part of skincare routine based on Yuja - Toner, Face Oil and Sheet Mask. 

The design

The design has a huge meaning because that's how we usually buy a product - without checking ingredients or reading reviews first. What actually got me interested in Hanyul first were aesthetic. I just love their Instagram page, it's a huge inspiration for me. The design of the brand reminds me of Pantone and minimalism. The sleeping mask jar feels very iconic to me since Hanyul Pure Artemisia Watery Calming Cream jar is very similar (actually the cream contains 50ml and mask 60ml still cream seems to be bigger). Inside you can find a small spatula and instruction. Similar to Oil - it has two different sides (let's called it faces) - Korean and English. When you open the mask you'll see a plastic cap which is easy to remove. The product contains 60 ml of a lovely yellow texture with tiny Yuja beads and since opening, you've got 12 months of use. 

What's inside?

Even if the design is important, the ingredients are the most important part! You can use this sleeping mask alone or with Facial Oil, Toner or Sleeping Mask for better results. 

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Trehalose, Niacinamide, Alcohol, PCA Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Behenyl Alcohol, Jojoba Esters, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citrus Junos Peel Oil, Cnidium Officinale Root Water, Angelica Acutiloba Root Water, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Adenosine, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether, Beta-Carotene, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citrus Junos Peel Extract

Similar to Yuja Oil you won't find here artificial scent ingredients but instead - it's all about natural scents. The scent is sweet but bitter - I love this scent but not everyone will like it. Personally, I recommend you patch test this product before because Yuja is citrus and it might not work on every skin type. 

The base of this mask is Water and it's not a surprise for me and it shouldn't be for surprising for you too. It's not a bad thing, water is a solvent. Glycerin is 2nd and that's good information since Glycerin is a moisturizer, even better - it's very similar to substances found in the skin. It's an ingredient that prevents TEWL - Transepidermal Water Loss but you have to remember that too much Glycerin can change the effect and from preventing it might turn out that water is evaporating from your skin - but don't worry, if you use occlusives and humectants in your skincare and your routine is balanced then you shouldn't be scared of Glycerin because still, it's one of the best moisturizers. Butylene Glycol has an important role in the product - it helps with product absorption. 

This formula is full of emollient and humectants - both are important for the skin. Trehalose is one of the moisturizers, even if it sounds very strange it's a good and healthy moisturizer. Jojoba Esters is another moisturizer which you should look up to. Don't mistake them with Jojoba Oil! Jojoba Esters are products which we get after the interesterification of jojoba oil. Even if pure jojoba oil is amazing because it's very similar to human sebum - just like jojoba esters, the reason why esters are better is stability. It's also an emollient that doesn't leave the oily film on the skin, so our skin gets hydration and protection but Jojoba Esters can be soothing. I'm aware that Hanyul used in this product two unique solutions - Yuja Vita C Complex and Yuja Essential Beads and somehow I feel like Yuja Essential Beads is a mixture of Jojoba Esters and Yuja Peel Oil that provides moisture and beautiful scent. Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin) and Behenyl Alcohol are emollients and I'm aware that some people freak out after seeing Alcohol but Behenyl Alcohol is not bad, it's not alcohol that will dry out your skin, instead, it'll work as a stabilizer. Next emollient you probably know from your kitchen - Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil, in this case, is different than cooking oil but still, it's an amazing ingredient which is loved by the skin due to it's moisturizing but also protective function, it's actually an ingredient used in many products for special skincare like moisturizers for people with sensitive skin. Glyceryl Caprylate is also an emollient, quite popular in "eco/green" products. 

Where's Yuja?

You might ask, where's Yuja? Yuja is usually hidden under the name Citrus Junos. This time we've got Citrus Junos Peel Oil and Citrus Junos Peel Extract. According to Hanyul, Yuja Sleeping Mask contains 6 Goheung Yujas, this solution is called Vita C Complex that works as an antioxidant so  this complex should prevent free radical damage, it will make skin looking more relaxed, healthier or even younger - obviously, don't suspect that it'll turn back the time for 20 years but it can slow down the ageing process. Goheung is actually a County located in Jeollanam-do Province. If you check the map of South Korea you'll see that this province is the South part of the country. Back to Yuja (or Yuzu), it's a source of Vitamin C and the scent of it is incredible, personally, I'm a fan of Yuja tea and mix of Yuja and Matcha is the best thing that can happen (you don't even know how happy I am to see this mix in a local store). I told you before about Yuja Essential Beads, I believe that it's a mix of Yuja and Jojoba Esters, you can actually see small beads in the texture, on a photo you probably won't see it (I still hope that one day I'll be able to show you better texture shots but I guess you can already see how pretty this texture is). 

Natural shade

Another unique solution is Vita Oil Complex, Hanyul is a brand that does not use artificial colourants and scents so will you be surprised if I tell you that the intensive yellow colour of the product came from the mix of Beta-Carotene and Tocopherol with a tiny drop of Yuja Peel Oil? The same solution was used in Hanyul Yuja Oil, Beta-Carotene is an antioxidant but also colourant while Tocopherol is nothing else than Vitamin E - also an antioxidant that works amazing if you add some Vitamin C - actually Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask contains Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether - a stable form of Vitamin C, it can improve your skin tone so your skin will look brighter, it might not be a game changer if your skin has PIE or PIH (pigmentation problems) but it can help with dull skin. Similar to Oil - it contains Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract which is an emollient. 

Star ingredients - meet Niacinamide & Adenosine 

This mask contains 2 ingredients which I like and recommend (not always of course). Niacinamide is an ingredient that you can see a lot lately due to its superpower - it's a skin brightener and moisturizer that helps with acne, wrinkles and skin barrier. It's also called Vitamin B3 and it's even popular in dietetics. Similar to Adenosine, I like it for one thing in particular - wound healing, both of them works like boosters - they boost up the healing properties of the skin. The only thing I need to mention - if you use Niacinamide as the main ingredient and Vitamin C then please be careful - sensitive skin might not like this mix even if they both gave better effects that on their own. Hopefully, this combination in mask didn't do anything wrong to my skin. Adenosine helps with collagen production so turns out it improves skin elasticity. 

Texture and scent

I could talk about the ingredients all day long, in general, it's a good combination even if there's Alcohol that can be drying. The texture looks like a yellow curd with tiny bits of lemon peel - it looks like a cake filling but it's a sleeping mask. The texture is lightweight and I don't feel it on my skin while the scent might be heavier but it also disappears after a couple of minutes. This mask melts in my skin and I guess it'll be an ideal mask for summer. I still adore Hanyul's commercial for Yuja series. If I have to choose then Yuja series is way better than Artemisia one by the scent and texture. Don't worry about the beads - they melt on the skin as well 

Is Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask effective?

I strongly believe that this mask is going and it's already is a favourite of many people but as long as the Hanyul Yuja Oil dethroned my old favourite Korres Wild Rose Oil, I don't see Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask as a number #1  sleeping mask, I enjoy it a lot but I kinda feel like in some skin conditions like dry skin during winter or even summer it might not be enough. It makes skin looking fresh and bright but please, don't expect that the brightening effect to be very visible - the pigmentation on my skin didn't change, I still have some redness on my skin (which I usually remove with clay masks) but  I enjoy the scent, ingredients and texture of this mask. If you add Hanyul Yuja Oil to your routine then the effect of the oil is better with this duo. I like to use a sleeping mask instead of a moisturizer because my skin is a combo type. I didn't see any comedogenic reactions - no new pimples on the skin and that means a lot. I feel like thanks to this mask I might end up buying a couple more Hanyul products because this brand surprised me with the design and quality. The mask didn't dry my skin as well, I haven't seen any increase with oil production but instead, I feel like oil production of my skin got moderated lately. 

Read the review of Hanyul Yuja Oil here

The price and where to get Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask?

This jar of mask contains 60 ml of the products - funny enough 50 ml jar of Hanyul moisturizers looks bigger to me.  The regular price of Hanyul Yuja Sleeping Mask is $29,57 but Jolse has many good offers and discounts and at the moment I wrote and published this post, this mask cost $25,13. It's recommended for all skin type but in my opinion normal to oily skin types will enjoy it the most. I encourage you to try the Hanyul Yuja Oil as well. 

Do you use sleeping masks? Have you ever tried any Hanyul product?

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*** This post was made in collaboration with Jolse, even though it still shows my personal opinion on the topic and product**