Review: Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Hyaluronic Acid Lotion

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

I love hyaluronic acid lotions (or toners), I really do. For skin that dehydrates easily, HA lotions feel so nice as they help your skin plump and hold moisture. A long time ago (3 years!) I reviewed the "original" Gokujyun (Super) Moist Lotion and compared it to the JUJU Aquamoist Lotion (read that here). In addition to the regular Moist, there are now several versions of the Hada Labo HA lotion, including Light and Alpha (retinol). When I ran out of my last lotion and found out that Hada Labo released a Premium version last year with FIVE forms of hyaluronic acid, well, I was very excited. Five, guys. Five!

The consistency of Premium is much thicker than the watery fluid like original Moist. Closer to a gel or serum than water.

I used it after I've cleansed my face, before serum and moisturizer. It sinks in very quickly and on its own, dries on the sticky side, much like Gokujyun Super Moist. Paired with a great moisturizer, it leaves skin soft and clean feeling, no tacky feeling at all. It is definitely the richer relations of original Moist.

Ingredients, courtesy of MakeupAlley:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Sodium Acetyl Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate (Nano Hyaluronic Acid), Hydroypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer (3D Hyaluronic Acid), Aphanothece Sacrum (Sacran) Exopolysaccharides, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Diglycerin, Sorbitol, Pentylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Carbomer, Polyquaternium-51, PEG-32, PEG-75, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Disodium Succinate, Succinic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

One ingredient that I really liked was the urea, of which I have been a fan of since I first tried LCN's line of 10-40% urea products at Cosmoprof. I don't see it too often in my facial products but I enjoy the hydrating effect it has on my skin.

The original Gokujyun Moist was fluid enough that I often used it with plain cotton facial masks. The same could be done with the Premium version, though I wet the facial masks with water first since Premium is thicker. Overall I want to like how hydrated my skin feels when I use this product alongside an occlusive moisturizer and humidifier. I would say that it might be too moisturizing and rich for most skin types, many people just don't need that much hydration. I could definitely see someone reaching for Premium in the dry winter season (or in my case, dry summer) and the lighter classic (or even Light) Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion in the warm season. However I don't think that this lotion and I are meant to be, because despite how lovely my face feels, I get closed comedones and the lone whitehead when I use this product. Womp womp. I'll be finishing up this bottle instead on my body and on my feet.

Price: ~$14 including shipping from eBay

Have you tried Hada Labo's newest addition to the Gokujyun lotion line up?