FTE Battle #1: COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence vs. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

Some time in May and June, I carried out a small experiment: for 4 weeks, I applied two different FTEs on two different halves of my face.  (I also wrote a rather unstructured, irregularly updated diary of the process here.)  The aim is simple: I was looking for a substitute for the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, which I had been using for a month and a half before the start of the experiment.  This, therefore, is the belated write-up of the month-long comparison.

Skin Profile: Dry, easily dehydrated, sensitive, and prone to redness.

What is FTE?

FTE (First Treatment Essence) or first essence is a catch-all term for a step in the skincare routine dedicated to ferments, generally applied after cleansing and “actives” (chemical exfoliators, vitamin C) and before hydrating layers.  Unlike other routine steps with their well-defined functions, FTEs’ efficacy has less empirical basis, and response is varied.  A commonly reported effect of FTE usage is “glowing” skin, which is highly subjective and difficult to quantify.  In any case, some people find FTE usage beneficial, while others see no meaning in them.  Although FTEs should not contain any live microbes, they may contain growth signals that can affect the skin’s natural flora; hence, people prone to or suffering from fungal acne generally avoid FTEs derived from yeast ferments.

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence

The COSRX G95WPE is a transparent, viscous liquid.  It is largely odourless.  Upon some patting, it is quickly absorbed into the skin.

Price: JPY 1,469 for 100 mL (Amazon JP).

Ingredients: Galactomyces ferment filtrate (95%), niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, betaine, panthenol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, allantoin, butylene glycol, xanthan gum, ethyl hexanediol, adenosine.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

The SK-II FTE is a transparent, watery liquid, with the sour odour of fermentation.

Price: JPY 8,500 for 75 mL / JPY 17,000 for 160 mL / JPY 22,000 for 230 mL.

Ingredients: Galactomyces ferment filtrate, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, water, sodium benzoate, methylparaben, sorbic acid.

Effects

All photographs were taken at the same place, roughly at the same time of the day, right after I woke up.

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Overall Hydration

Almost immediately, I could feel that the COSRX is lightly hydrating, while the SK-II does not possess much hydrating properties.  This is unsurprising, considering the inclusion of sodium hyaluronate in the COSRX.  However, I do use a separate hydrating toner, and at the end of my routine, I did not feel any large difference in hydration level between the two halves of my face.

In this aspect, COSRX wins by a slight margin.

Radiance

To be perfectly honest, I am still not sure what is meant by the famed “FTE glow”, but the SK-II did chase away some dullness from my face when I first started using it.  The switch to COSRX did not seem to induce any return of the dullness, so I would put the two products on equal standing.

Skin Tone

Over the weeks, it became apparent that the COSRX side was always redder than the SK-II side.  This might have something to do with a discrepancy in soothing properties.  On the fourth week, I accidentally walked into a mosquito swarm, and suffered bites all over my face.  When the photograph was taken, the SK-II side was well on its way to becoming fully healed, but the COSRX side was still visibly irritated.

In Week 2 and 3, the COSRX side seemed to have darker under-eye region than the SK-II side, but by Week 4, things were levelling out.

I would say the SK-II won this round.  However, you might notice that the biggest difference in skin tone occurred not between the two halves of my face, but between Week 1 and 2, when I switched out my old faithful Hada Labo Gokujyun Foaming Face Wash for the non-foaming Mochitto Mochi Mochi Awadete Irazu Face Wash.  Honestly speaking, the change in cleanser was probably the most valuable lesson I received in this FTE battle.

Skin Texture

This is difficult to convey via photographs; however, I do think the SK-II side felt smoother than the COSRX by the end of the one month.  On the other hand, the COSRX side had less prominent under-eye fine lines.

Therefore, SK-II won in terms of overall texture, but COSRX soundly beat the SK-II in terms of under-eye lines.

Firmness

I did not foresee the necessity of this category, but the biggest difference between the two FTEs was actually in the firmness of my face.  By the end of the month, the SK-II side was visually plumper.  The discrepancy was even more alarming when felt by touch: throughout the weeks, my COSRX cheek gradually lost its definition; the SK-II cheek felt positively muscular in comparison.  Instead of surface skin firmness, the SK-II seemed to affect the firmness of the tissue underlying the skin.

SK-II won this round, hands down.

Discussion

In the end, it all comes down to what one expects from an FTE and how much one is willing to pay.

The COSRX kept dullness away as well as the SK-II did, was actually more hydrating than the SK-II, and was borderline magical for under-eye fine lines.  Unlike the SK-II, it is reasonably priced.  If it is only the FTE glow you are after, the COSRX performs as well as SK-II and throws in a hydration bonus.

The SK-II, on the other hand, had some magic tricks up its sleeves, something that could not be predicted from its ingredient list.  It proved to be much more soothing than the COSRX, despite the inclusion of panthenol and allantoin in the latter.  It also had a firming effect that the COSRX failed to maintain, much less replicate.  The discrepancy in firmness was borderline horrifying: the SK-II side was so firm that the COSRX side felt flabby in comparison; sometimes it felt like half of my face was sagging off.

On this round, I have to humbly admit that the SK-II suits my needs better.  The COSRX did not provide the soothing and firming effects that turned out to be very important to me.  For now, I have to admit defeat to SK-II, but by no means I have given up: I will still be on the lookout for another FTE to challenge the SK-II.

For those of you who are only after the FTE glow, however, rest assured that the COSRX provides it as well as the SK-II does, and at a fraction of the cost.

See you on the next round of FTE Battle!