12 Malaysians Share The Best Skincare Products They Absolutely Love And Why
Give your skin some lovin'.
By Tamara Jayne
1. "Laneige water sleeping mask!!! I'll wake up with skin that's soft like a baby's butt."
"The texture of the cream is light and feels quite cooling when it goes on. Since it's an occlusive, it sits on the face and I'll wake up with skin that's soft like a baby's butt." – Alyssa
2. "Before this, I had never taken skincare seriously until breakouts happened after my vaccination. This item heals those lesions and my skin texture has improved tremendously."
“My fave skincare item goes to Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, by The Ordinary. Packed with essential nutrients, it nourishes my skin by regulating the amount of oil produced, tighten the pores, and leaves more vibrant and soft skin.
"Before this, I had never taken skincare seriously until breakouts happened after my vaccination. This item heals those lesions and my skin texture has improved tremendously since then. It also took me a good four to five weeks to see the result. Trust the process!" – Shin Ling
3. "Simple Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Water is a good replacement for Bioderma's micellar"
"COSRX Whitehead Power Liquid – Exfoliates all my dry, dead skin and feels really good the next day.
"Bioderma H2O Sensitive Skin Micellar Water – Cleans all the gunk out without stripping my skin's moisture.
"Sulwhasoo Radiance Energy Mask – It feels luxe and is really hydrating.
"Simple Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Water – It's a good replacement for Bioderma's micellar.
"By Wishtrend Pure Vitamin C 21.5% Advanced Serum – This one's so good. After using it the day before, I wake up to beautiful, clear bright skin." – Joni
4. "I'm on accutane and retinol, so this helps with protecting my skin barrier"
"I love using Krave Great Barrier Relief because I'm on accutane and retinol, so it helps with protecting my skin barrier. And Dermalogica hydration booster because my skin is super dehydrated and dry." – Fionaa
5. "Hada Labo Gokujyun Hydrating Milk is my ultimate holy grail"
"COSRX Snail Mucin – moisturising and somehow smoothens out my skin texture! This or the cream version (I use the cream as an overnight mask, don't use it during the daytime 'cause it's tooooo moisturising).
"SK-II – yes, it's expensive BUT my one standard bottle has lasted nearly one year of using it relatively liberally twice a day, every day. My skin looked waaaaayyy healthier instantly when I first tried it and it's been maintaining as such since then!
"Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant – so far compared to the other BHAs I've used, this one seems to work the best! Not sure how this will affect people with sensitive skin, though – but my skin always feel nice, taut, and clear after a night of using it.
"Hada Labo Gokujyun Hydrating Milk – they seem to have discontinued this in Malaysia, but this is my ultimate holy grail and the daytime moisturiser I always go back to! Other moisturisers make my skin oily, or greasy; but this one just absorbs right in and makes my skin layer feel plump! I gotta order it from Shopee to be shipped in from overseas though.
"Oh! And the Skiove Ultrasonic Blue LED Pore Minimiser. It really helps with clearing pores (So what I do is BHA + this) and I don't think that the LED function is a placebo, it really helps with lightening my scars!" – May
6. "We used to have kutu bite marks that left scars – but we diligently used Bio-Oil. Slowly but surely the scars began to fade and our skin became f*cking smooth and shiny."
"My house had a kutu (flea) infestation when I was little cause my sister kept bringing stray cats back home. Our legs/skin was filled with kutu bite marks, which resulted in scars – but we diligently used Bio-Oil. Slowly but surely the scars began to fade and our skin became f*cking smooth and shiny." – Ihsan
7. "I wear makeup almost every day with bold eyeshadow looks and this cleansing oil removes everything without making my skin feel dry or sticky after"
"Gua sha and jade roller set from Puff Studio is essential for my pampering nights and I've really seen the benefits of how they've helped soothe my skin when paired with my skincare products.
"Hado Labo Cleansing Oil – I wear makeup almost every day with bold eyeshadow looks and the cleansing oil removes everything without making my skin feel dry or sticky after. It even removes waterproof mascara well!
"Beauty of Joseon Niacinamide + Propolis serum – this is a must-try for those suffering with acne scars and looking to find something that can help clear those.
"Garnier Micellar Water (pink bottle), I have bought this probably 20 times at this point haha! It's so good! Love this as a first step in removing any residual dirt or makeup I have on my face and this is actually what I use in the morning instead of washing my face with water. So good, it removes everything so easily and doesn't have any irritating stuff." – Iylia
8. "L'Oréal's Revitalift Night Cream leaves me with such a soft and smooth face"
"I love my L'Oréal Revitalift Night Cream and Revitalift Eye cream. Put it on before I sleep and I wake up with such a soft and smooth face." – Danial
9. "My pores are much less visible after using this for one week"
"SOME BY MI Bye Bye Blackhead works like magic. I only use this on my T-zone 'cause it actually dries out my skin. But my pores are much less visible after using it for one week. – Sze Li
10. "I've been regularly using these serums and I do see the difference in my acne scars and dark spots"
"Right now I love Skin Care By Hyram – I've been regularly using the serums (salicylic acid and algae retinol), I do see the difference in my acne scars and dark spots." – Nadiah
11. "Pure Tamanu oil is great for those under-the-skin, painful cystic type of acne that doesn't come to head. It just magically goes away."
"One super cool miracle product I discovered that I think not that many people know about is pure Tamanu oil. It's used by some cultures as healing ointment/treatment for burns and scars, but I heard that it helped acne a lot too so I tried it out, and it works miracles for me. Specifically for those under-the-skin, painful cystic type of acne that doesn't come to head/you can't pop. It just magically goes away.
"Aside from that, two brands I really love are Pyunkang Yul and Beauty of Joseon, both K-beauty brands and I pretty much love everything I've tried from them. Both incorporate traditional Korean medicinal ingredients.
"Pyunkang Yul is a bit more simple, clinically driven (from what I know), fragrance-free, and suitable to be used on babies. The essence toner and moisture cream are my top picks. Beauty of Joseon focuses more on 'hanbang' traditional Korean ingredients like ginseng, rice, and green plum. I love the Ginseng Essence Water, Glow Serum & Ginseng Repair Serum." – Lyanne
12. "I have dry skin, so a lot of face washes, especially foam ones dry me out. But this one never makes my skin get any reactions."
"Cetaphil face wash! I have dry skin, so a lot of face washes, especially foam ones dry me out. But this one is fuss free, never makes my skin get any reactions or whatever and gets the job done." – Arisha
