I recently wrote a review of the first Purpletale product I tried (you can read that here), and I really enjoyed it. Purpletale are a relevantly new K-Beauty brand, and I was pleased to get the chance to try their products. Young-ji, creator of Purpletale, was lovely to chat with, and I liked her story and brand idea about the importance of our own personal beauty. Another product I picked from their selection was this Setting the Scene Treatment Essence (product provided free of charge in exchange for 100% my own, honest reviews). I was a little dubious about one of the ingredients, but I’ll explain that later… I loved the name of the product, I saw niacinamide as a fifth ingredient, and as first treatment essences are one of my favourite steps of skincare, I decided to give it a go regardless.
What’s this essence for?
On the website this is the description and how to use:
“The best stories start strong, and that’s how yours should, too — each and every day! Our treatment essence sets the perfect foundation for your beauty routine by improving your skin’s texture and clarity.
This lightweight essence starts you off with a hydrating base that instantly perks up your skin, leaving you glowing from the inside out. Is it just us, or is this story off to a great start?
Loaded with ginseng, peptide complexes, adenosine and niacinamide, this lightweight treatment essence will set the right tone for your day. It helps hydrate, brighten and smooth fine lines for that oh-so-coveted glow. Perfect for all skin types.
With daily use, this essence will improve skin’s overall texture and contribute to a more beautiful, balanced, and glowing complexion.
Set the scene twice a day by applying an appropriate amount of our treatment essence to your fingertips, then gently pat onto cleansed face and neck.”
So my expectations for this essence were predominantly the same as my other first essences- lots of of glow and smoothing of the skin. During my three week testing period, I used the essence every morning and night after cleansing and acids.
Packaging
The packaging is the standard frosted glass, heavy duty essence bottle than we have come to expect from Korean FTEs. I love these bottles for display, and the Purpletale is no exception, particularly with its purple and silver trimming. Despite being beautiful, these types of bottles are not usually the best for dispensing, as the essence can tend to spill out with more product than intended or barely dispense enough without vigourous shaking (I’m looking at you Missha FTE). I usually decant essences into spray bottles, however this particular bottle is actually pretty good! It is easy enough to pour out the desired amount, so that’s a definite plus.
Scent
The scent is a pleasant sweet, berry-type, scent. It’s not too overpowering and dissipates on absorption. It’s similar to the scent of the other Purpletale products I’ve tried.
Ingredients
Ok, so this was where I held reservations. I checked out the ingredients list before I selected the essence and I was a little cautious when I saw alcohol denat. as the third ingredient. As I’ve said before, I’m not hugely opposed to alcohol, but when it’s that far up in the ingredients list, my concerns would be drying or irritation. Alcohol is definitely an ingredient that people tend to have strong views on. Personally, I’ve used lots of products with alcohol in the ingredients, and have tried to carefully judge any negative effects. I’ve never seen any immediately apparent negative effects, but I’m still cautious. I actually spoke to Young-ji about why there was so much alcohol, and she was very understanding about my query, telling me that it tested well with their sample reviewers. Whilst this didn’t erase my concerns, she was very open to discussion and understood my point of view, saying they would definitely look into reducing the concentration in their next production. Great customer communication!
On the other hand, I was verrrry happy to see niacinamide as the fifth ingredient. Niacinamide is a brightening ingredient, as well as potentially helping the skin’s barrier, and at this point my main aims are always brightening, and evening skin tone.
The other ‘main ingredients’ the essence is marketed with are ginseng saponin, peptide complexes, and adenosine. These are respectively supposed to have nourishing and antioxidant properties, prompt natural collagen production, and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I was a little disappointed to see the ginseng and peptides so near the bottom of the ingredients list. I’m not an expert in ingredients, and the formulations really confuse me sometimes, so I can’t really comment on quantities, but I expected to see them higher up! I’m sure there’s a chemical explanation.
Texture
The texture is like a thick watery liquid. It’s slightly more viscous than other first essences, and has a slippery feel on application, taking a minute or two longer to absorb than some of my more watery first essence options. This isn’t a bad thing unless you’re really looking for that instant absorption- this only takes about one minute or so longer. I do find that it leaves a slight tacky film on my face until its fully absorbed. I like the texture in that I really feel like my face is getting the goodness.
Thoughts
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this essence! I tested it for 3 weeks (changing no other factors) and have since kept it in my routine. The results have been pretty good, with definite smoothing, hydrating and brightening results- exactly what I want from a first essence. I really love how instantly my skin feels so much bouncier and hydrated after washing. This is one of the more moisturising essences I own, due to its slightly thicker texture, and I think I’ll really appreciate this as we head into drier weather.
Over time, I have noticed some nice brightening. My skintone was going through a phase of redness and, despite wearing sunscreen and continually topping up, I had developed lots of freckles and some sun discolouration over July and August. After using this essence twice a day for 4 weeks you can really see the difference in my skintone. It’s considerably brighter! These results are what would make me repurchase.
These (reasonably hideous) photos were taken nearly 3 weeks apart at the beginning of my testing on the left, and almost at the end on the right. Both were taken in artificial light at about 9pm. You can (just about) see on the left: slight redness across my cheeks under my eyes, on my nose, my chin, and I have a red spot on the left just under my bottom lip. On the right, these areas are considerably less red and generally more clear and bright.
Overall I have really enjoyed this essence, and I think the fact that I have kept it in my routine speaks volumes when I have so many products stashed away. Of course some of the ingredients will not be to everyone’s taste, but I definitely haven’t noticed any drying or irritation. The essence has actually defied my fears and actually been extremely hydrating and moisturising. I have normal/combination skin, and from my testing I would guess that it would suit all skintypes generally speaking, as it states on the packaging (of course people have their own reactions to different products). It’s neither drying nor overly heavy, but the perfect balance for me, and the brightening is really important to me. Big success for this Purpletale FTE! Thanks again for letting me try (as usual see my disclaimer about my relationship with companies and free products for reviewing).
Where can I buy it?
You can purchase the Purpletale products directly on their website (free US shipping over $35!), and I’ve also seen it on Beautibi.
Let me know if you’ve tried this or are interested!
