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KOREAN DIAMOND SERUM?!
TERADIA TD REPAIR SERUM EMULSION

30 June 2016 9 comments

korean-skincare-diamond-serum-teradia-review

It's an exciting one today, as we're talking about possibly the world first in nanodiamond cosmetics?! The Teradia TD Repair Serum Emulsion is the epitome of luxury skincare - and I like the idea of smearing diamonds all over my face. Born in the lab, this Korean serum is supposed to be the next level in skincare science. It's been said that diamonds are a girl's best friend - so let's put this one to the test.




korean-skincare-diamond-serum-teradia-review

Oh and grab a snack, we'll be here a while. I'm going to really break this down for you - when I'm thrown in the dark with a product (there's very little info on this) I really like to take it apart and delve into some research. Starting with..

Nano-what?

For those of you with a strictly need-to-know basis, a nanodiamond is just a teeny tiny diamond. For the rest of us geeks, nanodiamonds are ridiculously small, invisible to the naked eye, diamonds, ~1/100,000 the width of a hair, and covered in around 30,000 bumps, like a chestnut burr. They're at the cutting edge of science and due to some special properties, could have great potential benefits in biomedicine, including cancer treatments. How they could benefit us in skincare is two-fold, in they're size and texture.

The little bumps all over the surface attract and hold on to skin-benefitting actives and water, absorbing more of them than the skin itself. The tiny nanodiamonds are able to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin and take those actives and hydration with them (and hence where the 'aiding absorption' comes from), releasing them deep into the skin for a prolonged hydrating, moisturising, antioxidant and antibiotic effect.

Whether you buy into all this 'nano-nonsense' is up to you. It could be a load of old tosh but equally, it's all too easy to shrug off nanodiamond techonology as just another science-y buzzword to draw us into spending our savings on expensive bottles of cream, especially if you don't understand it. But take it as you will - I'm not going to dismiss it just yet.

korean-skincare-teradia-td-repair-serum-emulsion

Packaging

It isn't super fancy - no glass or metal - but the bottle feels to be made of a high quality, opaque plastic with a nice snap on the lid and pearly-pink hue. The product is dispensed via a pump, probably my favourite way as the contents are kept fresh and are not susceptible to air or light degradation. I think it's very like the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish where the product is pushed up inside the bottle, which does mean you can't milk every last drop by cutting the bottle open when it's finished..

Claims

15 years in the making, this serum contains diamonds and Teradia's TD Repair Complex and FSD (Fast Surface Diffusion) technology promising bright, moisturised and protected skin. They claim that this stands up as a stand alone serum, with the textural benefits of a serum and emulsion combined, that will brighten, hydrate, nourish and even out your complexion, as well as increasing skin elasticity, and providing antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. Suitable for all skin types.

When and how to use

Pat into skin immediately after cleaning/toning or essence/serum if you use one with a thin consistency.


Ingredients

(Yes I had to sit there and translate it all from the box.. you can thank me later, although since writing these up, you can now find them on Cosdna(!) - plant/botanical extracts in pink, other good stuff in purple.)

Damask Rose Water, Purified Water, Butylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Palmitic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Diamond powder, Ylang Ylang flower oil, Unscented geranium oil, Cacao tree extract, Barberry root extract, Bergamot fruit oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Mexican juniper oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Glycerin, Camellia oil, Sorbitol, Shea butter, Argan kernel oil, Ascorbic acid, African walnut oil, Allantoin, Tocopheryl acetate, Panthenol, Hydrolysed collagen, Eugenol, Calendula flower oil, Mango seed butter, Evening primrose oil, Witch hazel, Propanediol, Coriander fruit oil, Raspberry extract, Portulaca Oleracea (purslance) extract, Asiaticoside, Asiatic acid, Madecassic acid, Purified water/dextran/tripeptide-2, Licorice extract, Glutathione, Hesperidin, Denatured alcohol, Linoleic acid, Grapefruit extract, Calendula extract, Kakadu plum extract, Caviar extract, Aloe vera leaf extract, Grape seed extract, Madonna lily flower extract, Edelweiss flower and leaf extract, Magnolia flower extract, Peony flower extract, Copper tripeptide-1.

As you can clearly see, there is a lot to talk about - how long does this list need to be?! Of the first five ingredients, 3 are petroleum byproducts which is, well, less than desirable. A lot of people have absolutely no problems with butylene/propylene glycol/mineral oil (I don't think I've ever had any adverse effects, butylene glycol especially is a super common ingredient, and see Paula's Choice rave about mineral oil here), but I've heard a few people insist they don't get on with it so of course go with what works for you.




There's a lot of good to say. Aside from some moisturisers, emulsifiers and surfactants, you get a bunch of botanical extracts, and many other skin benefiting ingredients like Vitamin C and E, Adenosine, Niacinamide, oils and peptides (albeit in small concentrations), which should contribute to brightening, smoothing, softening and anti aging results. Madecassic Acid (or Madeccassoside) is one of my favourite ingredients (I love these Madecassoside masks) for healing, soothing, antioxidising and rewinding sun damage (combined with Vit C). Glutathione, part of the TD Repair Complex, is an amino acid compound and potent antioxidant which helps rid the body of toxins and free radicals that lead to hyperpigmentation and sun spots, helping to keep skin clear and bright. It's not often found in a lot of skincare I've come across so I'm impressed it's in this, although I'm currently trying to find out how effective it is in varying concentrations. Oh and of course the diamond powder, lest we forget.

Something I'm a little less enthused about is actually within the TD Repair Complex. Glutathione, Hesperidin (a flavanoid/antioxidant) and Eugenol are what make it up and whilst the first two are great for skin health and improvement, Eugenol flags up some concerns. A fragrance chemical occuring naturally in cloves and bay leaves, it can cause skin irritation including redness and dryness. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it to be honest, it could well be something as innocent as a mistranslation from Kr - Eng, as the CosDna ingredients (nor my translation) is not an official list, or it could be a natural bi product of some of the other ingredients. Waffling aside, I'm going to give the product a good go and see if it lives up to any of it's rather ambitious assertions.


Initial Impressions

Straight from the pump, I see the hybrid texture, it comes out milky and off-white like an emulsion but has a more juicy formula like a thick serum - in fact, a lot like the Laneige Water Bank serum (original formula) I love. It blends in like that, sinking straight into the skin and not really leaving any noticeable product on the surface, it's incredibly lightweight and I enjoy that a lot.

Performance

I've cut my routine down to essentially nothing, to give this a chance to wow me. Not that you would do this IRL, but I want to see if it offers me hydration (and the other 20 benefits it claims to provide) as a standalone product. Teradia say it's best working in light layers rather than slathering it on so I use 1-2 pumps, spread over my face then tap in. Sometimes I've been repeating with another 1-2 pumps after the first application has dried. Immediate thoughts are that my skin feels 'nice', but I don't feel either a plumping sensation like some of my favourite gel products, nor a moisturised feeling you'd get from an oil/rich cream.

However, I've been wearing this on it's own at night and it feels so fresh and light in the balmy, humid evenings we've been having as, I don't know about you, but I hate the feeling on skincare sitting on my skin when it's hot. And my skin feels pretty nice when I wake up - smooth, soft, hydrated, it's making me think this would be fab for oily skin that needs hydration without the richness.

Regarding brightness, I'm going to say that I definitely see some. In the back of my mind I'm hoping it's diamonds I see twinkling all over my face, but whatever it is, my skin does look bright and awake, about 5 minutes after I put this on. I've only been using this for around 10 days, having been kindly sent it to try from Jolse, so I can't yet comment on any longer term effects but I'll definitely be back in the future with an update.


Conclusion - so far..

I think if you have dry skin, that needs nourishing with oils and balms, this is not going to be for you. Unless you work it into your existing routine, it's just not going to provide the moisture your skin needs. For anything from normal to oily skins though, I think this could work well, perhaps combo to oily especially because it's so lightweight and sinks in in a heartbeat. Something else to mention is that it sits excellently underneath my sunscreen, as some products get a bit 'much' when you start layering and ball/rub off your face? My thoughts are that this is going to be a preliminary excellent product for the warmer weather and if I see any improvements later down the line (come on diamonds, I'm counting on you), it'll be sitting front and centre of my skincare collection.


You can pick up this diamond serum from Jolse, for the not-as-painful-as-I-imagined price tag of $60.

So what do you think?! I would love to know your thoughts - gimmick or potential?





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