[ENG] My Latest Organic K-Beauty Discovery: CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum

Disclaimer: This blog article contains PR Samples and affiliate links. I am SO excited to tell you all about my latest organic Korean beauty discovery and new darling in my daytime skincare routine: the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum has all the makings of a future K-beauty cult favourite, mark my words!

Guys, I’m legit head over heels for the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum, so expect some gushing and fawning over this little gem – don’t say I didn’t warn you! Since I’ve been blogging about Korean beauty for almost two years now, I have started to see myself as quite the K-beauty insider, who knows even the most obscure brands and products. However, the truth is – of course! – that there are still so, so many brands from Asia I’ve never heard of and don’t even know exist, given the incredible diversity and specialisiation in the Asian beauty industry.

Thus, I was pretty stoked when I discovered CHOBS, a fully vegan, certified organic and even certified halal skincare brand from Korea. “Natural” or “nature-derived” beauty brands are quite common in Korea, but a fully certified organic brand is still quite difficult to find. CHOBS products carry the German “BDIH” logo, which is only given to cosmetics that fulfil a number of strict guidelines – renown German organic brands such as Dr. Hauschka or Weleda are also BDIH certified, as is Korean organic brand Whamisa.

I was lucky enough to be sent a few CHOBS products, all of which I enjoyed tremendously. But, the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum is definitely the star product from this brand, and I am really head over heels for this green beauty item. Alright then, let’s have a more in-depth look at what’s so awesomely special about this serum/gel ampoule!

CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum – the Basics

I felt instantly drawn to the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum, given that centella asiatica is truly one of those standout ingredients that we can thank the Korean beauty industry for. After predicting that 2018 will be the year of cica/centella asiatica products, it seems that I was right, and we really do seem to be surrounded by centella-based skin care products at the moment.

I’ve been talking about centella asiatica so much on my K-beauty podcast that I’m starting to sound a bit like a broken record, but let’s just quickly recap why it’s such a universally awesome healing herb.

Centella Asiatica…

• Soothes redness
• Has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, so it’s ideal for acne-prone skin
• Is rich in Vitamin Bs, which have the potential to brighten dull complexions
• Contains a high amount of skin-repairing antioxidants and phytochemicals that can help prevent premature skin-ageing
• Is rumoured to boost the production of collagen in the skin, which in turn improves the tone and overall vitality of ageing and/or saggy skin

After skim-reading this impressive list, you can probably understand why I’m obsessed with centella asiatica! The CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum contains organic centella asiatica leaf water, as well as a host of other exciting herbal extracts.

Here is the full list of ingredients for the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum:

There are so many skincare-goodies on this list, I don’t even know where to start! “Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract”, commonly known as “Baikal Skullcap”, appears on many high-quality Korean hanbang skincare ingredient lists, and I already discussed it in my review of the wonderful Atoclassic Real Tonic Mist und Essence. It is a traditional healing herb said to contain a potent cocktail of antioxidant phytochemicals, which can help reverse signs of premature ageing.

“Pulsatilla Koreana”, Korean Pasque flower extract, is used both for its anti-inflammatory as well as antimicrobal qualities, serving as both a skin soother and a natural preservative. Combined with “Usnea Barbata Extract” and Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract”, these three herbal extracts make up the preservative “EURO-NApre”, which was patented as a natural preservative for Korean skincare. My beloved green tea extract is on the ingredient list as well, as is ultra hydrating hyaluronic acid and skin-brightening licorice root extract (“Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate”). No drying alcohols, no essential oils (from what I can see – please correct me if I overlooked something) – this list is pure plant goodness!

The CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum is, even to my rather sensitive nose, pretty much fragrance-free – you only get a slight whiff of the herbal extracts, otherwise the scent is neutral. The texture of this serum is gel-like and sirupy, it actually reminds me more of an ampoule than a serum, and at first I tended to use it as such: sparingly, and as an extra step after my serum. However, lately I’ve started using this as my daytime serum and it’s been pretty amazing during the crazy heat wave, thanks to its lightness and slightly cooling sensation when applying the liquid.

CHOBS sells this serum as pretty much a panacea for all skincare woes: puffiness, wrinkles, sunburn, rosacea, stressed skin, acne, itchiness, dryness, eczema… I wouldn’t go so far as to say that you can expect these grand promises to all be fulfilled, but – this stuff is indeed very potent and very, very good at improving troubled skin.

CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum – Clean, Green Skin Savior!

As I said earlier, I had a strong feeling that the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum would be the “breakout star” product from the brand – a yummy ingredients list like the above one just sounds super promising! Sometimes, however, ingredients aren’t everything, and I’ve definitely had products disappointing, me despite delicious and deeply promising ingredients: textures can turn out to be horrible, or the active ingredients are so watered down that you feel like you are literally applying water, or – worst case scenario – certain ingredient combinations can unexpectedly break you out. This is also why I am no fan of people dismissing products purely based on their ingredients list, which is sort of a trend here in Germany at the moment.

Well, in the case of the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum, my initial impression proved to be 100% accurate, and, well, I already spoiled it for you early on anyway… I am totally obsessed with this product! Guys, this serum/ampoule is truly, truly a star, and I sincerely hope more people in the skincare community will pick this up and promote it!

I’ve been using this serum daily now for a good month, roughly 3-ish drops for each use, and I can definitely see improvements in my skin texture and overall clarity. During spring and early summer I got some mystery breakouts especially around my chin and left cheek (I’m a side sleeper!), and I swear, this serum has helped tremendously in finally clearly up the last remnants of those breakouts. If you suffer from redness and inflammation, this will noticeably help calm down and soothe your skin – as with most anti-redness solutions, it won’t magically make the inflamed areas disappear, but I did see some improvement.

I also feel, though this may be slightly subjective, that the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum brightened my skin and helped even out my complexion, which tended to be pretty rough and slightly dull during this year’s dark and cold springtime. However, to be fair, I’ve also been using the absolutely fantastic Atoclassic Real Tonic Soothing Origin Essence as my night serum, and the combination of these two together is what may have ultimately helped to brighten and tone my skin, not just the CHOBS serum by itself.

This serum definitely does have a hydrating effect, and the light, water-based texture makes it sink into skin deeply and quickly. However, if you have dry skin, this will probably not be enough for you as a serum step. In this case, I would advice to treat this as an ampoule step and use an extra serum for more effective hydration. Centella Asiatica can benefit dry skin tremendously, especially if you suffer from flakiness and redness. For those of you with oily, combo and acne-prone skin, this product may just become your new best friend. It worked so wonderfully well for me in clearing up hormonal breakouts, I’m really quite in love with this clean, green and effective little gem!

CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum – the Bottom Line

I really cannot praise the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum high enough, and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to add this potent skincare treasure to my daytime routine. This is not a cheap product, but I feel that the quality of the mainly organic ingredients justifies that price, especially given that a little goes a long way. It is so rare to find a fully organic, fully vegan K-beauty brand, and so I must say I’ve become pretty passionate about CHOBS, despite the slightly, um, “choppy” brand name…

If I’ve made you curious about this organic centella serum, then head over to Koco Republic,* the official distributor of CHOBS products, where you can find the CHOBS Centella Asiatica Serum currently on sale for 41.40£. Make sure to also check out the equally excellent CHOBS organic sheet masks* – green tea and rice bran are my favourites! Organic online store Lovelula also sells the serum, currently priced at 46£.

Let me know in the comments: Are you currently using any centella/cica products? Have you tried any CHOBS products yet?

Take care guys!
Sugarpeaches

°PR Sample, kindly provided by CHOBS UK for review purposes – I am not obligated to write this blog review, and my opinions are entirely my own.
*Affiliate Links, meaning I earn a small commission if you decide to use the link to purchase an item. This does not raise the purchase price for you, and it helps me and my blog to grow – so, thank you for supporting me in this way!