[ENG] Review: make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream – Unique Texture Delights for Intense Hydration Needs

This review contains affiliate links* Do you ever try a product with a texture so exceptional that you find it hard to describe its uniqueness? Well, in today’s review of the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream I will try my best to find the right words to convey my deep love for this texture unicorn!

I was pretty stoked when I won the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream in an Instagram giveaway – I so rarely win anything, it was a wonderful surprise! The Safe Me. Relief Watery Ampoule* was also part of my win and is similarly awesome, but for today, I’ll be focusing on the moisturiser. There is just something about this gel cream that is extra special, and since I haven’t seen that many thorough reviews out about it, I wanted to make sure more people get to know this interesting little skincare goodie.

Make p:rem is a Korean skincare brand that focuses specifically on minimalist formulas aimed at sensitive skin types, with an affordable price point for most of their products. They are well known in Korea, notably for their Safe Me. Relief product line, with the Safe Me. Relief Moisture Cleansing Foam* one of the most widely recommended second step cleansers by K-beauty skinfluencers.

I think the first time I became aware of make p:rem, however, was when a couple of influencers tried to make in-shower masks happen (and since I was kind of one of them I’m throwing absolutely no shade here, heh): the make p:rem Wonderful Me. In Shower Face Pack* seems gimmicky, but at the same time I just find the concept fascinating. Back then I was also drawn to the appealingly minimalist packaging and branding of make p:rem, and their products have always been on top of my wish list. So, did the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream turn me into a full-on superfan of the brand? Well, let’s see, shall we!

Make P:Rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream – Prickly Pear for extra Hydration

Minimalism really is the focal point for most make p:rem products, and this is definitely true for the Make P:Rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream. The entire Safe Me line was formulated with reactive, sensitised skin in mind, with the Watery Relief duo – consisting of ampoule and cream – additionally targetting dehydration issues. The star ingredient here is opuntia ficus-Indica stem extract, also known as prickly pear cactus.

Prickly pear has been a sort of “slow burn” ingredient trend in K-beauty for a while now, never fully breaking out as absolute it ingredient, but once in a while it crops up again in different products. Huxley, for instance, uses prickly pear oil in many of their products, a nourishing, yet lightweight oil that is said to help firm skin and support its suppleness. Prickly pear cactus extract apparently has hydrating and soothing properties, thanks to being rich in long-chain sugars (natural humectants, i.e. water-grabbing substances), polyphenols (antioxidant plant compounds) and minerals.

Here is the full list of ingredients for the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream:

“Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Panthenol, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Beta-Sitosterol, Water, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Trideceth-10, Hydrogenated Lecithin.”

I told you, make p:rem is all about minimalist formulas! The make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream is both fragrance- and alcohol-free, as are most of the brand’s products. Hydration is provided courtesy of the already mentioned opuntia ficus indica stem extract, reliable humectant goodie glycerin, and hyaluronic acid in the form of hydroxypropyltrimonium hyaluronate, a low-molecular weight type of HA that is won through fermentation and adheres particularly well to the skin (I found this really interesting article about different types of hyaluronic acid recently – it is in German though, sorry!).

Jojoba oil, hydrogenated lecithin and a couple of fatty alcohols provide emollient and occlusive goodness, creating an altogether wonderfully balanced cream gel formula. Ah, and I shouldn’t forget good old panthenol, a known skin-soother and skin barrier healer. panthenol has been one of the it ingredients in K-beauty since the pandemic began, it truly is in everything right now. Make p:rem also makes a big deal out of this cream gel having a pH value of 5.5 – from my understanding, however, this isn’t really relevant unless we’re talking about a second step cleanser. All make p:rem products are certified vegan.

Make P:Rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream – It’s all about that Texture!

You will notice how most of the images I took for this make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream review article are texture shots. I simply couldn’t help myself, it’s just such a delicious sight to capture. As soon as I opened the jar, I knew this would be a great moisturiser for my combo skin – it has the right balance between softening, nourishing and deeply hydrating without being too heavy.

The texture is a very buttery-melty kind of gel, not really watery or slippery like some gel type moisturisers, but rather with a noticeable “substance” to it and an almost oil-like feel. I keep going back to the German word “sämig”, which I feel is kind of untranslatable unfortunately (dictionaries are giving me “viscid”, but it feels like that isn’t quite what I’m looking for): we use the adjective “sämig” to describe a nicely gloopy, thicker sauce that still has elegance to it. A carefully crafted, air-whipped mayonnaise may be a good comparison, minus the heaviness.

There is a slight cooling sensation when I apply the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream, which indeed is advertised as one of the benefits of this moisturiser. It feels very soothing and pleasant on my often slightly reddened skin, and I consistently reached for this as a summer nighttime moisturiser for this reason. This is definitely a little bit too light for dryer skin types, who simply will need a higher oil content, but just so great for super dehydrated oily to combo skin. The hydration powers of this gel cream are impressive, and skin noticeably plumps up after use.

This isn’t a strongly occlusive moisturiser, so it may not be enough for some skin types in winter. I still often go for this during the daytime right now (it’s autumn here in Germany), and the oils and emollients still do a good job protecting and nourishing my combo skin.

Apart from the amazing, truly special texture of the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream, I appreciate how gentle this is overall: it cools and soothes down any “angriness” I might have from, say, overdoing it with my actives (cough) or trying out too many new products at the same time (double cough). Truly, this is a special moisturiser, which makes me want to try out more from the make p:rem lineup. And, given that the jar holds a whopping 80ml, I also find this very reasonably and fairly priced!

So, where can you purchase the make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Watery Cream? You can find the 80ml jar at Yesstyle* for currently a really good sales price (Black Friday is coming up!) of roughly 19$, or at Stylevana* for roughly the same price of 19$. Amazon* also sells this, though at a slightly higher price of around 30$.

Let me know in the comments: Have you tried anything from make p:rem? What’s your current go-to moisturiser?

Take care guys, and stay safe – don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest K-Beauty and skincare news, and check out my other work, e.g. my review of the AXIS-Y Spot The Difference Blemish Treatment!

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