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This article contains affiliate links* It’s hot in Europe, and so we need cooling, calming, lightweight skincare that helps our poor overheated skin to find its balance again. Enter the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum!
Hello Heat Wave, Hello Summer Skin Woes!
Happy heat wave everyone – isn’t global warming just such fun?! Dry humour aside, this week in particular is really turning into quite the struggle for us here in Europe, with temperatures rising to very sad, new heights. I don’t know about you, but when it’s this hot, I usually don’t feel up for a complex skincare routine or any type of rich texture. Give me all the lightweight, fast absorbed, watery textures that Korean skincare can offer, pretty please!
My easily spooked skin also needs as much anti-inflammatory goodness as it can get, especially any plant-based ingredients that help combat redness and have a cooling effect on the skin.
Well, and guess what: The Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum is pretty much the ideal summer skincare hero, with that perfect light and cooling texture we crave during the heat. But, in all truth – it performs equally well all year round for anyone with redness-prone, sensitive and inflamed skin. So, let’s go into heavy detail for this K-beauty review, shall we?
Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum: Heartleaf + Cica = Love!
The brand Our Vegan is actually a sub-brand of the larger, well-known Korean brand Manyo Factory. If you watched Crash Landing On You, you probably know Manyo Factory, since they were a main sponsor of the hyper popular K-drama. The Our Vegan line was likely created to jump on that sweet, sweet “clean beauty” bandwagon, since that is currently a number one trend globally. All Our Vegan products are, you guessed it, fully vegan and cruelty-free. The basis for the formulas are plant-based ingredients that are known to have a calming effect on the skin.
For the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum, two ingredients play a major role: heartleaf and centella asiatica. Heartleaf, or houttynia cordata, has been trending since the pandemic, thanks to its soothing, calming and strongly anti-inflammatory properties. It works similar to mugwort, but for me personally has been far more effective for my skin issues, especially my redness. I talked about heartleaf in my latest podcast episode, so check that out if you want to learn more!
And of course you all know K-beauty ingredient superstar centella asiatica! Soothing, redness-fighting, anti-inflammatory, lightly antibacterial and a great wound-healing herb, centella or cica is a staple ingredient in most Korean products aimed at sensitive, easily aggravated and/or acne-prone skin. The Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum contains 98% fermented heartleaf extract, plus centella asiatica extract.
Here is the full list of ingredients for the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum:
“Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hexylene Glycol, Carbomer, Arginine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Malt Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Water, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Centella Asiatica Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice.”
Apart from the houttynia cordata and centella extract, the serum also contains bamboo water, known for its hydrating, cooling and calming effect on the skin. Glycerin provides additional hydration, as does birch juice, another currently trending K-beauty ingredient. The serum also contains one of my favourite brightening ingredients, licorice root extract. And – good news for sensitive skincare peeps: the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum is free from any alcohol, fragrance or essential oils!
Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum – Summer Skin Saviour!
I bought the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum last year in autumn, and happily used it throughout the colder months. But I have to say, only now that the heat wave has struck do I fully understand how amazing this product is! First of all, this is actually a very affordable product: it comes in a huge 100ml bottle, and you can often find it for under $20 on sale somewhere. I bought it for only $17, and it’s been lasting me for such a long time already.
The texture of this serum is quite runny, very liquid, and you can definitely tell that it is a tad diluted compared to higher priced serums. I don’t actually mind this too much, since the potency of the main ingredients, especially the heartleaf extract, doesn’t seem to suffer from this. The serum feels very cooling and soothing on the skin when applied, and it sinks in fast, almost more like a toner would.
I can really feel the hydrating ingredients working, and the serum does an overall good job combatting dehydration. It’s maybe not as hydrating as other serums I’ve tried, say for instance the excellent Celimax Noni Ampoule, but if you don’t have very dry skin, this will be more than enough to quench your skin’s thirst, especially in summer.
But its hydrating powers aren’t actually the main reason why I love the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum! What makes it such a special product is how instantly soothing and redness-preventing it is. Truly, I was amazed when I started using the serum at night, seeing how my redness issues would maybe not fully disappear but very noticeably lessen. I think that combo of centella asiatica and heartleaf just really is a winner for anyone like me with easily “angry”, often inflamed skin. The serum has been a godsend during this year’s extra mean pollen season, with my allergies affecting not only my sinuses, ears, throat (and my sanity…), but also my poor skin. I get these angry red blotches all over my face on bad pollen days, and the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum is usually what I grab to calm down my skin.
I also appreciate the serum’s cooling effect on the skin – again, maybe this is not super dramatically noticeable, but it just overall does a great job calming my overheated face after I apply it. The serum also seems to help make breakouts fade faster and more effectively, likely thanks to the wound-healing properties of both centella and heartleaf. Ah, and did I also mention: both plants are high in antioxidants, so you are also effectively preventing your skin from premature aging due to pollution and UV ray damage (don’t forget your sunscreen though!).
What else can I tell you to get you as excited as I am about the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum? It is a very affordable, hydrating, lightweight, soothing, redness-combatting, anti-inflammatory, pleasantly cooling serum that will work for most skin types, except maybe very dry skin (go for the Celimax Noni Ampoule instead in that case!). Keep it in the fridge during this summer heat for an extra kick!
So, where can you buy the Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum?
This serum is available at Olive Young Global* for currently $27 for the 100ml bottle (don’t forget to use code “SUGARPEACH10” for an additional 5% discount on your purchase!), at Stylevana* for roughly $21, or at Yesstyle* for roughly $22!
Let me know in the comments: What’s your go-to skin soother during a heat wave?
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 3 amazing Korean toners! And guys – I have a YouTube channel now, I’d love for you to check it out and subscribe!
*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!
°PR Sample, kindly provided by a brand or shop – I am not obligated to write this blog article, was not paid for the article, and my opinions are entirely my own.
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