Review: Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks

I will continue with my reviews for the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks, which were also sent to me by Honeysu together with the Whamisa Sea Kelp Mask I reviewed previously (you can read my review >>here<<).

The Korean brand Whamisa is relatively young and was founded in 2010 as certified natural cosmetics brand. Their key ingredients focus on plant based fermentation extracts. The brand name is written in Chinese characters which have the meaning of flowers and beauty and the use of four key components of natural materials in their products.  The attractive ingredients are combined with a beautiful packaging design in light colors. Some of the products are decorated with flower illustrations. The brand was hard to purchase outside Korea first but more and more online retailers started selling their products. Honeysu is one of the first retailers in Europe (based in Belgium) selling Whamisa products and I was more than happy to be asked to review a bunch of Whamisa masks. Here is my impression of the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks:

There are three different versions of the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks, as listed in the following.

Whamisa Organic Seeds & Rice Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

I’ll start off with the Whamisa Organic Seeds & Rice Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask. This mask is directed towards lifting, anti-aging and soothing. It contains seeds and rice which have been fermented by Lactobacillus. The essence of the mask has a jelly consistency and a brownish/yellow color with a very distinct scent, which reminds me of asian food. Scentwise it is my least favorite mask from the three hydrogel masks. The ingredients are as followed:

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Hordeum Vulgare Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lacxtobacillus/ Rice Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Phaseolus Angularis Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Glycine Soja (Soybean) Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Ferment Filtrate, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Aniba Rosaedora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalos (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Adenosine, Linalol

Sheet: Water, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/ Rice Ferment Filtrate,  Lactobacillus/ Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Phaseolus Angularis Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Glycine Soja (Soybean) Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA the ingredients are safe to use and there are no acne triggers or irritants. All ingredients except of linalool are labelled green and therefore safe to use. Linanool has to be labelled because it is a common allergica as a fragrance. What I discovered is, that the essence and the sheet mask both contain their ferment filtrate and extracts. In total there are 6 ferment filtrate based on Lactobacillus. Ferment Filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Other main ingredients are aloe, plant-based oils and extracts. My eye fell on the Licorice root extracts, which I really do love as ingredient. Licorice Root Extract is an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties.

Whamisa Organic Flowers & Aloe Vera Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

The Whamisa Organic Flowers & Aloe Vera Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus is directed towards lifting, whitening and moisturizing, using the key ingredients aloe, green tea and dandelion. Also here, a quick look at the ingredients reveals a bunch of fermented plants and roots by Lactobacillus. The essence of this mask is similar to the previous one and has a jelly consistency. I could smell a more flowery/citrus scent compared to the Seeds & Rice mask, which I preferred.

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizomr/ Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Nelumbo Nucifera Flower  Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Aloe Maculata Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Helichrysum Arenarium Flower Extract, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Paeonia Suffroticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aniba Roseodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, d-Limonene

Sheet: Water, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizome/Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Ferment Filtrate, Xhantan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA the ingredients are safe to use and there are no acne triggers or irritants. All ingredients except of D-Limonene are labelled green and therefore safe to use. Limonene has to be labelled because it is a common allergica, but it is also a natural fragrance and occurs in citrus fruits. Also here both the essence and the sheet contain the ferment filtrate.

Whamisa Organic Fruits & Tomato Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

The Whamisa Organic Fruits & Tomato Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus is directed towards lifting, revitalizing, and toning using key ingredients like tomato, banana. and apple. Like the two previously mentioned masks this mask also includes the Lactobacillus ferment filtrate of various other plants. Also here the jelly serum has a yellowish color and a citrus scent. This one has the most fresh scent so to say.

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Pyrzs Malus (Apple) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Citrus Junos Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Actinisia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus / Tomato Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffroticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Honey, Xanthan Gum, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Aniba Roseodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Ornage) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, d-Limonene, Linalol

Sheet: Water, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/Pyrzs Malus (Apple) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Citrus Junos Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Actinisia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Xhantan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA The ingredients are safe to use except for Linolool and D-Linolene, which are labeled yellow and are both fragrances (read above). Again we will find so many ferment filtrate of so many plants and fruits in the essence, but also in the hydrogel sheet.

Performance of Whamisa Hydrogel Facial Masks

All three masks are made from 95% organic ingredients and 100% natural ingredients. They are free from parabens, mineral oil, synthetic dyes, silicone and fragrances, too! The sachets of the mask contain a really rich amount of the essence and there is quite a lot left over which can be used elsewhere like neck and arms. The high amount of essence also leads to a very slippery sheet mask. It is really a bit tricky to unfold and I feared to tear it apart. Also, the mask keeps sliding, so I recommend you to lay down while using it. The first of the mask was other perfect either and it didn’t cover my forehead properly but that is something I personally do not count negatively. You will observe that the mask is slightly thinner after using it because the serum is absorbed by your skin, still there is never the point while using it the recommended 20 minutes that it gets dried out. Do not use it before makeup. I discovered that it tends to peel.

I do like these masks despite the slippery and the poor fit. The hydrogel feels soft and there is plenty of serum. The ingredient list is beyond great and it really leaves the skin with a glow. Although not suited for applications  before makeup I really can advise you to try these masks at least once despite their price. You can get this mask from the Belgian online retailer Honeysu for 7.50 €  5 US$ sale until supplies last (Yes, the price is for one mask and yes, it is really expensive compared to other sheet masks)! They ship within Europe quite affordably and most important super fast- but they also ship to other countries (higher shipping costs though). Honeysu doesn’t carry many brands, but they focus on products with non-harmful ingredients. I must say I really like the looks of the shop and I love their Instagram account. The pictures posted are always so beautiful! For my readers from the US you can get this mask from Amazon, too (~8-9 US$).

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by https://www.honeysu.com which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.