Fur-mented: Peora Facial Cream Review

When Korean skincare brand Peora asked us to try its Facial Cream, I was intrigued because of all the ferments. Peora says that its fermentation process–which enables microorganisms to survive longer and increase vitality–extracts microorganisms from many traditional fermented foods (not just kimchi but also yogurt, sauerkraut, natto, and foods I didn’t even recognize) to create complex microorganisms.

In the cream, that’s supposed to translate to higher potency and quicker absorption, eliminating cakey makeup.

*Cats and Apeach not included.

The cream (provided by Peora for review) is $35 for 1.75 fl. oz., vegan, and cruelty-free .

>>Use code BEAUTYANDTHECAT to save 20% off the Peora site through June 13, 2016! (We don’t get anything from that, in case you’re wondering.)<<

I’m not too sure about the science behind fermented skincare (and some are skeptical), but I’m a sucker for it anyway. Although often cast as a K-beauty trend, fermented things aren’t so much a trend in K-beauty as just…a thing. They’ve been around and will continue to be around. Aside from K-beauty, think about how long the legendary SK-II (sake fermentation) and La Mer (fermented kelp) have been around.

Peora Facial Cream Ingredients

Ingredients (pasted from the product page):

Water, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit Extract, Morus Alba Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Arginine, Carbomer, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Portulaca Oleracea Ferment Extract Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Ferment Extract Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Saccharomyces/Cnidii Rhizoma Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Isohexadecane, Panthenol, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 80, flavor, Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Peora Facial Cream Review

During the time that I’ve been using this as my main moisturizer for the last month, my skin has ranged from dry to normal. Two pumps for the face and one for the neck works well. The cream has a lotion consistency and dispenses easily from the pump container. The faint scent of powder (like powdery perfume, not like baby butt) fades soon after application.

The cream indeed absorbs well, leaving just a soft sheen on the skin. I wore it out once after a minimal routine (some toner and essence; no oils, sunscreen, or foundation) and loved the natural plump glow it left.

As for the claim about no cakey makeup, well there’s still a slight residual dampness even after several minutes (as I’ve experienced with pretty much every other moisturizer except for oil-free gel moisturizers), so I still lightly dust translucent powder on before applying mineral powder foundation to avoid patchiness.

Even used at night, my skin was moisturized and flake-free in the morning. When my skin was dry, however, the cream didn’t offer quite enough moisture underneath sunscreen and cushion foundation. To be fair, it’s not targeted at dry skin.

Even though the cream is sometimes advertised for oily skin, I’ve come to think it’s suited for normal or combo skin, with wiggle room for slightly oilier or drier skin. It’s somewhat atypical for an oily-skin moisturizer: it’s not oil-free (sunflower seed oil is the second ingredient) and doesn’t mattify or control oil.

That’s all the better for me though because as I transition from dry to normal skin heading into summer, I really appreciate a moisturizer that’s lightweight but still moisturizing. Even when I have an oily T-zone, my face needs oils, darn it! And yet something balmy and heavy like Dotfree Oil in Balm Cream verges on suffocating. Peora Facial Cream strikes the balance for skin that’s balancing (har har).

Pros: Moisturizes normal skin well with lightweight feel. Absorbs well and works well with other layers of skincare and makeup (no pilling). Sanitary and efficient pump dispenser.