This post will be reviewing the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream.
If you are looking for a face moisturizer to use during the winter, then this review is for you.
This is another product that I’m excited to review because I’ve been using it since the beginning of the winter in November. Illiyoon is a relatively new Korean Skincare brand that gained moderate popularity in 2020.
According to Stylevana;
With trust in Korea’s heritage ingredients, Illiyoon products are designed to help nourish your skin’s self-moisturizing ability deep within the skin barrier. Harnessing the power of Yoon Complex, the K Beauty label interprets Korean traditional medicine in a modern way. With ginseng root water, angelica acutiloba roots, liriope platyphylla as the key ingredients in their Korean skincare product. Illiyoon also takes pride in the world’s first Ceramide Encapsulation Technology, which has successfully developed the brand’s very own patented ingredient called Ceramide Skin Complex featured in their hero product Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Lotion. It helps deliver and absorb valuable ingredients deep into the skin with concentrated power. With a hypoallergenic and sensitivity-tested formula, Illiyoon face care products allow you to experience the gentle yet rich moisturizing power that will leave your skin refreshed and well-nourished.
Two of their bestselling products are the Ceramide Ato Lotion and the Ceramide Ato Concentrate cream. I didn’t even know that the latter had blown up until I started seeing it on Tretinoin Facebook Groups. Yes, so if you are currently using prescription-strength Tretinoin, this is an amazing moisturizer that will help buffer the dryness and flakiness that comes with the territory.
Now, let’s let down to the product itself!
First Impressions of the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream.
According to YesStyle:
It offers deep hydration and soothing effect for facial and body skincare without any irritation
Patented Ceramide Skin Complex™ helps strengthen the skin barrier and enhance skin’s self-hydrating power to keep skin longly hydrated and healthy
Highly concentrated Ceramide Capsules offers instant absorption and refreshing finish upon application
7 Free: Animal-derived ingredients, mineral oil, artificial colour, fragrance, Paraben, Triethanolamine, Imidazolidinyl Urea
Hypoallergenic test & Sensitivity Panel test completed
Simple claims, straight to the point. Now, let’s look at the ingredient list.
Ingredient List
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide MEA (Ceramide PC-104 6310ppm), Arachidyl Glucoside, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Polyacrylate-13, Dimethiconol, Mannitol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyisobutene, Panax Ginseng Water, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Bupleurum falcatum Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Glucose, Cholesterol, Silica, Perilla Ocymoides Extract, Tocopherol.
First of all, let’s look at the star ingredient of this product; Ceramide Skin Complex which is a patented ingredient using the world’s first Ceramide encapsulation technology. If you think the Cerave Moisturizing Cream has ceramides, this is Cerave on steroids! If you’re not sure what encapsulation technology in skincare means, especially if you have seen the term being used around, here’s a helpful article that explains the science.
But a short explanation is,
In general active ingredients in skincare products are mixed together so that each is free to move around, but microencapsulation – as its name suggests – creates tiny shells around the active ingredients, sealing them away and keeping them safe until they are needed.
Source
So instead of the Ceramides swimming around your product, they’re preserved in tiny particles until you apply the products to your skin. This is when it is then released into your pores to do its job. This explains why the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream has tiny capsules that are not quite noticeable until you zoom into the product.
Ceramides in Skincare
What’s the big deal about Ceramides anyway?
Ceramides are fats/lipids that naturally occur in the skin. They actually make up to 50% of the skin’s composition. But just like everything in skincare, the older we become, the more our skin loses ceramides. They are responsible for forming a protective layer to help prevent moisture loss and visible damage from environmental stressors.
Which is why it only makes sense to have a cermaide – enriched moisturizer to layer over hydrating toners and serums especially in the winter.
Other Ingredients Asides Ceramides
While Ceramides are the star ingredient in this moisturizer, we can’t overlook other star ingredients. It also includes Glycerin, Cholesterol and quite a number of plant extracts. Including Panax Ginseng Water, Bupleurum falcatum Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract and Perilla Ocymoides Extract. All signature ingredients from Illiyoon to nourish the skin and support the effectiveness of Ceramides.
Packaging & Price
It comes in a massive 200ml squeeze tube which I’m nowhere halfway through. I was initially looking to try out the 75ml version from Olive Young Global but my order never arrived. Depending on where you buy it, you can find it anyway between $10/£12 to $20/£25 as long as you’re not buying it from overpriced retailers. The packaging is simple and effective. Depending on how much you need, a little squeeze goes quite a long way.
Texture & Consistency
One of my favourite things about this product is the texture and consistency. For a thick moisturizer, it is also managed to have a velvet-smooth finish. It comes out very thick. Even if you use too much on your face, it doesn’t feel greasy or leave a tacky finish. It glides on very smoothly like a mousse. The technology that went into the formulation of this moisturizer is simply amazing. This is also why it is gradually getting popular because all skin types can use it. I have dry dehydrated skin and I absolutely love it at the end of my routine after layering several products. I can also see why someone with oily to combination skin will enjoy this product. It is thick but not heavy. Moisturizing but not greasy!
Review of the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been using this product since the beginning of winter in November and it has taken its spot in my Nighttime Winter Skincare Routine as a holy grail.
Perfomance
NEED I SAY MORE? I love it so much! I love how luxurious it feels on my skin. Particularly how my skin feels in the morning after using it at night. Listen I alternate between two moisturizers at night and I can tell the difference between the two by how my face feels in the morning. Yep! The contrast is that different. With Illiyoon my face is still slightly moisturized but with my Rovectin moisturizer, I can see the dry flakes which never happens with this product.
Phew! I hope they never change the formula and it remains as amazing as it is for the next few years. I also cannot wait to use it in the Spring when I officially start my Tretinoin journey.
Alternative Ceramide Moisturizers
While this product might be a holy grail for me, it might not necessarily work for some people. Which is weird but that is how skincare works. One size does not fit all. Anyway, if you desperately need something better than Cerave Moisturizing Cream or you’re simply interested in investing in Ceramide moisturizers to restore your damaged skin barrier, here are alternative products;
- Holika Holika Good Cera Super Ceramide Cream
- COSRX Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream
- Mamonde Ceramide Light Cream
- Dr Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
- RNW – DER. SPECIAL Ceramide Cream
In Conclusion,
I hope you have enjoyed this reveiw of the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate cream and has convinced you to finally get one if you have been on the fence. It’s an amzing moisturizer that works for all skin types. If it doesn’t work on your face, you can always use it as a body moisturizer as well.
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