This summer’s new secret weapon for a refreshed face may be the lightly-scented, neatly-packaged offerings of Kyomi Skin With 5-ALA.
I’ve helped skincare classics like vintage Oil of Olay and Pond’s endure and reinvent. I’ve found new staple faves. And I’ve fallen prey to expensive hyped brand after expensive hyped brand. Most led to dryness, irritation and time outs for their aggressive formulations of glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, retinol and more as false promises setting me back in more ways than one.
So I was shook when a line of products picked up my face and brightened my complexion in only two weeks. It was Kyomi Skin with 5-ALA, a German brand based on Japanese traditions and ingredients. Its formulas use a cure you maybe never heard of: 5-ALA or 5-Aminolevulinic Acid. It’s okay to be lost. I’m passionate about these things and it was all new to me.
This natural biologically occurring amino acid is already inside our bodies. We can also make it from foods like spinach and tomatoes. Consider it your face’s beloved but often dreaded gym trainer. 5-ALA forces energy production from skin cells, which get complacent over time.
This essential ingredient has a feather-light molecule weight compared to collagen and hyaluronic acid’s, though hyaluronic acid does factor into many Kyomi Skin products. 5-ALA keeps going for active cell repair and energized mitochondria. The payoff is hydration to fill out mature skin, generate a glow from within and promote an even skin tone no matter your age.
A VIP bright lights, big city event arose just a week after I started using Kyomi Skin. By then, my face had a more upbeat cast and indeed a higher energy I could not deny. My picture-perfecting face powder sank nicely into my moist skin rather than rest like dry dust on its surface as usual. I had to credit my new face care routine, just in time for summer.
Here’s what I’ve been using:
Cleansing Oil
One Japanese ritual is the Cleansing Oil, totally Zen compared to whipping up a fast lather to try to rinse entirely. Sesame, grapeseed and sunflower oils work gently. This prepped my face to a plump surface. On makeup-free days, it is adequate as my only cleanser.
Cleansing Gel
After long days including makeup and workouts, the Cleansing Gel provides a more powerful scrub. Still non-irritating and residue-free, it also includes natural oils and hyaluronic acid for those who find that works for them. It is a go-to at night before bed. Kyomi Skin provides a choice of cream or serum to follow cleansing. I am a glutton for both. I alternated or doubled-up, depending on the length of my day or what was on my schedule.
Niacinamide Serum
I tried Niacinamide in the past, and it cost more than Kyomi Skin’s Niacinamide Serum’s $49. I came for its reputation as a blemish fighter and left due to a cheek rash worse than a few blemishes. So I was cautious about this one. Perhaps that caution led me to more economical use, or maybe it’s simply a superior product. Either way, I didn’t mind a noticeable difference within days.
Day Cream
I thought the Day Cream was too heavy at first. Turns out, old habits die hard. You won’t need the full or repeated scoops many moisturizers require. A tap of this heavy lifter includes cucumber fruit extract and oat kernel extract, and will do. If your skin leans on the dry side, there is the Day Cream Intense. It doubles the 5-ALA content and throws in a proprietary Japanese herbal blend.
Moisturizing Serum
The Moisturizing Serum is a substitute for the Day Cream or an at-home addition to it. It can also be a light moisturizer for those like me who worry about overdoing oil. Its pleasant texture is loose but not runny for those who skip moisturizer on humid days or stack it in sunscreen and makeup.
Eye Cream
I don’t have wrinkles or conspicuous dark circles. I have undereyes that puff and need concealer in photos. All this starts from sometimes unfair genetics but usually extreme dehydration in the eye area. Before you get there and especially if you already are, this $34 shea and mango butter rich Eye Cream locks water in. It is dense enough to stay where it belongs without feeling tacky.
Night Cream
Experts on their own skin know the night is time to maximize results and this Night Cream is on my team there. Boasting a skin-tightening combination of 5-ALA before all other frequent ingredients, it definitely helped my face look less swollen and blah when I woke up. As with the Day Cream, you can boost these effects if you need to with an Intense version for just $10 more.
Bonus: Face Mist
I don’t leave home without one of these purse-friendly shortcuts for a little liquid magic to refresh and hide imperfections. Kyomi Skin’s version could win on smell alone. It is heavenly. The bitter orange flower and lavender water as top three ingredients give me a two-for-one, face/body mist deal. This Face Mist has one drawback for me: I love it so much I’ll have to replace it often.
As in true Zen practice, change starts from within. The line includes age-defying Resveratrol and reparative Vitamin C supplements. And the Asian beauty staple of sheet masks are an inexpensive introduction to the full line, which you can explore on Instagram at @KyomiSkin.
At fair and logical price points for the quality, it’s only a matter of time before Kyomi Skin with 5-ALA is widely available for people in all eras of the lifetime skincare adventure.
Kyomi Skin with 5-ALA is available exclusively online at https://kiyomi-skin.us/.
