Isntree Reviews – Easy Entry to Active Green

I’m not going to lie. The Korean beauty market can get saturated at times. With one release after another, it can be challenging to keep up—and our wallets get a beating, too! Popular brands like COSRX, Beauty of Joseon, and Benton already have a cult following, not to mention their bestselling products, which have become staples in our routines, and for good reason.

But whether browsing Instagram or reading Reddit threads in the K-beauty corner of the internet, Isntree is a brand you can’t help noticing it continually features in the recommendations from prominent influencers and everyday skincare enthusiasts alike. 

Known for its Hyaluronic Acid line, Isntree is a brand that has slowly grown to prominence for its transparent manufacturing and ingredient selection process and simple yet effective formulations. And that’s not surprising, considering the brand was born from a blogger who understood the importance of ingredients and industry standards. 

In today’s piece, we will dive deep into this green brand to learn why Isntree’s products have become a staple for many skincare lovers.

Brand Story

Back in 2008, regulations for Korean skincare changed dramatically in consumers’ favor. The Korea Food and Drug Administration, KFDA, implemented the law that all cosmetics must list all ingredients within the formulas on the packaging. We take this for granted today, but back in 2008 and before, there was less transparency on formulations and manufacturing within K-beauty.

Jinwoo Kim became one of the first bloggers to write about cosmetic ingredients since the Korean FDA changed the law, and his blog IS SKIN became popular in educating consumers on which ingredients were beneficial and which may be harmful. He felt that cosmetic companies focussed too heavily on marketing instead of formulation transparency at the time. 

That’s how Isntree was born – he wanted to create a brand based on good ingredients. Kim believes his brand grew “thanks to communication with customers and whole-hearted efforts to produce honest cosmetics dedicated to skin.” Isntree is centered on going further with quality and becoming a market leader to steer the industry away from marketing and towards wholesome, beneficial ingredients.

The brand name can be broken down into:

Island – a natural island that is pure and clean and not affected by pollution

Natural – use of virgin raw materials from nature

TREE – a strong tree that bears good fruit and grows with our consumers

These ideas and concepts are typically Korean in the romantic way they describe their brand values and the clean, natural notion of an island setting, natural surroundings, and growth. Romanticism is a common theme throughout modern Korean pop culture, and Isntree is unique in its blend of scientific emphasis on ingredient selection and quality control alongside the romantic ideas of nature.

Also, the brand logo is designed with the image of a clean island, a leaf of nature, and the aspiration of growing with consumers and bearing good fruits.

Isntree was founded in 2009 and launched in the USA in 2017. It has become a global K-beauty brand distributing our products through online and offline shops in 40 countries across six continents.

Isntree Values

The brand makes numerous promises to consumers, most notably that they will “always be honest and make reliable cosmetics products by actively heeding and applying all feedback.”

This exciting promise takes Isntree back to its roots and the fact that the CEO is a skincare blogger and consumer himself. It’s easy to see that his relationship with his readers has helped mold his responsive business model. He promises that “all ingredients are 100% honestly labeled”. They seek to create trustworthy products that anyone can use while steering away from excessive packaging or marketing that would detract from the value of the formulation.

Isntree Ingredients

Isntree is a Green-beauty brand that focuses on safe ingredients for the skin by researching the optimal combination of natural and functional ingredients. I find them unrivaled regarding ingredient lists, and I have been tempted to buy their entire line.

Isntree created the list of 100 harmful ingredients. Also, the brand has excluded 2,000 incompatible ingredients that contain nature-derived essential ingredients for the skin. It is the first generation of a clean ingredients brand created with the idea that a product focused on good quality ingredients could compete with luxury cosmetics.

The Hyaluronic Acid Toner, Hyaluronic Watery Sun Gel, and the Green Tea Fresh Toner were given labels of Amazon’s choice in 2020 and are loved worldwide.

Environment

Isntree is taking small steps for the environment, such as developing sustainable product packaging and using functional ingredients derived from nature. Isntree is trying its best for sustainability with valuable movements in this green survival era.

Isntree also strives to use eco-friendly, recyclable containers- another vital change we see within the beauty sphere, where many brands are finally paying attention to environmental issues. In 2022, they renewed the packages of all products by developing packages that are easier to recycle, using recycled paper certified by FSC, printing with soy ink, and using labels that separate easily with water and eco-friendly raw material.

The brand is vegan. They are opposed to animal testing and exclude ingredients originating from animals. Thankfully, we are seeing this more and more within K-beauty, and I hope this continues.

Isntree also works hard to take social responsibility throughout campaigns for the underprivileged, women, and people with disabilities.

Manufacturing Process

It’s unusual to see a section labeled “Manufacturing Process” on a brand website, but this links back to the Isntree transparency promise.

The importance of the quality of their raw materials shines through. Isntree even checks the slight differences in the natural materials depending on their harvest to ensure they’re consistent with the product’s purpose. They practice small batch production to provide the highest quality and manufacture according to several global standardization certifications. Each product goes through two tests: a skin irritation test to help ensure products are suitable for all skin types and ages and a heavy metal test to prevent the risk of contaminants within the products.

Overall, Isntree has worked hard to cultivate a community of trust and transparency, and that’s an exciting stance for a brand.

Example Isntree Routine

My skin is dry in the winter/oily skin in the summer, and you’ll find my routine below:

AM:

1. Rinse with water
2. Hydrating toner/essence
3. Fermented essence
4. Niacinamide serum
5. Gel cream
6. Sunscreen

PM:

1. Oil cleanse
2. Second cleanse
3. Hydrating toner/essence
4. Fermented essence
5. Niacinamide serum
6. Gel cream
7. Heavy Cream

Cleansers

Isntree Chestnut LHA Jelly Cleansing Oil

The Isntree Chestnut LHA Jelly Cleansing Oil is a hybrid product. Its texture is unique: it starts as a jelly melts into an oil and then becomes milky when you rinse it away. Chestnut LHA Jelly Cleansing Oil is unscented.

This cleanser contains LHA to exfoliate gently.

It is not my favorite cleanser as it is not super adept at removing makeup. It removes all my sunscreen and BB cream but doesn’t work well on mascara. Also, it isn’t easy to rinse off thoroughly, even with warm water.

Naturium* also has a first-step cleanser similar to this.

Pros:

• skintertainment

Cons:

• not efficient for heavy makeup
• difficult to rinse

Price: $16-21$

Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser

The Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser is an excellent cleanser for sensitive skin, but only when used on wet skin. I used this as a second-step cleanser when I wanted a non-foaming option, and it always left my skin soft and well-cleansed.

I don’t have many purposes for it as I would prefer other non-foaming options purchased locally, but this is the best non-foaming Korean cleanser I’ve used. However, it fails as a makeup remover/first step as it is like a cream. It just sinks in. You can’t get any slip on it because your skin is drinking it up. Apart from this, I do recommend it.

Price: $12-$24

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Cleanser

I love this cleanser so much. It smells insanely good, has this fantastic goopy texture, and has tea leaves in it. They don’t do much exfoliation, and I honestly never see them again after cleansing them off. It is surprisingly gentle for being so thorough. This feels like a luxury cleanser and is better than almost every luxury cleanser I’ve tried for cheap. Count me as a big fan.

Price: $13-$34

Isntree Mugwort Calming Clay Mask

Over the past couple of years, mugwort has become increasingly popular in Korean skincare. As with many ingredients in K-beauty, mugwort has historical significance in traditional herbal medicine and is known for its protective, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is still used today for those reasons, and Isntree has created several products centered on the suitability of the ingredients for sensitive skin.

This Isntree Mugwort Calming Clay Mask comes in a handy tube and is a wash-off clay formula to exfoliate and soothe the skin while reducing excess sebum. It contains six types of clay for sebum absorption, mugwort leaf powder, and bean powder for gentle exfoliation. It also contains several soothing extracts and hydrating ingredients to help prevent irritation or excessive drying.

The mask is aimed at more oily, troubled skin; however, unlike many clay products, I find it much less drying than a typical clay mask, and it’s very usable for my normal-dry skin. The clay should be left on the skin for 10 minutes and rinsed off before it fully dries, leaving your face feeling soft and smooth.

It noticeably absorbs excess sebum, and my skin is always softer and smoother to touch after using this mask. I love to follow up with plenty of hydrating products (like the Hyaluronic Acid line!) to immediately reinfuse moisture into my skin. Treatments like this should only be used once a week to prevent irritation or drying, and always patch test if you have sensitive skin.

I find clay masks almost all the same, so this doesn’t get too much praise from me because it’s very similar to other products. However, it is the best clay mask I’ve used as far as experience goes, as it smells adorable, has large enough granules to not feel like a scrub, and can be easily combined with serums or spot treatments. It usually gets creamy, like mint ice cream, and dries down quickly. I love the tugging/tightening sensation of clay masks, and I will say this one delivers.

Price: $16-$17

Exfoliation

Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid

There are so many BHA liquids on the market, but this is an excellent one if you are looking. It is a simple ingredient list with three types of hyaluronic acid, allantoin, and glycerin. I have not much to add – it is watery and thin, sinks in quickly, and is super friendly to sensitive skin.

Peach Slice’s has the best version of this, though.

Price: $15-$31

Isntree Chestnut AHA 8% Clear Essence

Like the Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid, this is one of the best options for the type of exfoliant it is. It is a massive upgrade from the previous version as it removes the fragrance and adds the chestnut extract, which I enjoy. This is a good option for those who don’t like the smell of the COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid.

As the name implies, this essence is a clear liquid. However, it’s thicker than the COSRX one and feels more like a serum. It’s not sticky or oily and absorbs into the skin fast. When I use this, my pores look so clean and healthy.

Unlike the COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid*, which contains 7% glycolic acid, this essence contains 4% glycolic acid and 4% lactic acid. This means that it has 8% AHA overall. However, the formulation is gentler than the COSRX one, as lactic acid is gentler on the skin due to its slightly larger molecular size and more hydrating than glycolic acid.

I also like that this essence contains Asiaticoside, a compound derived from Centella Asiatica and mulberry bark extract, which both have soothing effects on the skin, as well as sodium hyaluronate and panthenol which both have skin-hydrating properties.

The brand states the pH of this AHA essence is 3.5 to 4, which falls within the range of effectiveness for glycolic and lactic acid.

Pros:

• Contains Centella Asiatica and its main constituents
• alcohol-free
• essential oil-free
• fragrance-free

Cons:

• none

Price: $13-$15

Toners

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner

The Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner is a lightweight daily toner, slightly less well-known than the Hyaluronic Acid toners.

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner contains 80% green tea leaf extract – Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract which gives it a brown tint. This toner’s green tea is extracted directly from Jeju. There are many famous places for green tea fields in Korea, but Isntree explains that Jeju produces the highest quality green tea because of optimum rainfall and well-drained fields.

Green tea is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties. , full of antioxidants to give the skin a plump and hydrated look. Antioxidants help prevent free radical damage that is responsible for signs of aging.

It also contains blueberry fruit extract rich in antioxidants and evening primrose flower extract that helps in intensive moisturization and prevents the skin from early signs of aging.

It contains many other soothing ingredients, including my favorite, Centella Asiatica Extract, alongside Tannin, a natural astringent to help remove excess sebum. It also contains willow bark extract that helps control sebum production, making it suitable for acne-prone skin. Ginkgo biloba has antibacterial properties, which help reduce acne, eczema, and dermatitis.

So, this is purported to have a complex that helps with oil control, but I don’t find this to be something the product does well. It is very no frills and something I’d recommend if green tea works well for you. For me, this didn’t hydrate much at all.

I find that this toner didn’t do much of anything. I love the experience of using it as it smells incredible, but it has this slipperiness that I couldn’t get behind.

Pros:

• It contains 80% of green tea leaf extract
• A little product goes a long way.
• Didn’t cause any irritation or breakouts on my skin.

Cons:

• It doesn’t do much for me

Price: $14-$17

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner

If you know anything about K-beauty or follow the Korean skincare community on Instagram, you know about this classic Isntree toner!

The Isntree Hyaluronic Acid products are arguably some of their most popular, with regular features in favorite product lists and top-rated reviews and winning multiple awards from Korean and international beauty bodies.

This toner has a renewed formula containing a whopping 50% hyaluronic acid with three different molecular sizes of Hyaluronic Acid to penetrate and hydrate different layers of the skin. The smaller molecules penetrate more profoundly and absorb quickly into the skin to hydrate from the inside. In comparison, the larger molecules provide a protective layer on the uppermost level to prevent moisture from escaping.

This main ingredient is famous for all skin types, as it can hold up to 1000 times its weight in moisture and helps skin attract and retain the moisture it needs to prevent dehydration. Dehydrated skin can happen to all skin types and result in a dull complexion susceptible to premature aging, which we want to avoid!

Skin looks visibly plumper immediately after application; this is such a staple for hydration in a daily routine! Just pat into the skin after cleansing.

The toner also contains soothing Aloe Leaf Extract and natural moisturizing ingredients to help calm and protect the skin. The consistency of the formula is watery with just a slightly slippery texture that glides over the skin and absorbs quickly. The product is fragrance-free, and the skin feels deeply hydrated and plumped, ready for the next steps!

This is a hydrating toner and doesn’t try to be anything more. There are no active ingredients, no frills, just humectants, and some barrier-supporting ingredients like panthenol and sodium PCA. It’s slightly more dense than water, which is far more dispensable than the plus version.

As far as the effect of it goes, it is hydrating and softens the skin upon application. All the other toners they have are upgraded versions of this so that I won’t repurchase it.

Price: $13-$19

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus is a more intense version of the Hyaluronic Acid Toner. Described as an “ampoule toner” by Isntree, the Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus contains five different types of molecule size Hyaluronic Acid for fast absorption into the skin and more effective, dense skin hydration.

The texture is noticeably thicker than the regular Hyaluronic Acid Toner, and the brand suggests this Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus is more for those with dry, flaky skin who experience tightness in their skin. It’s become a personal go-to of mine over the past few weeks when I’ve been dealing with my regular winter dryness.

This is a top-quality hyaluronic acid serum packaged as a toner and sold at an excellent price. I will forever return to it because it can last a year if used sparingly.

It’s gorgeously goopy, smells just a bit funky, and will sometimes foam when used in large quantities and allowed to lather on the skin. I have been told this is not a red flag, and I will pass this vague assurance on to you. This and the standard Hyaluronic Acid toner comprise 50% Hyaluronic Acid aqueous solution, but this one has five types of Hyaluronic Acid rather than the 3 in the standard one.

There are a host of typical botanical extracts like cica, birch juice, rosemary, and licorice. Sodium PCA, beta-glucan, and panthenol are a beautiful ingredient list and a super hydrating product I have already repurchased.

Price: $15-$17

Serums

Isntree Hyper Vitamin C 23 Serum

Vitamin C is fantastic for the skin. It makes dark spots and acne scars go away. It also protects your skin from the sun and pollution. Plus, it helps your skin stay young and firm by making more collagen. Ascorbic acid is the best kind of vitamin C for your skin. If you want to learn more about the benefits of vitamin C for skincare, here are some related articles.

As the name says, Isntree Hyper Vitamin C 23 Serum contains 23% L-Ascorbic Acid, a high percent of pure Vitamin C. The Isntree serum also contains vitamin E (Tocopherol in the ingredients list), which enhances the antioxidant effects of vitamin C. As mentioned, vitamins C and E protect the skin cells from sun damage by neutralizing the free radicals generated during UV exposure.

Like all of Isntree’s products, the Hyper Vitamin C 23 Serum is packed with great stuff. Besides Vitamin C, other star players in this serum are propanediol, Betaine, Polyglycerin-3, Urea, Birch Juice, Panthenol, and Dextrin. A special mention goes to Hydroxyethyl Urea, one of the most effective humectants in skincare but not often found in Korean cosmetics.

If those names don’t tell you anything, let me summarize: this serum is full of great brightening, moisturizing, antioxidant, and collagen-boosting ingredients that your skin will love.

The shelf life of this serum is two months as it contains L-Ascorbic Acid. The manufacturer recommends placing it in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight to avoid oxidation. Also, please read Mia’s in-depth review of the Isntree Hyper Vitamin C 23 Serum.

Pros:

• 23% LAA;
• Contains Vitamin E;
• Contains effective humectants;
• Minimal ingredients list;
• Dark bottle;
• Essential oil-free and alcohol-free;
• Very affordable.

Cons:

• It doesn’t contain ferulic acid which pairs very well with L Ascorbic Acid
• Contains fragrance;
• It comes in a dropper bottle;
• Sticky.

Price: $16-$20 / 0.67 fl. oz. (~$26 per ounce)

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Price: $15-$20

Isntree Hyper Niacinamide 20 Serum

I was excited to try this, and while I did like it a lot, I was super disappointed by the size of the product. What are skincare companies doing releasing anything under an ounce of product? This instantly loses an entire star out of 5 for being under an ounce.

I have a bias against serums in the way that they are less product for more money, so I will hold it against them if they’re not justifying that.

It is also much like the packaging Beauty of Joseon has, making it impossible to put the dropper back in. It also feels like they dreamed too heavily with the 20%, as the outside will get a few bits of powder on it with consistent use.

The product is fantastic apart from this. It has 20% niacinamide and ten different types of hyaluronic acid. It felt like they deliberately formulated this to nourish your skin from the outermost layer to deep in your skin because of all the different kinds of hyaluronic acid featured here. I have no sensitivity to hyaluronic acid, but I know many people do, so I would beware of this product if that is the case with you!

Apart from this, it’s a straightforward product with a clear, slightly goopy texture. I will never repurchase because of how much better Cos de Baha’s is and how terrible I find the packaging, but I did enjoy using this.

Price: $13-$18

Isntree C-Niacin Toning Ampoule

Isntree C-Niacin Toning Ampoule contains 69% of vitamin-rich sea buckthorn fruit extract.

Sea buckthorn is a berry that grows on a shrub-like tree. Sea buckthorn is an excellent source of:

• vitamin C,
• various B vitamins,
• vitamin E,
• essential fatty oils,
• natural AHA-like components like malic and acetic acids,
• phenolic compounds that provide antioxidant benefits.

This Isntree ampoule provides antioxidizing benefits and reduces collagen depletion. It has helped heal wounds and even out your skin. Sea buckthorn has been shown to improve skin hydration, trans-epidermal water loss, and skin barrier function when used long-term.

Sea buckthorn oil is loved by many, especially those with dry and mature skin, for its anti-aging and nourishing properties. Along with 2% niacinamide, it triples down on treating hyperpigmentation with Licorice and Turmeric root extract, evening out the skin and making it fairer and brighter.

Isntree C-Niacin Toning Ampoule also contains hydrating ingredients such as aloe vera extract, sodium hyaluronate, beta-glucan, panthenol, and allantoin.

It also contains Physalis alkekengi fruit extract and turmeric root extract, which have also been shown to have skin-brightening properties. It soothes with dipotassium glycyrrhizate, and vitamin E helps protect the skin from UV radiation.

This hydrating, nonsticky ampoule is lightweight. I noticed how it lightened my pigmentation and dark spots after a month. It gave my skin a healthy glow. I am impressed with this sea buckthorn product.

It contains a new vitamin C derivative, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, which is stable and gentle. However, the PAO is just six months.

If it were less watery, this would get a perfect 5 out of 5 from me. From my perspective, serums are responsible for having a specific viscosity to them so that they feel a bit more significant and spreadable on the skin. If that makes sense, this felt like a toner packaged in 50ml serum packaging.

It is a bit too basic for a serum, as I typically will only buy serums for a buffet-type product. This would get a 5/5 as a toner.

Nevertheless, this is a nice brightening product for all skin types.

How to use it: This ampoule is a cross between a toner and serum in texture and viscosity. It’s incredibly hydrating and absorbs into the skin very quickly. I recommend applying this ampoule in the morning to your face and neck after cleansing, exfoliating, and toning.

Price: $15-$20

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Serum

This serum is super oily, and it broke me out. I really couldn’t tell you why when looking at the ingredient list, but I ended up using it on my body because I really didn’t like it. This has a great ingredient list, but again I hold serums to higher standards, as we should, which is fairly basic for them. Again, if a green tea-based oily serum appeals to you, however, I recommend this.
Price: $20-$25

Isntree Mugwort Calming Ampoule

I ended up combining this somewhat early on with a One Thing toner and using it on my body, so I don’t deserve to rate this.

I find this to be mid as far as mugwort products go, and that is, overall, the extract my skin fucks with the most. It has a perfectly serviceable ingredient list with beta-glucan, panthenol, and ceramides all combining to create what is, in the end, an effective serum. I would recommend One Thing’s Artemisa Toner* over this, though.

Price: $22-$26

Moisturizers

Isntree Onion Newpair Gel Cream

This is a great option and one of their best moisturizers. I am shallow, so I won’t lie about being obsessed with the slight purple hue.

I do not know why I’ve seen it retail from $10 to $40. It is not a holy grail hyperpigmentation treatment, but it is fantastic for evening skin tone and gives you a healthy glow.

It has 71% onion extract and niacinamide, the two main ingredients I would purchase this for. While it has tranexamic acid, a vitamin C derivative, and many other great ingredients, they are probably well below .1%.

This does dry down pretty quickly, so it makes a fantastic daily moisturizer under sunscreen.

What I love about this gel cream is that your face could be violently wet, but this would still apply like an everyday moisturizer. It absorbs moisture and locks in whatever you’ve done before better than most, which is a compliment I’d pay to many of their gel creams.

Price: $22-$30

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Aqua Gel Cream

Both contain five types of Hyaluronic Acid, but the textures of the creams differ and are aimed at different skin types.

The Aqua Gel Cream is a much lighter cream with an “elastic moisture jelly texture” for oily and combination skin types. It absorbs quickly, hydrating and moisturizing the skin without feeling sticky or heavy. It has a refreshing feel and cools the skin, which is ideal for irritation or sensitivity. 

I like this cream a lot and have already repurchased it. I rate it lower because it is not significant enough to be used alone most of the time, leaving a pretty glowy finish if used alone. I will typically use this at night before another moisturizer and a more natural-finish sunscreen if used during the day. However, I find this to be intensely hydrating in a way most moisturizers fall short, and I will stay loyal to this just for the punch it packs in that department. I often combine it with squalane or hemisqualane to give it an additional oomph, but this is a go-to.

Price: $16-$17

Isntree Mugwort Calming Cream

I’m gonna be honest: I find it suspicious that this doesn’t smell like mugwort even a little bit. I could add a drop of One Thing’s Mugwort toner and make this thing so fragrant, so I am just a bit confused there, haha.

This is very similar to the onion and c-niacin creams in that it locks in everything really well and dries down quickly. It doesn’t have niacinamide, which is a bit of a drawback overall, but if you are one of the B3 haters out there, this would be the one for you. It does a great job at reducing redness and was a great medicinal treatment for a recent burn. I’d recommend this cream up and down, but it is typically just a bit too expensive for what it is.

Price: $19-$22

Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cream

This is a unique product in their line as it is their only moisturizer besides the Hyaluronic Acid Sleeping Mask, which aims to be heavy. It has 57% yam root extract with other great, soothing/brightening extracts like rice, soybean, and oats. It also has five ceramides and cholesterol, which isn’t a standard feature for them.

This dries down pretty well, but not nearly as well as the others, seemingly by design. It applies like a luxury cream and was so similar to Then I Met You’s Renewing Rich Beauty Cream* that I just put the rest of the cream in that packaging and mixed it with hemisqualane to provide even more moisture.

This is their best moisturizer for people with dry skin.

Price: $19-$44

Sunscreen

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

IsntreeHyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel is a broad spectrum chemical sunscreen with SPF50+ PA++++.

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel is for sure not a summer sunscreen. It is so oily on me if used in humid weather and is one of the more emollient sunscreens I’ve used in Korean and Japanese beauty.

Still, I can wear it almost all year round and look incredibly healthy without eating a single vegetable. (This is a joke; please stay well nourished.)

In the winter, I see that as a plus! It is a runny but significant emulsion-type liquid, spreads nicely and evenly, and is an easy sunscreen to reapply as it will never pill for me.

Overall, I’m a big fan!

Price: $16-$17

Isntree Onion Newpair Sunscreen

There’s a lot to take into account when it comes to rating this sunscreen. Firstly, this is the brand’s attempt to branch out into the US market with sunscreens made with exclusively US filters. That means this only has SPF 40 and PA+++, but that is more than enough for me on lower UV index days. One would ask why would you want an asian sunscreen without asian filters, but I think it’s still worth it for the superior formulations.

Isntree “Purple Protector” Onion Newpair Sunscreen is wonderfully creamy, has 5% onion extract, niacinamide, and a host of excellent botanical extracts like heartleaf, and it smells gorgeously like homosalate. This has a decent amount of silicone but doesn’t trigger the same irritation as if these ingredients were farther up the list.

Interestingly, this has kaolin clay, which I’ve never seen in sunscreen! Regardless, this ended up being dewy on me, which isn’t something I can typically use daily. These both were super, super dewy. I use them when I don’t see many people and BOJ’s when I have to be in public LMAO.

I love this sunscreen because of the creamy purple pigment, but the overly dewy finish and lack of complete protection make it a less-worthy option when buying asian sunscreens.

Price: $-$

Final Thoughts

Isntree is not a brand looking to exploit trends or jump on gimmicks. The brand’s founder, from blogger to CEO, and the founding story demonstrate the focus on the importance of quality ingredients and the commitment to formulas that work. Ingredients that serve a purpose while maintaining cruelty-free practices and working towards more eco-friendly packaging all make Isntree a brand to watch as they expand their product range and work on innovative formulas. They have products for all skin types, and their skincare formulas make a meaningful addition to any skincare line-up or routine!

So that’s it! I love this brand. I want to acknowledge that people aren’t always big fans because they use preservatives that have not historically yielded the desired results. I have never had a product go bad on me, and I haven’t experienced a product becoming less effective quickly. That doesn’t mean this hasn’t happened, though, as I have seen many people mention it. I don’t know where Isntree is with this, but it hasn’t impacted my experience in any capacity.

In looking at my reviews, I prefer their toners and creams over everything else. Thank you for reading.