Review: Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask

Where to purchase: From Yesstyle – you can use my code to receive % off (CVQFZA) – (affiliate) link HERE

Price: £22

Volume: 60ml

Description: This Cica mask is meant to help strengthen the skin’s barrier (probably due to the madecassoside in it) and improve the skin’s ‘natural strength’ to help produce healthy skin that can withstand external aggressors. A skin barrier strengthening mask, helps to improve the skin’s natural strength. Laneige mention a ‘Forest Yeast’ which also aids the skin.

Good for: Dry skins / Dry weather. People who like a thick / heavy cream. Those with dry, damaged skin barriers.

NOTE: I think oily, greasy skins that don’t like the feel of oil or thick creams on their skin or skin that gets easily clogged up may really, really not like this.

Packaging: I mean it looks lovely, as do all Laneige products pretty much. It came with a spatula (yessss) – at first I thought it would be too small, but upon using this product, I realised you only need a tiny bit because this is so thick and oily. It’s a screw top with a matte finish.

Directions: Apply at the end of your skincare routine in the evening – apply to areas that are particularly dry or sensitive with another layer.

How I use it: I can’t stand thick creams, so I apply a tiny bit of this and usually mix it with a serum to thin it out or ‘water it down’ before applying it to my entire face.

Key Ingredients: Asiaticoside (Skin Conditioning, Perfuming, Antioxidant) / Madecassic Acid (Skin Conditioning) / Asiatic Acid (Skin Conditioning, Stabilising)

Panthenol / Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil / Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

NOTE: Laneige (Amore Pacific) have stated they have a patented Cica ingredient called ‘Forest Yeast’ which they have developed which they claim helps strengthen your skin at night and therefore help your skin against external aggressors in the daytime. They’ve also said this is more effective than regular madecassoside. I can’t say whether this is true or not, I did not use this on broken / irritated skin. I simply used this as a moisturising sleeping mask.

Full Ingredients:
WATER / AQUA / EAU, PROPANEDIOL, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, SQUALANE, HYDROGENATED POLY(C6-14 OLEFIN), GLYCERIN, PANTHENOL, CETEARYLALCOHOL, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, GLYCERYL STEARATE CITRATE, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE, POLYGLYCERYL-10 STEARATE, HYDROXYETHYLACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATECOPOLYMER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ACRYLATES/C10-30ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, DISODIUM EDTA, ASIATICOSIDE, MADECASSIC ACID, SORBITAN ISOSTEARATE, ASIATIC ACID, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF OIL, AUREOBASIDIUM PULLULANSFERMENT, CHAMAECYPARIS OBTUSA LEAF EXTRACT, CYMBOPOGON MARTINI OIL, TOCOPHEROL

NOTE: Skincarisma have broken down the product’s ingredient list HERE

Texture: This is thick! This does give me a feeling of suffocation on the skin. I do think that this is due to the addition of Shea Butter. Also the oils in this can be felt once the product is rubbed in (I feel a slight oil residue). I can totally tell from using this that this is not going to be fun for those who get easily clogged pores / live in hot and humid climates and those who have oily skin. Dry skins will eat this up. The texture is absolutely opposite to the Etude House Universal Emulsion which I recommend to oily skins.

Fragrance?: None – Laneige have purposefully made this for sensitive skins (leaving out 9 ingredients – they say, that causes irritation).

How Long have I been using this?: 3 weeks

The Effect: This gives me a sort of white cast when applied and rubbed in. Takes some time for the white cast to disappear. It could be because I use too much? But I don’t think I do. I feel sweaty and that this doesn’t fully absorb into the skin but just sits on top. I like that this disappears in the morning i.e. my face doesn’t feel sticky in when I wake up but feels like my skin absorbed it. I appreciate this feeling from a mask. I did not notice a barrier strengthening effect BUT at least it did not make my skin worse. For me, it’s just a thick moisturiser.

What I like:

• No fragrance
• Doesn’t have (from what I think) – too many irritants i.e. good for sensitive skins
• No dyes
• Came with a spatula (yes this is a + for me)
• It does moisturise the skin

What I don’t like:

• Oily Residue after rubbing in
• Feels so heavy (my skin feels like it can’t breathe)
• I have a weird white-cast when applying and it doesn’t feel like this really sinks in (a feeling I don’t personally like)
• Doesn’t mix easily with serums (when I try to thin out the texture, when I mix it with other serums it sort of becomes clumpy rather than blending into one thinner cream)

NOTE: I do think that my skin was NOT the target audience for a product like this – so I feel bad saying how much I dislike the product. I do think that this was made for dry skinned/ damage skin-barrier people who do need and want thicker / oilier creams. I think this because the water sleeping masks are more for the oily-skinned people out there. I’m just disappointed that laneige made a cream that’s excellent for DRY sensitive skins (i.e. no fragrance, dyes, essential oils) and not OILY sensitive skins. Make me a water sleeping mask without the colourants and fragrance and then I’d love it!

Overall Rating and Conclusion: 3/5 I feel like this isn’t too compatible with people living in a hot and humid environment with oily, acne-ridden skin. This feels way too heavy and congesting for that. I think those with dry/dehydrated and ageing skin would appreciate the thicker aspect of this mask. But for acneic/oily and humid skins, the original laneige water sleeping masks eem more compatible. If you are dying to use this, I would say perhaps only apply very very little and spread it OR mix it with a serum to make the texture thinner and more breathable.

Would I repurchase?: No. I don’t like thick creams whether they be moisturisers or sleeping masks – I’m much more of a watery, gel person – so I would rather purchase the original laneige sleeping mask.