bythebeau babchi skin rejuvenating serum

my skin condition is not as good as it used to be lately. i've been getting breakouts around my period time. that's why i'm searching hard for BHA to stop this madness. and then i stumbled upon this new local brands. they only have two products, an exfoliating serum and a moisturizing serum. i've tried their moisturizing serum and it's quite decent, so i guess the exfoliating one is worth to try. after all, i've heard good words about that one, so obviously i'm curious.

this is the description from their website: ready to reset your skin in 28 days? babchi skin rejuvenating serum is thoughtfully formualted to rejuvenate your skin in 28 days. key ingredients: 2% bakuchiol and 2% salicylic acid with licorice root, red algae and 4 types of hyaluronic acid. 

benefits: improves cell turnover, promotes collagen production, unclogs pores and treat acne, soothes and calms inflammation, brightens overall skin complexion, replenish lost moisture, improves hydration. 

the packaging: it comes in lavender/white combination box, with description and the ingredients list printed on the back and sides of the box. the design is completely the same as the lipid one. the only difference is just the color. it's light green for lipid and lavender for babchi. the serum comes in transparent block glass bottle with a dropper to dispense the product. the serum comes in 30 ml size which is a regular size for a serum. 

the scent: i don't think this is scented, but it has this acidic scent which is probably because of the ingredients of the serum. 

the product: the serum is lavender, which is in sync with the packaging and i have to say the color is so pretty. the serum is a runny type serum so it's easy to dispense with the dropper. since it's quite runny, it's easy to spread it around and it doesn't take long to be absorbed. this also layers well with my other skincare products. 

the result: just as promised, this one is not drying for my skin. i can even feel that this is slightly moisturizing. however. i think i underestimated this serum for the first time since i overused it when i first try it. i use it every other day in rotation with retinol serum and sometimes twice a day. hence, my skin was acting out so i dialed down the usage to twice a week. three times a week tops. and it works okay that way. 

sadly to say, even though this one is quite gentle, it's not that gentle nor effective. i still get my hormonal acne breakout around my period. if i remembered correctly, the breakouts was less severe when i used another BHA serum than this one. however, i do agree that this one is a gentle exfoliating serum. so if you're a beginner and just starting to use BHA serum, then this is a good option to try. even though it's not widely available (i think you can only get them from their own shops), it's affordable so it won't break your wallet. as for me, i've bought another BHA serum to try after this one, so i probably won't repurchase this serum.