disclaimer: i received the product for free from the brand, but the brand doesn't influence anything in my reviews. i'm writing the review purely from my experience. 

this is the description from their website: a niacinamide based serum that corrects dark spots and improves uneven skin tone. with the help of plant-derived squalane, this serum retains moisture to keep your skin glowing and healthy wherever you go. reduces pigmentation concerns including dark spots and uneven skin tone. smoothes and brightens skin. deeply moisturizes. 

6 ingredients:

- squalane: keeps skin young by fighting off free radicals.

- papaya: brightens sun damaged skin and dark eye circles.

- sea buckthorn: brighten skin and reduces spots. 

- oryza sativa rice bran: smoothes and brightens skin.

- allantoin: stimulates cell proliferation and encourages new tissue growth.

- calendula: speeds healing of blemishes and acne scars in tropical climates.

1 powerful brightening agent: niacinamide - a water soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances of the skin to help improve uneven skin tone, dullness, and weakened skin barrier.

1 patented skincare technology: en natural fermentation for healthy skin - fermentation of our natural ingredients with lactobacillus to boost anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with a soothing application.

ingredients list: water, glycerin, niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, propanediol, erythritol, butylene glycol, squalane, oryza sativa (rice) bran extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, carica papaya (papaya) fruit extract, hippophae rhamnoides fruit extract, malpighia emerginata (acerola) fruit extract, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, chlorphenesin, arginine, ethylhexylglycerin, carbomer, glutathione, 1,2-hexanediol, hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin, disodium EDTA, hydroxyethylcellulose, allantoin, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil. 

the packaging: this one also comes in pale yellow box, just like the artichoke one. with all description on it. from direction how to use to the ingredients list in english and korean. they seal the top part of the box. the interesting thing is the serum comes in a plastic squeeze tube with pump head covered in transparent plastic cap. similar to toothpaste packaging but with pump head and cap. they seal the side of the cap so you can be assured that the product is fresh. this one comes in 50 ml which is slightly more than usual serum size, which are usually come in 30 ml. the body is opaque white with green accent that goes in harmony with other products in their line which all have similar color combination, green and white. though i can see through the body under the light, the serum itself is white, so i can't see how much product is left in the tube.

the scent: this one is unscented, but if i smell really up close, you can pick up a bit medicinal scent from this serum. but it's very subtle, so it won't bother you.

the product: the serum is a milky white gel type serum. in my picture, you'd see that there's a bit transparent at first, and that's because i took the picture freshly when i open the product. but as time goes by, the serum became more milky white. it's quite viscous but it changes into watery traces when i spread it around. it takes seconds to sink in, but after being absorbed, it doesn't leave any tacky feeling. though the direction says that you can use this as sleeping mask as well, i never try it that way so i'll only talk about the result as serum. if you're wondering, the niacinamide concentration is 5% so compared to the ordinary niacinamide, it's lower since the ordinary one is 10%. 

the result: okay, let's discuss the promise. as moisturizing serum, it works well. it's not super moisturizing, but it does more moisturizing than the arthicoke one. however, i can't say that it's moisturizing enough to be a sleeping pack, but i can't be sure since i never try it that way. but judging from the ingredients, there are lots of moisturizing ingredients like squalane, sodium hyaluronate, BG and glycerin. i have to say that it must be the formulation. they formulate it to be suitable for hot and humid place, so i guess it's moisturizing without being too heavy. as anti inflammation, it has centella and allantoin that's known for its soothing property. however, as for acne, it does speed up in small acnes, but for cystic one, it doesn't help much (one acne on my chin is cystic, so it gets smaller but then it flares up again). now for brightening effect. it has niacinamide, rice extract, and sea buckthorn which are known for its brightening properties. for my acne scars, it does help lighten it up. i have spots that gets darker when i was pregnant, so i was curious whether this serum could help lighten it up. i know it's silly since probably only laser can do it, but i can't help being curious. so you can see it in the progress pictures below that even though it doesn't brighten it up much, but it doesn't get darker either. if i didn't use vitamin c, somehow i can see that it goes darker. i used retinol, as well as forgetting to use sunscreen in the morning (can we blame the lockdown for being lazy to put on sunscreen?), but my spots don't get darker. i guess it does help brighten a bit. this serum also works well with other skincare product that i used. 

i can say that i like the arthicoke one quickly, but not this serum. i never try other niacinamide serum before, so i don't know what to expect from the serum. since i'm more experienced with vitamin c serum, if i have to pick, i'd still like vitamin c serum better. but if you like niacinamide better, you might like this one. it's really suitable for tropical weather. and if you have problem with acne, it also helps speeding up the healing process. it helps fade acne scars as well. i think it works well with arthicoke serum, but it still works without it. i know that AXIS-Y might be considered as a new player, but it has complete line of products for you to try, from cleanser, mask, serum and even moisturizer. if you are curious, you can head to their website here, or check out their instagram here. if you live in indonesia, then check out their reseller's instagram as well here. fyi, AXIS-Y is also a cruelty free and vegan as well, so for you who are looking for cruelty free and vegan korean skincare, this can be a good option.

#axisy #climateskincare #kbeauty #crueltyfree #vegan