It’s been exactly 2 months since I started using this product and why did I take 2 months on this?
Well, I’ll talk more on that later!
I finally have the 3rd KraveBeauty review up on this blog and I’m pretty glad I could.
KraveBeauty is gonna release a Tamanu Oil-related product next (hopefully successfully!) and I cannot waittttt!
I’ve heard Liah talk so much great things about Tamanu Oil in the past that I really wanted to try, but I was still afraid.
Anywho, we’ll see when it gets released! Hopefully, I will be able to get my hands on it!
Getting on with this review…
What: KraveBeauty Kale-lalu-yAHA (AHA Chemical Exfoliator)
Price: 25,000 won from KraveBeauty offline purchase (in Korea)
Weight: 200 ml
Period-After-Opening: 12 months
From the KraveBeauty website,
* Kale-lalu-yAHA contains 5.25% of glycolic acid and is formulated with pH of 3.5-4.0 (pH may vary by batch). All KraveBeauty products are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and formulated without fragrance, essential oil, colorant. The color of the product might vary by batch or even change over time. Rest assured, this will not affect the product’s effectiveness; it remains completely safe for your skin.
^ Taken from the KraveBeauty website.
Read my previous review: Review | The Face Shop Shea Butter Lip Care Cream
Look & Feel
It actually comes in a similarly designed box like the Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser.
Whereas the 200ml bottle is also in the exact same bottle size as the Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner, which I found out by accident when I was looking at them both on my vanity table LOL.
Related posts:
Review | KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser
Review | Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
The words on the back of the product and box can be found on the KraveBeauty website but for your convenience, I’ll leave it below! 🙂
From the KraveBeauty website,
AHA is the most effective in the pH range of 3.0-4.0, so you might feel a slight tingling sensation at first, but don’t stress — that’s a good sign! It means the formula is giving your skin love! We do not recommend using the product on days your skin is sensitive. AHA may increase your skin’s photosensitivity, so apply broad-spectrum sunscreen liberally (which we hope you are doing nonetheless!).
By book
2-3 times a week before bed, soak a cotton pad with Kale-lalu-yAHA and swipe over clean face, avoiding the eye area. No rinse needed.
In real life
There are no rules. Slide Kale-lalu-yAHA into your routine based on your skin’s cravings. Liah uses Kale-lalu-yAHA 2 to 3 times a week while her mom uses it every night 🙂 Pay attention to your skin’s resiliency as everyone’s skin is unique.
If you’re a beginner
AHA 5.25% is a great concentration to start if you’re a AHA beginner. At first, you can mix Kale-lalu-yAHA into your favorite moisturizer. This concoction would act as a buffer slightly interfering AHA with fully absorbing into your skin. Then move it up to your first step in your evening skincare routine. Try it once a week then build it up to the frequency that your skin is most comfortable with.
Application
Moving on to the application!
If you can see from the bottle, it comes out very slightly tinted green and it’s actually hard to notice.
If you’d like a visual introduction to the KraveBeauty Kale-lalu-yAHA, you may watch this video by Liah Yoo too!
The consistency of this is almost like water. However, once you apply it with your bare hands or with a cotton pad to swipe it on your face, it glides really smoothly.
The scent of this too is something that I’ve smelled from some skincare product a really long time ago and I can’t remember what it was but it was a toner too and I liked the smell.
As I’ve smelled something similar before, this sort of brought back some memories when I first started with skincare. Haha.
Anyway, with the reason of why I took 2 months to fully test this product out was because in the first month, I took things slow.
It states to use it 2-3 times a week when starting out before deciding to increase your usage according to how sensitive your skin is.
So I did as told and slowly increased it to 4-5 times in the second month.
Also, as our skin renewal cycle happens every 28 days, alongside with this chemical exfoliator, I needed some time to see if there were any results.
And there were!
I got 3 benefits out of using this the past 2 months:
- The small pimples (clogged pores) around my hairline has reduced by almost 95%
- My skin texture has definitely improved
- Skin discolouration has improved
Do take note that I stopped relying on The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% or the CNP Invisible Peeling Booster the moment I started using this product.
I wanted to see the true results from just using this in my routine while keeping my other skincare products the same.
It’s recommended to use this only at night and it goes like this:
Swipe this product with a cotton pad > Mamonde Rose Water Toner (layered thrice) > SANA Namerakahonpo Emulsion NA
At the end of October however, I bought the new Jeju Orchid Enriched Cream from innisfree and starting incorporating it as a night moisturiser too.
I don’t think it affects much though, but just to keep it as a record here.
Here is the results on my face:
As you can see, the first month of using it 2-3 times a week, results weren’t very obvious. It looks a little worse because of the fresh pimples that appeared in between that period.
However, on day 61, which is today (and I’ve been using it 4-5 times a week), you can sort of see my skin looking slightly clear and healthier (especially on the right cheek).
This product does help lighten discolouration from acne but I don’t think it helped much for my blackheads.
For blackheads, I think the CNP Invisible Peeling Booster still works the best for me.
And for scars, I think The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is quicker at showing results.
The Kale-lalu-yAHA is only a 5.25% glycolic acid so I don’t blame it as it’s meant to be gentle and easy for people to incorporate without much irritation.
On the other hand, this product was effective enough to clear my clogged pores which the other two weren’t able to do.
As regards to sun damage, I think that will take a longer use to be able to see some results from using this regularly.
One other useful way of using this…
Was on my legs! Yes, my legs!
This might sound gross to some of you, sorry, I actually wax time to time which has given me some ingrown hair and it can scar my skin when I take them out.
I like using 1-2 drops of this with my body moisturiser before applying it onto my legs.
As I’m from a humid country, this makes the moisturiser slightly less thick and easier to absorb into my skin.
I make sure to apply sunscreen on my legs the next day though.
Not forgetting the face!
I do notice that the scars and smoothness of my legs has changed for the better. It’s a slow progression as I mixed it with a moisturiser so that’s normal.
I’m looking forward to seeing more improvements though!
Related reviews:
Review | KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser
Review | KraveBeauty Beet the Sun
Yes
- Didn’t irritate my skin
- Great for beginners trying out actives
- Reduced my hairline pimples (from leftover foundations and sunscreen which clogged them)
- Has 5.25% of Glycolic Acid and is gentle
- Hydrating the moment you apply it (and I wasn’t expecting that)
- Includes Aloe, Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B5
- Allantoin in the product helps soothe inflamed and sensitive skin
- pH 3.5-4
- Vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and formulated without fragrance, essential oil, colorant
- Price is reasonable for the quality
- Can be used for bacne too
- Improved skin texture and gave a healthy glow
- Lighten skin discolouration
No
- Hard to get out of US and Korea unless through unofficial retailers
- Didn’t do much for my blackheads
- Doesn’t prevent pimples for me
Am I Repurchasing?
Do you know after 2 months, I have not even reached the top of the label that’s on the bottle? At first, I thought I’d finish this pretty quickly but no!
I think you’d really get a bang for your buck, but that depends on where you bought this product.
Anyway, like my other KraveBeauty reviews, I would if I could. I just hope it’s much easier to access the KraveBeauty products.
Overall Rating:
0.5 off because it’s not shipping internationally yet, and another 0.5 off because it’s a product that you cannot expect to see results quickly. If you’re one like that, you’d have to be patient.
You may take it as a 4.5 out of 5 for me when it ships internationally!
What about you? Any chemical exfoliators you’d love to recommend to me? Was this review helpful to you? Let me know!
With ????,
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Hello where did you buy this brand in offline store in Seoul? I will go to Seoul this month and looking for Krave beauty.
Hi Ifani,
I actually contacted the kravebeauty_kr instagram to order in advance (according to one of their highlights of offline purchase previously). I’m not sure if they still do offline orders like this but you could ask them through DM! Hope you manage to get the products you want! ????
I’ve never heard of this brand before! I’m definitely going to check if this brand is available in The Netherlands! Thank you so much for sharing????
Xoxo Annaleid
Sorry to burst your bubble but it’s only shipped to US and Korea now ???? but they are trying to make international shipping though! But I hope you get to try it if you can! ????