SK II Facial Treatment Essence - This “Miracle Water” is worth the splurge!

SKII Facial Treatment Essence

   I have been blessed with a good complexion—fair skin without much blemishes. For that, I have received a lot of praise and many people have asked me the brand of skin care products I use. Genetics, diet, and lifestyle play a very important role; however, that is not to say I do not have to do anything for my skin. I spend a lot of time and effort in keeping my complexion. 

    The SKII facial treatment essence is something I have used for more than a quarter of a century! It is the one thing that I will not part with and I even put some in a little spray bottle and carry with me at all times.  I grew up using J&J baby lotion till I was in high school, changed to Oil of Olay, and graduated to Shiseido. I have very sensitive skin and tried Lancome, Chanel and Estée Lauder at a tender age when I started making money on my own, only to find them making my skin red and irritated.  A friend then told me Asian skin needs Asian products which are gentler, and that was when I started using Shiseido and exploring other Asian cosmetic brands. On one of my trips to Hong Kong, I discovered the “Miracle Water” from SKII.  It was quite expensive but after noticing the effect on my skin with the first bottle, I would rather skip meals—I simply must have my SKII essence! 

SKII PITERA sake brewer’s hand

Sk-ii.com

    The main ingredient of “Miracle Water” is the patented SKII PITERA, a fermented product from a specific strain of yeast found after many years of Japanese research. The scientists noticed the youthful and soft hands of sake brewers which led them to the discovery of the yeast and fermentation process.  This natural liquid is rich in vitamins, amino acids and minerals. The Essence contains 90% PITERA.  Once you splash the essence on your face, the skin instantly becomes soft and moist, priming it for other serum, lotion and cream. It does have a specific smell, which is honestly quite stinky, from what I personally believe without any scientific evidence, may be lactic acid and ammonia, thus the softening and exfoliating properties of the product. However, it does not thin the skin. I am now in my 50’s, and my skin is still quite soft, smooth and supple. They did make an essence with rose scent once, in an attempt to cover the smell slightly, but it was not really worth the extra cost, so I believe they discontinued it. 

    The essence comes in a very nice frosted glass bottle. Every now and then, they have limited edition bottles with special designs. I used to buy bottles of them whenever I visited Japan since the price is slightly lower there. Luckily, I discovered that Costco carries the essence in a 300mL plastic pump bottle, which is much more economical. I use it twice daily and go through the bottle quite fast. The pump also makes it easier to dispense into little spray bottles to carry around. I recently recommended my 24 year old daughter to start using the essence and bought her a 300mL pump. I have learned aging of the skin starts in the 20’s, so the earlier you start caring for your skin, the better. As the Chinese saying goes, “預防勝於治療- It’s easier to prevent than to treat”.