Even if you don’t find food-like skincare appealing (high five if you do), this bi-phase essence rich in tea extracts still manages to stand out against other (fantastic) milky toners.
Keep reading to see if this is the one for your skin type and needs!
Key Points
- A must try product if you value skintertainment and/or love tea inspired skincare.
- Doesn’t actually contain kombucha but does feature green tea extracts and saccharomyces ferment filtrate.
- Instant hydration results plus improved skin health and barrier in the long run.
Table of Contents
Overview
What is it
A vegan cream essence formulated with Kombucha Extract, refining skin for healthy complexion and providing hydration
Best suited for
All skin types who enjoy a more emollient milky toner, especially dry skin craving extra layers of moisture.
Things to note
Alcohol free, fragrance free, cruelty free, and vegan (duh)
Packaging
A frosted glass bottle with a turn cap.
Scent
Fragrance free with no noticeable scent.
Texture
A light milky texture once mixed. There is some slip but it’s not sticky or oily. Absorbs quickly and easily into the skin.
Finish
Natural finish after one layer with no tackiness. Skin will appear dewier and feel more tacky if you apply multiple layers.
Price & Size
$28 – $38 for 150ml on Stylevana (SHOPJENNY for 10% off), Jolse, Amazon, YesStyle (GEEKYPOSH for 5% off), and OhLolly
Product Demo
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Dr. Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence Ingredients
So there is no such thing as “kombucha tea extract”, but if there were, I imagine it’d be a hybrid of the following:
- Green Tea Leaf Extract is a fantastic and well-researched antioxidant and can protect against UV related irritations, making it a great ingredient to use under sunscreen. It’s also anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. However high quality extracts are important to ensure high levels of catechins, the main component that provides all these benefits!1,2
- Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate is the product of breaking down yeast via fermentation, and releasing all sorts of great ingredients like amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and peptides. This means you get benefits like skin moisturization, brightening, soothing, and even some anti-aging!3,4 This is also the key ingredient in the IOPE and Neogen essences!
For the cream portion, we see several skin beneficial emollients like:
- Sunflower Seed Oil Unsaponifiables is full of nourishing ingredients like fatty acids (specifically the barrier supporting linoleic acid), vitamin e, and sterols.5
- Amaranth Seed Extract is also rich in fatty acids like linoleic acid and oleic acid, plus squalane, which all help moisturize and soften the skin.
- Ceramide NP is an important component of our skin barrier and helps our skin stay moisturized. Would’ve been nice to see it paired with Ceramide EOP for a synergistic effect.
The formula is rounded out by centella asiatica extract to soothe and hyaluronic acid + fig extract + ulmus extract to hydrate.
How I Use This Kombucha Essence
Despite being called an essence to me this functions more as a toner and so I use it as such. It’s applied after I cleanse and exfoliate, but before any serums and moisturizers. If my skin is feeling extra dry I’ll apply multiple layers.
If I were to use another essence in the same routine (eg. SK-II FTE), the light to heavy texture rule would apply, so this would likely go last.
Make sure you shake the bottle well to mix the layers. It should be a consistent color and milk like texture if the two layers are properly blended.
For a serious hydration boost, soak a couple cotton pads with the essence and apply them on your skin for a few minutes!
My Usage Experience & Results
With an essence/toner like this my main goal is to see increased hydration and softer/smoother skin. In other words, my expectations aren’t high, and honestly they shouldn’t be, because toners play more of a supporting role in my skincare routine.
I’m happy to report that the Dr. Ceuracle Kombucha Essence definitely delivered on both, and then some.
First of all, the usage experience alone is delightful. The biphase texture reminds me of a milk tea, with the tea at the bottom and milk layer at the top. I love shaking the bottle to see it transform into a true milk tea texture!
Even if you don’t care for skintertainment, this is great if you want something a little more moisturizing than your typical watery toner, but it’s still light enough to work for even combination skin or oily skin types.
Results Timeline
Immediate results: skin feels moisturized and soft. Apply a couple more layers and you get a dewy glow as well!
Next morning results: I’ve noticed that my dry skin feels, well, less dry when I use this in my previous evening skincare routine.
Long term results: healthy skin that looks a bit more glowy and maybe even a bit more plump? Honestly it’s hard to judge the results of antioxidants as they’re mainly preventative, but this is one of those products that just makes my skin look “better” overall, and I suspect it’s due to the Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate. Any time I use products containing fermented ingredients (ie. most Asian first essences) I find it improves my overall skin health.
I’ve also noticed that with the Dr.Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence, subsequent products seem to absorb better. This seems to be the case with all emollient milky toners I’ve tried, which may be due to oil molecules acting like little Trojan horses to let in more active ingredients!6
Result wise, this essence isn’t particularly unique, nor will it blow your mind. For me, what makes it a stand out is its beautiful texture and how fun it is to use. If you love tea based skincare (ingredient and texture wise!) like I do, you will love this essence too!
Dr.Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence Compared
I’ve tried a lot of different milky essences, and here’s how the Dr. Ceuracle compares:
Laneige Cream Skin Refiner is the OG of milky toners and noticeably richer and more moisturizing. In fact it’s so moisturizing that I’d say oily skin folks can use this in place of their moisturizer! It has simpler ingredients as well, making it more suitable for sensitive skin folks.
AROMATICA Reviving Rose Infusion Treatment Toner is very similar in terms of usage experience and results, it really comes down to whether you prefer roses or tea, pink or brown. This one is scented though.
Round Lab Soybean Nourishing Toner has a deceptive milk-like appearance but feels more like your typical watery toner. It’s noticeably lighter and not as moisturizing. I also didn’t notice any significant improvements with this one.
I’m From Rice Toner is another richer option, but not as rich as the Laneige. This has some great ingredients like 77.8% rice extract, niacinamide, and adenosine.
Final Verdict
Pros
- Improves overall skin health with Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate and Green Tea Extracts.
- Makes your skin feel hydrated without any heaviness or stickiness.
- Really fun to use!
Cons
- Won’t deliver noticeable brightening or anti-aging benefits on its own.
- Doesn’t contain as many proven ingredients as other alternatives.
Scores & Summary
-
Ingredients
8.5/10
-
Packaging
9.5/10
-
Texture/Application
10/10
-
Performance
9/10
-
Price
8.5/10
My skin loves this, it’s the perfect amount of moisture I expect from my essences/toners and offers just a little bit more oomph than your typical option. Is it a must have? Not at all. Will you be wowed by its results? I doubt it. Do I still enjoy using it in my routine? Absolutely. Of all the milky varieties, this may be my new favorite.
Article Sources
To keep my content accurate and trustworthy, I rely on peer-reviewed studies, articles from reputable academic institutions, and quotes from certified healthcare professionals to back my claims.
Baumann, Leslie S, et al. Baumann’s Cosmetic Dermatology, Third Edition. McGraw Hill Professional, 21 June 2022
Zink, Alexander, and Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann. “Green Tea in Dermatology – Myths and Facts.” Journal Der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft, vol. 13, no. 8, Wiley-Blackwell, July 2015, pp. 768–75, https://doi.org/10.1111/ddg.12737.
Tsai, Hsiou-Hsin, et al. “Inhibition of Inflammatory Nitric Oxide Production and Epidermis Damages by Saccharomycopsis Ferment Filtrate.” Journal of Dermatological Science, vol. 42, no. 3, June 2006, pp. 249–57, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdermsci.2006.01.009.
Pang, Jong-Hwei, et al. “Up-Regulation of Tight Junction-Related Proteins and Increase of Human Epidermal Keratinocytes Barrier Function by Saccharomycosis Ferment Filtrate.” Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, vol. 01, no. 01, 2011, pp. 15–24, https://doi.org/10.4236/jcdsa.2011.11003.
C. Prottey, et al. “The Repair of Impaired Epidermal Barrier Function in Rats by the Cutaneous Application of Linoleic Acid.” British Journal of Dermatology, vol. 94, no. 1, Oxford University Press, Jan. 1976, pp. 13–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1976.tb04336.x.
Le, Brook, and Stephanie Saltzman. “Is Marula Oil the Secret to Perfect Skin and Hair?” Allure, Allure, 13 Feb. 2015, www.allure.com/gallery/marula-oil-skin-hair-products.
I am a huge fan of products like this in winter for that extra hydration, even if they don’t do much else. I tend to use some kind of active anyway, so I don’t really need it to do much more than hydrate.
Anne from “Doctor Anne”