Elizavecca Milky Piggy Retinol Cream 100g/3.53 fl.oz. - Retinol Swiftlet Nest Extract (69.9%) |Face Cream |

I'm 37 and I've always taken care of my skin. I figured if I moisturized well and used sunscreen I wouldn't have to worry about more intense anti-aging products when I got to my age. After having a child with special needs who sleeps only a few hours at time, lack of sleep and stress is beginning to catch up with me. While I don't have many fine lines or wrinkles yet my skin was constantly dull and tired looking, and oddly prone to dryness, which was never something I had to deal with before. The healthy glow I used to get from a gel moisturizer and some rosewater is apparently a thing of the past for me. My skin soaks the moisture right up and it still looks and feels the same. Heavy moisturizers almost always break me out, and I'm beyond tired of the rough texture and dry, flaky skin on my face. This is a Korean beauty brand I've used and loved in the past. Their products are consistently good and very affordable, so don't let the cartoonish packaging and sometimes oddly named products put you off. As a beauty junkie I have tried so many different products and I still love Elizavecca, their skincare products rival or outperform many of the expensive brands, which is something I've noticed about K-beauty in general. Their standards seem to be much higher than the majority of our domestic brands that are in the same price range. This particular cream is different from anything else I've ever used. Like others have said, it has an odd consistency and texture. Very similar to white Elmer's glue, it's sticky and a bit stringy at first but it dries down to a nice velvety feel on the skin. It's very moisturizing, which often causes painful cystic acne to flare up on my chin with other formulas, but this cream provides the heavy moisture I need without clogging my pores. That's been a huge challenge for me, I typically cant use things that provide the level of moisturization my skin needs. It has a light and fresh floral scent that fades away after a short time. Now, as for the results, I haven't been using it long enough to really see anti-aging benefits, and like I said I don't have many fine lines and wrinkles. So I cant say either way how effective it is for that. But my face actually looks smooth and healthy and I have that nice healthy glow again. It revived my skin in just a couple of weeks. If you aren't looking for a strong retinol, definitely consider giving this a try. You might be pleasantly surprised like me.

One of the very few retinol creams on the market that I can use daily on my sensitive skin. This cream doesn't sting, and it has never caused me to break out either. Many retinol creams on the market didn't suit me, even the ones with low retinol percentage. Also, this cream has a unique formulation. Power-packed ingredient list. Good quantity and pretty cheap. The texture is distinctive, too. It is slightly slimy. Lightweight. Absorbs well. No smell. Love this product!

I am a long time skincare enthusiast, particularly of Korean skincare. I have always been hesitant to try Elizavecca skincare because the branding seemed juvenile to me. On a whim I ordered this cream. It is the most effective neck cream I have ever used, hands down!! And I have tried neck creams that cost upwards of $300. I am 45 years old and starting to get the dreaded crepey neck skin. The first night I had this cream, I used it on my face, neck, and chest. It has a somewhat slimy and stringy consistency. However, it soaks in well and does not stay sticky. When I woke up the next morning, my neck was not crepey AT ALL. I have never had that effect from any neck cream. My chest was not dry or wrinkly either. I was glowing! The cream says it has a retinol in it, but it must be an extremely low strength. My skin is usually sensitive to actives, and I had no reaction whatsoever. A few weeks later I incorporated trentinoin into my skincare routine and used this cream with it accidentally. No reaction. So I have continued to use it together, since it is so moisturizing. If you are considering getting this cream: buy it! It’s SO AFFORDABLE as well. I have been using it for about 2 months now and I love it just as much. I’ve also bouse several more items from Elizavecca and they are all winners!

Like stated in some previous reviews, this product can cause your skin to purge and break out, but stick with it and you won't be sorry! I've been using it for about a month and my skin is definitely more hydrated and brighter. I'm only 25 so I'm not really battling many wrinkles yet, just thought I'd start a retinol cream to try to prevent any from coming in the first place. ;) I love the packaging, it's super cute! I use this at night and when I wake up in the morning I notice my dark spots and acne marks are definitely less red and my skin just looks more even, bright and youthful. The reason for knocking off a star is that I'm not a huge fan of the texture or smell, it's kind of gluey and sticky and smells like glue too. I will definitely be purchasing again, however!

Holy cow. I was skeptical and even a little frightened to add this to my skincare regime, but I'm so glad I did. I've been using this nightly for about two weeks now, and I've noticed several things- the amount of visible pores I have in my T-zone has decreased dramatically, for one. I still have some larger pores around my nose, but overall their size has diminished. I have 2-3 really deep pores on the side of my nose (that to be fair, I'm probably the only one that notices) but they seem much more shallow and look like they may be closing up. I've also noticed that some of the fine lines that accompany my always lovely and flattering eyebags have begun to reduce in appearance, making my bare face look much younger. There was also an area on my nose where the bony bridge met the fatty, cartilaginous tip of the nose, where perhaps due to facial expressions, I'd started to form a bit of a reddish line and fine wrinkle which is now gone. On the skin clarity front, I currently don't have any active pimples on my face. When I began using this product, I had a small breakout below my nose and above my upper lip, which I'm unsure as to whether was a hormonal breakout or part of the retinol purging process that some reviewers have been mentioning; however, the marks that it left behind (I tend to get mild subcutaneous breakouts that leave long lasting pink marks) have been fading rapidly. When I started, I had one between my eyebrows and on my chin, and those two are gone. The ones above my lip are no longer raised, and the color has faded considerably. Overall, my skin feels smoother. I can't attest to what this product does in a vacuum, since I use several other skincare products, but I sincerely think this product is responsible. I've even stopped using my sleeping mask, since this produce is so moisturizing and rejuvenating. I'd highly recommend it.

After being encouraged by the reviews and to be honest: the cool packaging I gave this cream a try. I have dry skin and am in my 30’s so having quality anti aging products is important for me. I try to be as ethical as possible when it comes to eating (only free range eggs and no meat) and what Products I use. So, when I saw reviews about this products main ingredient being cruel I made sure to do some homework. I found the following statement online: “Hi, I work in the bird's nest industry in mainland Malaysia and just want to fill in a few details if that's ok. In Malaysia over 90% of bird's nests comes form bird's nest houses now. Its simply against the bird's nest house owner's interest to mistreat the birds as the bird's will simply leave and not build any new nest. There are no cages or anything to restrain birds. They leave in the morning to feed and fly back at sunset. If the house is poorly designed they'll go elsewhere. The bird's cannot be forced into coming or staying in any nest. They are attracted there by the conditions of the house which are built specifically to make them attractive for birds. The swiftlet population in Malaysia has been steadily increasing over the past few years as a result of better houses been built and the rise of bird's nest house consultants. If one wants to have a sustainable bird's nest house, they will only harvest abandoned nests after the chick has flown away. The owner will hope that the chick will return home to build a nest where it was hatched, and increase the nest population. The whole cycle from the bird entering, building, laying the egg, egg hatches to the chick flying away takes approximately 120 days. There are famous bird's nest caves in east Malaysia (Borneo) and the government have since taken steps to stop the over harvesting of these caves. Before since nobody owned them, it was whoever came first took whatever they liked. Now there are only 3 sanctioned harvests per year with only licensed operators allowed into the cave to take a quota. However bird's nest houses now far outnumber nests from caves and generally have a higher nutritional content due to the more controlled environment. Since 2011 the Ministry of Agriculture and the Malaysian government export division, MATRADE, have ramped up the regulatory measures in the industry. Malaysia supplies approximately 20% of the world trade yet has over 90% of the newly created Chinese import licenses which is the biggest market. Contrary to what people think, its actually easier to import bird's nest to the USA than it is to China. China has the most stringent rules when it comes to importing bird's nest since they implemented them back in 2011 and require almost hospital cleanliness standards in the cleaning facilities. Every bird's nest now can be traced back to the individual house where it came from via RFID scanning and any nest sent for export first has to have a sample sent to the Veterinary services department to verify its chemical content. I can't speak for other exporting countries such as Indonesia (the biggest exporter), Thailand or Vietnam but just from our experience here in Malaysia, its pretty fair to say that the government recognised this industry as a key growth area and took steps to ensure its validity via the regulation of the harvesting and cleaning facilities. Its worked and now Malaysian bird's nest are the most expensive and in demand of any due to the perceived safety and quality. “

Efficacy: I don't know how well this works because I couldn't get myself to use it consistently enough to expect to see any results. I did not peel or purge while using this product, and it was my first time using any kind of retinol. I didn't even use it 'right' and apply it on dry skin, and avoid using it with acid products like hyaluronic acid. I don't know if my skin is just very irritation resistant, or if it's not as strong as advertised, or what. I still wouldn't recommend using any retinol product on damp skin or with acids, despite my experience. Consistency: this product has the weirdest consistency I've ever seen in a skincare product. It is gooey, and scooping it out of the container makes a mess because it leaves tendrils of product everywhere if you're not careful. It also doesn't feel like it ever fully absorbs into the skin, and feels greasy/sticky. Scent: smells very strong and sharp, and very similar to a shampoo and conditioner I used back in middle school. I only remember what it smells like so well because of how strong that scent was. I don't mind products being a little scented, but this smells like something I shouldn't be putting on my face. Overall: between the scent and the consistency, this product does not work for me because it is uncomfortable and annoying to use, despite the fact it didn't do anything bad to my skin. I can't speak for how effective it is, but I'm giving it three stars for at least not destroying my skin. If you can get past the scent and consistency, it may work for you as an inexpensive retinol.

Update on 3/27/18 : This is almost an empty for me, I was alternating night using for a little bit so it slowed the use. I've got it on my repurchase list! Skin Type: Oily/Easily Dehydrated Skin Shade : NC15 Skin Conditions : Large pores, Darker sebaceous filaments around nose, some acne scarring, post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation (from acne), hormonal breakouts, fine lines around mouth/eyes, lack of water production Product: Elizavecca Milk Piggy Revitalize EGF Retinol Cream Perfumed: Very faint fragrance, smells soft Purchase: 11/16/2017 Review: 1/7/2018 Overview: This is a Korean sleep pack (night cream). Please note that the description for the item states "Day or Night" but that is incorrect. This product contains 2500 IU Retinol (75%), which will break down in sunlight and be rendered useless. While it's labeled as a cream, it is more like a gel. This Milk Piggy cream has several ingredients to provide moisture while encouraging new skin cell growth. For those with sensitive skin, be aware this contains Cetyl Alcohol, Alcohol and fragrance. For those wanting products without animal ingredients, this is a cruelty free brand. Photos attached show product front, product on skin and product rubbed into skin. Ingredients: Swiftlet Nest Extract Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil Beeswax Cetyl Alcohol Niacinamide Glycerin Polysorbate 60 Dipropylene Glycol Retinol rh-Oligopeptide-1 Sodium Polyacrylate Allantoin PEG-100 Stearate Adenosine Carbomer Betaine Propylene Glycol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Polysorbate 20 Triethanolamine Alcohol 1,2-Hexanediol Ceteth-3 BrassicaCampestris (Rapeseed) Sterols Tocopheryl Acetate Cetyl Phosphate Cholesterol PEG-5 Rapeseed Sterol Hydrogenated Lecithin' Phenoxyethanol Water Sorbitan Sesquioleate Ceteth-5 Disodium EDTA Glyceryl Stearate Fragrance Appearance : This is a white gel like cream. It's very slippery and has a high viscosity to help it sit on the skin. It has a very slight fragrance. I'm familiar with Korean products containing perfume and on a scale of 0-10 I consider this a 1. I cannot smell the product on my skin once applied and I can only smell it if I specifically sniff the container. The container is a good size and seals well. It comes with an inner plastic tray like cap with a little spatula attached via a clip. The product packaging is really cute, I love the shiny pig and his piggy bones. Applying : This is a thick product, but is not as thick as a night emollient cream. If you are applying a heavy cream or vaseline for evening routine, this will go before. The product comes with a little plastic spatula to allow for finger free application. I am always applying with super clean hands so I don't use the spatula. If you do opt to use the spatula, wash after each use to remove the slick reside to make it easier to pick up next use. You only need about a dime to quarter sized amount for the entire face. Place the product on the face and then smooth into the skin with clean fingers. It should be applied in a VERY thin layer. The skin will feel tacky before going to sleep but the product sinks in overnight. Usage/Feedback : This product has been helping my skin really soften up. When I wake up I find my skin is really soft and smooth and hydrated. I do use this as PART of a routine with other products that hydrate,heal and nourish the skin, but I have been really please to see noticeable results. Best results are when I use it consistently. I can definitely tell my skin is much drier and rough in the morning if I skip this step. I do not get any acne breakouts from this product, which is perfect. My skin is looking much brighter and clearer with several healing and restoring ingredients in my routine, including this retinol cream. I am pleased that a little goes a long way, I have about 2/3 left and I've been using for about two months now.