Hada Labo SHA Lotion Review

Remember I attended the Hada Labo Media Intimate Session? So I came home and tried the products, mainly the Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion.

Hada Labo SHA Lotion

The lotion is the equivalent of a toner in the Western skincare system, but it feels very very different. With toner, especially the alcohol-laden ones (see: Clinique Toner No.4), we tend to wet a whole piece of cotton and casually wipe it across our skin, meanwhile praying that it lifts dirt without drying our skin out. With Hada Labo’s lotion, it’s meant to be patted in and absorbed by our skin.

What’s good: It’s really very moisturizing — I use this and sometimes skip the moisturizer. It really gives a very boing-boing feel to the skin; watch the video below and you will get what I mean.
It’s also cost-efficient because I only need 3 drops. Some other users report using 2 drops. So the products definitely goes a long way, unlike conventional toner that runs out so quickly because we use that much of it.
The product is colourant and fragrance free. That’s no-frills and less chemicals on the skin. Thumbs up!

It may appear sticky in the video – it is, to a certain extent. Give it time to absorb, it will dry up and be nice~

What’s not good: Takes time to absorb — it’s definitely an take-your-time sort of skincare. Not recommended for people in a rush who wish to finish skincare and makeup in under 2 minutes. Plus, it can get sticky if you use too much (I used quite a bit the first time I tried it and I was appalled).

Although unorthodox, but I’d recommend people with normal-to-oily skin to just use this, and skip the moisturizer. It should feel nice and light. People with dry skin, please follow through.

Apart from this lotion, the range includes many other products that I’m still in the process of trying:

Face Wash

Milk (moisturizer)

On the left is the face wash in this range. I tried it, I don’t feel any different than my regular face wash (also purported to be “moisturizing”). It’s certainly not the type that makes your skin squeaky clean (read: Neutrogena). It cleanses well enough so if you’re a stickler for using products all from the same range then you should get this.

The milk, or the moisturizer, is very viscous. It flows more like heavy cream than milk, but that’s aside the issue. Applied after the lotion, it intensifies the moisturizing ability, a little too much for my liking. Similar to the lotion, a little go a long way. So much so I feel like applying the milk on my dry leathery feet. If you have dry skin I think this will be the answer. It’s relatively weightless to be honest.

Essence

Mask

On the extreme right is the essence. Apply this after the lotion and before the milk. It will significantly increase the effectiveness of the products. I haven’t tried it – since the lotion+milk combination was already a little overkill for me, I decided to skip this. Perhaps I’ll put it in my swim bag for when I go swimming and the chlorine dry up my skin.

I haven’t tried the sheet mask either. I think it’d be a very useful emergency treatment product if you find your skin flaking off.

Overall I like this range of products. I can’t wait for the release in June at Watsons store!  I want to go and get the AHA foam cleanser! The whitening range looks real good too.

For more information, go to their website (English): http://www.hadalabo.com.my. You can view more videos there.

Pricing information:

SHA face wash: S$12.90
SHA lotion: S$22.90
SHA milk: S$22.90
SHA Essence: S$30.90
SHA sheet mask: S$21.90  (4 sheets; kinda pricey huh?)
AHA foaming face wash: $15.90
AHA creamy face wash: $12.90
(The whitening range is the same price as the SHA range)

UPDATE: GET FREE SHA LOTION SAMPLES HERE! (Singapore readers only)

Fr3b.com is giving away samples of the SHA lotion, so please just click the referral link to redeem your free sample. Did you know – Fr3b.com is Singapore’s first sampling site where samples are given out for free and you only have to pay nominal postage (less than SGD2 for 4 samples)? You can also read reviews of products there!