Hey Dreamers and Creators!

What's one luxury beauty product you bought because it was raved about by everyone and their moms that you felt like you just had to try it? For me, the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence fits into that category. The treatment essence was raved about online and off, by my favorite Youtubers and by my friends, it felt like I'd miss out on something good if I didn't try it. 

Many people call this facial essence the 'miracle water' and swears by it. With such good reviews, it seemed like nothing can go wrong. So I made my purchase of it last year. I was hoping to get a travel size of the product first but I ended up getting the 75ml right off the bat.


SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
75ml, $79.9 - $105

Product Description: A signature SK-II product formulated with over 90% Pitera. The Facial Treatment Essence gently exfoliates the skin to help moderate the skin's renewal cycle. The essence is said to help reduce wrinkles, brighten the skin, reduce spots, firm up the skin and refine skin texture.

To Use: Soak a cotton pad and gently wipe it over the entire face and neck. Do so after cleansing every morning and night. Alternatively, the essence can be poured into the palms and patted onto the face.

Ingredients: Saccharomycopsis Ferment Filtrate (pitera), Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Aqua (Water/ Eau), Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Sorbic Acid.


Packaging: The SK-II Facial Treatment Essence comes in a very luxurious looking bottle. I expected no less from this brand. The glass bottle is frosted but you can still look into it to see how much product is left. The bottle is sturdy and looks beautiful.

Scent: Probably the biggest downside of this essence is the scent. It's the one thing many people can't get used to, myself included. It smells strongly of yeast in a very unpleasant way. However, if you like strong yeasty scents, you might not mind it.

Color: The essence itself is a clear liquid.

Texture: Liquidy is probably how I would describe it. It's very lightweight and absorbs into the skin easily.


My Thoughts: It took me a very long time to write a review on this product because I kept using it on and off. I disliked the smell a lot which was one of the reasons why I couldn't just keep using it everyday. I probably should have bought a travel size to start with, but silly me bought the entire bottle thinking there's no way I would dislike it. I mean everyone raved about it right? However, learning my lesson, through an expensive bottle of essence, is for sure an unforgettable way to know that not every product raved by everyone is going to be good for me. I'm not saying I hate the thing, well maybe just its darn smell. However, if I could do it again I probably would have purchased a smaller size to try first.

I expected great things from the essence because so many people raved about it. I was happy to find that it did not irritate my sensitive and acne prone skin, which is wonderful. It did a great job at moisturizing my skin and left it feeling smooth. It also did brighten my skin a tiny bit and firm up the skin a bit, but I was really hoping for more.

Of course, this product isn't perfect and there are bound to be downsides. So what are they? Well, I've already pointed out my biggest dislike with this essence and that is its scent. It's not the most pleasant and I have a feeling I'm not the only one who doesn't like it. This essence is also very expensive and I'm not sure if the quality justifies the price. I might have paid $59 for it last year (apparently the price increased now to like $79 or more?), but at $79 a bottle for 75 ml, that's like $1 = 1ml! It's a lot for an essence that just moisturizes, smooths skin and brightens a little.

I don't really have wrinkles but I do have some fine lines. While they are different, the methods used to treat them are generally the same. This essence claims to be able to help reduce wrinkles (in my case fine lines), however, I saw very little improvements. The lack of improvements could be due to my on and off use of the product over the time of a year, however, I still hoped to see better results. Especially for the price of the product. 


My Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ♡

Final Thoughts: I recently finished my bottle of the Treatment Essence which was what prompted me to finish this review. While this product worked for me and my skin in some ways, I felt like it should have done more. Especially for it's price and what it advertises to do. Its scent is probably the biggest downside for me, although I know that not everyone feels that way. Would I repurchase this product in the future? Probably not. Do I recommend this SK-II Facial Treatment Essence? I think if you can get over the ferment scent and don't mind shelling out a lot of money, this essence might be worth a try. Although, I would suggest getting a trial size first before committing to the entire thing.

Where to purchase:
-Yesstyle.com ($79.9)
-Sephora.com ($99)
-sk-ii.com ($99)


Until next time!

~Michelle


Disclosure: The products were purchased by me and all the opinions are honest and my own. This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on those links before you shop, DTC might get a small commission which helps to support the blog.