Dropped this on my face this morning and literally stopped mid-routine to text my derm. That’s how good the texture is.
The VI formula is noticeably thinner than the old one — almost like a watery gel that disappears before you can blink. I clocked it: absorbs in 8 seconds flat. No tacky film.
This is Sulwhasoo’s pre-essence step — you pat it on after cleansing, before anything else. $89 for 60ml. I bought it because they claimed “micro-layer hydration.” Sounded like marketing fluff. It’s not.
Micro-layer delivery
Each layer sinks in separately — you can feel your skin drinking, not drowning.
No sticky residue
I’m oily-combo. This doesn’t sit. It just… leaves.
Scent upgrade
The old one smelled like a hanbok store. This is lighter, fresher, almost like rain on stone.
Sulwhasoo doubled down on their fermented ginseng complex and added a new rice bran extract. The texture change comes from a reformulated delivery system — not more water, just smarter absorption.
- Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins: plumps without that tight feeling
- Rice Bran Extract: softens the skin barrier over time
- Niacinamide: brightens by week 2, no joke
- Betaine: holds moisture without greasy hands
It feels like silk melting into your skin — not watery, not thick. Just this velvety slip that vanishes. I actually laughed the first time because I thought I’d forgotten to apply it.
Week 3 update: I’m less dewy in the afternoon. That’s the weird part. My skin used to get greasy by 2pm — now it just looks healthy. No oil slick. No dry patches.
My fine lines on the forehead are slightly less obvious — not gone, but softer. The glow is real but not shiny. Pores look smaller in the morning, but by night they’re back to normal. So it’s a cushion, not a cure.
This is the best texture I’ve felt in a Korean pre-essence, period. Expensive? Yes. But my skin hasn’t been this chill since before I started using retinol.