SkinGO! Review: Maskne Treatment with 2 Products!

Today I have a SkinGO! review for you through a maskne treatment expedition at heart. Maskne has come and go for me during the pandemic from wearing masks once too often. While I turned to topical treatment for the affected areas, such as using acne patches to calm the acne down, I would have new breakouts before the existing ones could heal. Maskne on the chin and jawline eventually spread to the face and cheeks, causing acne, pimples and blemishes at sporadic spots. Not sure if I was fortunate (or unfortunate, lol) to have some brands coming across my blog and offer me their products considering my plight. One such company was SkinGO!, a Singapore facial treatment chain who goes by Korean beauty standards and establishes their core values in extending affordable services and products for their customers. The facial facilities used are medical grade and are flown in from Korea. Their beauticians are trained by licensed professional aestheticians for their advisory expertise as well as in carrying out skilled treatment for their clients.

SkinGO! Outlets & Services

I haven’t tried any skincare products from facial salons so far, so when SkinGO! approached me two months ago and asked if I wanted to give theirs a try (not monetary sponsored) in exchange for my honest review, I said yes. The brand SkinGO! was founded in 2019, and is a novel 15-minute facial concept with services made accessible at their 7 outlets around Singapore (Tiong Bahru Plaza, Junction 8, Far East Shopping Centre, City Square Mall, United Square Shopping Centre, Tampines One and IMM).

SkinGO! Renewal Essence (swatch seen in top right) and SkinGO! Oil-Free Hydra Boost Serum (swatch seen in bottom right)

So after they got to know that I have dehydrated skin with occasional breakouts due to excessive sebum production, SkinGO! sent me a few of their products of their namesake brand – the Renewal Essence, Oil-Free Hydra Boost Serum, and Bio-Repair Mask.

SkinGO! Renewal Essence, 50 ml, Made in USA

According to SkinGO!, the Renewal Essence targets at unclogging pores and reducing acne breakout. It helps to remove dead skin cells by gently exfoliating the skin so that the old skin can make way for newer skin to regenerate, which is particularly important for mature skin and those with pigmentations. This facial essence contains AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), essentially Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid for the skin shedding aspect of its job, as well as Aloe Vera and Calendula flower to soothe the areas that are affected by and prone to breakouts. This product has a nice herbal scent to it, so as you soak it in a cotton pad and gently wipe over cleansed skin, the experience of using this essence is a very relaxing one. Take note that if you have any cuts or open wounds, avoid contact with this product because it can sting.

SkinGO! Oil-Free Hydra Boost Serum, 30ml, Made in Spain

The Oil-Free Hydra Boost Serum feels amazing in texture; true to its name. Every globule of it is bursting with moisture and accurately enough, not greasy at all. This serum contains Niacinamide, Microalgae Ferment, Capper fruit and Licorice extracts. Some may not like how this serum smells, because Niacinamide is often described as smelling like glue or rubber. It does smell a little like glue to me, but at least it is sweet glue (almost like almond oil), and not the funky type. Niacinamide is listed pretty high up, which makes this serum a high-strength skin barrier nourisher. In addition, Niacinamide is also known for regulating sebum production as well as reducing the appearance of pores.

So I’ve started on these SkinGO! products since end of October, and I’m ready to report now in early December. I’ve broken down the results with respect to my 3 main skin concerns; all of which were conveyed to SkinGO! previously – dehydration, excess sebum and acne/ maskne breakouts.

The Hydration Test

Left: Late Oct 2021, Right: Early Dec 2021

The hydration level in the skin has visibly improved from the photos above. These were taken under the same lighting, with me trying my best to recreate the same smiles, so the facial muscles and skin folds pucker to the same degree. My crow’s feet, under eye wrinkles, and nasolabial lines have become shallower, suggesting the skin around the creases have been plumped. It is stated that the serum can be used on the eye contours, and so I did not stinge on the amount of product on those areas. It does not irritate the eyes nor cause my milia seeds to worsen. My overall skin tone has also become more even, and slightly more glowy.

The Maskne Treatment Test

Top: Late Oct 2021, Bottom: Early Dec 2021

The improvement in my maskne situation is the most satisfactory for me. The real test lies in not just how fast the maskne heals but also how much longer (or sooner) it takes for them to recur because that is when you know if the products transformed your skin. Considering that my maskne outbreak is somewhat acute and I’ve only been using their Renewal Essence for 5 weeks, the rate of skin renewal is pretty impressive. So I know that the more hydrated your skin is, the faster scar tissue build-up softens, and the sooner the appearance of scars can be reduced when the collagen fibres eventually sort themselves out. You can see that the maskne are healing quite well there, I just need to wait for the scars to fade out and recover completely over time.

Acne/ Blemish Scars Test

Now this is the trickier part. I’ve had these blemishes on the right side of my face for as long as I could remember. They do appear lightened on better days, and then would intensify whenever I have new acne or pimples popping up alongside. Hate it when this happens, it’s almost like they want to join in the party. Basically, my blemishes come and go depending very much on my body’s inflammatory response. The above photos show the period between my worst of October and now (early Dec). You can tell there is less redness and bumps. I haven’t changed my lifestyle since October (sleeping late, occasional chocolates, wine etc), so to say that the SkinGO! products helped in keeping the triggers under control may not be a stretch. If the discolouration and marks would eventually go from erratic to stable, or even dwindle, then that tells a lot about the products.

SkinGO! Bio-Repair Mask

Last but not least, I was also sent their Bio-Repair mask to try out. This sheet mask is their best-selling product in their SkinGO! skincare line having won the Beauty Insider Award 2021 for Best Sheet Mask (Blogger’s Choice 2021). The material of this sheet mask is enjoyably-thin, fits comfortably on the face, holding just the right amount of liquid essence (you know, not the drippy kind which can be messy). The active ingredients include Ginseng Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Arbutin and Vitamin C; together they aim to moisturise, lighten, smoothen, clarifies and repair the skin. Though just one try isn’t enough to see how this mask can fix my skin imperfections just yet, the photos (the right photo above compares with the right photo below were taken one day apart) show just how much more radiant and slightly more clarified the skin can be with a single use. I’m not sure if the sheet material is made of cotton or some other bio-cellulose fiber, but it sure delivered nutrients quite efficiently for that 20 mins it was left-on the skin.

SkinGO! Review: They understood skin meta

SkinGO! may have positioned themselves as a time-saving, express facial resource otherwise, but just through my couple of correspondences with their marketing person, it becomes clear now that she made sense of my skin conditions perfectly when she gave me her product recommendations even without an in-person review. If the marketing team could appreciate customers’ skin concerns (especially acne treatment) so adeptly with spot-on product knowledge, I think it is safe to say that their on-site facialists would be proficient in their dexterities, and the professional aesthetic team behind their cosmeceutical skincare range an experiential one.

Price & Where to Buy SkinGO! Products

The SkinGO! Renewal Essence retails at SGD$33.00 for 50ml, and the Oil-Free Hydra Boost Serum retails at SGD$49.00 for 30ml. The Bio-Repair Masks are available at SGD$45.00 for a bundle of 10 pcs.

🎁 Promo Code Just For You my Readers! 🎁

You may use the promo code “SGBEAUTY10” to get a 10% discount off your purchase of the above-mentioned three SkinGO! products on their website https://skingo.sg/shop/. Valid till 8th January 2022. Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping towards better skin with SkinGO!