Disclosure: This post was sponsored by SK-II through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about SK-II, all opinions are my own. 
Everyone in the beauty world knows that the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is like the Holy Grail or rather ‘holy water’ of the skin care industry. It’s their bestseller and most awarded product and with good reason — it’s amazing!
With the growing trend of Asian beauty products, we’ve seen a lot of talk about essences and their growth in popularity, SK-II being a fan favorite and one of the first ever created — paving the way for the category. With the consistency of a toner and many benefits of a serum, essences are their own category of skin care.
Focused around skin renewal, the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence contains over 90% Pitera, an ingredient developed over 30 years ago when a scientist noticed the hands of the workers at a Japanese sake brewery were looking youthful. Convinced the secret lay in the fermentation process, this sparked 5 years of research and a team of scientists that screened over 350 types of yeast to develop what we now know as Pitera. It’s a focal ingredient throughout the SK-II line with the essence featuring the highest concentration of it. Pitera promotes skin’s natural surface rejuvenation process and balances the skin’s moisture barrier for overall hydration and elasticity.
Essences can be used in place of a toner and, speaking very generally, the main differences between the two are that essences do not contain alcohol and have yeast in the formulas as well as a higher concentration of active ingredients.
In the case of the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, it imparts a high concentration of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and fermented probiotics into your skin to target wrinkles, fine lines and dull/uneven skin tone. You can apply it to cleansed skin by sprinkling a teaspoon into hands and pressing gently and evenly onto face and neck. The water-like consistency helps it absorb into skin quickly and naturally. It will also better absorb your serum and moisturizer, which are applied in that order on top.
With the outpour of stories by millions of women on how the brand’s products have changed their skin, SK-II launched the global campaign #ChangeDestiny. Inspired by their commitment to empower women with the promise of beautiful, ageless skin and the confidence to shape their best destiny, SK-II believes that it is possible to go beyond the skin you were born with and achieve the skin you want with the right skin care.
Frankly, if I can age half as well as the face of SK-II and global ambassador, actress Cate Blanchett, then consider me on board! Here’s what the award-winning actress thinks about destiny: