Review: Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Shield Cream

I'm going to try to keep this review a bit shorter and sweeter than my usual lengthy, scientific babble, but I do want to go into a bit of detail on the newest cream I've gotten the chance to try - the Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Shield Cream. A month or so ago, Keauty Picks reached out to me and offered to send me a package of K-beauty goodies to review. Since my hauling has drastically reduced due to the recurring monthly nightmare that is student loan payments (blegh), I thought this would be a good chance to get a little AB fix, while also bringing you a new product review from a brand many of us know and love.

A little bit about Keauty Picks - "Keauty" means Korean + Beauty, which is fitting since Keauty Picks is the new Korean skincare retailer in town. I will admit I've browsed their website often, and they have a ton of products from great brands, such as Klavuu, Neogen, Jayjun, Leaders, Dr. Jart+, and more.

Anyone noticed? Keauty means Korean + Beauty = Keauty. We called ourselves Keauties because of our love and dedication to Korean beauty products from popular sheet masks to innovative products that are infused with natural ingredients from nature. Our philosophy is to curate best Korean beauty products to maintain your skin healthily and help to discover your own natural glow.

We truly believe healthy glowing skin starts from 2Es - Easy Everyday Skincare Routine. We want to share our easy-healthy skincare routine and introduce our special cares and secrets from our experience. (shhh only with Keauties exclusively!) 

Purpose: This is a nourishing, protective cream that helps lock in moisture and creates a natural barrier to protect and improve skin texture. Skin is protected from external pollutants and drying conditions for a soft, nourished complexion. Propolis and creamed extracts are combined to protect skin and help your complexion retain moisture. This cream is 50% black bee propolis extract, 20% royal jelly extract, and 10% royal black honey extract. My skin absolutely adores both honey and propolis (the substance that bees create by mixing botanical ingredients with their saliva and enzymes to protect their hive). Honey has incredible antimicrobial/antibacterial, which is great for acne treatment and prevention. It's also chock full of antioxidants and is very moisturizing and soothing, which helps slow the aging process. I often use pure, organic honey as a wash-off face mask to help clarify my skin and leave it moisturized and radiant, or even as a spot treatment for the occasional angry blemish, so naturally, I was very excited about slathering this alllll over my face. For reference, my skin type and concerns are combination/dry skin (oily t-zone, dry cheeks), concerns include enlarged pores, redness, hyper-pigmentation/scarring, and prevention of fine lines and wrinkles. 

How to use: Use as the last step in your skincare regimen. Apply an even layer onto face, massaging in circular motions. Best suited for all skin types. 

Ingredients:

Royal Jelly Extract (20%), Propolis Extract (50%), Water, Honey Extract (10%), Propylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Shea Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Macadamia Nut Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Olivate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Glucoside, C12-16 Alcohols, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethiconol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Palmitic Acid, Cellulose Gum, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Stearic Acid, Lime Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol. cosDNA Analysis

This cream has a seriously awesome ingredients list - 80% of the product is luxurious honey, propolis, and royal jelly, and the other 20% of the ingredients consists of mainly moisturizers, humectants, skin conditioners, and emulsifiers, with just a small amount of preservatives. CosDNA didn't bring up any serious irritants aside from the typical Cetearyl Alcohol/Stearic Acid, and Glyceryl Stearate (an emulsifier) which clocked in at a solid 3 as an acne trigger. Other notable ingredients include:

• Shea Butter - A skin superfood that comes from the seeds of the fruit of the shea tree. It's naturally rich in Vitamins A, E, and F. It's offers a tiny bit of UV protection (it's naturally SPF ~6), and provides skin with essential fatty acids and the necessary nutrients for collagen production. This concentration of vitamins and natural fatty acids makes shea butter incredibly moisturizing and nourishing. It also offers mild anti-inflammatory benefits and contains oleic, stearic, palmitic, and linoleic acids that protect, soften, and strengthen the skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 
• Glycerin - Seals in moisture and helps maintain skin's moisture balance on a cellular level, which results in moist, healthy skin. Has emollient properties that make skin look supple and radiant.
• Macadamia Nut Oil - High in monounsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid (also known as Omega 6) and palmitoleic acid (Omega 7), macadamia nut oil helps restore the skin's barrier function and prevent moisture loss. Macadamia oil is very lightweight, and therefore absorbed easily without leaving behind a heavy, greasy feeling.
• Lime Oil - Contains antiseptic/bactericidal and astringent properties, and helps promote cell turnover. 

The Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Shield Cream comes packaged in a very luxurious, regal-looking heavy glass container, with 63ml of product, with a spatula to use to scoop out the product. I'm not a huge fan of tubs (I much prefer tubes/pumps to dispense my creams), but I can't help but admire the gorgeous, sturdy packaging. The cream is a white, thick texture with a light, almost imperceptible propolis scent (I love a heavy propolis/honey smell, but if your scentsitive, this will undeniably be a plus). I'm really impressed that this cream is 50% black bee propolis extract - propolis shares many of honey's health benefits, including having antibacterial/antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, thereby reducing redness and helping to heal/prevent breakouts. Propolis is also a natural sealant, trapping moisture within the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I'm not quite at the age where I have to worry about wrinkles, but it's never too early to start; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say.

I absolutely love the texture of this cream - it's rich and decadent without feeling heavy, and a thin layer sinks in nicely, so it's suitable for day time as well (although it might be a bit too rich for summer). It does leave a tiny bit of stickiness behind, so when I do use it in the morning, I make sure to wait 15 minutes or so for it to sink in so I can successfully cake my face without feeling like an oily mess. My favorite time to use this cream, though, is at night; a nice thick layer locks in all of the moisture from my routine's previous steps, and I wake up with moist, hydrated skin, despite the fact that I sleep with my heater blasting during the wintertime. I found this cream to be very nourishing and moisturizing, and after using it 1-2 times a day for 4 weeks, I do notice that my PIH looks a bit lighter and my complexion is overall brighter and healthier-looking. While this is in no way a miracle cream, it's a solid product if you're just looking to get some honey goodness on yo' face. It definitely helps soothe the redness in my cheeks as well, so if you suffer from mild redness and don't have any sensitivities to cetearyl alcohol, you might want to give this creamy moisturizer a try! The Premium Royal Honey line also carries a propolis essence, which I've read mixed reviews on, but it might be worth checking out.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I would definitely consider purchasing this cream myself once this tub runs out; the beautiful sturdy packaging, high concentration of honey, propolis, and royal jelly, and the nourishing and moisturizing properties make this a solid choice for those looking for a huge dose of moisture in their routines. My skin has definitely been looking more radiant and healthy, and it feels baby-butt soft. I do think that this cream might be a bit heavy for those with oily skin, but for my combo/dry-skinned babes out there, I highly recommend this to brighten your overall complexion, keep your skin plump and moisturized, and make your routines feel just a little bit fancier. Skinfood products can be a hit or miss for me, but I'd rate this one a solid 8 out of 10. 

Where to buy: You can purchase the Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Shield Cream on the Keauty Picks website for $22, down from its original retail price of $43. You can also snag it from Korea Depart for $23, and YesStyle for $31.

This product was sent to me by Keauty Picks free for review purposes, all opinions are my own. If you're curious about my press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclosure policies.