Skin1004 - Beauty in Simplicity and the Natural

The name Skin1004 is a pun in Korean, with the ‘1004’ (천사, cheon-sa) pronounced the same way as ‘angel.’ Thus, their products are meant to act as a protective angel to your skin, soothing and calming. They thrive in creating products that are simple, have quality products and let their ingredients shine. So, if you want to learn more about the Madagascar Centella legendary products by Skin1004 – follow us, as we deep dive into their 6 product lines and all the delightful benefits that await your skin. 

All their product lines, regardless of what other goals the treatment has in mind, comes with the powerful title of Madagascar Centella. Why? Centella asciatica became a fortunate favourite of Korean beauty and international beauty in more recent years. And there is good reason for it. It is a prime herb to help heal and soothe acne, due to its ability to stimulate healing in skin cells (through a variety of pathways) and its ability to inhibit melanin production (keeping skin clear and bright). 

Its further study has excited medical circles through its responses to treat Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disorders. But whilst that study is still going on – it's obvious results on skin are clear. Application of pure centella to skin has been shown to reduce inflammatory response in skin, reduce infiltration of inflammatory cells in skin, reduce hardening of skin, increase healing response and also decimate harmful bacteria populations on skin’s surface. 

Why from Madagascar? According to Skin1004, Madagascar’s centella has the purest concentration of active ingredients and Madagascar is currently one of the leading producers of Centella, due to its natural environment and rainfall. According to Skin1004, they also systematically pick Centella to ensure freshness, to prevent injury to workers and to preserve the natural re-growth of centella plants across Madagascar. 

Their original lineage, launched in 2010s, the Madagascar Centella line takes pure centella asciatica extract from Madagascar and mixes it into a base product. If you are used to seeing a product list with hundreds of confusing, Latin-named extracts and chemicals – so are we! But looking through the Madagascar Centella line, it comes as a shock. Their ampoule contains 7 total ingredients; water, hydrating glycerin, butylene glycol (helps bind everything together), the famous centella extract, hexanediol (solvent), cellulose gum (thickening agent) and a single preservative to keep the product fresh. 

Their toner is the same, with 84% purified centella extract mixed with brightening niacinamide and adenosine, with background notes of hyaluronic acid – the rest of the ingredients are a few sparse items that binds the product together and preserves it. It is a product line that takes simplicity seriously, all working with their star ingredient, centella. 

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam 125ml 
The top product from this original line this year has been their soothing centella formula in a soft, sensitive-friendly cleansing foam. Majority of the product is the signature centella extract, mixed carefully with natural sodium foaming agents (extracted from coconut) and brightening cocoa extract – this ampoule provides the ultimate, sensitive-friendly and gentle cleanser that provides a deep cleanse without drying or irritating skin. 

Concerned for a moment about dry skin? Skin1004 has jumped in with their Hyaluronic + Centella (cica) range, which combines both in a careful ratio to provide the soothing relief of cica and the plumping boost of hyaluronic acid. If you are struggling with acne breakouts, but also have sensitive or dry skin – this is the range for you. The ampoule for this range is delectably hydrating. It’s constructed of 74% centella asciatica extract and this is balanced with 3x types of hyaluronic acid, hibiscus extract (anti-aging), nourishing pear extract (containing antioxidants), rose petal extract, melon extract, ivy extract and a soft note of mugwort. This range caters well to dry skin types, whilst also balancing calm and preventing irritation.

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water Fit Serum 50ml 
The best-selling product from this line is Skin1004’s sun serum. It provides a deep, moisturizing serum that also acts as a sunscreen, with no white cast and a nourishing brew of arugula, broccoli and green tea. It is one of the most moisturizing sunscreens on the market and is so popular it often comes in a twin pack. 

Looking to balance and brighten skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation, whilst receiving a natural glow? Skin1004 has created a niacinamide-rich, balanced ampoule complete with tranexamic acid to reduce natural redness and madecassoside extract to prevent melanin deposits in skin. Coupled with Vitamin C and repairing probiotics – this ampoule is one of their most famous. The whole line contains famous brightening niacinamide to bring a wholesome glow, whilst also working to limit skin irritation and provide well-rounded clear skin. This line is good for a range of skin types, but great for combination/normal skin types looking to repair old blemishes, reduce hyperpigmentation and produce clear, bright skin.

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner 210ml 
Apart from the line’s signature niacinamide and centella extract – this toner brings ultimate, gentle hydration with panthenol and allantoin, to enrich skin and encourage long-term repair. It also brings brighter skin to the table with strong papaya extract, apple extract, plum blossom and regenerative grape extract. This soft fruit cocktail delivers brighter skin, healing antioxidants and gives glowy, soft skin. 

Worried about large pores or oily skin? Skin1004 thought of you too – with their soft pink skincare line infused with Himalayan salt and gentle exfoliants. This line typically contains a balance of pore care via pink salt (to exfoliate and draw out impurities), whilst balancing deep hydration with 3x types of hyaluronic acid. The poremizing ampoule brings a hydration punch with additional panthenol and aloe extract. It also contains soothing chamomile to encourage skin repair and turnover to ensure plump, youthful skin with balanced pores. Their toner follows this deep hydration with deep exfoliation (AHA, BHA, PHA and LHA). Using any of this cute, pink line-up is a boon for balancing oily skin – each formulated to revive and remove pore-blocking agents on skin and replace excess sebum with a gentle and strong hydration.

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Poremizing Quick Clay Stick Mask 27g 
One of the standouts from the poremizing line-up is their easy, travel clay mask. With kaolin and finely ground red bean powder, this mask applies and dries to draw out excess sebum from pores to deliver immediate results. With hydrating aloe extract and soothing glycerin and calamine, this mask provides a non-drying experience that brings balance to the face in a convenient, stick package. There is a risk of breakouts with some users – so keep in mind if your skin is reactive to new products! 

If you’re struggling with acne outbreaks, Skin1004 has got you covered with their patented mixture of centella, tea tree oil and pine extracts to intensely calm redness, soothe pores and reduce bacteria on skin surface. This line provides an immediate rescue to aggressive outbreaks to provide calmness and relief. The ampoule from this line (as always) holds its signature centella extract, combining it with Japanese cypress tree water and soothing pine extract. With notes of evening primrose to encourage repair and kudzu root to heal – this ampoule delivers a satisfying, immediate result to damaged acne-prone skin. It doesn’t require daily use post-breakout, but is a strong contender to have on hand to immediately control outbreaks, provide strong treatment.

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Tea-Trica BHA Foam 125ml 
If you are looking for a calming, deeply soothing cleanser that helps exfoliate dead skin cells, balance sebum and noticeably helps soothe and relieve acne – you'll immediately understand why this foam cleanser is a standout from the line. With foamy coconut extracts, hydrating glycerin mixed with their signature centella, salicylic acid (BHA – 0.45%) tea tree leaf extracts and neem leaf; this cleanser provides a natural, powerful herbal remedy to relieve redness and acne. 

The last, but probably most darling, of Skin1004’s lineages is the Probio-Cica range. With carefully fermented centella asciatica (growing repairing, protective probiotics), this lineage works hard to deeply restore imbalances in the skin barrier and produce healthy, self-repairing skin. Their carefully formulated ampoule contains pure fermented centella (with helpful lactobacillus probiotics to deter harmful bacteria and restore the skin biome), with hydrating ceramides, tea extract and soothing panthenol. If your skin has been damaged by any agents, is struggling with balance, redness, irritation or outbreaks that are no longer quelled by herbal treatments – this is the line to turn to.

Most famous product: Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream 50ml 
Struggling to find the balance between oily and dry? Strong agents stripping away your natural oils and moisture, but still finding yourself at risk of breakouts or irritation? This cream works overtime to bring deep balance and repair the natural skin biome. With probiotics growing in fermented centella, it washes away damaging bacteria and allows soothing Lactobacillus cultures to take place, providing a protective barrier to damaged skin. Mixed with macadamia and moringa oils, this enriching cream deeply hydrates, repairs and prevents redness and irritation. Give your skin the reset it needs to glow, heal and be its best with this ultimate, soothing cream. 

Skin1004 (Or Skin Angel) has worked hard to develop a lineage for every skin type. Whether you are working on your pores (Poremizing), trying to deeply hydrate (Hyalu-cica) or need a strong repair to your natural skin biome (Probio-Cica) there is something for everyone! If you are looking for an environmentally friendly, vegan skincare range that can help up your skincare game – check out our Skin1004 range on Arktastic (all authentic products directly from Seoul, Korea). We pride ourselves on working with local communities and being environmentally conscious – the fact that Skin1004 does too makes them one of our favourites.

Is it environmentally friendly? 
Be The Skin is an environmentally conscious, ethically inclined company that only produces vegan products, has rigorous standards and sources Madagascar centella from their own harvesters (ensuring they receive a fair wage and safe job conditions – which has been a growing problem in Madagascar). They source natural Madagascar centella in areas where it can regrow and work hard with teams there to ensure ongoing sources of centella are protected for native animals and biomes. 

Does Centella cause purging? 
No, typically centella asciatica does not cause a purging reaction. Some people do have a reaction to centella asciatica products – but it's important to note that a genuine reaction is different that a purging which may go away with time. If you get breakouts in response to using centella, it is more likely your skin is sensitive to the product (or another ingredient in the product) and it’s best to discontinue use. Although centella is an anti-inflammatory, soothing powerhouse – if your skin rejects it, there’s no arguing unfortunately. It’s best to discontinue use of a product if you’ve noticed increased reactivity due to it. 

Which Range is for me? 
This depends on your skin type and which effect you are trying to achieve. Many people like to stick to one of the ranges to achieve a specific effect (i.e. hydration with hyalu-cica or balancing pores with poremizing). Your skin is yours however, and it's important to trial out what works for you and note carefully what has been effective and what hasn’t been.