I goofed and forgot to post this review on Kbeauty Saturday, oops! Today I want to share my experience with Dr.MJ products, all of which I bought about a year ago from Memebox. I didn’t know much about the company, so I borrowed the description from Koreadepart who say that Dr. MJ “formulates and manufactures premium skincare using fine natural ingredients to treat damaged and sensitive skin without irritating it”.
After going through my stash I realized that I’ve accumulated five products from this brand, which is more than enough to do an overview. Out of those five, two turned out to be winners, two were losers, and one was just okay/nothing special kind of product. Also, these photos were taken around Christmas time, so that’s why I have holiday ornaments in the background. Disregard those! 🙂
Anyhow… Let’s start with the products I didn’t like first, and number one on my list is, unsurprisingly, the cleanser.
DR.MJ Real Mucin Restore Foam Cleanser [$32 for 6 oz, available here] is touted as a miracle in a tube. Cosmetic companies love to over-exaggerate the benefits of beauty products, and according to DR.MJ this cleanser will moisturize and brighten your skin, tighten pores, and push out the wrinkles, while gently cleansing off makeup, dirt, and oil. However, in reality this is just a very average pearly foam cleanser. I have nothing against simple products, but this cleanser gets a no-go from me anyway. DR.MJ Real Mucin Restore Foam Cleanser had a crazy high pH10 which stripped my hand of its protective acid mantle almost instantly when I first tried it. Needless to say, it went straight into the grab box.
DR.MJ Jasmine Sleeping Water Mask [$24 for 2.5 oz, available here] turned out to be another dud, even though the name made it sound so promising. The mask itself looks gorgeous: purple gel-cream and pleasant floral fragrance made me want to use this every single day. The ingredient list looked nice, too, [the mask is loaded with jasmine extract, rosewater, and seaweed extract] but for some weird reason this formulation just didn’t work for me. Like, at all. Instead of waking up with quenched, hydrated, and radiant skin, I saw dry flakes on a dull-looking face. That’s right, my skin actually looked worse than the night before, and I switched up the skincare only to confirm that it was indeed the mask that was causing it. Too bad, because I loved every other aspect of it: the mask was a pleasure to use, and the fragrance was extremely calming.
DR.MJ Real Mucin Restore Cream [$44 for 1.7 oz, available here] was my “meh” product. This ultra-stringy moisturizer is actually meant for dry skin, but mine gets very flaky during the winter months so I resort to heavier snail slime products like this one. I must say, snail slime is essential in my beauty routine; it’s one ingredient that I absolutely must have in some shape or form. However, in this product it just kind of sat on the surface of my skin. Even though my complexion appeared dewy and smooth, as soon as I washed my face all that moisture went “poof!”. My results with this moisturizer are always inconsistent: on some days I love it, other times I wish I hadn’t applied it at all, because it doesn’t seem to be doing anything. I actually used up most of my jar, but only because I was stubborn and really wanted to make it work. Actually, I think I might even finish it because it’s such a great occlusive, but I gave up expecting results from it on its own.
DR.MJ Real Mucin Restore Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++ [$40 for 1.7 oz, available here] is one of my favorite Korean products, ever. And do you see the trend here? Even though I didn’t love all of them, but three of five DR.MJ products I own are from Real Mucin line, because I am legit obsessed with snail slime as a skincare ingredient. But I digress… This sunscreen is amazing for everyday use, and I don’t say this often, but it can actually replace a moisturizer if you are one of those people who hate to layer a bunch of products on your skin. The formula is loaded with snail slime filtrate and antioxidants, and feels more like a nourishing cream rather than a typical heavy sunscreen. I love that it doesn’t leave a white cast on the skin and seems to absorb well, too. However, like any physical sunscreen, it can make your face look washed out if you are taking photos with flash, but literally every single physical sunscreens will do that. Overall, I am beyond pleased with this one, but it’s a tad expensive for the size. I’ll be on the lookout for a good sale!
DR.MJ Bee Tox Control Cream [$71 for 1.85 oz, available here] is my favorite product from this lineup, and the most expensive. You’ve seen me use it on Snapchat many many times, and I’m dreading the day when my jar is empty, but such is the nature of skincare: what good is it if we don’t use it, right? So yes, this is official – I am in love with this gentle formula! The cream sinks right in, leaving my skin silky and velvety smooth instantly. It plays well with my skincare, and masterfully seals in the bottom layers of ampoules and essences, all without flaking off or messing up my makeup. This alcohol-free formula is free from common irritants [dyes, benzophenone etc] and boasts some impressing ingredients like propolis, bee venom, tea tree extract, witch hazel, allantoin, camellia, hyaluronic acid and dozens of others. It really is a powerhouse in a jar, and it’s one of the best moisturizers for combination/dehydrated skin type I’ve discovered so far.
Bottom line: I’m sure this is common sense to you all, but with all that K-beauty hype it’s important to remember that some products are better than others, even within a single brand’s lineup.
Shopping tip: With so many counterfeit beauty products a lot of brands introduce extra levels of protection. For instance, authentic DR.MJ products come in boxes with a special brand hologram sticker, as shown above, so make sure to look for it if you plan to buy their products.
Have you tried anything from DR.MJ? Do you use products with snail mucin in your routine? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
