Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence Review
Natural Pacific has been a hot new name in Korea for a few months now. There is a lot of buzz about their products on Reddit and Youtube, especially about the Fresh Herb Origin Serum that everybody seems to be obsessing over right now. However, after checking the ingredients of pretty much all of the brand’s entire lineup, I decided to try Natural Pacific Niacin Whitening Essence ($22 for 1.69 fl oz, 50 ml), which is a brightening product that addresses hyperpigmentation. I don’t know if you noticed, but that’s kind of my main issue right now, so I am battling those discolorations pretty aggressively.
For some odd reason, I developed freckles throughout the summer, even though I am super diligent with my sunscreen application. I’ve also been having some hormonal issues, and I am assuming that’s what really caused the pigmentation to appear. Don’t get me wrong, I think freckles are adorable on other people, but I don’t like them on me, so I armed myself with super potent acids and other actives to get rid of those things before they get out of control. In addition to freckles, I also got some post-acne hyperpigmentation, so I had high hopes for this product.
I got my bottle from StyleKorean, an online k-beauty retailer that specializes in selling brands and products currently trending in Korea. All of the products are guaranteed authentic, and the shipping is pretty fast. I also love that they include a little pouch filled with samples with every order based on what you bought, and pick products that you might also be interested in.
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence – packaging
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence – dropper
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence (swatch)
Natural Pacific Niacin Whitening Essence promises to deliver brighter and more moisturized skin, and lightweight texture that doesn’t feel greasy or sticky. Both turned out to be true for me!
First of all, let’s take a quick look at the ingredients. Immediately, you will notice that there is no water on the list; instead, it was replaced by Bamboo extract. Plain distilled water often “cheapens” the formula, so I always appreciate when skincare companies use natural extracts instead. By the way, my favorite LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence uses tea tree extract instead of water, too. Other noteworthy ingredients include Sodium Hyaluronate and Niacinamide, both of which are very high on the list; and an array of brightening extracts such as lemon fruit extract, sacred lotus extract, a stable form of Vitamin C 3-O-ethyl Ascorbic Acid, and fan-favorite rosehip extract that contains naturally occurring Vitamin A [plant retinoid].
I also want to note that overall, this formula is very clean, so if you lead an ingredient-conscious lifestyle and don’t shun non-paraben preservatives, this is a great option to consider. According to EWG analysis, the ingredients are green all around, except for the preservatives, which is not surprising.
The essence comes in a clear plastic bottle with a dropper, so it’s pretty sanitary. I do wish the bottle was tinted to protect this mostly natural formula from sunlight, but at this price I’m not complaining. The texture is watery and runny, so it’s quite easy to spread over your face and neck. I usually dispense about half a dropper and gently pat the essence into my skin until it’s fully absorbed. It layers well with other skincare and makeup products, so it’s virtually unnoticeable.
I have been using it for the past few weeks on and off along with other brightening products, and I love the results I’m seeing in the mirror. I wanted to get rid of some post-acne hyperpigmentation from a recent hormonal outbreak, and Natural Pacific Niacin Whitening Essence totally helped. I don’t like to give credit to just one product, so keep in mind that it worked for me in conjunction with other brightening skincare I was using at the time.
As for my freckles, I don’t think the essence helped much, and I now know why. I need products with ingredients that can dissolve melanin within the skin, such as arbutin, kojic acid, etc, so I am just going to keep using my Alpha Arbutin serum from The Ordinary.
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence – day 1
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence – day 10. Notice how the post-acne marks on my nose and chin are much brighter.
You will LOVE it if:
- You need to brighten dark post-acne spots or scarring.
- You prefer more natural skincare.
- You are looking for an inexpensive, lightweight brightening essence.
- You avoid parabens in skincare.
- You prefer unscented skincare. This essence smells literally like nothing.
You will HATE it if:
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
DON’T use it if:
- You can’t commit to applying SPF30+ daily.
Ingredients: Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, 3-o-ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide.
Natural Pacific Phyto Niacin Whitening Essence
BOTTOM LINE:
I found Natural Pacific Niacin Whitening Essence quite impressive. It has a whole bunch of skin-loving ingredients, including brightening agents, antioxidants, and hydrating molecules. It does take a week or two for the results to kick in, but once you see that glow, you’ll be addicted like I am. But don’t buy it expecting to lighten freckles or birthmarks, you would need a different type of product for those. Let me know if you want to know more about that, and I will put together a roundup if there’s enough interest.
Do you use brightening skincare? Have you heard of Natural Pacific from Youtube k-beauty gurus or on Reddit? Let me know in the comments below!
It looks like this works quite well. Niacin is such a wonderful ingredient!
I find this formula intriguing. It has a lot of ingredients that I like. I would consider using it in the future.
This sounds like a great product. however I need something to fade sun spots so I use a Vitamin C product. Do you think this works better than Jojoba Pigmentation Oil?
Interesting that distilled water cheapens a formula. I had no clue, I need to start looking at ingredients more.
I like the ingredients in this and think they’d help with brightening my skin. I have too many freckles to care about but I have some sun spots that could use some help.
Looks like a good natural skincare product line to try. Sun spots are sometimes mistaken as freckles. And yes, sometimes they suddenly appear in the thick of summer no matter how diligent we are with sunscreen. Lighter spots can sometimes respond to topical such as AHAs or Vitamin C, even chemical peels. Just monitor, if your spots tend to spread out in bigger patches where sun naturally hits (ie forehead, cheeks, etc), time to see doctor or derm because what is sun spots to some can actually be melasma (largely hormonal and sun-induced plus genetics) which for the most part wil only respond to Rx topical + laser. This is what I generally tell patients when they come in for their persistent sun spots, melasma, even hyper pigmentation despite trying several over the counter measures. I don’t want to take away the beauty of your very insightful review, skin concerns such as this one is close to my heart related to my line of work from the medical side.
I need to get this! I’ve just ordered the CosRx Mela White Ampoule to get rid of post-acne hyperpigmentation, but always good to have a backup!
This would be a cool product to try out.
You do have such lovely skin!
I’m glad it’s working for you! I made notes for purchasing purposes.
Happy to share!
I’d definitely love to read more about your preferred products for freckles and birthmarks!
Aesthetic procedures work best for those, but there are topical treatments that help slowly dissolve the pigment.
Your skin looks wonderful. So bright!
I’m sure lighting plays a role too, but I did notice brightening effect 🙂
You skin really does look brighter!
Thank you!
This sounds great! I have some acne scarring on my chin I would love to get rid of!
Niacinamide is a great ingredient that helps lighten acne scarring 🙂
I have a lot of acne scarring that I would love to get rid of. Definitely looking into this.
I hope it works as well for you as it did for me. I like how gentle it is!
I have acne scarring that could benefit from this. I’ll check it out. You look fabulous.
Thank you! This helped lighten my acne scarring pretty well.
Hi, may I know how do you apply this essence and alpha arbutin serum in sequence, better serum or essences first?
I use Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid or PIXI Glow Tonic –> The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin –> Phyto Niacin serum –> moisturizer with humectants and antioxidants –> SPF
can i cover it with other skincare? such as acne skincare. thanks for the review anyway!
You’re welcome! It depends on which acne skincare you use. If it contains a retinoid, it can also help for skin discolorations. Hope that helps!
it contains 5% benzoyl peroxide, and i use a toner first before i apply the serum, the toner contains a tea tree oil. is it save to use the serum? thanks for replying!:)
No problem! It’s really hard to tell how your skin will react because we are all different, but Niacinamide in general is a pretty gentle ingredient.
Hi! is it okay to use it as a daycare routine – last routine to apply before make up? you look really good! 🙂