SK-II Stempower Cream – Review

SK-II is a premium brand that I was introduced to when I was in South Korea. I had visited a departmental store where I saw the SK-II counter. I presumed that SK-II is a Korean brand (and SK stands for South Korea haha!) but when I went back and researched, I found out that SK-II is a Japanese brand. And this luxury brand originally started from a sake brewery where the miraculous skin conditioning properties of Pitera were found. Pitera is a trademark ingredient of SK-II. It is a blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and organic acids that work together to allow the skin’s natural surface rejuvenation process to function at its prime, enhancing the renewal of the skin’s outer layer.
I have already gone in depth about how I got the two SK-II skincare products I did in my SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil Review, so let’s just jump right into the review!
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Product: SK-II Stempower Cream
Claim: The SK II Stempower Cream is a rich anti-aging super cream that contains Stem-Acanax, Pitera™ and skin conditioning ingredients to provide intensive nourishment that addresses the concerns of wrinkles, dryness and sagging skin. In just 2 weeks, your facial features are visibly more contoured. This is a rich but non-greasy cream which it spreads easily across the skin.
Quantity: 75 g
Price: $230

SK II Stempower Cream Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Niacinamide, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Isostearate, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Cetyl Alcohol, Vinyl Dimethicone / Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Laureth-7, Methylparaben, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Ethylparaben, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Acanthopanax Senticosus (Eleuthero) Root Extract, Cynara Scolymus (Artichoke) Leaf Extract, Polyquaternium-7, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Methylsilanol Tri-PEG-8 Glyceryl Cocoate, Methicone, CI 77891, CI 77492.

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My experience with the SK II Stempower Cream

SK-II Stempower Cream comes in a red plastic tub packaging with shiny red plastic twist open lid. The packaging (being a tub) is not hygienic but it comes with a spatula and a plastic stopper on mouth of the tub. This makes it a little more hygienic. I feel like this sort of packaging feels royal. It is fuss-free and travel-friendly.
The cream itself is peach-y white in color and rich in texture. It does not feel heavy or oily to touch and is light weight. It is has a runny consistency. It gets readily absorbed into the skin and I hardly need about a pea sized amount to cover my whole face! The 15 g sample has lasted me for about 2 weeks now (I am yet to run out of it!) I feel like since this product lasts for many days (and a full size would definitely last me for months) it would probably oxidize in contact with air every time the tub is opened making the product less potent over time. That is just my opinion!
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This cream has been nothing short of a miracle for my skin. I wanted to hate since it is so expensive (and I was using a sample) but it changed my skin overnight (literally).
I had dry patches in winter and even though the weather has warmed up in Delhi now my skin did not catch up. One night I finally started using it and I noticed a lot of difference in how my skin looked and felt the next morning. Definitely softer and smoother than the night before!
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My skin has behaved so well over the past couple of weeks (even in those days of the month) that I am wanting to get this again. Rave over. Let’s get real(time for a rant)!
This is a 230 freaking dollar cream and it contains petroleum derivatives – petrolatum, parabens, silicones and added color. I mean these are cheap ingredients and I hope the Pitera ingredient is the key ingredient and makes up for at least 80% of this cream else, we can get these ingredients in other affordable home grown brands too.
Rant over!

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Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Maybe
Repurchase: Maybe
Image Credits: 1,2 via SK-II website
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Overall, my skin has been the most well-behaved ever since I started using the 7-day starter set from SK-II which contains the SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil and the SK-II Stempower Cream. There is also a richer cream variation of this product called the SK-II Stempower Rich Cream. I am yet to try other SK-II products and even though I badly want to get the Stempower cream, the exorbitant price is keeping me away from fulfilling this desire! I loved how this face cream has worked for dry skin of mine. I might cry when I run out of this cream. But then summer will be here in Delhi in a minute and my skin will hate any moisturizer so maybe it will all be okay 😉

Have you tried the SK-II Stempower Cream? Which is your favorite face cream or moisturizer right now? Comment below!