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Naruko’s Tea Tree Line is one of my favorite lines ~ I have oily skin, but these products are not drying at all. Naruko sent me three more items from their Tea Tree Line for review purposes: Tea Tree Anti-Acne Sunscreen SPF50+++, brand new Tea Tree Blemish Clear & Brightening Mask and Tea Tree Post Blemish Corrector. Naruko is one of my favorite skincare brands and I am REALLY trying to share my love of this brand with you through my many reviews, which you can check out here ~ reviews here. You can use my promo code of CouponCode0527 to save 10% off your orders at either Naruko Canada or Naruko USA. I don’t make any commissions off the code, this is just a thank you for my readers
Skin Type/Concerns: Oily, blemish prone, pores, aging skin with fine lines/wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation (both sun damage and PIH)
All reviews are my own honest opinion and I never have been asked to write copy for a brand. Products reviewed are complementary. This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you.
Did you know...
Your oil production increases 10 to 20% for each degree the temperature of your skin rises? Hot weather is not a friend to us oily skinned peeps and what I do is turn to some tea tree products to help keep my oily skin under control.
Key Ingredients
Of course, all of these products contains tea tree oil, known to be used for many infections and diseases due to its healing and disinfectant properties ~ antibacterial, fungicide, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral and can help speed up wound healing and reduce scarring, as it is a cicatrisant. It helps with preventing dry, flaky skin and because of its antibacterial properties, can help heal current blemishes while reducing future blemishes and control excess oil. It helps with rashes, allergic skin reactions and fungal infections.
Another common ingredient is an active BHA, which is especially beneficial for oily or clogged pores ~ salicylic acid, helping to combat acne, gently exfoliating your skin and removes dead skin cells and excess oil. Salicylic acid is fat soluble, so it can really get to the oil that is inside your pores.
Tea Tree Anti-Acne Sunscreen SPF50+++ I remember trying out an older version a few years ago and really liking it. Naruko reformulated this sunscreen, removing octyl methoxycinnamate, which was potentially harmful to humans, animals and the environment. They also removed a lot of botanicals and just focused on an effective sunscreen, with oil controlling and blemish busting ingredients.
There are four UVA/UVB filters in here, even though Naruko doesn’t count one of them as an active ~ 2 physical with 5% zinc oxide (UVA/UVB) and titanium dioxide (UVA/UVB) and two chemical filters: 3% diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (Uvinul A Plus – UVA) and 1.5% ethylhexyl triazone (Uvinul T 150 – UVB)
This is an anti-acne as it contains .2% salicylic acid, along with tea tree oil, so you get the benefits of unclogging pores of excess oils and dirt as well as antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and healing benefits with these two ingredients.
Active Ingredients: 5% zinc oxide, 3% diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, 1.5% ethylhexyl triazone, 0.2% salicylic acid Inactive Ingredients: cyclomethicone, purified water, dibutyl adipate, alcohol, ethylhexyl palmitate, titanium dioxide, propanediol, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, disteardimonium hectorite, talc, propylene carbonate, CI 77492, hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-hexanediol, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia) oil, CI 77491, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, tocopheryl acetate, dimethicone, aluminum hydroxide, pentylene glycol, menthol, CI 77499, hydrogen dimethicone, tamarindus indica seed extract, triethoxycaprylylsilane cosDNA
The texture of this sunscreen is due to talc, as it gives this sunscreen a nice dry down, with a velvety finish. That is actually a good thing, because this sunscreen can be scary looking! This is also a slightly tinted sunscreen, which works fine for my skin tone ~ I would say this sunscreen can be used from light up to a medium tan skin tone as the tint is barely visible. I blotted my face with paper and you can see the color residue
Due to the pigments, you have to shake this sunscreen ~ which brings me to my only complaint ~ the packaging is SO messy. Once you shake it up and start using it, the sunscreen goes everywhere on the tube and the cap. In fact, I don’t carry this one around as I have to keep it upright so it doesn’t leak out into the cap ~ the tube doesn’t leak at all, but the product will pool inside of the cap if it isn’t upright
This sunscreen is very liquidly and looks VERY oily ~ which is why I said it looked very scary! It also looks very yellow too. However, once it is blended into the skin, the oily residue goes away, thanks the talc, and the color blends in nicely as well. This does have a tea tree scent, but that disappears quickly. I like this because of the smooth velvety finish on my skin and the extra oil and blemish control ingredients. I would love to see a redesign on the packaging as this is such an unrated sunscreen from Naruko. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5, dinging it 1/2 star for the packaging.
Naruko’s Tea Tree Blemish Clear & Brightening Mask looks to be the upgrade from their Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Mask. This not only contains salicylic acid and tea tree oil, but tranexamic acid, one of my favorite skin brightening ingredients. Tranexamic acid along with niacinamide will help reduce hyper-pigmentation by inhibiting the melanin formation that is caused by blemishes ~ Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) and have an overall effect to even out your skin tone.
Witch hazel is a blemish prone skin’s best friend because it has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities which helps clear up acne and it removes excess oil from skin. It also helps shrinks blood vessels, which tightens our skin. Witch Hazel can speed up healing and is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which also helps soothe skin. Finally, witch hazel refreshes and rejuvenates skin, refines the pores and seal in moisture. Lentil seeds help balance oils, refine the appearance of pores and works with collagen to help firm the skin.
Sodium hyaluronate and glycerin ensure that this mask will keep your skin hydrated and bind moisture to your skin. Prebiotic inulin helps to support your skin’s microbiome; Piroctone olamine is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, so it is really powerful to help fight off blemishes to keep your skin clear. Hexylresorcinol is an antiseptic with local numbing properties. Applied topically, it is great for minor skin infections, such as blemishes. Antioxidant oleanolic acid is a soothing fatty acid that helps reduce excess sebum production and also reduces free radicals.
Ingredients: water, butylene glycol, niacinamide, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, chlorphenesin, disodium EDTA, salicylic acid, tranexamic acid, amylopectin, dextrin, glycerin, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) bark/leaf/twig extract, hexylresorcinol, serenoa serrulata fruit extract, sodium hyaluronate, piroctone olamine, fragrance, inulin, lens esculenta (lentil) seed extract, enantia chlorantha bark extract, yogurt powder, tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia) oil, ethylhexylglycerin, oleanolic acid cosDNA
For me, I can’t go wrong with Taiwanese masks. Every TW mask I have tried has left my skin feeling cool, refreshed, hydrated and with a nice matte/soft finish ~ no dewy sticky mess for me!! This mask is a black sheet, and is a thicker mask material, just dripping with the essence.
The mask fits fine on my big face ~ the placement on the mouth, nose and eyes are great and I don’t have to do a lot of adjusting ~ there are cuts around the lower jaw line so it can be adjusted for all face shapes and sizes. Since this is a charcoal mask, the material is thicker than most Naruko masks ~ but it adheres well. This is a very moist and wet mask with tons of clear watery essence ~ it is very JUICY. It has a nice light scent of tea tree and citrus. While I am wearing this mask, it feels really cool and refreshing. After 30 minutes, I removed the mask ~ my face is SO moist and wet, but once it dries down, there is no sticky or tacky residue, just a nice matte finish. My skin feels smooth and oil-free and after using several of these daily, it looks less red, more even-toned and the appearance of my pores looked smaller. This is a lovely tea tree mask, helping to soothe and heal blemishes, while providing some mild exfoliation and oil control.
Now, I know that Naruko states that this helps prevent blemishes, but to me, the Tea Tree Post Blemish Corrector is actually not a prevention before blemishes occur, but once they start cropping up ~ hence the name POST. Hear me out. Naruko has other products that can help prevent blemishes, such as Naruko Tea Tree Blemish Clear Lotion Precious (review here), but once you get them, this product will speed up healing and prevent the spread of active blemishes. Since this will speed up healing, this also means that the scarring and dark spots ~ Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) ~ will be less, so your dark spots will lighten up faster or be less noticeable.
This has tea tree, along with .5% salicylic acid for unclogging pores and removing dirt, dead skin cells and sebum deep in your pores. This also has PHA skin brightening, hydrating exfoliating gluconoclactone and along with skin brightening niacinamide and tranexamic acid, this will help to brighten your PIH with no issues. Piroctone olamine and zinc PCA help dry up and heal blemishes, saw palmetto and lentil seeds help control excess oils, with astringent and anti-microbial benefits.
Allantoin moisturizes, exfoliates and softens skin, making it look smooth and refined, while reducing and relieving irritation. Cordyceps sinensis is a parasitic fungus that grows on a caterpillar and yes, it does kill the caterpillar and mummifies it. It has long been used in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine and does have antioxidant skin cell regeneration benefits. Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 is a mixture of fatty and amino acids, stimulates collagen and elastic production, helping repair damage to your skin and reducing deep wrinkles and lines
Phytoferulin is Naruko’s blend of eleven concentrated herbal ingredients: kalanchoe spathulata, glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root, alpine skullcap (scutellaria alpina), masterwort (peucedanum ostruthium), ginkgo biloba, alps wormwood (artemisia umbelliformis), leontopodium alpinum , alpine willowherb (epilobium fleischeri) , calendula officinalis , chamomilla recutita (matricaria) and camellia sinensis (green tea) extracts. This complex will help prevent hyper-pigmentation and environmental stress to your skin, while being a powerful antioxidant and brightening agent. This complex is very effective in hydrating your skin, while controlling oil. For such a tiny bottle, it really does hold a ton of ingredients!
Active Ingredients: Salicylic Acid 0.5% Other Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Propanediol, Tranexamic Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Gluconolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Lactate, Propylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Fragrance, Kalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Trametes Versicolor Extract, Allantoin, Trisodium EDTA, Hydroxyproline, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Piroctone Olamine, Zinc PCA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Lens Esculenta Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, lodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Epilobium Fleischeri Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Peucedanum Ostruthium Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/ Stem Extract, Carbomer, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Polysorbate-20, Palmitoyl-Pentapeptide-4 cosDNA
This comes in a 10 mL dark green bottle with a cap. The box also contains a glass pipette which you replace the cap with that applicator instead. This has a citrus scent to it, but not too heavy and the texture is almost gel-like.
It spreads really well on my skin and feels cooling and refreshing. It isn’t sticky at all but it isn’t mattifying either. 
That said, after a break-out, I reach for this as a spot treatment on my blemishes. It does do exactly what it says it will do ~ it heals up blemishes quickly without drying out your skin and I do not notice as much scarring as I did without this. Why is it important not to have a blemish healing product dry out your skin? Drying out your zits is not good. That leads to flakey skin and more oil being produced as your skin is saying I’M DRY, MOISTURIZE ME!! The dryness also causes your pimples to get more inflamed and hurt more as well.
I know, I used to think that drying my pimples out meant that my skin would heal up sooner, but all it did was cause a cycle of woe. Adding ingredients to a blemish product that will not only unclog the pores, provide anti-bacterial, healing and anti-inflammatory benefits but also hydrate the skin, allows your skin to heal without over producing oils and preventing flakey dry skin around your pimples as they ooze out oil and pus. Again, I speak from experience. My skin used to have those types of pimples ~ I still get pimples that can be really hard to get rid of, but at least I have been treating them with skin softening products that allows for healing without destroying my skin barrier. This means my PIH has been under control quite nicely and lightens up a lot faster than when I was younger.
Where to Purchase
Save 10% by using my promo code of CouponCode0527 at either Naruko Canada or Naruko USA.
Naruko Canada
Naruko USA
The difference in price comes down to shipping. If you live in the USA, it is cheaper in the long run to order from Naruko USA as their shipping is flat rate shipping of $6.99 for orders under $74.99 and free shipping for orders over $75.00 in the USA. Naruko Canada is a bit more complicated so I did a screen shot here of their shipping rates.
