When the going gets tough, we lean on our favourite comfort food and films, don’t we? Comfort items make you feel relaxed and safe, and I have often wondered if people do that with skin care as well. Because I Do!

Sure you have your glycerine lip balms or creamy cold creams on standby for difficult days. But what about functional products that also happen to be your safety net when the skin starts acting nasty? As someone with sensitive and acne-prone skin, I am always on the lookout for comfort products that will wrap my skin in a giant loving hug when it starts to act up. Recently, I found one that almost feels like a lover I never had; and the one that got away!

My anti-acne routine asks for a potent dose of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, both of which can dry out my skin excessively. Needless to say, an intensely moisturising ingredient, which is lightweight and won’t overwhelm my skin, is absolutely essential. More often than not, my moisturiser pick is either too heavy or too light; leaving my skin dissatisfied. This is why the Village 11 Factory Moisture Line has my whole heart!

The line has three products – an eye cream, essence, and a face moisturiser. Starting with the moisture cream, the texture is a bit heavier to begin with but with a light massage, it melts into the skin. It tends to leave a light sheen on the skin (hello, glass skin) that stays throughout the day. It keeps my skin plump even after a long day of mask-wearing. Absolutely NOT complaining about the compliments coming my way either! 

The moisture cream contains plant oils to create a moisture barrier and provide a lasting moisture effect. I sandwich my anti-acne treatments between the emulsion and the cream and complete the routine with the eye cream, which is also on its way to becoming my skincare darling. FYI, skincare enthusiasts on ‘Skinstagram’ are also raving about Village 11’s eye cream. Formulated with adenosine and plant butters, the eye cream functions as a potent wrinkle-fighter that works by energising your skin’s surface. What I absolutely love is that the products have been formulated without artificial fragrances. They do have a mild scent to them, which can be attributed to domestic rose oil in the rose butter complex

The K-Beauty Effect

An already established and cult beauty brand in Korea, Village 11 Factory has been brought to the country by Gwang BioCare. The brand is part of the PFD Co. LTD group and is the brainchild of the same creators of the world’s first CC cream! Nishtha Kalia, Co-Founder at Gwang BioCare, revealed, “K-Beauty has become popular all over the world for its unique formulations with natural and traditional ingredients.” As Indian consumers have also grown up with similar beauty practices, they find a factor of relatability in it. 

The product range also happens to be one of the few that suited my skin and showed no side effects on my sensitive skin – not even a single itch! “The moisture emulsion and cream have ingredients that are not only moisturising, they are also anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-acne/antioxidant, anti-ageing, and anti-keratinization,” Nishtha reveals. All their products are paraben-free, sulphate-free, phthalate-free, and cruelty-free!

The Village 11 Factory Experience

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a stickler for ingredients and an intriguing brand story. Village 11 is a blend of both which makes it my current favourite. Therefore, we discussed with Nishtha to help us understand the key ingredients that fuel the brand’s product range. It features three major lines – the Moisture line for intense moisturisation, the Nutrition line for resilient skin, and the Wrinkles line for skin tightening. 

1. The main ingredient in the Moisture line is devil’s claw root extract which has a powerful moisturising effect and provides nourishment and vitality to the skin. An aqua butter complex (containing aloe butter), rose butter, and eco ceramides (which are naturally fermented and converted) make up the rest of the other key ingredients. 

2. In the Nutrition line, snail mucin is the primary ingredient along with propolis extract which helps in providing hydration, nutrition, and elasticity to the skin. 

3. In the Wrinkles line, the main ingredient is hydrolyzed collagen and lemon verbena leaf extract. The formulations help provide the skin with elasticity and tightening from the inside out. It also contains trehalose, panthenol, chia seed extract, centella asiatica extract, and houttuynia cordata extract. 

The brand’s Moisture line reminds me of the pharmacy brands that I used and fell in love with as a 9-year old living in Assam. The texture and subtle scent of the line take me back to my early days of skincare obsession when all we need had the cosmic connection with this one is real! A special shout out to their experiential store in Korea as well.  Nishtha also reveals that “The Village 11 Factory store has a unique space to feel pretty while having fun. The shop has 365 days of fun events. The store is spread over two floors and has a lab, store, café, spa, and barbershop.” BRB, booking a one-way ticket to Seoul!