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purito centella unscented serum review

Purito Centella Green Level Calming Toner isn’t the only Purito product to have undergone a makeover. The star product of the line, Purito Centella Unscented Serum had one too.

It still contains a whooping 49% Centella Asiatica, one of highest concentrations of this soothing plant you’ll see in skincare products. But out are the essential oils that made the original version problematic for sensitive skin. So far, I like the trade-off.

But does that mean you should you make the switch? Or is this formula better only for some skin types? I’ve put it to the test to find out:

About The Brand: Purito

Purito is a Korean brand that takes its name from the English word “purify”. Its mission is to create affordable, hypoallergenic products made with the best of natural ingredients that are suitable even for the most sensitive of skin types.

The brand loves to say they’re chemical-free, but that’s a lie. EVERYTHING that’s made of matter, including water and natural plant extracts, is a chemical. If their products were really cruelty-free, you’d be getting an empty bottle. Actually, you wouldn’t even be getting the bottle (that’s made of chemicals too!). What the brand means to say is that they prefer to opt for naturally-derived chemicals whenever possible.

Key Ingredients In Purito Centella Unscented Serum: What Makes It Work?

CENTELLA ASIATICA TO SOOTHE SKIN

Centella Asiatica. Gotu kola. Indian pennywort. Same thing. It’s a small plant that grows in damp areas all over the world, from India and China to South Africa and Mexico.

Here’s everything Centella Asiatica does for your skin:

P.S. Purito Centella Unscented Serum doesn’t just contain a whooping 49% Centella Asiatica extract. It also has 3 of its most soothing components: Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid. It’s Centella Asiatica on steroids!

Related: I’ve Tried A Centella Asiatica Facial And Here’s What Happened

NIACINAMIDE TO… EVERYTHING

Niacinamide wins the award for the “Most Versatile Skincare Ingredient.”

I’m not exaggerating. Here are all the things science says this form of vitamin B3 can do:

  • It hydrates skin: it’s more effective than petrolatum at preventing water loss
  • It soothes skin: it alleviates the symptoms of rosacea and irritations
  • It lightens skin: it reduces dark spots, blotchiness (redness) and sallowness (yellowing)
  • It helps treat wrinkles: preliminary research shows it can boost the production of skin-firming collagen
  • It treats acne: its effects are similar to those of 1% clindamycin gel

Told you, it did everything! No matter what your skin type is, niacinamide can only benefit your skin.

Related: The Complete Guide To Niacinamide: What It Is, What It Does, And How To Use It

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SODIUM HYALURONATE TO HYDRATE SKIN

Sodium hyaluronate is a form of hyaluronic acid that attracts and binds to the skin up to 1000 times its weight in water. Plus, it works well both in high and low humidity conditions.

When skin has that much moisture, it plumps up. This alone is enough to make your fine lines look smaller – temporarily. Hydration also makes skin soft and gives the complexion a dewy glow (think Korean skin).

P.S. Sodium Hyaluronate isn’t the only moisture magnet here. Glycerin does the same thing, but on a smaller scale.

Related: Why You Need Hyaluronic Acid In Your Skincare Routine, No Matter Your Skin Type

PEPTIDES TO FIRM SKIN

Peptides are the anomaly in the skincare world. In theory, they’re too big to penetrate skin and work their magic. In practice, studies show they do something even when left on top of your skin.

What do they do? Every peptide has its own superpower. Purito Centella Unscented Serum contains these 4:

The catch? Most of these studies are done by the manufacturers. That does’t mean they lied to us. Just that we need to wait for more studies to confirm these claims.

Related: The Truth About Peptides In Skincare: Do They Really Work?

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.

  • Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
  • Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
  • Red: What is this doing here?!
  • Water: The base of the product and a solvent used to dissolve other ingredients in the formula.
  • Glycerin: A humectant that draws moisture from the air into your skin, helping it to stay hydrated, softer, and suppler.
  • Dipropylene Glycol: It dissolves other ingredients and helps plant extracts better penetrate skin.
  • Butylene Glycol: Another humectant that keeps skin hydrated by attracting water from the environment into it.
  • 1,2-Hexanediol: A humectant and emollient, it attracts extra water to your skin and gives it a velvety feel, so it’s properly hydrated for longer. Hydrated skin = younger-looking skin.
  • Glycereth-26: A glycerin-based humectant and emollient that deeply hydrates skin and makes it smoother.
  • Ceramide NP: A wax-like substance that’s a natural part of your skin’s protective barrier. When you add it back into your skin, it strengthens the skin’s protective barrier, it patches up any holes harsh weather and UV created in it, and protects it from environmental damage. Result? Healthier, smoother, softer skin.
  • Carbomer: A thickening agent that also binds the ingredients together, preventing the oily and watery ones from separating.
  • Arginine: An amino acid naturally present in the body, it has hydrating and antioxidant properties.
  • Sclerotium Gum: A naturally derived, sugar-based ingredient produced from the fermentation of the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii. It thickens formulas and makes skin softer too.
  • Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters: Essential fatty acids from the jojoba plant, they help skin retain moisture and improve its barrier function, protecting it from environmental damage. They also make skin softer and smoother.
  • Caprylyl Glycol: It has two jobs. One: it attracts and binds water to the skin, keeping it hydrating for longer. Two: it has preservative-like properties that extend the shelf life of a product.
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate: It makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Panthenol: Also known as pro-vitamin 5, this humectant attracts moisture from the air into your skin, helping to keep it hydrated. Plus, it has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and irritations.
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate: It keeps the oily and watery parts of a formula from separating. While it’s at it, it also makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Hydrogenated Lecithin: A phospholipid produced from skin-restoring ingredient lecithin, it makes skin softer and smoother. It also enhances the penetration of other ingredients into the skin.
  • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract: The scientific name for green tea, it’s loaded with polyphenols, a group of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. They fight the free radicals that cause saggy skin and premature wrinkles, soothe UV-induced inflammation, and calm down redness and irritations.
  • Pancratium Maritimum Extract: Extracted from sea daffodils, it’s safe to reduce excess melanin production and fade away dark spots. But in the small concentration used here, it won’t do much.
  • Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate: The main anti-inflammatory compound found in liquorice, it soothes irritations and redness.
  • Disodium EDTA: It neutralises the metal ions in the water that would otherwise spoil the formulation and make it go bad sooner.
  • Adenosine: A yeast-derived ingredient with powerful soothing properties that calm down irritation and redness.

Texture

The serum has a clear gel-like consistent that feels slightly tacky when you apply it, but it absorbs really quickly. Once it’s sunk in, it feels like you have nothing on. Just be aware that very oily skin may not be a huge fan of the texture.

Fragrance

It’s fragrance-free. I’m glad Purito took the fragrance out. Irritating ingredients have no place in a serum to reduce redness and irritations! Yep, fragrances make a product smell good. But a fragrance is also made up of lots of different compounds, greatly increasing the chances one of them will upset your skin. And with no functional benefit for your skin, the risk of an irritation for a pleasant smell is a trade-off that’s simply not worth it.

How Do You Use Purito Centella Unscented Serum?

You can use this serum either in the morning, at night, or before. Either way, apply it just before moisturiser. If you’re using a retinol or Vitamin C serums, they go first. The closer they are to the skin, the better they work.

Related: The Art Of Layering Serums: How To Do It Right

Packaging

The serum comes in a see-through bottle. I like that you can see how much serum is left inside the bottle. The only thing is that a see-through bottle lets light in. Overtime, light can spoil the antioxidants in the formula. Sure, this serum is pretty low on antioxidants, but you want to preserve the ones in it. For this reason, store it somewhere dark. The design is very simple, too. Not the prettiest, but that’s not the most important thing. At least, the pump applicator makes it very practical to use.

Performance & Personal Opinion

Purito Centella Unscented Serum has such a lightweight texture, it’s easy to add it into your skincare routine for that extra burst of hydration without feeling like you have too many layers on.

The first thing I’ve noticed is how incredibly hydrating it is. It strengthens your skin’s protective barrier, slowing down water loss, and making your face so much softer and smoother.

I know we’re not travelling much right now, but this would be perfect to bring on long-haul flights to keep your skin soft and supple until you reach your destination.

It’s also a godsend for anyone with sensitive, irritated skin. If you went overboard with retinoids and now your skin is peeling like crazy or you live somewhere cold, your skin easily gets red and sensitive, this can help you nurse it back to health.

Did I mention it makes a good base for makeup, too? I’ve never experienced any pilling with it.

Related: What To Do When Your Skincare Pills Or Balls Up

purito centella unscented serum

What I Like About Purito Centella Unscented Serum

  • Fast-absorbing texture.
  • Fragrance-free.
  • It makes a good base for makeup.
  • It strengthens your skin’s protective barrier and keeps skin healthy.
  • Makes skin softer and smoother.
  • Calms down redness and irritation.

What I DON’T Like About Purito Centella Unscented Serum

  • Packaging isn’t the prettiest and it could spoil the antioxidants inside.

Who Should Use This?

Anyone can use this serum, but it’s more suitable for damaged and sensitive skin that’s both dry and easily irritated. If you have a different skin type and want to give it a go, go ahead. Unless you’re allergic to one of the ingredients, there’s no reason to avoid it.

Does Purito Centella Unscented Serum Live Up To Its Claims?

CLAIM TRUE?
The synergistic effect of 49% Centella Extract, which promotes the synthesis of collagen, and Niacinamide provides excellent effects of skin regeneration and skin problem/scar soothing.  Notice how they claim that Centella Extract – NOT the serum – promotes collagen. The rest of the claim “skin regeneration” is very vague and could mean anything. What this does is soothe and moisturise skin, which is what damaged, sensitive skin needs.
In addition, the Ceramide, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Peptide ingredients strengthen the skin barrier, which is the skin’s first line of defense, making the skin strong starting from the inside. All true, apart from the last line. These ingredients stay on the surface of your skin, so they fortify it from the outside.
Give the gift of comfort and rest to skin that has become tired and sensitive due to external irritation. True.

Is Purito Centella Unscented Serum Cruelty-Free?

Yes, Purito is truly cruelty-free. They don’t test on animals. They don’t outsource animal testing to a third party. And they don’t sell in countries where animal testing is still required by law.

Price & Availability

$20.00/£12.32 at Yes Style

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

If you’re looking for a hydrating or soothing serum (something you can use on flights or to help your skin better tolerate retinoids for example), Purito Centella Unscented Serum is a great option to consider.

Dupes & Alternatives

  • Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Serum ($21.76): This serum contains a whooping 75% cica extract, plus humectants like hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate skin and soothe irritations and redness. Available at Yes Style.

Ingredients

Centella Asiatica Extract(49%), Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol,Glycereth-26, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid,Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10,Carbomer, Arginine, Sclerotium Gum, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Panthenol,Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract,Pancratium Maritimum Extract,Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine

About Gio

Hi, I'm Gio. I'm a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever - every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what's worth the splurge and what's best left on the shelf - using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.