This not-so-little tin is an absolute beauty. For those who do well with petrolatum-based products, CareCera High Moisture Skin Balm is brilliant for forming a kind of protective seal over the skin without the often associated greasy residue. Great for irritated or chapped skin — around the nose, hands, cuticles, lips.
Petrolatum seems to be a big concern these days. Many with mixed thoughts on how useless or even harmful it is to the skin, but this stance is not backed by science. A myriad of published studies in credible, peer-reviewed papers over the decades all concludes that it is one of the most effective, safest, and gentlest moisturisers for the skin. As this study from PubMed finds, it actually speeds up, rather than impedes, skin barrier recovery. There are “natural” alternatives but they’re not as widely tolerated, nowhere as effective, and certainly not as inexpensive as petrolatum.
So yes, it is petrolatum-based. And if you’ve not already guessed from the brand name, its star ingredient is ceramide (“Cera” stands for ceramides!) — this contains 7 types to really moisturise and repair the skin. The balm melts at body temperature into a clear liquid that sinks effortlessly into the skin and leaves dry patches feeling soft and smooth without a sticky, greasy coating. And on that note, the bottom of the tin warns the balm will start to liquefy close to 35°C. You most definitely do not want to have the tin rolling around in your bag in really warm weather.
Rohto’s CareCera High Moisture Skin Balm, 40g, is ¥724 from Amazon Japan (international shipping via AmazonGlobal) or US$13.56+ from Amazon.com.
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