I Compared 2 Camellia Creams and This Is Who Won: Blossom Jeju vs. SanDaWha
Contributing editor Coco Park has a longstanding love for camellia oil, and especially the Blossom Jeju line. So does newcomer SanDaWha stand a chance? Witness as the two camellia creams battle it out for her heart (and her vanity).
I really dislike watching organized sports. Being from the South, football games were shoved down my throat from birth through high school. Once I could escape, I turned my back on watching any sort of sports match ever again.
Until I happened to catch a couple UFC fights. Watching two competitors battle one-on-one in a cage delighted me. Call me barbaric, but I love some bare-knuckle beatdowns.
So in the spirit of going head-to-head, I've pitted two of my favorite Korean beauty products against each other: Blossom Jeju Camellia Soombi Day Cream vs. SanDaWha Ultra Rich Hydrating Camellia Floral Water Cream. I put these two camellia creams in a cage (well, OK, more like my face) and judged them on their fighting performances. Let's see who comes away with the title!
Blossom Jeju Camellia Soombi Day Cream
In this corner, an old favorite with a cult following, weighing in at $70 for 50ml in a hefty yet elegant ceramic-like container, we have Blossom Jeju Camellia Soombi Day Cream.
Scent: Gorgeous floral, very noticeable but not overpowering.
Look: Beautiful packaging, looks great on your shelf. Shiny gold design on a white background. Minimalist sans serif font. Classy and pretty.
Performance: Extremely hydrating with an elegant formulation. A pleasure to use. Keeps my face hydrated throughout the day or night.
How does it work with makeup? Plays well with makeup for drier skin types but may be too much for oilier skin for daytime use.
Value: At $70 this is on the pricier side of high-end.
Ingredients:
Camellia Japonica Flower Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Glycerin, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Propanediol(EcoCert®, Natural origin), Phosphatidylcholine, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Palm Kernel Wax, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea) Butter, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Pimpinella Anisum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Bisabolol, Levulinic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Arginine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Squalane, Trehalose, Tocopherol, Betaine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Adenosine, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Magnolia Kobus Bark Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Skin Extract, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Dimethyl Sulfone, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Equisetum Hiemale Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract, Angelica Gigas Extract, Yeast Beta-Glucan, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Fragrance
SanDaWha Ultra Rich Hydrating Camellia Floral Water Cream
And in this corner, a new contender with a lot of buzz, weighing in at $38 for 60ml in a lightweight glass container, it's SanDaWha Ultra Rich Hydrating Camellia Floral Water Cream.
Scent: Very faintly floral, hardly detectable and disappears almost immediately.
Look: A sturdy but no frills pink jar with a minimalistic serif font.
Performance: Exactly like the Blossom Jeju in that it's extremely hydrating with an elegant formulation. A pleasure to use. Keeps my face hydrated throughout the day or night. However, the SanDaWha is slightly more hydrating and richer than the Blossom Jeju.
How does it work with makeup? Does OK with makeup for drier skins but may be too much for oilier or combination skins for daytime use.
Value: At $38 this is on the very affordable side of high-end.
Ingredients:
Camellia japonica Flower Extract, caprylic/capric triglyceride, water, glycerin, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Propanediol (EcoCert, Natural Origin), Pentylene Glycol (EcoCert, Natural Origin), Camellia japonica seed oil, Phosphatidylcholine, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Camellia japonica seed extract, Xanthan gum, panthenol, Camellia sinensis leaf extract, bisabolol, Chamomilla recutita (matricaria) leaf extract, Thujopsis dolabrata branch extract, niacinamide, Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, sorbitan caprylate, arginine, trehalose, tocopherol, Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract, Squalane, Betaine, Glycine soja (soybean) oil, Magnolia kobus bark extract, Salix alba (willow) bark extract, Centella asiatica extract, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, bioflavonoids, Brassica oleracea italic (broccoli) extract, Coco nucifera (coconut) oil, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, Hyaluronic Acid, Adenosine, dimethyl sulfone, Opuntia ficus indica fruit extract, Hizikia fusiforme extract, Orbignya oleifera seed oil, Rosa canina fruit oil, Citrus unshiu peel extract, Polygonum cuspidatum root extract, Scutellaria baicalensis root extract, Vitis vinifera (grape) skin extract, Yeast Beta-Glucan, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, Houttuynia cordata extract, Portulaca olerecea extract, Pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, Silybum marianum extract, Vaccinium angustifolium (blueberry) fruit extract, Stearyl glycyrrhetinate, Levulinic acid, Glycine soja (soybean) seed extract, Pueraria lobata root extract, Jasminum officinale (jasmine) oil, Rose Flower Oil
Now Fight!
Right off the bat, let's get to ingredients. Comparing the two you can see the first four ingredients (which are the most important) are the same. So while they’re not identical, we're talking fraternal twins here. The majority of the other ingredients are also the same but just in differing places in the formulation. So really these creams are so much alike, they could seamlessly play a single character as babies on a sitcom.
Where the first deviation takes place is the fifth ingredient: SanDaWha went with shea butter, which is why I think it's a bit richer than the Blossom Jeju, which went with camellia oil. SanDaWha also has camellia oil, but it comes in as the ninth ingredient.
Ingredients winner: Tie
With formulas so incredibly similar we're going to have to judge on technicalities here because it's an evenly matched fight in terms of strengths. If we're being petty and judging on looks alone, Blossom Jeju wins hands down for me, as it's got the prettier jar in my opinion. However, that is just an opinion — taste is totally subjective.
Looks winner: Blossom Jeju
Same with scent: I personally prefer the stronger floral scent of the Blossom Jeju, but that's a total deal breaker for some people, so we can't judge on these wildly differing preferences.
Scent winner: Blossom Jeju
If we're talking elegance of formulation, which I think is an important selling point in a cream, they're both evenly matched. Both are creamy, whipped like chantilly cream, and sink in beautifully. Both provide a plumpness to the skin and a gorgeous glow.
Performance winner: Tie
So let's look at price. With SanDaWha you get an extra 10ml of product for $32 less than the Blossom Jeju. That’s almost half the price! Think of all the other products you could get for $32! That's another sunscreen or high-end lipstick or lower end serum.
Value winner: SanDaWha
For that reason, I declare SanDaWha Ultra Rich Hydrating Camellia Floral Water Cream the clear winner. Congratulations SanDaWha! Sorry I didn't have time to engrave a title belt for you; however, you will always have a place in my permanent skincare lineup!
What is your takeaway on Blossom Jeju vs. SanDaWha camellia creams? Do you prefer one over the other? What other matchups would you like to see?
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