The Fiddy Review: My Picks For the Top Blanc & Eclare Products

Blanc & Eclare’s Serein skincare line has launched on Beautytap, but what to try first? Beautytap Director of Marketing Jude Chao reviews her top Blanc & Eclare products from K-pop superstar Jessica Jung’s cosmetics industry debut.

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As Derek Zoolander once said, moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty. That’s been my personal skincare motto for several years now. Acids and exfoliation can refine the texture and tone of your complexion, but that coveted luminous inner glow comes from packing plenty of hydration into the upper layers of skin. Blanc & Eclare’s Serein skincare line focuses heavily on hydration, so I gave the products a whirl and found some that I really like.

For reference, my skin is fairly normal and balanced, with the occasional bout of dryness caused by the weather (Santa Ana winds are no joke!), my age (inching closer to 40 by the day), and regular use of prescription tretinoin.

Blanc & Eclare Serein Effervescent Toner

Hydrating toners are one of my favorite types of skincare product. Unlike astringent cleansing toners, hydrating toners are meant to soften and replenish the skin after cleansing, getting a moisture-boosting skincare routine off to an optimal start. They’re so lightweight that just about any skin type can use them, and their thin texture makes them ideal for layering, which drier or more dehydrated skin will love.

Like the rest of the Serein line, Blanc & Eclare Serein Effervescent Toner features Tasmanian rainwater. While the Australian state of Tasmania is better known for wacky wildlife — notably the echidna, the platypus, the bandicoot, and of course the Tasmanian devil — the rainwater is something special too, according to the brand. In her interview with Beautytap editor in chief Anna Park, brand founder Jessica Jung explained that Tasmanian rainwater is unusually mineral-rich and free of impurities.

I love fancy water in skincare. Even if the actual amount of beneficial minerals and micronutrients in it is just a few paltry ppm, that’s still a few ppm more than regular old boring water/aqua/eau would contain, so fancy water makes a nice base ingredient. It’s especially nice in toners, which by nature contain a proportionally large amount of water. Mostly, I enjoy fancy waters because they make even simple products a little more interesting.

Packed with Tasmanian rainwater, the Serein Effervescent Toner is a thin and milky liquid. It has enough slip to spread easily on skin and absorbs with just a couple pats of my palms, leaving my face refreshed, with a subtle glossy sheen.

Compared to the Banila Co. V-V Vitalizing Toner that I had been using before this one, Blanc & Eclare Serein Effervescent Toner doesn’t suck in subsequent products quite as quickly or provide as much instant plumping. What it does exceptionally well is deliver lasting hydration. The immediate water-drenched sensation lasts all the way through to my evening cleanse, even under nothing but a lightweight moisturizer and sunscreen and even on dry SoCal days.

The fragrance level in the Serein Effervescent Toner and the rest of the Serein line is medium to my nose. It has a noticeable fresh, bright aqua scent that lingers for a couple of minutes without being overwhelming.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it is not a bubble or foam toner. I’m not sure what the “effervescent” in the name refers to.

Blanc and Eclare Serein Effervescent Toner ingredients: Water, glycerin, glycereth-26, propanediol, alcohol denat., pentylene glycol, linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed extract, xylitol, hydrolyzed viola tricolor extract, PVP, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, octyldodeceth-16, diphenyl dimethicone, sodium hyaluronate, tromethamine, triethylhexanoin, hydrogenated lecithin, xylitylglucoside, anhydroxylitol, butylene glycol, butylene glycol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, ceramide 3, ethylhexylglycerin, carbomer, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, fragrance

CosDNA analysis

Serein Effervescent Toner will be inappropriate for people who are sensitive to alcohol or fragrance.

Blanc & Eclare Serein Robust Ampoule Serum

I don’t normally include a hydration-focused serum in my skincare routine. Most serums hydrate anyway, and I prefer any essence and serum steps in my routine to offer some additional targeted effect or specialized ingredient that my skin likes. Also, I’ve noticed that the effects of most hydrating serums dissipate quickly. After a quick hand swatch of the Serein Robust Ampoule Serum, however, I was interested enough to slot it into my routine.

Like the toner and the rest of this line, the Robust Ampoule Serum uses Tasmanian rainwater as its base ingredient. It’s a thick, clear gel-type serum that turns watery when applied to my face and imparts a more intense burst of hydration and moisture than the toner. It takes longer to sink in than many hydrating serums I’ve tried, but as it absorbs, it suffuses my skin with moisture, plumping it up and giving it that famous dewy K-celeb glow.

For me, the most interesting thing about the Robust Ampoule Serum is the layer of moisture it leaves on my skin. Like I said, the effects of most hydrating serums dissipate quickly, primarily because while they put some water in skin, they generally don’t create enough of a film at the surface to hold the water. The moisturizing ingredients in the Robust Ampoule Serum do. Like the toner, this product leaves a slight luster on skin due to its richer moisturizing ingredients. It looks lovely and ensures that the hydrating effects don’t go away within the first hour after application. That moisturizing layer is enough to slow down absorption of products on top of it, so I prefer to use this serum close to the end of my routine rather than near the beginning.

The Robust Ampoule Serum reminds me strongly of AmorePacific’s Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Serum in its use of fancy water as a base and its ability to both deliver and hold moisture in skin. Serein Robust Ampoule Serum is much less fragranced (and less pricey, ha!) than the AmorePacific serum, though, so I consider it a winner.

Blanc & Eclare Serein Robust Ampoule Serum ingredients: Water, glycerin, methyl gluceth-20, polyglycerin-1, niacinamide, pentylene glycol, linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed extract, alcohol denat., hydrolyzed viola tricolor extract, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, xylitol, lupinus albus seed extract, 1,2-hexanediol, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, octyldodeceth-16, tromethamine, polyacrylate crosspolymer-6, glyceryl polyacrylate, adenosine, caprylic/capric triglyceride, hydrogenated lecithin, ceramide 3, ethylhexylglycerin, xylitylglucoside, anhydroxylitol, butylene glycol, tocopherol, carbomer, xanthan gum, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, fragrance

CosDNA analysis

As with the toner from this line, the Robust Ampoule Serum is not appropriate for complexions that are sensitive to alcohol or fragrance. Additionally, I’m not a fan of dropper bottles in general. The bottle for this serum is pretty and fits well into the classic aesthetic of the brand, but I always prefer pumps, especially airless pumps. The dropper bottle isn’t a deal-breaker, though. It works fine, and the product doesn’t contain any particular ingredients that I’d be worried about degrading with light exposure.

Blanc & Eclare Serein Moisturizing Cream

Decent daytime moisturizers are a dime a dozen, but day creams that I actively like and look forward to using are fewer and farther in between. My ideal day cream has to pull off a strenuous balancing act: sink in fast without going dead matte, feel like I’m wearing nothing while hydrating and preventing moisture loss as if I’m wearing a pretty substantial something, keep my skin moisturized all day without being greasy or overly shiny, and play nicely with a variety of heavily applied sunscreens as well as any makeup added on top.

On normal skin days, Blanc & Eclare Serein Moisturizing Cream does all those things for me impressively and gives a pleasing experience to boot. The soft and glossy cream has an almost pudding-like consistency; it spreads easily over skin and sets to a sunscreen-ready satin finish in under 5 minutes. My skin stays comfortable through the day with it on, and as long as the weather isn’t too dry, I can even get away with only using this cream after cleansing without suffering from dryness or tightness. This cream also never feels heavy or gets oily for me.

On more arid days, I do find that I need extra moisture, but that’s easily remedied by using a more emollient sunscreen or an extra layer of serum underneath.

Blanc & Eclare Serein Moisturizing Cream ingredients: Water, glycerin, hydrogenated polydecene, cyclopentasiloxane, butylene glycol, niacinamide, cyclohexasiloxane, caprylic/capric triglyceride, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, xylitol, hydrolyzed viola tricolor extract, dimethicone, pentylene glycol, stearic acid, glyceryl stearate, polysorbate 60, PEG-100 stearate, sorbitan stearate, caprylyl glycol, tromethamine, synthetic fluorophlogopite, polyacrylate-13, tocopheryl acetate, polyisobutene, silica, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, polysorbate 20, sorbitan isostearate, ceramide 3, phytosphingosine, xylitylglucoside, anhydroxylitol, cholesterol, lactic acid, oleic acid, hydrogenated lecithin, ethylhexylglycerin, caprylhydroxamic acid, cetearyl alcohol, carbomer, xanthan gum, disodium EDTA, tin oxide (CI 77861), phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, fragrance, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), mica (CI 77019)

CosDNA analysis

No denatured alcohol in this cream, but it does contain the same fragrance at about the same strength as the rest of the line, so keep that in mind if you generally have issues with fragrance.

One important aspect to note about the cream is that it contains ceramides, phytosphingosine, and cholesterol, a combination that may help to actively repair a damaged moisture barrier for long-term improvements in skin’s moisture retention and resilience. Since I use only neutral to low-pH cleansers and haven’t been exfoliating frequently, I don’t have barrier issues to treat, so I haven’t noticed much of a difference there. This cream may be a good compromise for skin that needs barrier repair but can’t take heavy moisturizers, though.

As a final bonus, the Serein Luscious Lip Balm is hands down the best lip balm in my current collection. The thick but non-greasy balm keeps my lips moisturized for hours longer in between reapplications than any other balm I have, and it never gets shiny or sticky.

Overall, I’m impressed with the Blanc & Eclare Serein line. While my skincare routine will always include more specialized and targeted products to support my anti-aging goals, I’ve found the Serein products excellent for providing core hydration needs and the excitement that encourages regular use. Hydration truly is critical to healthy and beautiful skin, so let it rain.

Are you interested in trying the Blanc & Eclare products? Which one excites you the most? Let us know what your top Blanc & Eclare products are!