Analyzing the Glycerin-Free Acne Care Serum from Moisture Mild White

The signature product of the "Moisture Mild White" series was the blue-bottled "Perfect Essence." Around 2017 to 2018, when KOSÉ became the first company in Japan to obtain approval for the wrinkle-improving efficacy of niacinamide, this product, while not itself approved for wrinkle improvement, contained niacinamide as a whitening active ingredient and was sold in a large 230 ml size at a low price in the 800-yen range. Since niacinamide was not yet widely known at the time, Kazunosuke introduced it as a product with exceptional value for money and looks back on it as one of the factors that sparked the ingredient's popularity.

Later came the "Wrinkle Care Essence Lotion" (red packaging), which obtained approval for both wrinkle improvement and whitening efficacy and was more specialized for anti-aging care. Because it needed to contain niacinamide at a high concentration, it was formulated with a moist, rich feel.

The newly added "Acne Care Perfect Essence" (blue-green packaging) follows in the series' tradition but takes a markedly different direction. Despite the word "White" in the product name, it has not obtained whitening efficacy approval as a quasi-drug and is instead designed specifically to prevent rough skin and acne. Regarding the naming, Kazunosuke speculates that a corporate decision may have been made to launch it under the brand name of a popular series. Whereas previous products were aimed at a general audience or at anti-aging care, Kazunosuke positions this one as a product targeting people troubled by acne and pores, from adolescents to adults, with particular attention to demand among younger people.

According to KOSÉ Cosmeport's press release, the product was developed against the backdrop of growing demand for acne prevention not only for adolescent acne but also for acne associated with pore and sebum problems in adults, as well as a need for a gentle feel that can be used even when the skin is in a delicate state.

Kazunosuke points out that in the conventional acne care market, particularly from the mid-Heisei era onward, powerful products containing antibacterial agents, ingredients with peeling effects, and high concentrations of alcohol have been mainstream. Active ingredients with antibacterial effects include isopropyl methylphenol, salicylic acid, and sulfur. While these can sometimes deliver noticeable results against acne, they carry the risk of disrupting the balance of the normal resident skin bacteria that coexist on the skin's surface. Kazunosuke has long warned that continued long-term use of antibacterial skincare could disturb the skin's natural self-regulating balance, raising concerns about falling into a state of dependence in which skin condition cannot be maintained without antibacterial agents. Kazunosuke's basic position is that symptoms severe enough to require antibacterial treatment should be addressed with pharmaceuticals, and that strong antibacterial properties should not be sought in everyday quasi-drug skincare.

In that respect, this product uses "dipotassium glycyrrhizinate (glycyrrhizinic acid 2K)" as its sole active ingredient, and Kazunosuke views the decision not to include antibacterial agents positively from the standpoint of reducing the burden on the skin.

Dipotassium glycyrrhizinate is an ingredient derived from the licorice plant and is recognized as effective in preventing rough skin and acne by suppressing inflammation. For quasi-drug skincare to be labeled as "preventing acne," it must contain an approved active ingredient such as an anti-inflammatory or antibacterial agent, except in cases of physical removal through cleansing. Other anti-inflammatory ingredients such as allantoin exist, but dipotassium glycyrrhizinate is widely used in acne-prevention cosmetics on the market.

Kazunosuke has not previously recommended dipotassium glycyrrhizinate unreservedly, and has long regarded it as a problem that the ingredient is included in so many cosmetics on the market.

Kazunosuke explains that the reason lies in the anti-inflammatory mechanism of dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, which has a weak action (anti-inflammatory action) similar to that of adrenocortical hormones (steroids). Although it is mild and its strength is in no way comparable to that of steroid drugs themselves, it works in the direction of suppressing local immune function in the process of calming skin inflammation, and there has long been debate over whether excessive long-term use might affect the skin's barrier function. In addition, if every product in a line, from lotion and serum to emulsion and cream, contains dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, one could unintentionally end up layering high doses onto the skin every day.

However, with regard to this product, Kazunosuke says that because it avoids antibacterial agents and limits itself to preventing rough skin, and when combined with the overall ingredient design described below, it is a sufficiently reasonable option for "incorporating acne prevention through a single product." Ideally, Kazunosuke would have liked to see tranexamic acid included, but since cosmetics that have obtained acne-prevention efficacy with tranexamic acid alone are extremely rare, the choice of dipotassium glycyrrhizinate can be regarded as a practical "passing grade."

Kazunosuke cites the "glycerin-free" formula as the most noteworthy aspect of the product's ingredient design. Checking the full ingredient list shows that the base consists of water and 1,3-butylene glycol (BG), with no glycerins such as concentrated glycerin, which are widely used in typical moisturizing cosmetics.

In recent years, skincare approaches that avoid glycerin have attracted interest among people troubled by acne and conspicuous pores. This trend originated from small-scale verification data published by a certain cosmetics manufacturer. According to that data, among water-based moisturizing ingredients such as BG, DPG, propanediol, and glycerin, glycerin was the only one confirmed to significantly promote bacterial growth (assimilation) when given to Cutibacterium acnes, the bacterium that causes acne.

However, Kazunosuke attaches an objective reservation to this theory. Glycerin is a moisturizing ingredient (a biological component) that naturally exists in human skin to begin with, so it is not unnatural in itself for C. acnes, a resident skin bacterium, to assimilate it and multiply. Moreover, an increase in bacteria does not necessarily lead directly to worsening acne, and the verification data in question has not been established as robust academic evidence. With the data itself now no longer publicly available, opinions within the industry are divided on glycerin's effects.

Even so, Kazunosuke says they have received many accounts from people who experienced improvement in their acne and pores after switching to glycerin-free skincare. Kazunosuke considers that even before a clear scientific conclusion has been reached, if other moisturizing ingredients can serve as substitutes, it is entirely reasonable for people troubled by acne to choose glycerin-free products to avoid the risk. Products that advertise acne care while thoroughly maintaining a glycerin-free formula are extremely rare in the large-volume, low-price market.

The ingredients other than the base are also designed with acne and pores in mind.

• Water-based moisturizing ingredients: Methyl gluceth and sodium hyaluronate are included, providing moderate moisture and adjusting the feel without using glycerin.
• Vitamin C derivative: Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (a phosphate ester-type vitamin C derivative) is included. This ingredient is also used as an active ingredient in quasi-drugs, but since it is not an active ingredient in this product, it is presumed to be included in trace amounts, for example as an antioxidant for the product.
• Centella asiatica extract (CICA): Included for the purpose of preventing rough skin. It is thought to provide anti-inflammatory support similar to that of licorice-derived ingredients.
• Malic acid (AHA): The packaging promotes it as an exfoliating and pore care ingredient (AHA), but malic acid itself is a very mild acid, and it would be difficult to include it at concentrations high enough to cause irritation, so Kazunosuke sees it as mainly serving as a pH adjuster for the product.
• Oil-based ingredients and texture: In addition to an acrylic polymer as a thickener, very small amounts of plant-derived squalane and silicone (dimethicone) are included. The packaging states "oil-free," but it is reasonable to interpret this as meaning that the product does not contain "fats and oils (triglycerides)," which are a main component of sebum and readily serve as food for C. acnes.
• Safety design: The product is fragrance-free, colorant-free, and alcohol-free (no ethanol), and has been non-comedogenic tested (this does not mean comedones will not form for everyone).

The formula excludes the cooling menthol and high concentrations of alcohol common in over-the-counter acne cosmetics, keeping irritation to the skin low.

To assess the actual feel, Kazunosuke dispenses the gel-like texture and tests it.

When spread on the skin, it has none of the heaviness, film-like feel, or stickiness characteristic of products high in glycerin, absorbing very quickly and settling into a smooth, silky finish on the surface. Possibly due to the vitamin C derivative and extracts, some skin types may feel a very slight tingling on application or notice a faint herbal scent derived from the raw ingredients, but overall it is very light.

As an all-in-one, it serves as lotion, serum, and emulsion, so younger people and those with oily skin who do not need much oil can complete their skincare with this single product after cleansing. On the other hand, people with dry skin may find the moisturizing power of this product alone insufficient. In that case, options include layering another product from the same series, such as the whitening type (the blue Perfect Essence), to supplement moisture, or using different products on different areas.

Despite its large 230 ml volume, the product can be purchased at an affordable price of around 1,200 yen (as of the video's release) at drugstores and on Amazon. Taking advantage of this volume and the pump-style container, it is highly practical not only for the face but also for acne and pore care on areas of the body prone to sebum problems, such as the back and chest, within reach.

The "Moisture Mild White Acne Care Perfect Essence" does not use any surprising new ingredient as its active ingredient. However, it is a product that consistently meets the conditions truly sought by people troubled by acne and pores: "glycerin-free," "antibacterial-agent-free," "alcohol-free," "fat-and-oil-free," and "large volume at a low price."

Rather than aiming for quick results with powerful ingredients, its design philosophy of preventing acne through daily care while minimizing irritation to the skin offers a realistic, easy-to-use option for a wide range of people, from adolescents to adults with skin problems.