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The innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed was what I took with me whenever bringing my Vitamin C was not an option – when we went camping for example, so the bottle would have been exposed to light, temperature changes and all the other changes fickle L-Ascorbic Acid wouldn‘t tolerate without turning one me.

Whenever that happens, I look for a worthy replacement, something that will provide me with antioxidant and ideally some other benefits as well as hydration, and the innisfree Green Tea Seed ticks a lot of these boxes, especiallly if you want to harness the potential benefits of Green Tea. (More info: The benefits of Green Tea Extract in skincare explained)

Let‘s talk about it a little more!

And if you are curious about what I think of the other products in the innisfree Green Tea line, you can find a video overview here:

What the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed claims

Formulated with green tea seed extract to deliver moisture deep into skin provides nutrition to skin and a dewy and radiant finish.

Facts about the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed

Prize and size

One bottle contains 80 ml and is available for 25 € on the website here. Depending on if you want to only do your face or take it down your neck as well (which is a great idea!), that bottle will last you a long time as 1 pump is enough to cover my entire face.

Texture and smell

The serum isn’t completely clear, but has a slightly brownish milky color that might be a sign of a high amount of polyphenols – they give products a brownish tint. That is just an educated guess though, it might also be due to something completely different.

It is a one of the thicker serums, thick as in: it is not runny like water, but has some body, and has a quite strong fruity tea scent that only lingers for a short while on the skin. I happen to like it, but if you have a sensitive nose, smell it first.

How to use the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed

It is suitable for use both morning and night, and when we went camping I used it twice a day, in the mornings for its antioxidant properties and the hydration, at night to sooth the skin and again for hydration.

There was no issue combining it with other products as it layers well with everything I paired it with.

You might notice a slight tackiness after application, but despite containing Green Tea Seed Oil it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin and sinks in immediately.

The hydration it offers is noticeable, if my skin was feeling parched there was instant relief, so I reached for it quite often both morning or night as addition to my regular routine or, as mentioned before, when I needed a multitasker serum for traveling.

Ingredients of the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed

Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (77.99%) aox|so, Propanediol solv|h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Alcohol amic|solv|vc, Betaine h, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Seed Oil (2600 Ppm) h, Dextrin vc|h, Saccharide Isomerate h, Cetearyl Olivate emu, Sorbitan Olivate emu, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1–2, Sucrose h|so, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Water solv, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Gum emo|vc, Tromethamine buff, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Hydrogenated Lecithin emo|emu, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Fragrance perf

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
What will probably catch your eye is that instead of water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract is the main ingredient with 77,99%. That sounds impressive at first, but we need to remember that an extract can vary greatly in concentration of substances it contains, so while a high percentage is certainly better than a very low one, what ultimately counts is the number and the kind of polyphenols it contains, which we have no information about.

Other than that it contains Glycerin as humectant, a few other sugars for hydration and Panthenol for soothing and repairing the skin. (More info: The benefits of Panthenol in skincare explained)

You will also find alcohol pretty high up the list, probably because most extracts are made through alcoholic extraction, and fragrance. (More info: Is alcohol in skincare bad for you? and Is Fragrance in skincare bad for you?)

Does it live up to its claims?

Yes.

Well, I don‘t feel it gives a very dewy finish, just the look of well hydrated skin, but it certainly hydrates very well.

How does it compare to…

Vegreen Nature Mucin Serum

This one has no green tea as ingredient, but Wild Yam extract that is supposed to work as vegan alternative to the widely beloved snail mucin. I personally don‘t use snail mucin in my skincare, so I can‘t comment on how close they actually are. Both are soothing and hydrating though, and ones that I enjoyed as “supporting serum” to go with my actives. Vegreen has added peptides, so it might have an edge over innisfree for mature skin, but not in a way that it will be noticeable with the bare eye.

I would gladly use either of them again as part of my routine.

You can read my full review of the Vegreen Nature Mucin Serum here.

Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum

Just like the innisfree serum, the version of Glow Recipe is deeply hydrating and contains soothing Panthenol, but instead of Green Tea with its potential benefits, you will find fermented ingredients. It is a little thicker in texture and more tacky and the scent is a little more noticeable, but overall both are really nice. I prefer the innisfree one a little, but that is solely based on packaging and scent, not a preference based on performance.

You can read my full review of the Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum here.

Geek and Gorgeous C-Glow Serum

Now I couldn’t write this blogpost without mentioning my favorite antioxidant serum by Geek and Gorgeous. If you are a long time reader, you are probably bored out of your mind right now, but if I had to chose, I would always go for a Vitamin C, and this one ticks all the boxes. With the one exception that it is hard to travel with, as it is best kept in the fridge. So for all the travel occasions like camping or weekend trips, I will leave my Vitamin C at home and pack the innisfree one instead.

You can read my full review of the Geek and Gorgeous C-Glow Serum here.

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend it to?

I haven’t completely made up my mind if I will repurchase, but it is a possibility. As long as it you are not sensitive to any of the ingredients, it should work for all skin types, but is probably best suited for those with oily, yet dehydrated skin.

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