Primary Raw Doyou Line Review

Persimmons for that, white balance

Soy Milk Everything

So why did I buy this swag? Well I had been lusting after the packaging for about a year. It was a brand that only a couple US companies carried until recently. My main hesitation was the price point. This is not an economy product. The cheapest product in the line is the sheetmask at $6 USD, then the facewash at $12 USD, and prepare to shell out over $30 or $40 for the toner, milk and cream each.  Since this is not a sponsored post I had to wait a long time to find just the right sale that would allow me to get these at prices I’m more comfortable with. Enter cupidrop’s 4th of July sale. They had a set of the toner, essence milk, cream and one mask for 100 dollars, which at 25% off brought my total down to 75 buckaroos for the whole set. The facewash I purchased from glowrecipe when they had a rare 40% off sale.

About the Brand

As quoted from cupidrop.com

Primary Raw is a natural skincare brand from Seoul, promoting use of “primary” and “raw” ingredients from nature. Primary Raw is a brand with real organic ingredients that will bring real, long-lasting results. Safe to use on most sensitive skin, Primary Raw is also free of harsh chemicals- free of parabens, alcohol, artificial dyes and chemical fragrance.

Let’s get to the gud stuff tho

My skin type

• Dry Skin
• Non- Sensitive (literally have not reacted to hundreds of products over the course of my lifetime)
• Concerns
  • a few pronounced sebaceous filaments on the nose
  • The occasional pimple
  • inhibiting wrinkle formation
  • preventing cancer
  • not being chokchok enough

DoYou 2 Step Face Therapy aka the 2-Step Milk Peeling Kit

2-Step Milk Peeling Kit

I really like 2 step peeling masks. They’re convenient and fun and generally work well as a weekly AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) peel if you’re into that sort of thing. What you get is a ‘bong’ (what my peoples call cotton swabs) that is soaked in a solution of AHA. You rub that all over your face and then put on the mask.

And here was my cotton swab, which was oddly dry

And I tried to use it but I didn’t get that ususal slight warmth that AHAs give me.

The mask is wildly comfortable though. So creamy feeling and soft. Stuck to the face well and lasted around 40 mins.

The ingredients for the AHA peel are

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Water	‧Solvent			1
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Glycerin	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	0	0	2
Lactic Acid	‧Astringent ‧Whitening			4
Sodium Citrate	‧pH Adjusters ‧Antioxidant			1
Butylene Glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	1	0	1
Niacinamide				1
Pyrus Malus Fruit Water				1
Citric Acid	‧pH Adjusters			2
Glycolic Acid	‧Exfoliator ‧Whitening			4
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil	‧Surfactant ‧Emulsifier			3
Illicium Verum Fruit Extract	‧Fragrance			1
1,2-Hexanediol	‧Solvent			1
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Astringent			1
Foeniculum Vulgare Fruit Extract	‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Emollient			1
Ocimum Basilicum Leaf Extract
Lemon Fruit Oil	‧Astringent			3
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract				1
Houttuynia Cordata Extract				1
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract				1
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract	‧Fragrance ‧Plant extract			1
Rosemary Extract

And for the Mask are

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Water	‧Solvent			1
Glycerin	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	0	0	2
Butylene Glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	1	0	1
Propanediol	‧Solvent ‧Viscosity Control			1
Niacinamide				1
Sodium Hyaluronate	‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Swiftlet Nest
Hydrolyzed collagen	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient	0	0	1
Panthenol	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Allantoin	‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Anti-allergic	0	0	1
Soybean oil 200 ppm	‧Fragrance ‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient ‧Plant extract	3	0	1
Centella Asiatica Extract	‧Anti-inflammatory			1
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract	‧Antioxidant			1
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Astringent			1
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil	‧Antioxidant			1
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract	‧Fragrance ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Emollient			1
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract				1
Rosemary Leaf Extract				1
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract				1
Pulsatilla Koreana Extract				1
Usnea Barbata Extract				1
Hydroxyethylcellulose	‧Viscosity Control			1
Adenosine				1
Carbomer	‧Viscosity Control	0	1	1
Tromethamine	‧pH Adjusters			2
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil	‧Surfactant			3
Fragrance	‧Fragrance			1 ~ 4
Disodium EDTA				1

Overall

When I shared my story about the dried out peeling bong on Instagram, quite a few people had similar experiences as me. And for 6 dollars a pop, I don’t think I can justify taking a chance at not getting a lactic acid peel in. Even though the mask itself is nice, I’d suggest trying to buy these in store if possible to check and see if the cotton swab pack has enough solution in it. When people did actually get a non-dried out peeling bong, I’ve heard the mask is spectacular.

DoYou Soy Milk Ferment Cleanse Toner

I think the main question I hear about this toner is why is it called a cleanse toner? What I have to say to that, is that no it does not remove makeup. I’ve tried since it does make little soapy looking bubbles in the bottle I was curious. But I would say it does feel a little astringent to me and does work well with a cotton pad to remove any last bits of makeup you might have missed during cleansing.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract				1
Water	‧Solvent			1
Butylene Glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	1	0	1
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Sodium Hyaluronate	‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Snail Secretion Filtrate				1
Chamomilla Recutita Flower/ leaf Extract
Dryopteris Crassirhizoma Root Extract
Morus Alba Bark Extract				1
Centella Asiatica Extract	‧Anti-inflammatory			1
Houttuynia Cordata Extract				1
Soybean Seed Extract				1
Lactobacillus/ soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Avena Sativa Meal Extract	‧Anti-inflammatory			1
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil	‧Surfactant			3
Panthenol	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Allantoin	‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Anti-allergic	0	0	1
Tocopheryl Acetate	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant	0	0	3
Disodium EDTA				1
Caprylyl Glycol	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Ethylhexylglycerin	‧Moisturizer			1
Tropolone				1
Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract				2
Salicylic Acid	‧Exfoliator ‧Whitening			4
Melaleuca alternifolia leaf oil	‧Fragrance ‧Antioxidant			1
Citrus aurantium bergamia				1
Lemon Peel Oil				3
Cananga Odorata Flower Extract	‧Fragrance
Juniperus Oxycedrus Fruit Oil
Salvia Officinalis Oil				1
Geranium Maculatum Oil	‧Fragrance			1
Piper Methysticum Leaf/Stem Extract

Now the first ingredient listed is witch hazel, a classic astringent toner ingredient. This is probably where I get most of the dryness from the toner. It does contain soothing and hydrating essences but I would not consider this a hydrating toner at all. As a dry skinned person this is a great pre-actives toner or cleansing toner, but I can’t use it alone and hope to gain a hydrating boost

In testing the pH it came out to around pH 5.0-5.5 which puts it at the high end for optimum pH of AHA and a bit too high for getting the most bang for your buck if you’re using BHA’s and especially L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C). I’m not saying it will completely inhibit your chemical exfoliants from working, I’m just saying they wont work as strongly.

Lastly on the box you do get ingredient list in both English and Korean

Overall

According to Glow Recipe this:

Primary Raw’s DoYou Soy Milk Ferment Cleanse Toner is a water-free toner that removes debris, tightens pores, and calms skins with natural ingredients such as fermented soy beans, witch hazel, aloe vera, and tea tree extract. Skin is left squeaky clean, intensely hydrated, and glowing.

How it works:

Even after cleansing, skin irritating impurities can still reside on the face. This water-free toner cleans skin further following a  cleansing routine and minimizes the appearance of pores with witch hazel extract. “Doyou” means soy milk in Korean. Soy Milk works to brighten and refresh the skin while a blend of botanical extracts calm and soothe skin.  Hydrating agents like hyaluronic acid and various flower extracts keep skin dewy and supple.

Its not a bad toner, and comes in a nice glass bottle that you can repurpose as a vase. But at 30 dollars for 150ml, (and yes I got it for around 25 dollars) it didn’t wow me enough to warrant a repurchase. I would actually probably steer those of you looking for a low pH toner with a more astringent feel over to Etude House Wonder Pore which is much cheaper.

DoYou Soy Milk Ferment Essence Skin

Sometimes Korean products will call toners ‘skin’

THIS is the hydrating toner I was looking for. It also brings me back to the milky lotions my mom would use when I was growing up. They always had a comforting light perfumey scent. Nothing that would give you a headache, and they felt so soft. When you buy this it does separate into a bi-phase solution; the milky part is less dense and floats atop the watery portion. Here I have shaken it up in all its milky glory.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract				1
Butylene Glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	1	0	1
Hydrogenated Polydecene				2
Dipropylene glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer			1
Isononyl Isononanoate	‧Synthetic ester ‧Emollient			1
Glycerin	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	0	0	2
Sodium Hyaluronate	‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Hydrogenated polyisobutene	‧Emollient			1
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate	‧Synthetic ester ‧Viscosity Control ‧Emollient			1
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil	‧Emollient			1
Copper Tripeptide-1				1
Triethylhexanoin	‧Synthetic ester ‧Emollient			1
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant ‧Emollient ‧Astringent ‧Sunscreen			2
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract				1
Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract				2
Lactobacillus/ soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Glycine Soja Seed Extract				1
PEG-40	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer			3
Hydrogenated Castor Oil	‧Surfactant ‧Viscosity Control ‧Emollient ‧Emulsifier	1	0	1
Caprylyl Glycol	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Ethylhexylglycerin	‧Moisturizer			1
Tropolone				1
Panthenol	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Shea Butter	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
soy isoflavones	‧Antioxidant			1
Sodium Citrate	‧pH Adjusters ‧Antioxidant			1
Tocopheryl Acetate	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant	0	0	3
Xanthan Gum	‧Viscosity Control			1
Citric Acid	‧pH Adjusters			2
Ceramide 3	‧Moisturizer			1
Citrus aurantium bergamia				1
Lemon Peel Oil				3
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil	‧Fragrance
Juniperus Oxycedrus Fruit Oil
Salvia Officinalis Oil				1
Geranium Maculatum Oil	‧Fragrance			1
Butyrospermum	no matched results

I want to say that there seems to be some mix ups in the packaging that sephora is using for this hydrating toner, they seem to be putting the cleansing toner ingredient lists on the packaging. So be careful. You should note that this hydrating toner contains some oils like camellia and shea which help to give it a more hydrating effect while the cleansing toner appears to have more essential oils which are not really present for hydration.

Overall

According to Sephora it

The lightweight essence fortifies the skin’s essential moisture barrier to lock in hydration for a brighter, glowing complexion. Formulated with a concentrated blend of fermented soy bean extract, it helps to brighten skin, leaving it hydrated, youthful-looking, and supple. Instead of water, Primary Raw utilizes nourishing rice bran water as a base to quench and revitalize dull, dehydrated skin. Each bottle includes a coin sheet mask that can be soaked in the formula for an ultra-hydrating skin experience.

As a hydrating toner this works really well. I used it for a month straight but I cannot say I found it any more brightening than when I took it out of my routine. But since cupidrop and glow recipe both stopped carrying it my only US source is Sephora where it retails for 38 dollars. I would consider repurchasing but I need it to be 20 or less in order for me to consider it a good deal. A lot of my draw to this product is the nostalgia I get from it being a milky toner. If cost isn’t an issue to you I would say check it out.

so milky so gud

DoYou Soy Milk Facial Cream

I live for packaging. It’s a known fact. I love it when a product comes with lots of unnecessary parts. You have to get the box out of a bag, and then the jar itself comes with extra paper and twine on the lid. There’s even a little note inside to block your access to the jar. Its just perfect. I wish all brands would invest in excess packaging.

There’s actually a couple of brands this cream reminds me of

• Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream
• Clabiane PGA Cream

this is me ‘whipping’ up the cream to show of the texture better

In terms of texture, I would say Primary Raw comes eerily close to Joseon Dynasty in terms of stickiness. However it is a richer cream. I don’t find it quite as moisturizing/hydrating as the Clabiane which is a cream with a more simpler formula

Ingredients

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Oryza Sativa Bran Water	‧Fragrance			1
Butylene Glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	1	0	1
Dimethicone	‧Emollient	1	0	1
Niacinamide				1
Cetearyl Olivate	‧Emulsifier			1
Glycerin	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	0	0	2
Dipropylene glycol	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer			1
Glycereth-26	‧Moisturizer			1
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride	‧Fragrance			1
Wheat Germ Oil	‧Emollient ‧Plant extract	5	2	1
Cetyl Alcohol	‧Surfactant ‧Viscosity Control ‧Emollient	2	2	1
Cyclopentasiloxane	‧Solvent ‧Emollient			3
Cyclohexasiloxane	‧Solvent ‧Emollient			2
Lactobacillus/ soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Sodium Hyaluronate	‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Snail Secretion Filtrate				1
Glycine Soja Seed Extract				1
Beta-Glucan	‧Anti-allergic			1
Morus Alba Bark Extract				1
Copper Tripeptide-1				1
Cetearyl Alcohol	‧Surfactant ‧Viscosity Control ‧Emulsifier	2	2	1
Glyceryl Stearate SE	‧Emulsifier	3	2	1
Algae Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Piper Methysticum Leaf/root/ stem Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant ‧Emollient ‧Astringent ‧Sunscreen			2
Matricaria Flower/ leaf Extract
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract				1
Acrylates/ C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer	‧Viscosity Control			1
Butyrospermum Parkii	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Arginine	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer			1
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Caprylyl Glycol	‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient			1
Ethylhexylglycerin	‧Moisturizer			1
Tropolone				1
Lactobacillus
Natto gum				1
Angelica Gigas Root Extract				1
Phellinus Linteus Extract				1
Allantoin	‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Anti-allergic	0	0	1
Panthenol	‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer	0	0	1
Glycyrrhiza Glabra	‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Whitening			1
Mannan				1
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8	‧Moisturizer			1
Tocopheryl Acetate	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant	0	0	3
Avena Sativa Meal Extract	‧Anti-inflammatory			1
Lysolecithin	‧Emulsifier			1
Sodium Polyacrylate	‧Viscosity Control			3
Pyrus Cydonia Seed Extract				1
Disodium EDTA				1
Ceramide 3	‧Moisturizer			1
Ubiquinone	‧Antioxidant			1
Caramel	‧Pigment			1
Bergamot				1
Lemon Peel Oil				3
Cananga Odorata	‧Anti-inflammatory			1
Juniperus Oxycedrus Fruit Oil
Salvia Officinalis Oil				1
Geranium Maculatum Oil	‧Fragrance			1
Lactobacillus/Aspergillus/Prunus Mume Extract Ferment Filtrate	no matched results
Soy Isoflavone	no matched results

Ultra long list, but filled to the brim with ingredients that will moisturize, help strengthen your skin and provide some brightening.

Overall

From Cupidrop

DoYouganic Cleansing Soap

A soap that comes with a foaming pump aaaand has the option to buy a refill. This sounds too good to be true.  Its also free of Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate if that’s something you are avoiding in your cleansers

Ingredients

Ingredient	Function	Acne	Irritant	Safety
Potassium cocoate	‧Surfactant ‧Emulsifier			1
Water	‧Solvent			1
Glycerin	‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer	0	0	2
Potassium olivate	‧Surfactant ‧Emulsifier			1
1,2-Hexanediol	‧Solvent			1
Citric Acid	‧pH Adjusters			2
Fragrance	‧Fragrance			1 ~ 4
Tocopheryl Acetate	‧Moisturizer ‧Antioxidant	0	0	3
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil	‧Fragrance ‧Antioxidant ‧Emollient ‧Plant extract	0	0	1
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil	‧Emollient			1
Carica Papaya Leaf Extract				1
Glycine Soja Seed Extract				1
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract	‧Plant extract			1
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Peel Extract
Pulsatilla Koreana Extract				1
Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract				2
Soybean Seed Extract				1
Natto gum				1

Its nice to see moisturizing ingredients in this soap, but overall it was a bit drying on me. Since my skin is very dry I am more sensitive to drying soaps or at least notice the dryness faster than a person with normal/combo or oily skin.

I actually didn’t test the pH of the soap until I was making this review post

For me it tested somewhere between pH 7.0 to 7.5. Its much better than the really high pH soaps that I have used. But I still have to be a little careful with this one especially if my skin is already feeling a bit dry.

Overall

According to the glow recipe description

The DoYouganic Cleansing Soap is a gentle, SLS-free cleansing soap that transforms into a soft, cloud-like foam that effectively cleanses skin and removes makeup. Formulated with sweet almond oil to moisturize and fermented soy bean extract to soften skin for a refreshed, supple look. Black bean extract helps instantly brighten the skin with its high concentration of nutrients.

I think this is a pretty standard second cleanser soap. I didn’t find it strong enough to remove makeup on it’s own, but when used after a cleansing oil/balm it removed all residues very well. Even though I got it on sale for about $7.5 I feel like its a little expensive since I go through it pretty quickly. I find that I will use 2-3 pumps at a time and if I were to use it 2x a day it might only last me a month… if I used it sparingly. Having the option to buy a 500ml refill seems nice but that bottle is 58 dollars and in the US I could only find Glowrecipe as the retailer. If I could get both on discount again around 40% off I would probably keep some on hand since it’s a handy little cleanser.

Summary & TLDR

Overall I would think that there are products in this lineup that will work for most skin types. I find that none of the products are too strongly fragranced and they all kind of have that generic lightly powder perfumed scent you will find in many products. It does lean a little bit towards a sweet yogurt smell, but I would probably put that as one of the fragrance notes of the line. And for a final rundown

• Doyouganic Cleansing Soap
  • slightly higher pH that will be a bit drying for dry skin types, but I don’t think it would bother those with normal skin or oily skin. The fact that refills are available is nice, but one can go through the product quite quickly. Best to wait for a sale if possible
  • retails for 12-13 USD
• DoYou 2-Step Milk peeling kit
  • The mask is wonderful, but there are inconsistencies in packaging for the peeling AHA portion of the mask. buyer beware
  • retails for 6 USD
• DoYou Soy Milk Ferment Cleanse Toner
  • A more astringent toner, I wouldn’t recommend this if you are looking for a hydrating toner. I think Oily skin types would respond better to this than dry. The price point is quite high, and there are much more affordable options available
  • retails for 35 USD
• DoYou  Soy Milk Ferment Essence Skin
  • A true hydrating toner, if you like to layer light watery products under richer lotions and creams this is something to check out.
  • retails for 38 USD
• DoYou Soy Milk Facial Cream
  • This I would rank as a medium weight cream, but has enough richness to it for dry skin types to remain comfortable and oily skin type to not feel too greasy. The formula is truly stunning and can provide multiple benefits such as hydration, barrier support, and brightening.
  • retails for 46 USD

And if I HAD to narrow it down to picking my favorites

Definitely the essence skin and Cream were the two rock stars. Even though I didn’t find them exceptionally brightening, I did find them to live up to most of their claims and interact nicely with my many other products, sunscreens and makeup.

Now that you’ve heard my thoughts, which products doyou want to try?

Cheers