What is Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion?

It is an emulsion from Sulwhasoo (125ml).

How do I use this emulsion?

Apply after essence or serum and before a heavier cream, morning and/or night, as a lighter-weight moisturizing step.

Is an emulsion a moisturizer?

Yes, a lighter-weight one; some routines use it instead of a cream, others layer it underneath.

Sulwhasoo

Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml

Name: Sulwhasoo Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml
Brand: Sulwhasoo
SKU: 4958990347
Price: 100.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion, from Sulwhasoo, is an emulsion. It suits normal, combination and oily skin. Comes in a 125ml size.

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$100.00

125 ml

$80.00 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: NormalCombinationOily

Helps with: A light moisturizing layer between serum and cream

One-time purchase

$100.00

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Key benefits

What it is: Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml from Sulwhasoo, a Korean-market emulsion.
On the ingredient list: Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, confirmed on this product's own manufacturer ingredient list rather than assumed from the category.
Fits into the routine: belongs to a lightweight moisturizing step, applied after serum and before a heavier cream.
Sulwhasoo is a heritage Korean luxury house built around fermented Korean red ginseng and hanbang (traditional herbal) formulation.
Original Korean Formula: the same version sold on shelves in Korea, not a US-shelf reformulation.

Key actives

14Dimethiconea silicone that shapes a smooth, quick-setting glide rather than a heavier lotion feel

Position 15 of 56 on this product's own ingredient list, a silicone that shapes a smooth, quick-setting glide rather than a heavier lotion feel.

23Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Buttershea butter, a rich emollient used for a cushioned, nourished feel

Position 24 of 56 on this product's own ingredient list, shea butter, a rich emollient used for a cushioned, nourished feel.

35Sodium Hyaluronatea salt form of hyaluronic acid that holds water at the skin's surface for a plumper feel

Position 36 of 56 on this product's own ingredient list, a salt form of hyaluronic acid that holds water at the skin's surface for a plumper feel.

All products with Sodium Hyaluronate

39Beta-Glucanan oat or yeast-derived polysaccharide used to support a calmer, more resilient-feeling barrier

Position 40 of 56 on this product's own ingredient list, an oat or yeast-derived polysaccharide used to support a calmer, more resilient-feeling barrier.

All products with Beta-Glucan

55Tocopherolvitamin E, used as an antioxidant in the formula

Position 56 of 56 on this product's own ingredient list, vitamin E, used as an antioxidant in the formula.

All products with Tocopherol

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

#27

Fragrance on the list

14Dimethicone23Butyrospermum Parkii35Sodium Hyaluronate39Beta-Glucan55Tocopherol

14Dimethicone
23Butyrospermum Parkii
35Sodium Hyaluronate
39Beta-Glucan
55Tocopherol

Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.

1 of 2

49 of 55 explained

Water/Aqua/Eau solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin) emollient: Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin) is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient. It gives a smooth, silicone-like glide and is completely stable, so it does not go rancid.
Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier known for a light, non-soapy feel. It builds gel-creams that do not read as rich.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emollient: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is a synthetic ester used as a dry-feeling emollient. It spreads easily, leaves a silky rather than oily finish, and helps disperse pigments and UV filters evenly.
Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil emollient: Meadowfoam Seed Oil is over 95 percent long-chain fatty acids, which makes it exceptionally stable against going rancid. It is an emollient that leaves a soft, sealed feel.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil occlusive: Plant oil hardened by hydrogenation. It behaves as a soft solid, so it gives balms and sticks their body and slows water loss from the surface.
Cetearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Cetearyl Alcohol is a waxy solid, not the drying kind of alcohol. It is a blend of cetyl and stearyl alcohols used to thicken a cream and keep oil and water from separating, and it softens skin as it does so.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter emollient: Mango seed butter, pressed from the kernel. It is a soft solid at room temperature and melts on skin, so it is used where a formula needs richness without the waxiness of shea.

37 more explained

Dimethicone silicone: Dimethicone is the most used cosmetic silicone. It forms a breathable film that smooths the surface, slows water leaving skin, and gives the slip that makes a primer or cream feel silky. It is inert and does not penetrate.
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate Citrate is a mild, citrate-modified emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is chosen for formulas aimed at reactive skin.
Stearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid from plant fats, and one of the three lipid classes skin's own barrier is built from. In a formula it thickens, stabilises the emulsion and can be turned into a soap-style cleanser by adding a base.
Palmitic Acid fatty acid: Palmitic Acid is a saturated fatty acid present in skin's own lipids. It thickens a formula, stabilises the emulsion and softens skin.
Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract plant extract: Jujube fruit extract, the daechu of Korean tea and cooking. It carries sugars, fruit acids and polysaccharides and is used as a hydrating extract.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer thickener: This is the thickener behind most gel-cream textures. It builds a soft, bouncy gel that collapses to a light fluid as it is rubbed in.
Carbomer thickener: Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient: Shea Butter is the fat pressed from the shea nut, rich in oleic and stearic acids and unsaponifiable plant sterols. It is a heavy emollient and partial occlusive, which is why it sits in balms and night creams rather than in essences.
Glyceryl Caprylate emulsifier: Glyceryl Caprylate is a mild emulsifier that also makes a formula less hospitable to microbes, so it is often part of a preservative-free system.
Tromethamine pH adjuster: Tromethamine neutralises acidic thickeners such as carbomer so they gel, and holds a formula near skin-friendly pH. It is used at a fraction of a percent.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Fragrance/Parfum fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Alcohol solvent: Alcohol here means ethanol. It dissolves ingredients water cannot, evaporates fast so a formula sets quickly and does not feel heavy, and thins texture. In quantity it can leave dry or reactive skin feeling tight, which is why many Korean formulas avoid it and some deliberately use it for a fast, weightless finish.
Limonene fragrance component: Limonene is the citrus-peel aromatic. It appears here because EU labelling requires 26 fragrance components to be named individually rather than hidden inside "fragrance", and it is one of them.
Portulaca Oleracea Extract plant extract: Portulaca Oleracea is purslane. Its extract is unusually high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants for a plant, and Korean formulas use it for the look of reddened, reactive skin.
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Dioscorea Japonica is Japanese wild yam, whose root is naturally slippery with mucilage. Its extract hydrates and leaves a cushioned feel.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Sorbitan Isostearate emulsifier: Sorbitan Isostearate is a mild emulsifier that holds water into oil, the direction a cleansing balm or an oil-based cream needs.
Polysorbate 60 emulsifier: Polysorbate 60 is a water-loving emulsifier used with a fatty co-emulsifier to build stable lotions and creams.
Linalool fragrance component: Linalool is a floral aromatic found in lavender, bergamot and coriander. It is one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling requires to be declared by name.
Beta-Glucan polysaccharide: Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide from oats or yeast. It holds a large amount of water, forms a soothing film, and is one of the ingredients formulators reach for in products aimed at reactive skin.
Natto Gum humectant: Polyglutamic Acid comes from fermented soy and holds several times more water than hyaluronic acid for its weight. It forms a light film on the surface, so it is often layered with hyaluronic rather than replacing it.
Morus Alba Leaf Extract plant extract: White mulberry leaf extract, the leaf silkworms are fed on. It carries flavonoids and is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract.
Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract plant extract: Chinese foxglove root, one of the standing herbal roots of Korean medicine. Its extract carries iridoid glycosides and sugars and is used as a conditioning extract.
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract plant extract: Licorice Root Extract carries glabridin and liquiritin. It is one of the classic plant ingredients used for the look of uneven tone and redness, and it appears in almost every brightening formula that avoids synthetic actives.
Citronellol fragrance component: Citronellol is a rose-geranium aromatic and one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling names individually.
Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract plant extract: Chinese peony root, one of the oldest ingredients in East Asian herbal practice. Its extract carries paeoniflorin and is used for the look of reddened, uneven skin.
Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract plant extract: Madonna lily bulb extract. The bulb is starchy and mucilaginous, so the extract hydrates and is used for the look of uneven tone.
Myristic Acid fatty acid: Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid used to thicken and, with a base added, to build the foam in a soap-style cleanser.
Arachidic Acid fatty acid: Arachidic Acid is a long-chain saturated fatty acid used to thicken and stabilise a formula.
Polygonatum Odoratum Rhizome Extract plant extract: Solomon's seal rhizome extract, the dungulle brewed as tea in Korea. It carries mucilage and sugars, so it hydrates and leaves a soft feel.
Citral fragrance component: Citral is a sharp lemon aromatic found in lemongrass and citrus oils. It is one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling requires to be named.
Geraniol fragrance component: Geraniol is a rose-scented aromatic found in geranium and citronella oils. It is one of the 26 declarable fragrance components.
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract plant extract: Lotus flower extract, from the same sacred lotus as the leaf. It carries flavonoids and sugars and is used as a conditioning, hydrating extract.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.

How it works

Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml is Sulwhasoo's take on a lightweight moisturizing step. On its own ingredient list, Dimethicone sits at position 15 of 56 on the ingredient list, a silicone that shapes a smooth, quick-setting glide rather than a heavier lotion feel. Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter sits at position 24 of 56 on the ingredient list, shea butter, a rich emollient used for a cushioned, nourished feel. Sodium Hyaluronate sits at position 36 of 56 on the ingredient list, a salt form of hyaluronic acid that holds water at the skin's surface for a plumper feel. Beta-Glucan sits at position 40 of 56 on the ingredient list, an oat or yeast-derived polysaccharide used to support a calmer, more resilient-feeling barrier. Sulwhasoo is a heritage Korean luxury house built around fermented Korean red ginseng and hanbang (traditional herbal) formulation, and this formula carries that character through emulsion format rather than a stripped-down version of it. It belongs to a lightweight moisturizing step, applied after serum and before a heavier cream, and what it does for skin is best judged after it has had time to settle in, rather than by a single application. This is the Korean-market formula of essential comfort balancing emulsion 125ml, the version sold on shelves in Korea rather than one reworked for a different market.

How to use

Apply after essence or serum and before a heavier cream, morning and/or night, as a lighter-weight moisturizing step.

Worth knowing

An emulsion can stand in for a cream on lighter-weight days, or layer under one for extra richness.

Complete the routine

This itemSulwhasoo Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml$100.00
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinSulwhasoo Signature Ginseng Facial Soap 120g X 2ea$82.50
The last step of the morning, over everything elseSulwhasoo MEN UV Defense Protector 50ml SPF50+ PA++++$52.50

Total for 3 items$235.00

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Sulwhasoo Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml

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Sulwhasoo, Korean-market original

Sulwhasoo emulsion, Essential Comfort Balancing Emulsion 125ml, sourced for the Korean market rather than reformulated for US retail.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Shea butter can be a good option for many folks.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Hyaluronic acid helps bind water to collagen, which traps water in the skin. That helps make the skin more plump and full-looking.
Samantha Stein, PA-CDermatology physician assistant, Cleveland Clinic

1 more professional perspective

It can be especially useful for skin that is easily irritated or prone to redness, including conditions such as rosacea, eczema and contact dermatitis.
Derrick Phillips, MDConsultant dermatologist, Vogue