Kojie San has proven to be an effective and well trusted brand.  I've tried their Skin Lightening Soap as well as their Anti-Aging Soap and the results were favorable.  So when I saw the Kojie San Kontur Cellulite Control Soap on the shelf at Mercury Drugstore, I didn't even think twice about buying the product.  It cost me 75 Philippine Pesos which is about 1 US Dollar and 90 cents, for one bar of soap weighing 135 grams.

According to Medical News Today, "Cellulite is a condition in which the skin appears to have areas with underlying fat deposits, giving it a dimpled, lumpy appearance. It is most noticeable on the buttocks and thighs, and usually occurs after puberty. " Causes of cellulite are hormonal factors, genetics, diet, lifestyle factors, and clothing.  Even underweight individuals can have cellulite.  Personally, I am not overweight at all but I do have cellulite on the back of my thighs.  It is not very noticeable, but at certain angles under bright light, that grotesque "cottage cheese" texture can be seen.

I used the Konture soap for about two weeks, in the morning and in the evening.  It was pretty long lasting considering how often I would use it.  I noticed that just a little bit of the soap can produce a thick foamy (slippery) lather on the skin.  It felt really nice and smelled really good.  After I rinsed off the soap with water, I observed that it did not make my skin dry or "more firm," but it did make my skin feel soft and smooth.  In sum, after the two weeks, the cellulite on the back of my thighs were still there.  Sadly, I did not see a difference.

However, I really liked my overall experience with the Kojie San Kontur Soap so I purchased another bar of soap this afternoon. I was not expecting my cellulite to disappear in two weeks.  I was hoping to see some changes though maybe after two more weeks.  I will write an update then and possibly include some before and after photos.  Nevertheless, I still think it is a good product.  I absolutely love the smell.  It has a mint like scent that is very calming and relaxing.  An aroma that you would smell at a spa.

Last Wednesday, I made a quick decision to buy the Kojie San Dream White Soap.  I recall first seeing this product back in 2008, side by side with the Kojie San Lightening soap.  I never really thought about trying it out before because I was always more focused on lightening my sun darkened skin. Nonetheless, I purchased the "anti-aging soap" curious to know what it was all about and to see if it was just as effective as its counter part.  Personally, I was not exactly sure what kind of results I was expecting to see.  Unlike with the Lightening Soap,  a lighter skin tone  reflected its effectiveness.  Perhaps with the Anti-Aging soap,  I was expecting less wrinkles or the disappearance of wrinkles or something along that line.  Regardless, I wrote a detailed account about my overall experience. 

The Kojie San Dream White soap is very affordable.  As you can see in the photo above, it only costs 60 Philippine pesos which is about 1 US Dollar and 50 cents for a small package of two 65 gram bars.  The big package of two 135 gram bars costs about 120 Philippine pesos which is about 2 US Dollars and 50 cents.





I did a little research on titanium dioxide, an ingredient that I was not familiar with.  Although this substance seems to be quite controversial,  it is still a key component commonly used in a lot cosmetics and beauty products.  According to The Organic Make-up Company Inc. -"Titanium dioxide is chemically processed to remove these impurities, leaving the pure, white pigment available for use."  "In cosmetics, it serves several purposes. It is a white pigment, an opacifier and a sunscreen."

So that night I washed my face with the soap and lathered it on my cheeks, nose, neck, forehead, and the area around my eyes but not too close to my eyes.  It had a nice mild vanilla scent.  After I rinsed my face with cold water, my skin felt clean, tight, soft, and not dry.  Using the soap was pleasant.  The next morning however, I noticed I had two small emerging pimples on the center of my forehead.  I decided to stop using the soap on my face.  I didn't want to waste the soap so I opted to just use it on my body.

It may have not have been good for my facial skin, but just after two days -I did notice a very positive and very drastic change on the skin around my legs.  You see, I have three to four stretch mark lines on both my left and right calves.  I've lost weight over the past few years and I first noticed these stretch marks back in 2010.  They are not that noticeable unless you really scrutinize my legs.  I could always quickly spot them before.  However, after using the Kojie San Dream White soap they appear to have become so faint that now, I have to keep looking very carefully at my calves to try and find them.  Honestly, I am not sure if they are less visible as a result of a lighter shade or if the collagen and elastin in the soap is actually working.  I just know that I can barely see them now despite the overall complexion of my legs being dark.  I really wish I took some photos of the stretch marks prior to using the soap.  All the photos featured below are from "after" using the Kojie San Dream White Anti-Aging Soap.

I have been using the Kojie San brand of Kojic Acid on and off for over 5 years now.  My friend introduced me to the product back in 2008.  I had just gotten back from a week stay at the beach.  Since I have Asian skin, instead of getting sun burnt and all red, I became a darker shade of brown.

Back then, it was a relatively new product and I had never even heard of Kojic Acid.  There were already over a hundred skin lightening soaps and lotions available in the market, but a lot of them promoted their main ingredient to contain “papaya extracts" - also a very effect skin lightening agent.   According to Wikipedia, “Kojic acid is a by-product in the fermentation process of malting rice, for use in the manufacturing of sake, the Japanese rice wine.”  Moreover, “It is a mild inhibitor of the formation of pigment in plant and animal tissues, and is used in food and cosmetics to preserve or change colors of substances.”

My friend told me it was very effective when she first tried it.  She too got dark from frequent beach outings.  So her nightly regime involved lathering her face with the soap and leaving it on for about a minute or two, followed by a full rinse.  After two to three days, she described how she could “wipe off” the “burnt skin” with a towel and see a lighter shade.  Convinced, I decided to try it.

I recall buying it at Mercury Drugstore at a price much higher than what it is currently selling for at present.  The Kojie San brand had other products available as well.  I bought the lightening soap and the lightening lotion.  So that night, I followed the procedure that my friend had advised.  Within one week, I could see a difference.  I was very happy with the soap that I didn’t really use the lotion anymore.  My only complain was that if the soap was not carefully dried after use, there would be orange leak stains all over my bathroom.

As I initially mentioned, I have been using the Kojie San Lightening soap on and off.  For two years (2010 and 2011), I didn’t use the product because my personal stock ran out in the US and it was too expensive to purchase on Ebay.  When I returned to the Philippines in 2012, I bought the Kojie San Lightening soap again.  I was surprised because it was now cheaper and sold everywhere.  I also noticed the following differences:

1)  After lathering the soap onto my face and leaving it on for a minute (like I did before), I started to feel a slight burning sensation.  So I immediately rinsed it off.  I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but it seems the formulation of the Kojic Acid is more potent for faster results.
2)  The Lightening soap is still effective. I did notice within 10 days that my skin had gradually lightened.  However, I noticed and friends and family noticed as well, that certain areas of my face looked “blotchy.”  Uneven and lighter in some areas.
3)  After washing my face, my skin would become really dry.
4)  I started peeling around my nose after a day or two of use.
5)  I tried to apply the lightening soap only on areas where I had acne scars from a pimple, hoping that it would fade away the brown spots.  It didn’t work, it seemed to only made the scar worse.

Despite having a different experience with this “new” version of the Kojie San Lightening Soap, I still use the product.  Not so much on my face, but more on my body.  I figure the skin around my arms and legs are not as thin, therefore, less sensitive.  I got stung by jellyfish in 2009 and the accident left really bad scars on my legs.  However, the keloid scars seemed to have disappeared with the use of the Kojie San kojic acid soap.  It also has lightened the area on my legs where I have stretch marks from rapid weight loss.

Over all, I think the Kojie San Lightening Soap is a good product.  It is also very affordable in the Philippines.  The small two 65g bar package costs only 50 Philippine Pesos  (about 1 US Dollar and 25 cents).  The big two 135g bar package costs only 102 Philippine Pesos (about 2 US Dollars and 50 cents).
To purchase this product in the United States, is a completely different story.  It is insane how sellers on Ebay are selling the Kojie San two 135g bar package for $15.  And I find it even more insane that buyers will actually buy at that price!!