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.

While doing further research on kojic acid, I came across two forums that discussed this one particular product called Chin Chun Su.  It is a cream and apparently, like kojic acid it contains substances that effectively lightens the skin.  Curious, I decided to buy it.

They sell Chin Chun Su at Mercury Drugstore.  On the forums, there are warnings to be careful where you buy the cream because supposedly, there are fake versions also being sold.  I very much doubt that Mercury Drugstore sells the counterfeit kind.  There four types of Chin Chun Su creams and you can distinguish them by the color of its shell like container.  Take note, two of the creams are in pink containers, however, one has a blue sticker and the other has a white one. (The latter is not featured in the picture below because it was out of stock).  The cream in the maroon container is actually called Oseur Facial Pearl Cream.  In general, the Chin Chun Su creams are very inexpensive and it is mainly because of the meager amount sold in each container.  Their prices vary, but for all three creams it only cost P60.  

If I bought 10 of these creams to make 100grams, it would cost me (16.60 x 10) = P166.00
P19.90 for 10 grams
If I bought 10 of these creams to make 100grams, it would cost me (19.90 x 10) = P199.00
P23.75 for 10 grams

Neutrogena is a brand that I have grown to love and trust.  Their skin products are effective and reasonably priced.  I started using the Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash in 2010 and prior to that I was using the Blackhead Eliminating Cleanser.  In July of 2012, I switched to using the Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser along with the Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer because my skin was getting discolored and damaged due to prolonged sun exposure.

Before heading out, I would always remember to apply the Age Shield Face Sunblock Lotion with SPF 110.  Unfortunately, I would also often forget to reapply the sunblock after two hours.  As a result, the skin on my cheeks started lookin blotchy, uneven, and dull.  It didn't take long to discover Neutrogena's Visibly Even product line.

After two weeks of morning and evening use of the Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser and applying the Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer three times throughout the day, my facial skin tone was definitely "visibly even."  I did not become a shade lighter or if I did, it was not noticeable.  I like the Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser, but I absolutely love the Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer.  After washing and drying my face, I would immediately apply it on.  My face would feel so radiant and flawless.  Dark spots from acne scars also disappeared.  I don't wear make up at all so there are times when my skin looks dull because of the lack of color.  However, the Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer can really spark a noticeable glow.

On Amazon, the Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer costs about $12 and the Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser costs about $7 - not including shipping fees.  At Walmart, it costs about a dollar more.

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!!

Mind you, my Asian skin tone by nature is described as “medium tan.”  When I was a child, I was really light skinned and I believe this is a result of some of the Chinese blood in my family lineage.  Nevertheless, I am constantly at the beach and so the color of my skin ranges in the shades of “tan” to “warm tan.”

For the most part, I am not really bother with my skin tone being in a little darker.  In fact, I have often been complimented for having great skin and looking “bronze.”  However, there are times when I do get affected by snide comments about looking “older” because of having a darker skin complexion due to “sun exposure."  And it is true!! I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but I can see it.  Maybe it has to do with light hitting the face at certain angles or even the different skin types. All I know is that I have both Asian and Caucasian friends who look older because they are darker.  Their wrinkles are more prominent and their skin looks “leathery.”  On the other hand, an Asian lady in her 60s can really look like she is only in her 40s because of her fair skin.  A lighter shade can make a huge difference with looking more youthful. 

Now that I am fast approaching my mid 30s, I am becoming a little more conscious about my skin and my over all well being.  So I am trying to live a healthier lifestyle, eat better and use products that can help me to not just look good, but also to feel good inside.  In all honesty, I am still mistaken for being in my early 20s and I want to keep it that. Ultimately, everyone wants to defy aging - to stay young or at least look it.  So that is my goal too.  I don't want to change the way I look.  I know there are a lot Asian women who bleach their skin, dye their hair blondish brown, and eventually have rhinoplasty to look more foreign.  That is not me.  I don't even weak make up.  Nonetheless, I want to start taking better care of myself especially my skin and my body, to stay looking youthful.