Skin1004 is a Korean skincare brand for sensitive skin, and everything about it is built around one plant: Centella asiatica. The brand's motto is "whatever touches the skin must be pristine"; it sources its centella from Madagascar only and describes its skincare as gentle, with a low risk of irritation. That is why, on the packaging, the name of almost every product starts with Madagascar Centella, followed by the line and the format. Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum, for example, is the Hyalu-Cica line in a sun-serum format. And the "cica" in the line names is that same centella. Behind the brand is Craver Corporation of Seoul; the flagship store is in Myeongdong and production is in Korea. The brand itself sets out three principles for its "clean beauty": give the skin only what it needs and nothing harmful; do no harm to animals, meaning no animal testing and no animal-derived ingredients; and care for the planet. The brand has turned the number in its name into a date: 4 October, or 10-04 with the month first. On "1004 Day" it looks back on the past year and thanks its customers.
Madagascar centella: what the brand says about it
The brand describes its centella through the place where it grows: 700 metres above sea level, an average yearly temperature of 23–27 °C, abundant rain and volcanic soil. On Madagascar, the brand writes, more than 83% of plant species grow nowhere else on Earth, and centella grows there on its own, without human interference. Which brings us to the main point: according to the brand, its centella contains noticeably more soothing compounds than centella from anywhere else. The compounds in question are madecassoside and TECA, a group of four substances in the plant (madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid) known for their soothing effect. On the Korean page for the ampoule, the brand adds that its centella has roughly seven times more asiaticoside, citing a botanical journal from 1997. The centella is harvested under GACP, a set of rules for growing and collecting plants: each leaf is picked by hand and with clean tools, never blades, without harming the roots; drying and storage take place in a clean, controlled environment.
How the lines are organised: The Untouched Nature and Lab in Nature
Everything the brand makes falls into two big groups. The first is The Untouched Nature: six lines of everyday care (the brand calls them the Origin series) and the new TECA series. Centella: soothing for sensitive skin, with the signature all-rounder Centella Ampoule (for all skin types, especially dry and delicate skin), the Light Cleansing Oil, the non-sticky Soothing Cream gel and the mild daily exfoliating Toning Toner. Hyalu-Cica: hydration, with the Water-Fit Sun Serum, the Moisture Cream and the First Ampoule, which the brand says goes on before anything else, even the toner. Tone Brightening: brightening and glow, with the Capsule Ampoule and the tinted Tone-Up Sunscreen. Poremizing: pore care, with the Quick Clay Stick Mask, the Fresh Ampoule, the Light Gel Cream and the Velvet Finish Sunscreen. Tea-Trica: troubled, blemish-prone skin, with the Spot Cream, the Relief Ampoule and the BHA Foam cleanser. Probio-Cica: nourishment for weakened skin and its protective barrier, with the Enrich Cream, the Intensive Ampoule and the Bakuchiol Eye Cream. The TECA series consists of two lines, Centella Teca and Hyalu-Teca, built on that same TECA from centella (see above), only in refined form. In the brand's words, the series is about "cultivating skin's natural strength" and rebalancing stressed skin.
The second group is Lab in Nature. In the brand's words, it is a "high-performance derma skincare line" for sensitive skin with various concerns: Madagascar centella plus "clinically proven" active ingredients. Each product is named after its active and a number: ampoules with niacinamide (Niacinamide 10), retinol (Retinol 0.2) and azelaic acid (Azelaic Acid 10), each covered in an article of ours, as well as the Matrixyl 10 ampoule and the PDRN 1.5 and NAD 0.1 creams. There is no separate sun-care line: the sunscreens belong to the lines above; more on them below. And the Bloody Peel, labelled "Zombie Beauty by Skin1004" on the bottle, is not a Skin1004 line but a product of Zombie Beauty, a separate brand of the same company, Craver; it does not appear on the Skin1004 sites.
Which sunscreen for which skin
The brand has its own sunscreen chart showing which one suits which skin, with a note on the filter type: mineral, chemical (the Korean chart says "organic") or hybrid. For oily and combination skin: Centella Air-Fit Suncream Plus, soothing (mineral filters). For sensitive skin: Air-Fit Suncream Light SPF30, "mild and daily" (mineral). If you want to skip foundation: Poremizing Velvet Finish Sunscreen, for all skin types; its beige tint covers pores and uneven texture and, according to the brand, lasts up to 12 hours (mineral). There is one shade for now, a beige developed for Asian skin tones, with others in development, the brand says. For all skin types: Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum, hydrating, as light as a serum, with a dewy finish and no white cast (chemical). The Hyalu-Cica Silky-Fit Sun Stick is a matte stick that the brand's guide lists for outdoor use and for the body (chemical). For blemish-prone skin: Tea-Trica Soothing Sun Milk, cooling (chemical). For a weakened skin barrier: Probio-Cica Glow Sun Ampoule (chemical). The peach-tinted Tone Brightening Tone-Up Sunscreen is for all skin types, with hybrid filters. All of them carry SPF50+ PA++++, except the Air-Fit Light, which is SPF30 PA++++. They are all applied the same way: as the last step of skincare, spread evenly over the areas exposed to the sun — face, neck, arms and legs. The brand gives timing only for the stick: "apply 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every 2–3 hours". All the sun care in the store is in the sun protection section.
How the brand says to use them
The order of steps comes from the brand itself: toner → ampoule → Soothing Cream gel → cream → sunscreen, that is, from the lightest texture to the richest. The Toning Toner is the first step after cleansing, on a cotton pad or straight from the palm; the exception is the Hyalu-Cica First Ampoule, "Step 0", which goes on before the toner. The Centella Ampoule is a dropper bottle: drop as much as you need, spread it and pat it in lightly; for deeper soothing it can go on in two or three layers. The cleansing oil: a few pumps onto a dry face with dry hands; massage for at least 30 seconds, add a little water so the oil turns milky, then rinse with lukewarm water. The Quick Calming pads come soaked in essence: lay them on the cheeks and forehead for 3–5 minutes, remove them and pat in the remaining essence. In its sets the brand pairs them with the Soothing Cream or the Centella Ampoule. The Quick Clay Stick Mask is a clay mask in stick form: after cleansing, apply it, avoiding the eyes and lips, leave it on for 3–5 minutes (10–15 for a stronger effect) and rinse. About twice a week for oily skin, once a week for dry and combination skin. The brand says all its products have passed skin-irritation tests, but for sensitive skin and after procedures it recommends trying a product on a small area first (a patch test) and stopping if any irritation appears.
