Unique Formulas + Viral Products + Cute Packaging = EQQUALBERRY!

If you’ve been anywhere near a TikTok account recently, you’ll know that Korean brand EQQUALBERRY is having a moment. Although the skincare brand only has a slimline selection of products, beauty fans worldwide are raving about their unique formulations and the visible impact they’re having on their skin. We knew we had to see what all the hype was about – and after testing the products for ourselves, we were hooked. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome EQQUALBERRY to the Skin Cupid family!

Launched in 2023, EQQUALBERRY’s mission is to empower individuals to embrace their natural beauty with confidence. Inspired by the natural benefits of fruits and making use of gentle alternatives to harsh ingredients, EQQUALBERRY believes in providing essential, high-quality skincare that enhances the skin’s natural health without causing irritation. Their commitment to science-backed formulations and responsiveness to consumer needs has seen many of their products go viral in both Asia and the West, most notably the gently exfoliating Swimming Pool Toner. 

Here, we’ll introduce you to the EQQUALBERRY line-up at Skin Cupid, giving you a run-down on what they are, who they’re good for, and why the online beauty community has fallen for them. 

EQQUALBERRY Swimming Pool Toner

By any measure the most popular offering in EQQUALBERRY’s line-up, the Swimming Pool Toner doesn’t necessarily look like the powerhouse product it is at first glance – in fact, it seems to resemble a bottle of liquid pool chlorine. Thankfully, looks are where the comparison ends, because the Swimming Pool Toner is an incredible two-in-one hydrator and exfoliator that has quickly become a holy-grail item for many skincare enthusiasts. (One TikTok shows a beauty influencer who, when approaching the end of her first bottle of the toner, goes out to buy not one, but three more bottles of it – that’s the kind of devotion this toner inspires!) Most people online are really repping this product for its ability to smooth out skin texture and get rid of closed comedones – those non-inflamed acne lesions that you can get when your pores become clogged with oil and bacteria. At the same time, both beauty influencers and citizen-posters are talking about how it’s helped to balance out their skin, getting rid of redness and leaving their skin with a blurred-effect glow. 

The key to its smooth, airbrushed-skin results is its active ingredient, Protease. Protease is part of a class of enzymes naturally found in the human body that help to break down proteins and peptides, which, when applied to skin, helps it to shed dead and damaged tissue. Unlike your more traditional chemical exfoliators, however – AHAs and BHAs, for instance – Protease works gently to smooth out the surface of the skin, without the potential for irritation, breakouts, or damage to the skin barrier. That’s because it only works on dead skin cells – and, because it doesn’t force skin-cell turnover, it should cause minimal to no purging. And if you have or occasionally experience fungal acne, there’s more good news – this toner doesn’t contain any ingredients that will cause a flare-up! 

Protease may be the star of the show, but the formula also contains a host of other gentle, skin-friendly ingredients, including an antioxidant-rich 5-Berry Complex to nourish and protect skin from harmful external factors (pollution, UV rays) that can cause premature skin ageing, and 8 types of Hyaluronic Acid, to deliver targeted hydration to every layer of the skin.  You can buy it… but leave some in stock for the Skin Cupid team, will you?!

EQQUALBERRY Bakuchiol Plumping Serum

Is this the most adorable anti-ageing serum ever created? Nicknamed the “galaxy glow” serum for its shimmering, Ceramide-capsule-enriched formula (more on that later), EQQUALBERRY’s Bakuchiol Plumping Serum is – luckily for us – more than just a pretty face. 

Beauty enthusiasts on TikTok have been touting this serum as the ultimate alternative to Retinol, offering all of the benefits of the ingredient and none of the downsides. While Retinol and retinoids might be holy-grail ingredients for some skin types, they also come with a lot of restrictions: you can’t use them if you’re pregnant, if you have an eczema flare-up, if you have a skin barrier dysfunction, if you have sensitive skin, or if you don’t want to go through at least two weeks’ worth of purging. 

EQQUALBERRY’s serum, however, is made with Bakuchiol: a vegan, plant-based ingredient (it’s derived from a purple-coloured flower, which is what gives the Bakuchiol Plumping Serum its cosmic hue) that works in almost exactly the same way as Retinol – boosting collagen, minimising the appearance of pores, fighting acne, and fading hyperpigmentation and scarring – but without causing purging. Influencers are even applying multiple layers of the serum to show how gentle it is! 

Aside from its multiple anti-ageing benefits, people also love the Ceramide capsules suspended in the formula, noting that it’s unusual to find a Retinol-like ingredient combined with a barrier-support formula. Made up of Ceramides NP, EOP, NG, AP, and AS, these nourishing capsules melt into the skin upon application, helping to enhance and strengthen the skin moisture barrier, in turn improving skin resilience against external irritants and minimising moisture loss. 

Combined with 13 types of Peptides to smooth out fine lines, Squalane for moisture and protection, and the same nourishing, antioxidant-rich 5-Berry Complex as found in the Swimming Pool Toner, we love this unique, plant-derived approach to anti-ageing care – and it doesn’t hurt that it also looks super cute on our bathroom shelves, too. 

EQQUALBERRY Vitamin Illuminating Serum

The adorable packaging continues with our next EQQUALBERRY product, the Vitamin Illuminating Serum. Beauty influencers with sensitive or acne-prone skin have been particularly big fans of this product, which isn’t harsh on delicate complexions in the way traditional Vitamin C serums can be.

What sets this one apart from the pack is its base of 40% Acerola Fruit Water, rather than regular water. Acerola is a superfruit that’s earned the nickname the “Queen of Vitamin C”, due to the fact that it boasts 20 times more Vitamin C than oranges, 28 times more than lemons, and 127 times more than apples – pretty impressive nutritional stats.  In terms of intensity, you can think of it as fairly similar to Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Water, another natural extract that’s rich in Vitamin C, and one beauty influencer claims that it helped to visibly fade her acne scars after just a couple of weeks. 

While it boasts some heavy-duty brightening agents, influencers claim that there’s no stinging after use – in fact, it feels like a juicy, hydrating serum that just happens to have Vitamin C in it. Like the Bakuchiol Plumping Serum, it contains those barrier-supporting Ceramide capsules, and again, the formula is pretty unique in combining Vitamin C and barrier care. So, if you find traditional Vitamin C formulations are too harsh for your skin, but you still want to address dull, rough skin, EQQUALBERRY’s Vitamin Illuminating Serum might be the product of your dreams!

EQQUALBERRY Swimming Pool Toner Pads

While they haven’t received quite as much attention online as their partner product, the Swimming Pool Toner, EQQUALBERRY’s Swimming Pool Toner Pads have still been causing a buzz in certain beauty circles. One of the main draws is that these toner pads are fungal-acne-safe, which very few skincare products are - so, if you experience fungal acne, these toner pads will make a safe but effective addition to your routine. The formula also contains ANTI SEBUM P, a blend of plant-derived ingredients that helps to regulate sebum production and mattify skin – so if you have regular acne, too, these pads provide an optimal blend of oil control and lightweight hydration. 

Like the Swimming Pool Toner, the solution these pads are soaked in also contains a mild natural exfoliant: Galactoarabinan, which is a biopolymer derived from the larch tree that helps to both dislodge dead skin cells and keep skin soft and hydrated. That means you can combine the slight physical exfoliation you get with the embossed side of the pad with the gentle exfoliation you get from Galactoarabinan – hello, smooth, balanced-looking skin, without the risk of irritation! 

Ideal for mornings when time is of the essence (just apply to your skin for 5 minutes while you go about your usual routine) the larger-than-usual pads also help to deliver a huge boost of hydration.  Alternatively, when you can afford to spend more time on your routine, try pairing these pads with the Swimming Pool Toner for the ultimate gentle exfoliation/soothing hydration treat for your complexion!