Kao Curél Moisture Lotion III (Enrich) & Moisture Milk & Intensive Moisture Cream

Kao Curél is a skincare line targeted towards sensitive skin types and is very popular in Japan. I know that some body lotions from Curél are available in drugstores in the USA, too, but I think the face-care is only sold throughout Asia. If you read about Kao online you will see that it´s a Japanese company but with some sub-brands available or even originating in the USA like Bioré and Jergens (which was acquired by Kao in 1988). Also one of the best haircare lines available locally (Guhl from Germany) is a Kao brand =D


Anyway even though I am very happy with my Kanebo Freeplus I still can´t stop trying other stuff, especially since Curél is quite a bit cheaper so if this would be good stuff it could save me a little money on the long run.

First off I am not so fond of the very medical design of Curél´s products. Very sterile and boring. However the bottles (both lotion and moisturizer) have pump dispensers so this is a big plus compared to other brands including Freeplus.

The philosophy behind Curél is replacing lost ceramides making skin sensitive and fragile as it loses its natural barrier agains environmental damage etc. The Curél products intensively replenish the lost ceramides to nourish and improve skin´s texture. Many people supposedly notice a difference in skin texture after as little as 2 weeks of continuous use. The Curél products are dermatologically developed and are mild and safe to use.


Ok ok, enough blabla! The Moisture Lotion III (Enrich) is basically a moisturizing toner (contains 150ml). To my delight this has a pump-dispenser which makes squriting this on a cotton pad really pleasant.


This is very mild as it is free of alcohol. It contains eucalyptus extract (which can´t be detected by the smell at all btw!) and allantoin. Otherwise the ingredient list seems to be very short.
I don´t notice much about the "enrich" part btw. To me this is a refreshing mild toner which doesn´t irritate my skin but it´s pretty liquid, not a viscuous more moisturizing formula like the Freeplus Maintenance Care Lotion which I personally prefer.


I have to pump about 4-5 times to saturate the cotton pad as I wish to as each pump dispenses very little which makes it easy not to overdose the product.

The Moisture Milk comes in a smaller bottle (120ml) and has a pump dispenser, too (I take about 4-5 squirts per application).


It´s a really lightweight moisturizer with a very wet and slick feel. Honestly this is not rich enough for me as my skin feels a bit tight after using this. Compared to this the Freeplus Maintenance Care Emulsion is just right as it´s more moisturizing and just perfect for my skin (normal-dry).


I think I might enjoy the Curél Moisture Milk more in the warmer months when I easily sweat and appreciate a lighter skincare.

To combat the lightness of the Moisture Milk I also ordered the Intensive Moisture Cream which I apply on top of the milk.


This comes in a 40g pot and while it looks really rich and thick it is actually a nice lightweight cream but with more moisture and lipids I guess so this is what my skin really needs. I think if I wanted to stick with the Curél skincare then I´d skip the Moisture Milk next time and would just repurchase the cream. But probably I´ll stick with my Freeplus skincare stuff which I just prefer!


All products are fragrance-free and free of colorants and are slightly acidic however they contain parabens so if you are sensitive to those you should skip these products (get Freeplus as this stuff is free of all those things incl. parabens and mineral oils).
My skin didn´t get irritated from the products but I didn´t notice any kind of improvement after using this stuff for more than 3 weeks.

In all honestly I just think Freeplus is a better skincare line. The Curél stuff is good and makes a really nice basic skincare for sensitive skin but to me Freeplus is just better and well worth the extra bucks.

You can find Curél easily on Adambeauty and on eBay from Alphabeautyuk. Ichibankao has the complete range (whereas Adambeauty doesn´t carry the cream right now). Link to the shops are on the right side if yo scroll down a bit.