On one of my favourite Asian sites, www.imomoko.com
there’s a brand called Naruko that has the weirdest names. First of all, Raw Job’s Tears Brightening Treatment (below), which turns out is only weird to my ears because is a pretty well known food ingredient in Japan and otherwise known as Coix Seeds or Chinese Pearl Barley. They’ve also got Rose And Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating Gelly (above) which I was convinced was made-up. It isn’t – there really is a Snow Fungus, aka White Jelly Mushroom. I love discovering new and exotic ingredients although I’m not sure I would ever put the word fungus in a beauty treatment.
Snow fungus is a common food ingredient too. It’s one of the more expensive mushroom/fungus. It is suppose to have really good health benefits though. I don’t know if it helps in a cream but eating it is good.
heh, snow fungus is touted by Asian mums as being one of those “will make you prettier if you sat it”products. It’s usually made into a sweet soup, and tastes like crunchy jelly that’s slimy and sticky at the same time. Will apparently make your skin whiter, brighter and more elastic xD
Eh, It’s not new, my uni used to sell snow fungus drinks. Mainly sugar +snow fungus but it is considered to be great for complexion.
I love the texture of snow fungus in food (also it’s called “silver ears” in Chinese…weird by more doable than fungus) and how it gives a gelatinous texture to the drink, they make the sweet soup look pretty as well.
Taiwanese brand Naruko (organic ingredients plus no parabens, or added fragrance) is huge in Asia and with Asians in Western countries….precisely because their products contain a chock load of these well known Chinese herbs…snow fungus prob would make those who don’t know it creeped out…It prob wouldn’t go down well in a Western country…But women in Asia are crazy over it…
naruko is definitely one of my go-to brands for skincare. it really needs more exposure in the western market~