I've been testing out this product for the past couple of months and finally feel ready to write a review about it.
The product basically looks like a bar of translucent black soap:
(stock pic)
Don't worry though, it doesn't lather up with black foam, just normal clear bubbles :P
Performance:
First I noticed the soap is rather drying, so I had to keep it to just once a day and use another more moisturing cleanser in the morning. It leaves a slight tight feel on my skin which I wasn't used to, but I guess most soaps will do that. So keep in mind it will probably work for mostly oiler skins and not dry to normal skin types.
Due to the fact it is a soap bar the product isn't too expensive. It costs almost USD29-30 online for the full size, but that can probably last you longer than a normal tube of cleanser. My travel sized bar lasted me 2 months before going down to half the size (so it'd probably last 4 months before being used up completely).
Results:
The Kose Sekkisei line is supposed to provide a whitening effect on the user's skin so I was hoping to find improvement in the tone / clarity / acne scars on my face. After about 2 months using it I think there may be a subtle improvement in my skintone, it seems to stay fairer than usual but the difference is very slight. With acne scars though it didn't do anything to fade or reduce their appearance, which is my biggest skin complaint at the moment.
Its possible that I would've had a better effect if I had used the entire Sekkisei range together. Unfortunately I don't know if the results would be good enough to justify the cost of buying the entire line.
Overall:
The soap is good value for money and seems to be well suited for oily skins. However the whitening effect is very minimal, and it fails to fade uneven skintone / scars for me. However I have read other great reviews of this product and product lineup so it probably just depends on your skin.
Price: 4/5
Performance: 3/5
Packaging: 4/5 Ok
Repurchase: No
