Product Review: Yuripibu Cucu Black Truffle Cream

When a skincare brand’s name translates into “Glass Skin,” you’re setting the bar pretty high. Glass as in transparent, clear, reflective? All adjectives I want used for my skin.

And then when that loftily-named skincare brand releases a cream called Cucu Black Truffle Cream, you better believe I’m thinking I’ve got to pay a pretty penny for that transparent, clear, reflective skin. (After all, black truffle is one of the most expensive species of mushroom in the world.)

Well, you’d be wrong. Because Yuripibu banks on the fact that their cream is not only more affordable (at $38), it beats out other luxury brands in terms of ingredients. While the first ingredient in many brands is some form of purified water (skincare ingredients are required to be listed in order of amount, so the first ingredient will always constitute the largest portion of the formula), the Cucu Black Truffle Cream’s first ingredient is 60% truffle extract. The next six ingredients are more mushroom extracts as well as a variety of oils ranging from vitamin E-rich olive oil to sweet almond oil. And then every other ingredient after that is either a botanical extract or some form of oil. No common emulsifiers like dimethicone or PEG-30 are found here. Instead, the Black Truffle Cream uses botanical extracts, all of which are of 100% natural origin with Environmental Working Group (EWG) ratings of 0-2 for safety.

Black Truffles sell for thousands of dollars for a pound. Image from dailylifeofmojo

So we know truffles are delish, but what skincare benefits do truffles have? Perhaps most importantly, truffles contain the enzyme Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), which is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight free radical damage caused by the sun, pollution and other stressors. Truffles are also rich in amino acids, which are like the building blocks of your skin, aid in tissue repair, and have been shown to have an antioxidant effect. Of course, all this means that truffles have some serious anti-aging properties, getting you to “taeng taeng” plumpness and “chok chok” hydration in no time.

And like eating truffles, applying the Black Truffle Cream is a treat in and of itself. The first thing you notice is the color — a light yellow. This is not an artificial color since there are no synthetic colors in this product. The next is the scent: a light, slightly herbal fragrance with just a tinge of — am I imagining it? — lemon pound cake. Of course, there are no synthetic fragrances in this cream, so how they got it to smell so good is beyond me.

The cream itself is not dense but not runny either; more like a pudding or a custard (that yellow color’s put dessert on the brain!). A little goes a long way (there’s a reason the accompanying spatula is so thin), and as I pat it in, it absorbs nicely. It leaves a nice sheen on the skin, and even after it’s fully absorbed, my skin feels soft, not sticky, and hyper-moisturized for some time.

The next morning, I accidentally put my regular day cream on my right cheek before remembering I had to test out the Black Truffle Cream. As it turns out, it was a lucky mistake because my regular day cream just so happens to be one with black truffle from a prestige brand that goes for a whopping $360. This crazy-expensive day cream is my current go-to for smooth makeup application — other moisturizers in my arsenal just aren’t as good right now, especially with my post-winter Saharan skin. I’ve been using it sparingly as I approach the bottom of the tub — as much as I love it, I can’t afford to rebuy it! So imagine my delight when my makeup went on just as smoothly on my left cheek as my right. And after a day of wear, I’m happy to report that I can’t tell the difference in the feel and hydration of my left cheek from my right.

What this means, of course, is that I no longer have to silently weep as I see my precious black truffle cream disappear. Because now I have something just as good lined up (actually better, because it has far less chemicals), waiting for me to dive right in.

And this one I can afford to rebuy.

https://youtu.be/agIjx0aYuoo?list=PLHwbpgmJM-vEWeAQF9WhzKgpPp3Jm53vp

Get your glow on,
Anna

Anna M. Park is the editor of beauty and travel blog Styleunderpressure.com.