Yu-Be -seriously awesome skin care

 

I have narsty cuticles. They're always dry and crunchy looking. It's just gross. I also have really dry feet. No, seriously, you have no idea. I know this one guy at the local nail salon just groans when he sees me coming. (I tip well to make up for it)

So for eons, I have snapped up anything that promises hydration. Quite a few years ago I stumbled upon Yu-Be, billed to be "the #1 selling medicated, vitamin-enriched skincare cream in Japan since 1957". Sounded promising!

I picked up a small tube, tried it, loved it, emptied the tube, and couldn't find it again anywhere.

Sh!t.

But now it seems the company is on a major publicity push and I for one couldn't be happier!

They say:

• It's pronounced "YOO-BEE".
• Ingredients:
• • Contains camphor, which "is readily absorbed through the skin and produces a feeling of cooling similar to that of menthol" and "acts as slight local anesthetic and antimicrobial substance helpful in treating itching from dry skin and mild skin rashes."
  • It's glycerin-based. Glycerin is a humectant, which means it pulls water towards it, and therefore into the skin when applied topically.
    
  • The glycerin in Yu-Be is plant-based.
  • Yu-Be also contains Vitamin E (and antioxidant and protectant) and Vitamin B2 (smoothes out skin and adds yellow color).
  • On the downside, they do contain "a very small amount of Methylparaben" and have no SPF (neither of which bothers me a whit).
• "It's the uniquely high Glycerin content and absorbability, achieved through a special manufacturing process in Japan, which makes Yu-be so effective on severe dry skin and truly sets it apart from other creams."
  
• Yu-Be products are not tested on animals, and are gluten-free. They are also free of artificial colors, artificial fragrances, and petrolatum. (That is not to say it's fragrance-free--- it smells strongly of camphor!)
  
• Absorbs instantly.
• Stays locked-in for hours.
  
• Use it anywhere on the body, including face and lips. Also is safe for anyone, babies included!
• Many people claim that Yu-be is helpful for their Eczema and dermatitis. 

 

I say...

1. The original Yu-Be cream - $24 for the pot, $15 for the tube
   It comes in a pot (2.75oz) or a tube (1.25oz).
   
   I love this stuff. Really. I use it with other products for my heels and cuticles (namely something with an AHA or other exfolliant, and also with shea butter), but alone on lips and minor skin irritations. If you're not as callus- and hang-nail prone as I am, you could probably use it by itself easily.
   
   
   
   
   It's phenomenal on lips, including on Ara's dry and chapped smackers. Don't think she much likes the smell, but in a day and a half she goes from painfully chapped to smooth as ... a kid's lips. :)
   
    
   
   
2. Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish - $18
   My new One True Love! Helps you take part in the strenuous exfoliation of Japanese ofuro (bathing ritual).
   
   
   
   
   
   Ingredients include fine grains of bamboo and rice bran (to exfoliate), extracts of ginger root and ginseng (to tone), and green tea, geranium oil, and camphor ("to provide a soothing and refreshing sensation"). It comes in a big 'ole tube, too, and a little goes a long way because the grains don't dissolve.
   
   Seriously, ya'll: BEST. SCRUB. EVER. It's not overly rough, but it's no pansy, either. It doesn't make me itch (!) and it gets my skin nice and clean and soft.  I use it on my arms and legs and it gets rid of those little bumps some of us get there. If you get them, I think you should definitely give this a try. Ara gets them badly, and this is gentle enough to use on her but takes care of the problem. I also use it just to polish up my hands when I'm doing a manicure.
   
   Afterward, I follow with...
   
   
3. Yu-Be Body Lotion Pump - $29
   10.25oz
   
   It contains the same yummies that are in the Skin Cream, and it's great. Instantly absorbed into the skin, and the smell is more mild than the cream. Softening, soothing, smoothing hydrating goodness. Yes, yes.
   
   
   
   
   
4. There's also a lip product: Yu-Be Lip Therapy. I didn't test this. - $5

You can get Yu-Be through the Yu-Be Store, Beauty.com & Sephora.com.

Have you tried Yu-Be?

What do you think?

What's your A-#1 Go-To
Moisturizing Super Product?

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me by the good people of Yu-Be
for consideration only, a fact which did not impact my review in the slightest.
For more information on my review policy, please visit my "About" tab.