If you were the weird kid in elementary school who enjoyed putting glue on your hands only to peel your skin off a few minutes later, you’re in luck. Using Missha’s Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling made me feel like that weird kid again, but in a delightful way devoid of that weird glue smell. This product straight from Korea is described by Missha as an, “essence peeling gel made with micro peeling technology that produces micro oxygen particles that penetrate deeply into the skin to eliminate dead skin cells without scrubbing and provide nutrition to the deepest layer of the skin.” Whew. If you thought that was a long description, get a load of the characteristics of the product (as described by Missha):

1. Responding to current skin’s temperature and condition, it creates appropriate amount of oxygen bubbles that peel off dead skin cells and impurities deep inside the pores.
2. Promotes skin’s turn over and revitalizes dull skin condition.
3. Contains water-soluble emollient such as Hyaluronic Acid more than 30% in content, it calms and nourishes your skin.
4. You can experience the professional peeling system and oxygen mask effect with just one product.

Packaging
Missha’s Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling comes in a light blue canister/bottle with a plastic pump. You get about 4.5 oz in the product which isn’t bad. I’ve had this since November of last year, using twice a week with two pumps of product per use and I still feel like I’ve yet to make a dent in the product.

Texture/Scent
The peel comes in a clear gel texture and smells like green apples. For those picky about scented products, the scent doesn’t last long.

Directions
Since the directions aren’t too clear on the product, I’ve noticed that a lot of people use it wrong the first few times. Myself included. After at least 3 tries, I’ve figured out that the most effective way to use it is to do the following:

1. Use only on DRY skin. This is important as nothing will happen if your skin is wet or damp.
2. Apply a thin layer — thin is all you need for the magic to happen onto your skin.
3. Wait 2 to 5 minutes for the product to start bubbling on your skin. Don’t touch your skin until the last bubble has bubbled.
4. After the bubbling has come to a halt, start massaging your skin as you would an exfoliant. This product is called a peel, but you don’t actually peel the product off. As you massage your skin, you’ll have dead skin flake off — make sure you’re doing this over a sink that you can clean up afterwards.

If you don’t trust my instructions, here are the official Missha instructions (click to enlarge):

Overall Performance
After having faithfully used this twice a week since November, I’ve noticed that my skin is less dull and my breakouts are less frequent. I’m typically lazy when it comes to sticking to a regular mask/exfoliation routine but I’ve been able to stick to regularly exfoliating my skin twice because I enjoy the experience that Missha Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling offers. This is part because it reminds me of being a weird kid in grade school and because there’s something satisfying about seeing your dead skin rubbed off. At the same time, I can’t say with 100% certainty that you’re actually rubbing your dead skin off. It’s a possibility that you’re rubbing off more of the product you can put on and less of the skin it claims to peel off. I do really enjoy the refreshing feeling you get afterwards. In addition, the peel is decently priced at $22.99 at Missha’s official site.

Score: 4/5

Disclaimer: Product was provided to me for review purposes only. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.