Milk Five-Piece Skincare Set

By six in the evening your face feels a size too small. You put more cream on, and an hour later you are back where you started.

That is dehydration rather than dryness. It needs water held in place, not more oil. Five pieces, built to do both halves of that job.

What it does for you

• Sodium hyaluronate — hyaluronic acid. The half that pulls water into the skin. This is what the maker means by deep hydrating.
• Shea butter and coconut oil. The half that seals it in. Without them, the water you add leaves again by lunchtime.
• Milk extract, from Australian milk. The maker names vitamins A and B, proteins, iron and copper. It is the softening ingredient, and most of why the whole set feels gentle.
• Niacinamide and alpha-arbutin. Both are associated with evening out tone and softening dark marks. The maker files them under moisture rather than brightening, so treat any change in tone as a bonus.
• Vitamin E and rice ferment filtrate. Antioxidant and conditioning, and part of why the cream feels richer than the toner leads you to expect.
• A dual amino acid complex in the cleanser, which is why washing your face with it does not leave you tight.

What is in the box

• Cleanser — 50g. With milk extract, a dual amino acid complex and coconut oil.
• Hydrating toner — 100ml. The maker calls it non-greasy, smoothing and deep hydrating.
• Skin-softening serum — 17ml. The step that does the most. Use it on damp skin.
• Radiant eye cream — 15g. Hydrating, easy to absorb and non-greasy.
• Moisturising cream — 25g. The seal on the whole routine.

There is no sunscreen in this set, so keep wearing yours. The Sakura set is the one that includes one.

How to use it

Morning: cleanse, tone, serum, eye cream, cream.

Evening: the same.

Nothing here is strong enough to need easing into. Of our sets, this is the gentlest place to start.

Is this the one for you

Yes, if your skin feels tight rather than looks marked, and if your foundation goes patchy by the afternoon. This is also the set for a Highveld winter, when the air takes out more water than it puts back.

No, if fine lines are your main concern — the White Truffle set is richer for the same money. If your skin flushes and stays flushed, the Centella set is the calmer one.

Ingredients

Key ingredients named by the manufacturer, with its own INCI names: niacinamide, shea butter (butyrospermum parkii), vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate), hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate), alpha-arbutin and rice ferment filtrate. The cleanser adds milk extract, a dual amino acid complex and coconut oil.

Before you start

Contains coconut oil, which is worth knowing about if you break out around it. Contains milk extract, which is dairy-derived, so this is not the set for you if you avoid animal ingredients.

Patch test anything new. A little on your inner arm, then give it 24 hours. Stop using it if your skin reacts.

If you have a known allergy, check it against the full ingredient list printed on your packaging before first use. Ask us at info@zeva.co.za and we will send you what we hold ahead of your order.

Delivery and returns

Made to order. Allow up to 12 weeks: up to 11 weeks from our supplier to us, then 1–5 business days by courier to you. Delivery is R100 anywhere in South Africa.

Cancel within 2 business days of ordering for a full refund. After that a cancellation charge may apply, and our refund policy sets out each stage. Within 7 days of delivery you may cancel for a full refund under the ECT Act, and unopened items may be returned within 30 days.