A richly perfumed hand cream built around muhwagua — the Korean word for fig. It sits somewhere between skincare and fine fragrance, and it is genuinely good at both.

Fig is an unusual note to build a hand cream on, and the reason it works is that it never becomes sweet. It opens green and fresh, almost leaf-like, then settles into the warm, creamy character of ripe fruit with a natural earthiness underneath. The result is elegant and quietly distinctive — a scent people notice on you without being able to place.

The formula itself is rich but not heavy: it melts in on contact, absorbs without a greasy film, and leaves hands soft and lightly scented for hours. At 50 ml it fits in a coat pocket or handbag.

The scent

• Opening: fresh, green, faintly leafy
• Heart: ripe fig — creamy, softly sweet, rounded
• Base: warm, lightly woody, with a natural earthiness
• Character: unisex, refined, long-lasting on the skin

How to use

1. Apply to clean, slightly damp hands — applying to damp skin traps residual surface water under the cream and measurably improves hydration.
2. Dispense a pea-sized amount.
3. Massage into the backs of the hands first, where the skin is thinnest and shows age earliest, then work through the palms.
4. Work the remainder into the cuticles, nail beds and between the fingers — the areas that crack first and get skipped most.
5. Massage for 20 to 30 seconds until absorbed.

Recommended frequency

• Standard use: two or three times daily, and always after washing your hands. Reapplying after washing is the single habit that decides whether hand cream works at all.
• Autumn and winter: four to six times daily. Cold air holds far less moisture and pulls it straight out of exposed skin.
• Frequent hand washing — healthcare, hospitality, retail, salon work: after every wash.
• Before bed: always. Overnight is when the skin's own repair activity peaks, so the same amount does more.

Best suited to

Dry, rough or tight hands. Anyone who washes their hands frequently. Cold-weather use. And anyone who wants a hand cream that doubles as a discreet fragrance — this is as much a scent product as a treatment, and it is a very good gift for that reason.

Specifications

• Volume: 50 ml
• Product type: Perfumed leave-on hand cream
• Fragrance: Muhwagua (fig) — green opening, creamy fig heart, warm woody base
• Texture: Rich cream; melts on contact
• Finish: Soft and smooth, non-greasy, non-sticky
• Skin type: All skin types
• Format: Squeeze tube — pocket and handbag friendly
• Country of origin: Republic of Korea

Good to know

This is a fragranced product and the scent is the point of it — if you have a known fragrance sensitivity or eczema-prone hands, an unscented barrier cream will suit you better and we would rather point you there. For external use only. Avoid contact with the eyes. Do not apply to broken, bleeding or infected skin. Discontinue use if irritation develops. Keep away from direct heat. Keep out of reach of children.

Pairs with the Skybottle Muhwagua Perfumed Body Wash for a layered scent that carries through the day.