The hand cream in Skybottle's most extroverted scent. Where the brand's White Rain is soft and contemplative and Muhwagua is warm and earthy, Viva La Pink is bright, floral and unmistakably cheerful — a fragrance that lifts the mood of an ordinary moment.

It is also a properly good hand cream. The formula is rich but absorbs cleanly, melting in on contact and leaving no greasy film, so you can use it at your desk or before handling your phone without regretting it. At 50 ml it lives easily in a bag or coat pocket.

Hands are the most exposed and most frequently washed skin on the body, and the least protected. Every wash strips the natural lipid layer that holds water in the skin, and without replacement that loss compounds into the tightness and roughness most people simply accept. A hand cream you actually enjoy using is the one that gets used often enough to matter — which is the real argument for a fragrance this pleasant.

The scent

• Character: bright, floral, playful
• Feel: uplifting and feminine, with lasting presence on the skin
• Best for: anyone who wants their hand cream to feel like a small treat rather than a chore

How to use

1. Apply to clean, slightly damp hands. Applying to damp rather than bone-dry skin traps the residual surface water underneath the cream and measurably improves hydration.
2. Dispense a pea-sized amount.
3. Massage into the backs of the hands first — the skin there is thinnest and shows age earliest — then work through the palms.
4. Work the remainder into the cuticles, nail beds and between the fingers. These crack first in cold weather and are the areas people consistently skip.
5. Massage for 20 to 30 seconds until fully absorbed.

Overnight treatment

Apply a thicker layer before bed and sleep in cotton gloves. Eight uninterrupted hours with no hand washing is the most effective repair window available for badly chapped hands.

Recommended frequency

• Standard use: two or three times daily, and always after washing your hands. Reapplication after washing is the habit that decides whether a hand cream works.
• Autumn and winter: four to six times daily.
• Frequent hand washing — healthcare, hospitality, retail, salon work: after every wash.
• Before bed: always. Overnight is when the skin's repair activity peaks.

Best suited to

Dry, rough or tight hands. Frequent hand-washers. Cold-weather use. And anyone who wants a hand cream that doubles as a light fragrance — this makes an excellent small gift for exactly that reason.

Specifications

• Volume: 50 ml
• Product type: Perfumed leave-on hand cream
• Fragrance: Viva La Pink — bright, floral, uplifting
• 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 is the better choice and we would rather point you there than sell you this. For external use only. Avoid contact with the eyes. Do not apply to broken, bleeding or infected skin. Discontinue use if irritation develops. Store away from direct heat. Keep out of reach of children.

Part of the Viva La Pink range alongside the matching Perfumed Hand Wash and Perfumed Body Wash — layering the three gives the scent noticeably more staying power.