Missha

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence 5X.

Q: Is Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence 5X worth it?

Mostly yes. 6 of the 7 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 79%.

Q: What is Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence 5X's Guru Score?

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence 5X holds a Guru Score of 79%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 7 expert reviewers we have collected.

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Mists & Essences

#20 in Mists & EssencesSee the ranking →

About this product

A lightweight fermented essence designed as a first-step treatment to prep skin and boost hydration before applying other skincare products.

Full ingredients

Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Polyquaternium-51, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Betaine, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Water, Trehalose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Phenoxyethanol, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Disodium Edta, Adenosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Raffinose, Tromethamine, Acetic Acid, Lactic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate, Hexapeptide-9

Guru Score

79%

Yay

7 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

This fermented essence preps skin to hold hydration better and makes everything applied afterward feel more effective, with gurus praising its hydrating and brightening power from yeast ferment, niacinamide, and barrier-supporting ingredients. The waterlike texture works for most skin types, though it leans slightly toward oilier skin, and at under $25 for a large bottle it offers real value for a workhorse product. One note: it works gradually rather than dramatically, so patience pays off.

Synthesized from 7 expert reviews · most recent take April 2026

What they liked

Affordable for the size
Hydrates and smooths texture
Preps skin for other actives

What they flagged

No longer unique in the essence market

Type

Mists & EssencesLiquid

Key actives

Niacinamide Hyaluronic acidAHAPeptides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google → iHerb →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"I've probably tried every single version of this and this is their fifth version. It's quite nice. I call this my acne prone skin friendly pick just because of all the nice ferments in here and it's got a nice waterlike texture. You can pat it on. You can use a cotton pad. It's not so expensive that if you used it with a cotton pad you would feel guilty versus some of the other ones that get pretty pricey."

All 3 takes from No BS Beauty

10 Years Worth of My Favorite Toners & Essences - These are What I Recommend for Each Skin Type

Discover The Ultimate Fermented Toners & Essences For Glowing Skin! Fermented Favorites!

"This is a Time Revolution first [...] treatment essence 5x and this one in my opinion is really geared towards oilier skin types but my dry skin appreciates it especially like in the summertime. This one contains just yeast ferment which is hydrating and then it also contains bid ferment soothing and barrier repairing. And then also contains niacinamide which is probably why I think it's more geared towards oily skin types."

Favorite Ferments - What Ferment is Best for You? Why You Need Ferments in Your Skincare

"This was one of the second products I ever got into when I got into K beauty. It's 23 bucks, so it's pretty affordable. The bottle is 150 milliliters. So this one also contains saccharomyces ferment, niacinamide, adenosine, and a ceramide in there. You can pat it on, put it on with the toner, whatever you prefer."

Kelly Driscoll

91k subs

✓Yay

"This is actually a really great alternative to the SK-II not just for budget but I think also on ingredients as well. They're not using galactomyces ferment but they're using some other fermented ingredients that offer similar benefits. They're using 97% yeast ferment extract, which is what Missha is calling their fermented seea enzyme extract, and so this is a fermented ingredient that helps to improve skin tone and texture."

All 8 takes from Kelly Driscoll

Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!

"First Essences are pretty unique to Asian beauty and I think Korean beauty does it really really well. These are [...] prep products that are meant to be applied in the first step of your skincare routine. [...] When I add this into my routine my skin just retains and holds on to more hydration and anything I put on top of it just feels like it is working for my skin a little bit better. It makes my skin feel really hydrated and comfortable but it also works on the health of your skin."

Missha Time Revolution Essences | This or That ep 35

"This is really [...] the product that Missha rose to fame with alongside their BB cream. It's definitely an enduring product for them, it's been around for a really long time and has maintained popularity for a long time. I've used it for nearly a decade and I absolutely love it. This is [...] one of my favorite choices for a first essence product, and definitely one if you're looking for a product to really brighten up your skin this would really be my first choice."

Drink of Water for Skin! | Hydrating Skincare for Hot Weather! 💦

"The key word here is boost. [...] This boosts hydration, but its special power is not to act as its sole hydrator but actually to boost the hydration throughout the rest of your skincare routine. This is a first essence, so it functions as a prep product in your skincare routine. It's meant to be applied after cleanser prior to any other products, prior to any other toners, essences, serums, moisturizers, anything else that you might use in your routine."

Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"I've used so many different generations or versions of this, it's dear to my heart and has been for a long time. It's a really beautiful first essence that's great for your skin barrier, it's great to increase hydration and give your skin a really beautiful glow and really even out your complexion. I'm rating this a nine out of 10, and the only reason I knocked a point off of it was A, I didn't want everything to be a 10 out of 10, but also B, I feel like this is a slower working essence."

I'm Breaking Out! Routine for Breakouts and Hyperpigmentation

"It is a really nice boost of hydration prior to any tonners and serums. It's very barrier supportive as well, which is important when you're going through the cycle of inflammation and pimples. You want to keep your barrier strong so that helps to encourage faster healing on your skin. Your barrier is the root of all healthy skin. But the fermented ingredients in here also have a really beautiful brightening effect for the skin too."

Top 5 Essences | 2025 Edition

May Faves | Missha, Numbuzin, Differin, The Manucurist

"I've been loving this, I've been been using this morning and night time [...] in all of my skincare routines. [...] I've used the Missha Essence over so many years and through quite a few different reformulations but it's been a while. [...] This is actually my first bottle of 5X and I have to say the first couple of routines I started using this I was like why did I ever stop. [...] I feel like I almost rediscovered this product and it's everything I remember and better."

Bifida Ferment | Healthy Skin Faves

"The main benefits are that it makes your skin just look so good overall, from the tone to the texture to the radiance to the evenness of the complexion. It makes your skin feel stronger. I think because they've added bifida to this generation, you really feel that within. It makes your skin feel more hydrated, but it also just helps the rest of your routine work a little bit better. It gives you that edge in your routine."

Nipun Kapur

412k subs

✓Yay

"[Missha] is similar to that, this is almost identical price difference. When you're picking up the product depending on size you're buying 10 mL, 30 ml, 50 ml it can go up to almost 10,000 rupes whereas [Missha] is at like 2,000 Rupees so it is a super super affordable alternative. [...] [Missha] as a product you can test it out with, fermented, it is deep levels of hydration, gives you the brightness that you need because it's working with all the antioxidants in the product."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Yay

"A classic has to be the Missha Time Revolution Essence. This has niacinamide in yeast ferment extract, butyline glycol, and adenosine, so you have all those traditional essence ingredients that are going to make your skin look tighter, plumper, more even, brighter all in this stage."

All 3 takes from James Welsh

The New Way To Refine / 'Shrink' Pores - Pore Refining Skincare Routine

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"Whilst it doesn't have 50 different types of fermented ingredients, it has a really good percentage of that one key fermented ingredient, which, to be honest with you, is all your skin really needs. If you're looking for clearer skin, more moisturized, hydrated skin, brighter skin, smoother skin, hyperpigmentation, it kind of does it all. [...] Then we have niacinamide in here, another key ingredient in essences for your pores, sebum production, [...] evening out skin tone."

10 Years of Viral Korean Skincare: The Products That Survived the Hype

"Today it still works, it's still a great product helping with texture, hydration, prep. It feels like it preps your skin for other actives. But it's no longer the only option. Essences have kind of taken over and that key ingredient is kind of just a given now. SK2 still has its popularity because it's an icon, but that Saccharomyces ferment filtrate or alternatives and usually as effective options are just commonplace in our essences and even toners nowadays."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Yay

"Can I tell you how many of these I have gone through again I love the dispenser"

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"One of my favorite fermented type products, not an ampoule, it's an essence, is that Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. That is really really good. I love it."

All 2 takes from Dr Dray

Trying Manyo Factory Bifida Ampoule | Skincare Vlog

"One of my favorite fermented type products, not an ampoule, it's an essence, is that Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. That is really really good. I love it."

Vlog: Morning routine, iRestore update, and Melatonin // @DrDrayzday

"The Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence [...] definitely helps with improving hydration and kind of smoothing out skin texture."

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

✓Mixed

"I'm going to use the Missha Time Revolution essence, this is the old packaging by the way, I'm almost out of it. I probably won't rush out and repurchase it, but I have enjoyed it."