I bought the Isntree Onion Newpair Gel Cream on a whim during a sale, after seeing it over and over on Korean skincare YouTube and TikTok. 

Honestly, I didn’t expect much. “Onion” and “gel cream” sounded like a gimmick. But now that I’m halfway through my second tube, I can say this: it didn’t change my skin overnight — but it absolutely made a difference.

My main skin concerns are acne marks and persistent redness. Not fresh acne, but the dull pink and red shadows that linger long after breakouts heal. 

My cheeks and chin always looked inflamed, even when my skin was technically “clear.” I wasn’t expecting one cream to fix it all — and it didn’t — but after finishing one full tube, the before and after photos spoke for themselves.

I still have some redness, but it’s noticeably less, and the overall tone of my skin looks calmer, more even, and healthier. It’s the kind of subtle improvement that you don’t notice day-to-day, but when you look back at pictures, it clicks.

Here’s what my routine looked like while using it:

• AM:

Cleanser → Skin1004 Centella Toner Pad → Isntree Onion Gel Cream → SPF

• PM:

Gentle cleanser → Niacinamide serum (2-3x/week) → Isntree Onion Gel Cream → Spot treatment (if needed)

I used it all over my face, but I focused extra on my cheeks and jawline. The texture is perfect for layering — light, non-sticky, and instantly cooling. It almost feels like a hydration patch in gel form. 

The scent is barely there (which is great, because no one wants to smell like onion), and it absorbs beautifully even when I layer generously.

What really sold me, though, was how resilient my skin became. Less random flaking. Less “why does my skin feel hot?” days. Fewer breakouts, even. I can’t prove it’s entirely because of this cream, but I didn’t change much else in my routine, and this was the only consistent barrier-care product I used.

No, it didn’t erase every mark. But it helped enough that I actually felt proud of my progress — and that alone makes it worth repurchasing.