Five colourways, five different scents, one heart-shaped compact you press instead of squeeze. Here is how the five ReFa Heart Fragrance Handcream shades differ, and which one suits which taste.
ReFa is known in Australia for hair tools, so the ReFa Heart Fragrance Handcream reads as a departure until you hold one. It is not a tube. It is a heart-shaped compact, the same silhouette as the brushes, and you press the centre of the lid to release the cream.
The other thing worth knowing before you choose: the five colourways are not the same cream in five shells. Each carries its own fragrance, built around a different family. Choosing a colour means choosing a scent.
Our shoppers brought all five back from Tokyo, so below is what each one actually smells like and who we would send it to.
The quick answer
The ReFa Heart Fragrance Handcream is a 50g fragrance hand cream from Tokyo in a press-action heart-shaped case. If you want the shortest route to a choice:
- For something soft and floral: Rose Gold, peach and rose.
- For something clean and watery: Silver, jasmine and lily of the valley.
- For something warm: Champagne Gold, pear and osmanthus.
- For something with more depth: Shine Red, hibiscus and red rose.
- For the quietest of the five: White, citrus and jasmine.
Each Tokyo run brings a limited allocation across the five scents, and they do not sell evenly. If the one you want has closed, message our Live Chat and our personal shoppers will hold one from the next shipment.
What is the ReFa Heart Fragrance Handcream?
A 50g hand cream in a heart-shaped case, made in Tokyo. The beauty ingredients are formulated to reach into the stratum corneum, the skin's outer layer, which is the difference between a cream that sits on the surface and one that keeps hands soft past the first hour. It blends in with one pass and leaves no greasy film, so it works between meetings rather than only before bed.
The format is the part that changes the habit. There is no cap to lose and nothing wasted on the rim of a tube. You press the centre of the heart once, and how firmly you press decides how much comes out. A light touch for a top-up after washing up, a firmer one when hands have gone properly dry.
The five scents
Rose Gold: peach and rose
Peach and lychee at the opening, magnolia and rose underneath. It is the sweetest of the five and the most obviously romantic, and it is the colourway that matches the signature ReFa finish across the hair tools. If you already own something in rose gold on your dresser, this is the one that belongs beside it.
Silver: jasmine and lily of the valley
A watery freshness carrying jasmine and lily of the valley. Clear and refined rather than sweet, and the closest of the five to a soapy, just-washed register. This is the one for anyone who finds most hand creams too heavy to wear at a desk.
Champagne Gold: pear and osmanthus
Pear freshness opening into osmanthus. Warm and open, and the most distinctly East Asian of the set: osmanthus is the note that runs through a great deal of Chinese and Japanese perfumery and rarely turns up in a Western hand cream. If osmanthus is a note you already look for, start here.
Shine Red: hibiscus and red rose
Hibiscus brightness over red rose, with rhubarb giving it a tart edge underneath. It is the one with the most depth and the least sweetness for its floral weight, and the rhubarb keeps it from tipping into anything powdery.
White: citrus and jasmine
White citrus over jasmine. Calm and understated, and the safest of the five if you wear a perfume you do not want interfered with. It reads as clean skin more than as fragrance. If that clean, soapy register is your taste generally, it is the same territory SHIRO builds its fragrances in, and the two houses sit comfortably together.
Our picks across the five: Rose Gold for the classic choice, Champagne Gold for something less expected, and White if it needs to sit under a perfume you already wear.
The five scents at a glance
| Colourway | Opens with | Settles into | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Gold | Peach, lychee | Magnolia, rose | Sweet and romantic |
| Silver | Watery freshness | Jasmine, lily of the valley | Clean and refined |
| Champagne Gold | Pear | Osmanthus | Warm and open |
| Shine Red | Hibiscus | Red rose, rhubarb | Deep, with a tart edge |
| White | White citrus | Jasmine | Calm and understated |
Which one should you try?
Route it by the fragrance family you already reach for, not by the colour you like on a shelf. The colour is the scent.
- If you wear florals, Rose Gold or Shine Red, depending on whether you want it sweet or deeper.
- If you wear anything clean, soapy or aquatic, Silver.
- If you wear tea, osmanthus or anything in that warmer East Asian register, Champagne Gold.
- If you already wear a perfume every day and want the hand cream to stay out of its way, White.
- If it is a gift and you do not know their taste, Rose Gold. It is the one that reads as considered without needing explaining, and the scent is the least likely to be disliked.
SoJan tip: the case is the reason people actually use these. A tube goes in a drawer and stays there. Our shoppers keep one on a desk and one in a bag, because a compact you press with one hand gets reached for while you are still on a call.
How do you use the ReFa Heart Fragrance Handcream?
Press the centre of the heart-shaped case once. Warm the cream between your palms for a second before smoothing it over hands and cuticles. That second of warming matters more than it sounds: it thins the cream slightly so it spreads in one pass rather than three, which is the whole reason it absorbs without a film.
The pairing our customers keep choosing
The Heart Fragrance Handcream with SHIRO Freesia Hand Mist Serum. Mist first, cream second: the serum handles the water, the cream seals it in, and the two scents sit in the same clean floral family without fighting. It is the Tokyo hand routine in two steps, and the pair clears the free shipping threshold to Australia and New Zealand.
Where to buy ReFa in Australia
Our personal shoppers buy ReFa in person from authorised retailers in Tokyo. Each hand cream arrives sealed in its own heart-shaped case, gift-ready as ReFa packed it, with nothing repackaged at our end. Allocations are limited to what our shoppers carry back from each trip. Free delivery is available, and Australian orders arrive with no customs to handle. We ship worldwide.
Shop the full ReFa collection ✨
Frequently asked questions
Do all five colours smell the same?
No. Each colourway carries its own fragrance. Rose Gold is peach and rose, Silver is watery and floral, Champagne Gold is pear and osmanthus, Shine Red is hibiscus and rose, and White is soft citrus and jasmine.
Is ReFa hand cream good for very dry hands?
Yes. The beauty ingredients are formulated to reach into the stratum corneum rather than sitting on the surface, and you can release more per press by pressing harder, which is what makes it workable on hands that have gone properly dry.
How much cream does one press release?
One press is designed to give enough for both hands. Pressing harder releases more, so you can adjust to how dry your hands are that day.
Is it greasy?
No. It blends in with one pass and leaves no film, which is what makes it usable during the day rather than only overnight.
How big is it?
Each case holds 50g and closes flat, so it sits in a bag or a desk drawer without adding bulk.
Is it a good gift?
It is one of the easier ones. It arrives in its own case with no extra wrapping needed, and at five scents there is a version for most tastes. If you are unsure of theirs, Rose Gold is the safe pick.
Where does it ship from?
From our Australian side, sourced in Tokyo by our own personal shoppers. Free shipping to Australia and New Zealand over the threshold, with international shipping also available.
What else works on dry hands?
The SHIRO Freesia Hand Mist Serum is the step our shoppers use before the cream, particularly through winter when hands need water put back before anything seals it in.
What else is in the ReFa heart range?
The same heart silhouette runs across the hair tools and the small carry pieces. We have explained the Heart Brush Ray and the Heart Mirror, the Aira WITH comb and the M Collection colours separately.
Stuck between two scents? Tell our personal shoppers on Live Chat what perfume you wear and we will tell you which of the five sits closest to it.
