Hi my lovelies!
Jolse recently sent me a PR parcel with some Wish Formula goodies to try, and the first one up is the I’m Pro Ampoule Pad. I’ve never tried an ampoule pad before, or even applied an ampoule with a cotton pad so I was definitely super curious to see how this would work for me. The pad claims to have brightening, antioxidant, and skin revitalising properties – a quick glance at the ingredients list reveals ascorbic acid, AKA Vitamin C as the star ingredient for achieving this. However, this form of Vitamin C is the most unstable of them all, so I’m curious to see if individual packaging/doses would help reduce product oxidisation!
Each dose comes in a 7ml packet containing both the ampoule and pad, which has a small loop on one side for ease of application. A box contains 10 sachets, so that’s a total of 70mls of ampoule, which is alright considering most ampoules & serums average 30ml.
The pad itself was quite thin – not as thin as a sheetmask, but certainly much thinner than the average cotton pad. The pad was definitely soaked quite thoroughly with ampoule – a good sign! However, I found the ampoule was quite slippery, and it made it difficult to hold onto the pad without using my thumb to stabilise it on my face. Discarding the pad and using hands to pat it in was definitely the best way to ensure it was allllll over my face for best results. Despite alcohol ranking high on the ingredients list, I didn’t find this drying to use, but there was no apparent immediate brightening effect. The only thing about Vitamin C is that it takes multiple applications over time to see visible results. I also did not experience any tingling that is common with Vitamin C serums. Considering there was a fair amount of Vitamin C in this, I tested the pH and it came out to 3.5 – appropriate for Vitamin C and a similar pH to most Vitamin C serums, if I’m not mistaken.
After I was done patting the rest of the ampoule into my face (the pad definitely had a lot on it!) I squeezed the excess ampoule from the pad and found that it was a marigold colour – the colour oxidised Vitamin C turns. Oxidised Vitamin C isn’t BAD for you per se, but I think there’s a lot of doubt if it is beneficial at that point. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like single use packaging has helped Vitamin C here – I would say there was probably some oxygen in the packet when it was packed. It does have “Keep refrigerated for better absorption” on the back, but even if I had refrigerated this, what’s to say it hadn’t already oxidised in transit?
I found the smell of it to be pretty horrible too to be honest – I’m chalking this up to the plant oils present in the product, especially the sandalwood. Not only was the scent strong, it stuck around too – both my fiancé and I could smell it (he thought I smelled like soy sauce, funnily enough) even when I had moved on to the next steps in my routine! I have seen people compare the smell to OST C20 Vitamin C serum, however I don’t find that product unpleasant smelling in the slightest.
Let’s take a look at the ingredients:
Water, Ascorbic Acid (10%), Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Potassium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Pinus Radiata Bark Extract, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Coceth-7, Tocopheryl Acetate, Santalum Album Oil, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil, Disodium EDTA, Aralia Elata Root Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glycerin, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Wine Extract, Tocopherol, Saccharomyces/Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Ferment, Saccharomyces/Imperata Cylindrica Root Ferment, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment
I think the inclusion of retinyl palmitate is a bit random and possibly not the best form for it to be delivered to the skin in. There is just a lot going on here and I’m not sure that there needs to be!
Cost wise, I’ve seen this retailing for about US $20. Considering that’s only 10 applications/box, it’s definitely not cost efficient when compared to a traditional bottled serum, and especially since individual sachets don’t guarantee freshness of product. It’s also very wasteful to be honest – I wouldn’t like to throw away excess packaging so frequently when I can easily use a bottled serum which only generates waste when it’s unboxed or when it’s empty.
I did find that my skin was definitely smoother the day after using this, however any brightening benefits would take continued use over a period of time in order to see results. I’m not sure that I can happily recommend this product – I’ll give it a 2/5. While it did smooth my skin, I believe there are other products out there that would be a better choice for brightening skin.
Lexie xx
rating scale
1 – Terrible: Negative effects on skin.
2 – Mediocre: No change in skin/claims not met.
3 – Average: Performs as expected.
4 – Good: Would repurchase unless I try something better.
5 – Amazing: Meets trifecta of perfect packaging, formula, & cost.
