Review: AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Creme

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FTC: I received a sample of this product from a DHC catalogue awhile ago. I'm not compensated for reviewing!

All righty, now that we're done with that FTC stuff, onto the actual review!

Of course, following the "natural" movement of the current world (at least of the Western world, as far as I know), this product is advertised as:

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens

- Sulfates 

- Synthetic Dyes

- Petrochemicals

- Phthalates

- GMOs

- Triclosan

At least this is what Sephora states.

AmorePacific is an Asian beauty company. It seems like in recent years, there has been a huge trend toward including more Asian cosmetic and skincare brands into the Western hemisphere's repertoire of popularly sold products in brick-and-mortar establishments. In other words, they've become more popular.

According to Sephora, the ingredients list includes:

-Bamboo Sap: Increases cellular turnover and regeneration, improving skin thickness and radiance.
-Aqua Sponge Complex™: Stimulates Hyaluronic acid production improving skin's ability to hold water, preventing dehydration.
-Ginger Root Extract: Stimulates microcirculation in the skin, resulting in a more radiant complexion.
-9 Essential Amino Acids: Revitalizes and hydrates the skin, increasing radiance and vitality. 

Phyllostachis Bambusoides Juice, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Phyllostachis Bambusoides, Hydrolyzed Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Theanine, Camellia Sinensis Flower Extract, Kaempferol, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Stearyl Behenate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Olivate, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Olivate, Dimethiconol, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polyisobutene, Tocopherol, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Peg-15 Pentaerythrityl Tetra(Laureth-6 Carboxylate), Phytantriol, Poloxamer 407, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Caffeine, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

Oh my goodness, that's a long list!

A cursory glance at this list includes things such as:

• Alcohol - helps solublize other ingredients to help them become more easily be absorbed by the skin
• A bunch of flower extracts and oils - for nourishing and "natural" effects
• Caffeine - for decreasing puffiness (anti-inflammatory effects?)

I personally don't know how much of a gimmick many of these ingredients are if they want to actually penetrate the skin and stimulate hyaluronic acid production. The rule is that chemicals have to be 500 Daltons or smaller in order to penetrate into the dermis. (Source) I haven't looked up the size of these molecules but this is the general consensus. A long list of ingredients may look like a lot (after all, the thought is more "natural" ingredients, more benefits!) but the effects of the actual effective penetrance of the ingredients and their chemical interactions (e.g. one ingredient interfering with another from being effective) are not always known.

Anyway, I tried this product for a couple of days, and here is what I've found:

Pros:

• Really rich creme for face
• Good for night time
• Didn't make me break out
• Really nourishing to skin

Cons:

• Really expensive ($150 for 1.7 oz on Sephora.com)

As much as I think this product is actually effective, I won't be purchasing the full-sized version of this product. Why, with $150, I could buy enough skincare products to last me years!!!