forestN Extreme Repair Micro-Sting Serum
10:47 AM
Hi everyone!
I have a review of a Korean serum and this is a very special one!
Name: forestN Extreme Repair Micro-Sting Serum
Content: 50mL brown bottle
Price: $27.98 (currently $23.78) on jolse
How to use it: it is recommended to use 1-2x a week. The tickling sensation will decrease gradually as your skin improves. It can be used AM or PM, avoid using other cosmetics that stimulate the skin.
WHAT IS IT?
This serum wants to mimic microneedling with dermaroller, which is popular for the treatment of scars, especially acne scars, and wrinkles. It is also used for transdermal drug delivery, i.e. to enhance the penetration of substances through the skin. With this technique, the needles pierce the stratum corneum and create microconduits without damaging the epidermis. Microneedling leads to the release of growth factors which stimulate the formation of new collagen and elastin. In addition, new capillaries are formed; this neovascularisation and neocollagenesis following treatment leads to reduction of scars, including acne scars.
The serum has a “microneedle” structure (see below) which is not visible to the naked eye but when you start spreading the gel on your skin, you can feel a tingling or light "stinging" sensation (nothing painful, don't worry).
HOW IT LOOKS / FEELS / SMELLS
When you first apply it on your skin, you can’t feel any stimulating sensations but when you start spreading it, you can feel a tingling sensation. This is not the same type of tingling sensation you can experience when you apply an acid. It’s quite different. It’s not a stinging sensation either, it’s quite hard to describe. It doesn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable but you can definitely feel it.
INGREDIENTS
Water, glycerin, aminobutyric acid, dipropylene gylcol, niacinamide, sorbitol, 1,2-hexanediol, centella asiatica extract, madecassoside, carbomer/carboxyvinyl polymer, arginine, allantoin, propolis extract, citrus paradise (grapefruit) fruit extract, sophora flavescens root extract, citrus junos fruit extract, eucalyptus globulus leaf extract, castanea crenata shell extract, vitis vinifera (grape) fruit extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) fruit extract, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, citrus limon (lemon) fruit extract, citrus aurantifolia (lime) fruit extract, moringa pterygosperma seed extract, snail secretion filtrate, pentylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, silica, erythritol, ethylhexylglycerin, adenosine, disodium EDTA, xanthan gum, panthenol, dipotassium glycyrrhizate
Ingredient beakdown
- Water, humectants (glycerin, sorbitol), to bring hydration
- aminobutyric acid: an amino acid that has water-binding properties and may be a soothing as well as a wound healing agent
- Texture enhancers and solvents (dipropylene glycol, carbomer/carboxyvinyl polymer, 1,2-hexanediol)
- Niacinamide: niacinamide has a large body of scientific literature demonstrating its benefits for the skin. Nacinamide can improve skin’s elasticity, enhance its barrier function, stimulate microcirculation, help erase discolorations, and revive skin’s healthy tone and texture. It is also able to treat an uneven skin tone and to mitigate acne and the red marks it leaves behind (known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).
- Centella asiatica extract, madecassoside: wound Healing (learn more here in my ingredient focus article)
- Propolis extract: propolis possesses interesting antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties. It is therefore particularly interesting for acne-prone skin or skin that need to be soothed.
- And then a blend of botanical extracts, including grapefruit, yuzu, orange, apple, lemon, eucalyptus, Korean chestnut, grape, sophora, lime, moringa, licorice. Most of these botanical extracts are rich in antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory compounds but some of them (citrus fruits) can be sensitizing if used in too large amounts. Snail secretion filtrate is also present, it has anti-inflammatory, wound healing properties and is hydrating.
Overall a pretty interesting ingredient list with lots of "active" ingredients (humectants, niacinamide, botanical extracts etc). I like the inclusion of centella asiatica, madecassoside and propolis for their wound healing properties, I think this is a nice and clever addition to this serum. It doesn't contain parabens.
THOUGHTS
I decided to get this Micro Sting serum because it’s something unusual and was curious to try it. Importantly the ingredient list also made a good impression on me: it seems hydrating and also contains centella asiatica, madecassoside that are wound-healing and propolis, which is anti-inflammatory and also possesses wound healing properties; that’s a clever addition for this type of microneeedling serums. So at least if this microneedling thing was purely something marketing, I could still benefit from the serum because the ingredients looked promising.
Now I have never tried dermarolling so I can’t compare this serum with it and I don’t have acne scars or too many wrinkles, so that’s a bit hard to judge. Moreover I must admit that I haven’t used it regularly because I got it when I was about to move and had already incorporated 1-2 new products in my routine and didn’t want to change too many things at the same time in this critical period. That said, I still want to have a review of it on my blog because I find the concept interesting and I guess that some of you might be interested in it and I haven’t seen any reviews of it (except the official review from jolse). For microneedling, you’re supposed to roll the dermaroller 15-20 times in different directions and repeat the treatment after 6 weeks and apparently 3-4 treatments may be needed for moderate acne scars. From my understanding, the serum is a much milder version of dermarolling. You can simply massage it for 1 min or so until the product is absorbed and this already creates this “stinging” sensation. I guess here the “wounds” created are super small but are still able boost the collagen and elastin synthesis. Anyway I find the concept really interesting and I also like that the ingredients can help wound healing and that you also have a good amount of humectants and antioxidants.
Now I have never tried dermarolling so I can’t compare this serum with it and I don’t have acne scars or too many wrinkles, so that’s a bit hard to judge. Moreover I must admit that I haven’t used it regularly because I got it when I was about to move and had already incorporated 1-2 new products in my routine and didn’t want to change too many things at the same time in this critical period. That said, I still want to have a review of it on my blog because I find the concept interesting and I guess that some of you might be interested in it and I haven’t seen any reviews of it (except the official review from jolse). For microneedling, you’re supposed to roll the dermaroller 15-20 times in different directions and repeat the treatment after 6 weeks and apparently 3-4 treatments may be needed for moderate acne scars. From my understanding, the serum is a much milder version of dermarolling. You can simply massage it for 1 min or so until the product is absorbed and this already creates this “stinging” sensation. I guess here the “wounds” created are super small but are still able boost the collagen and elastin synthesis. Anyway I find the concept really interesting and I also like that the ingredients can help wound healing and that you also have a good amount of humectants and antioxidants.
Purchase info
forestN Extreme Repair Micro-Sting Serum can be purchased from jolse.com. It is listed here for USD 27.98 (now USD 23.78).
By the way, Jolse is one of my favorite stores to purchase Korean cosmetics. I've been using them for many years now and I've always been happy with them. They have lots of products in store and offer free international shipping.
2 comments
I love jolse too. They are the best for korean products. I will definitely check this serum outbon the site.
ReplyDeleteHi sweetie! Yes, they're the best imo. Good prices, lots of products including new releases and free shipping :D
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