I recently bought the Amore Pacific Vitalizing Mask from Sephora. For those of you unfamiliar with Amore Pacific, it is one of the brands under Korean cosmetic company Amore Pacific Corp (basically the L'Oreal of Korea). They own Laneige, Sulwhasoo, Etude, Innisfree, and many others. I have only seen Amore at Holt Renfrew, so I was pleasantly surprised when it appeared in my local Sephora store this fall!
I'm a fan of Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, so I was very eager to try this Vitalizing Mask!
However, the Vitalizing Mask is a lot more expensive, priced steeply at $65 CAD/100mL, compared to the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, which is around $25~$30 CAD/80mL. I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I didn't have my $20 off Sephora coupon!
Description from Sephora's website:
Restore tired, dehydrated skin overnight with this lightweight mask. AmorePacific's 5-Hydra Complex dramatically improves internal hydration and antioxidant levels. Cellular turnover and youthful metabolism are promoted while moisture loss is prevented, all from the inside out.
Like the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, this mask is an overnight gel mask that is suppose to improve your skin's hydration and antioxidant levels. What is interesting about this brand is that in lieu of water, stabilized bamboo sap is used, which Amore claims "insures treatment potency and optimum efficacy." This is why the whole line is pretty expensive. Bamboo sap is more efficient than water in trapping moisture in skin, and improves skin resiliency.
Ingredients:
Phyllostachis Bambusoides Juice, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Butelyne Glycol, Alcohol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycereth-26, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydrolyzed Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Hydrolyzed Phyllostachis Bambusoides, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Flower Extract, Lactobacillus/Water Hyacinth Ferment, Theanine, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Kaempferol, Betaine, Beta-Glucan, Niacinamide, Natto Gum, PEG-15 Pentaerythrityl Tetra, (Laureth-6 Carboxylate), Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Caffeine, Mannitol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Behenate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Xanthan Gum, Poloxamer 407, Polyglyceryl-3, Methylglucose Distearate, Polysorbate 20, Polysilicone-11, Propanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phytantriol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.
As you can see, this product contains a high amount of botanical extracts. The ingredient list is quite long, so I won't go into depth.
Notoble ingredients:
- ginseng root extract (star ingredient in their other brand, Sulwhasoo) - antioxidant, and promotes collagen synthesis
- green tea (Camellia Sinensis Leaf) extract - antioxidant and soothing
- sacred lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera Flower ) extract - skin conditioning
- opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract - skin conditioning
- zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract - promotes circulation, soothing, skin conditioning
- pine mushroom (Tricholoma Matsutake) extract - skin conditioning and brightening
- daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract - antioxidant and skin conditioning
- water Hyacinth Ferment - skin protecting
- epigallocatechin Gallate (green tea polyphenol) - antioxidant
- caffiene - anti-inflammatory
- sodium hyaluronate - helps to hold water in the ski
- beta-glucan - aids in skin immunity and collagen synthesis
- Mannitol - humectant
- Minerals:
- Magnesium aspartate - skin conditioning
- Zinc gluconate - skin conditioning and anti-acneic
- Copper gluconate - aids in skin repairment
- Calcium gluconate - anti-inflammatory and aids in skin repairment
For those of you that are green conscious, Amore Pacific does not use parabens, phathalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes in their formulations, and do not test on animals.
However, I would appreciate it more if their product did not have such a strong perfume fragrance! It's so strong that it's like a perfumed body lotion and it gives me an instant headache. It does fade after several minutes, but I would not recommend this brand for people who are scent-sensitive.
I also dislike the packaging - it comes in an innovative squeeze bottle, but I prefer a regular one - I think it's more sanitary and easier to use. It does come with a cap with a hole in the middle that DOES NOT stay on - what is the point of that?
The mask itself is a very light gel that absorbs into the skin within a few minutes of application. It leaves behind a slightly, oily-feeling film on the skin, perhaps because it contains castor oil. The film is essential for any overnight mask because it helps to lock moisture in your skin as you sleep. In contrast, the water sleeping pack from Laneige does not feel as oily. I would say the Vitalizing mask is better for drier skin types.
In the morning, I wash the mask off with warm water. My skin is definitely more hydrated, but I wouldn't say it's a big difference compared to the Laneige water sleeping pack. I didn't notice a big difference in brightness either. For those that are acne-prone, I would caution against using this mask too often since it does contain silicone (to form the film and trap moisture in) and castor oil, which could potentially clog pores.
I probably won't repurchase this mask because I prefer the Laneige water sleeping pack, it's lighter scent and friendlier price, but if you have dry, dehydrated skin, definitely give this a try, or at least get a sample of it!
