Korean goodies: Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule 200 review

 When I opened my Memebox Collagen this Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule caught my eye immediately, mainly due to its fancy medical packaging. 

It comes in a glass bottle, the same as some antibiotics or Korean circle lenses are sold in. You replace the cap with a squeezy applicator which distributes the liquid product surprisingly well. Dark glass is supposed to protect photosensitive ingredients the same way as  medicaments are.

Here comes an excerpt from the information sheet:

Now, there are different voices about the efficiency of collagen on the skin. I've read an article which said that collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and most of them just sit on the surface and go down the drain when you wash your face. I'm not a scientist to confirm or overturn this statement, but one thing is certain: I noticed substantial improvement in my skin condition in the period when I was using this ampoule. 

I approached this product with uncertainty. I used very small amount here and there. Then, judging by the dark bottle, I figured that this liquid might not be photostable and if this product lay on the shelf for months after opening it might actually stop working, so I started slapping it on my face quite liberally.

This product is actually quite unusual. It's very runny, almost like water and smells of propolis (my grandpa used to have an apiary, so trust me, I know what natural bee products smell like). When applied to the face it feels extremely tacky, as if you've smeared your face with glue stick. Then this dries to very, very parched dry finish and makes your skin feel way too tight. This sounds terrifying, but when followed with a moisturiser this makes your skin look amazing. The pores are tightened, the skin seems firm and radiant, and this product does an amazing job at sebum cotrol. At first I didn't realise it was because of this ampoule, I thought it was hormonal or due to the change of seasons, but once I've run out of the ampoule my oilies were back to normal. This is the first and only product that really managed to keep my face shine free. 

I'm not sure how this ampoule would perform on dry skin, but I'm inclined to believe that it very much depends on the kind of moisturiser you top this with. 

My personal experience is that Ramosu Carestory Collagen Ampoule, combined with a lightweight moisturiser, made my skin look sooo much better. It looked smooth, it was visibly softer and more pleasant to touch and beautifully balanced, by which I mean that it wasn't oily, but not dry nor glowlessly matte. 

I've used this ampoule up within a month or so and I'm sad to have parted with it. I haven't  found a proper replacement for it yet. I've seen it in the Memeshop, but it's a bit expensive for my taste and costs $30 for 10ml (though I gather these are currently on 2 for 1 offer) but if I'm desperate I might purchase it one day.