IOPE Super Vital Cream Review
Not sure how many of you know this, but IOPE brand is part of the Amorepacific group, and that was the main reason why I decided to try this cream. Amorepacific has a lot of excellent brands under their umbrella, including my favorite Sulwhasoo. I love how they really put a lot of thought into the formulations and constantly work on finding new active ingredients and improving the existing products.
I feel like, among Amorepacific brands, the ones that get the most attention are the really high-end ones, like Sulwhasoo and Amorepacific, and the budget-friendly brands like Etude House and Innisfree. Primera recently landed on the shelves of Sephora, so you’ll soon hear about them from your favorite bloggers too. Anyhow, IOPE is more famous locally in Korea than in the West, so I thought I’d share my IOPE Super Vital Cream review since I just recently finished testing it so my experience is pretty fresh.
IOPE Super Vital Cream ($100) was developed for mature skin to address all signs of skin aging, including uneven skin tone, fine lines and loss of firmness. The formula promises to improve the look of aging skin by boosting hydration and providing antioxidant benefits from select ingredients, such as Super Plant™ Selaginella for a revitalized complexion, “Super Flavonoid” complex and IOPE’s exclusive Bio-seletinoid™ in a naturally derived botanical equation.
WHAT I LIKE:
The built-in spatula is kind of genius, I’ve never seen a design like that. It’s housed in a special stopper cavity so there’s almost no chance of misplacing it. Another thing I like is the silky soft gel-cream texture which feels very comforting on the skin, it’s like a blanket for my face. And lastly, I like that this formula keeps my skin hydrated for a really long time. Sometimes you apply a moisturizer but your skin starts feeling a little tight toward the end of the day, and this one just stays there until I wash it off in the evening. If that’s something you are looking for, this cream and its Rich sister offer that in spades.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE:
This cream comes in regular and rich varieties, but even the regular one feels a bit heavy. I don’t think either of these moisturizers is suitable for oily and combination skin. A lot of brands have this idea that mature skin = dry skin, which is simply not accurate. I am also not a huge fan of the added fragrance, lots of it in fact. Although I didn’t experience any skin irritations or headaches from it, the scent is very strong and smells very drugstore-ish, which is not something I’d expect from a $100 product. Lastly, the gold packaging is a fingerprint magnet, and my jar always looks messy unless I wipe it every time I pick it up [who has the time for that?].
You will LOVE it if:
- You have normal, fragile, dry or dehydrated skin type.
- Your main skin concerns are sagging and loss of firmness.
- You avoid parabens in skincare.
- You don’t mind the added fragrance.
- You don’t mind jar packaging.
- You constantly lose your skincare spatulas.
- You are a diehard fan of k-beauty.
SKIP it if:
- You have oily, combination or sensitive skin.
- You avoid fragrance in skincare.
- You avoid products in jar packaging.
- You are looking for strong resurfacing anti-aging actives in your moisturizer.
- You are looking for dramatic brightening results.
- You are on a budget. There may be other firming products on the market that cost a lot less.
- You prefer all-natural skincare.
- You are allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients.
Ingredients: Water / Aqua / Eau, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, 1,2-hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp Copolymer, Polyacrylate-13, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Polyisobutene, Fragrance / Parfum, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polysilicone-11, Disodium Edta, Kojyl Methylenedioxycinnamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dextrin, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Flower Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Chitosan, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Hydrogenated Lecithin, Selaginella Tamariscina Extract, Myrica Cerifera (Bayberry) Leaf Extract, Arachidic Acid, Myristic Acid, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Glycolipids, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Theanine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
BOTTOM LINE:
Although I couldn’t use it every day due to the formula being too rich for my combination skin, I still stuck with it and used it on colder days when my skin needed extra protection from the elements. I started noticing subtle changes after the second week: my skin felt plumper and looked overall healthier and tauter, especially in places where it started sagging a little due to age [my cheeks are starting to become slightly jowly as I crossed into my late 30s this year]. After a full month of use, I didn’t notice any exceptional brightening effects though, just the normal skin turnover.
Overall, I think this moisturizer works pretty well to address the loss of firmness, and I think it’s worth a try if that’s your main skin concern as long as you’re not bothered by the added fragrance and jar packaging, of course. Too bad it didn’t live up to all of the claims, but that’s fine. There are plenty of budget-friendly brightening products on the market that I can use to supplement what this one lacks, but not enough skin-tightening creams that actually work.
IOPE Super Vital Cream ($100) is available at US Aritaum, YesStyle, and on Amazon.
