Graymelin Propolis 80 Energy Ampoule Review

Disclaimer:  This product was received complementary from W2Beauty.com, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is not my first Graymelin product that I have tried. Last year, I received a Graymelin Matte Pore Primer in my Memebox Pore Care 3 Box and it was a good primer, with a matte finish ~  even though I rarely use a facial primer.   However, I was given the opportunity to pick out a couple of products from W2Beauty to review and I thought of Graymelin products pretty quickly.  It was that or Primera, but I already own a lot of Primera products and I wanted to try some more Graymelin skincare items, specifically their serums and ampoules.   I chose the following:  Graymelin Propolis 80 Energy Ampoule and Graymelin 100% Beta-Glucan.    This blog post will be focused on the Propolis Amopoule.  I have been using this product since November 1, 2015 and I really feel that this is one of those products within a shorter time period ~ the same with the 100% Beta-Glucan, which I hope to have that review up in the next week or so.

My skin type and concerns:  oily, aging, blemish prone, hyper-pigmentation issues, clogged pores, fine lines and wrinkles

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Why do I love propolis products?  And what is propolis?  Last question first… Propolis (bee glue) is created by honey bees by using the sap from evergreens or the sap on conifer, evergreens and other trees whose leafs are needle-like.   This sap is then combined with beeswax and results in a sticky, resinous goo that is used to build their hives.   Propolis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is known for its anti-bacteria, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties as well as speeding up the healing time on wounds.   It contains anti-oxidant properties due to its slew of vitamins ~ A, B1, B2, B3, C, bioton (H), bioflavonoids (P) ~ and minerals ~ calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, silicon, potassium, phosphorus, manganese and cobalt and has over 50 different flavonoids.  It also is an emollient, so it is not only a good blemish and anti-aging treatment, it also moisturizes your skin as well. We humans have not been able to synthesized propolis with the same properties ~  it is that much of a mystery to us!

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I love propolis because it is perfect for my oily skin ~ it helps reduce the grease pit that loves to sit on my skin, heals blemishes, reduces swelling and helps prevent new blemishes from forming.  It also helps soften and smooth my skin and helps moisturize any dry, flaky bits.   It doesn’t strip my skin, make it feel tight or cause dryness, which some products for oily skin go way overboard.  It amazes me that at my age, I still need to deal with pimples!!  Hormones, I guess.   I might even go out on a limb and say I love propolis a little bit more than honey as a skincare ingredient.

 

What other goodies are in this ampoule?

• Honey has antibacterial properties, that can speed up healing in your skin ~ think acne, rashes, cuts ~ and prevent additional infection.  The wonderful texture of honey will keep moisture close to your skin, which makes for a glowing and radiant complexion.  Not only does honey keep moisture in your skin, but it is humectant, which means it attracts moisture too.   Honey is also an antioxidant, which means it helps repair and combat any damage caused by free radicals and prevents premature wrinkling.
  

• Willow Bark  is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) which helps exfoliate skin by removing dead skin cells, contains salicylic acid, to help combat acne.  It is also high in anti-oxidants, which tone and reduce inflammation as well as being an astringent, to control oil.   Salicylic acid is fat soluble, so it can really get to the oil that is inside your pores.  Just like the citrus grandis ingredient in here, it also acts as an astringent too.
  

• Sodium Hyaluronate  is an intensive moisturizing ingredient which bonds water to keep skin hydrated.   It is a natural substance found in the human body and it made up of amino and uronic acids, and helps retain 100 to 1,000 times its own water weight in our skin cells.

• Green Tea is full of powerful anti-oxidants, due to its high concentration of polyphenols, green tea helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

• Betaine is an amino acid that acts as an humectant and control the water/oil balance in the skin while moisturizing and strengthening your skin barrier.  It will help tone and firm your skin so it has more elasticity and can smooth out wrinkles and fine lines.  As an anti-inflammatory, it will help reduce irritation and does not have any stickiness when applied to the skin. 

• A slew of hanbang-y herbs and plants ~ some that act as emollients, antioxidants, skin brighteners and anti-inflammatories:  aloe barbadensis, magnolia biondii, acorus calamus, zingiber officinale, pinus sylvestris, panax ginseng, thujopsis dolabrata,  chamomilia recutita.

• Free from mineral oil, parabens, alcohol and fragrance. 

Description

The box information is harder to read than the Constitution of the United States ~ ahaha.  I love how the packaging is so vintage looking, from the old-timey looking paper box with its script and the apothecary amber bottle with the eye dropper applicator.   Since the description on the box is very disjointed, I have taken liberties to clean it up a bit!

Description: Propolis 80 Energy Ampoule Hydration Nourishment ~ provides rich moisture to keep skin hydrated  and enriches with vitamins to boost skin elasticity.  Contains 80% of Propolis Extract, which protect(s) against environmental damage..enhance skill cell turnover and soothe sensitive skin, leaving skin hydrated for smoother and healthy looking skin…This unique formula is excellent for trouble care as well.  Honey is used for its rich moisture and hydration. 

Instantly proves maximum moisture, leaving skin calm and soothed, as well as hydrating dull and parched skin and protecting skin from environmental damage.  Creates and locks in an enriched moisture layer to prevent skin dehydration.  Contains highly concentrated ingredients to normalized the moisture level of your skin and provide plenty of nourishment to keep skin hydrated and refreshed.

Graymelin Propolis 80 is a light weight serum that is colorless and pretty much odorless ~ I did not smell any honey scent with this.   The texture of this gel is smooth and silky, without any sticky feeling.   The applicator is a bit tricky as it isn’t the best eye dropper applicator I’ve used ~ if I remove it from the bottle and then try to squeeze up the serum, it won’t dispense that much;  however if I squeeze down on the bulb before I unscrew the applicator from the bottle and then release, the serum fills up the full eye dropper without any issues.  I am not sure why that is ~ perhaps it is the air in the applicator?  At any rate, that seems to work for me and I do not have to double dip into the bottle that way.   The applicator also looks to be crooked in the photos but I can assure you that the lid is security tightened at this point.  I think that is just the way the parts fit together and I have no problems with the contents of this product spilling out accidentally if the bottle tips over.

 

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Usage

I use the 80 Propolis Ampoule around my T-Zone in my daytime routine, after I apply my toner and other watery products.  Dabbing it on my forehead, nose, around the nose and chin, it absorbs quickly and without any sticky residue.   It helps dampened down any glossiness from previous products as well, as it really has a satin-matte finish to it.     I have found this helps control the oil in my T-zone without drying it out, giving enough hydration to my skin in that area.  It also helps with my blemishes as well ~ I have found when I use this ampoule as a spot treatment on an open blemish, it really helps speed up the healing time and reduce the redness of my wonderful zit.   I also use this to help prevent new pimples as well.

 

How is the moisture level?

This isn’t the most hydrating product out there on the market, but since I use this in my oily T-Zone, I am not too concerned with how much moisture this provides to my skin in that area.   On average, over the course of the month that I have been using this, it increased my moisture levels about 31% where I applied it.    

 

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Ingredients: propolis extract (80%), PEG/PPG-17/6 copolymer, water, butylene glycol, betaine, bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylhydroxamic acid, honey extract, acrylates/C10-20 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, triethanolamine, allantoin, sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed collagen, dipotassium glycyrrhizate (licorice), aloe barbadensis leaf powder, sodium polyacrylate, magnolia biondii (Chinese Magnolia) bark extract, acorus calamus (sweet flag) root extract, zingiber officinale (ginger) root extract, pinus sylvestris (scots pine) leaf extract, panax ginseng root extract, camellia sinesis (green tea) leaf extract, thujopsis dolabrata branch extract, citrus grandis (grapefruit) fruit extract, chamomilia recutita (matricaria) lower/leaf extract, salix alba (willow) bark extract  cosDNA.com analysis

 

Final Thoughts

Okay, my review may not sound like it, but I really enjoyed using this product quite a bit and truly do adore this ampoule.   I found it to be excellent in helping heal and prevent blemishes and controlling my oil around my T-Zone.  It also helped reduce the redness and swelling caused by blemishes.  I also feel it helped lighten the healing skin around my new blemishes so that they weren’t as red.  It didn’t really help with old scarring hyper-pigmentation, but I did feel that it helped prevent new scarring. 

Daytime acne products are hard to find ~ you can get them in creams, which I do use, but for re-applying during the day, creams are problematic, as then I have to reapply my base makeup again.   However, with the Graymelin Propolis 80 Ampoule, I could actually dab a bit of the serum on my blemish or pat gently on my T-Zone without really requiring another application of my base makeup.  This is due to the fast absorbing properties of the serum, plus it is colorless, so I didn’t need to worry about massaging it into my skin.    I actually have decanted some of this to a small little squeeze sample bottle and leave it at my office.

I have been using this product for a month now and I have used between a 1/4 to 1/3 of this 50 mL bottle, only targeting my forehead, nose area and chin, so I guess I can get another 2 months out of this ampoule before I have to order.   If you use this all over your face, you might get 2 months usage out of it.  

If you are looking for a really hydrating propolis ampoule, this isn’t the product for you.  I would recommend It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Effector  or Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule if you have drier skin.  However, if you are like me, and have oily skin and layer your products to get the maximum level of hydrating and treat targeted issues, I do recommend this product.  It has worked very well for me with healing and soothing my skin, while leaving it sufficiently moist and radiant.  I will purchase it once I finish this bottle. 

Have you tried Graymelin’s Propolis ampoule?  What do you think of it?  Are you interested in trying it out or do you have a HG Propolis product?   Let me know in the comments below ~ I am always interested in my reader’s thoughts and suggestions!

 

Where To Purchase

W2Beauty carries the 50 mL Graymelin Propolis 80 Energy Ampoule (click here for link) for $26.99. Update:  I cannot find this product on W2Beauty anymore, but I have found it on unique4u.net (click here) for $15.99 and free shipping.  I have purchased from this store before and they are legit!

 

[ this product was complementary for review purposes ~ all opinions are my own and are unbiased.  Blog post contains referral link ]