A Trio of Pure Heal's Propolis Products

Monday, May 7, 2018

One of my favorite products in skincare is propolis. My skin can get be really reactive and there's a whole host of ingredients that sets it off (snail mucus, fruit enzymes, a lot of sunscreen filters.... the list is quite long) but propolis is one that's always been safe for me. I started using the 90 Ampoule last year, then added in the Cleansing Milk and Softening Toner in January this year.

The Pure Heal's Propolis 90 Ampoule is a near colorless gel that comes in cheery yellow to clear gradient dropper bottle. It's a tiny bit sticky, and is a phenomenal product if your skin becomes dehydrated easily. I love using this as a makeup primer, it keeps my foundation even looking, long lasting and luminous. Foundation stuck to skin flakes, why that's a distant memory at this point.

Ingredients (from Cosdna)

Propolis Extract, Aloe Vera, Niacinamide, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Honey Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Alginic acid, Caramel, Adenosine, Illicium Verum Fruit Extract, Argan Oil, Rose Flower Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Peppermint Leaf Oil, Cardamom Oil, Thyme Oil, Clove Leaf Oil, Vetiver Root Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Scented Geranium Flower Oil, Lavender Oil, Orange Peel Oil

I'm generally not so great with peppermint oil but I seem to be ok with the amount present. No adverse reactions for me.

The Propolis Softening Toner lives up to its name. It's slightly thicker than water and when swiped over the skin with a cotton pad, leaves the face incredibly supple and ready to absorb essences, serums, what have you. My face seems to respond really well to lactic acid in a toner, my skin texture has improved a bit since I started using this and it makes any subsequent skincare sink in really easily. It leaves a slight moisturizing layer, not quite a film, but definitely a little residual feel.

Water, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Betaine, Propolis Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Anise Fruit Extract, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Rose, Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula augustifolia, Citrus limon, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

At $24+ for a bottle, it's a little on the pricier side for what I like to pay for a toner (I try to aim for $20 or under, taking advantage of sales), it's easily the most quickly used up product in my routine.

The Propolis Cleansing Milk is a runny sort of cream, closer in texture to a milky sunscreen than anything else I've encountered. It comes in a tube that for me, dispenses way too much at a time with the aid of gravity. I've actually transferred all of the cleansing milk to another bottle (good thing I didn't throw away that Glossier Milky Jelly pump!).

Standard lineup: eyeliner, eyeshadow, concealer, cushion lipstain.

There's a little bit of lipstain, but that's kind of expected. Otherwise, this milk does a surprisingly decent job of removing makeup, though I would say it makes a better 2nd cleanser or morning 1st cleanser than it does as your primary makeup break down step. Just wanted to note that it does dissolve a bit of makeup, so if your cleansing oil is slacking, it's a good product to follow through with.

Water, Glycine Soja Oil, Propylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 80, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan sesquioleate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Illicium Verum Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Propolis Extract, Disodium EDTA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Rose Flower Oil, Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Elettaria cardamomum, Thymus vulgaris, Clove Leaf Oil, Melaleuca alternifolia leaf oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Lemon Peel Oil,Citrus aurantium dulcis

I found that there are a few ingredients in there that usually give me grief; isopropyl myristate is usually not one of my favorite cleansing ingredients because of how it feels on the face and papaya can play hell on my skin. Yet this milk is now one of my favorite products, it leaves my face with a slight film that slows dehydration. If you find that many cleansers dry you out, this slight barrier might be something you find yourself liking. I like to use this first thing in the morning as a sort of shower mask, I apply it before stepping in and avoid rinsing it off until my shower is nearly over. It helps counteract the dehydration of my blistering hot showers (which I just won't give up, let's not go there).

All three products smell the way bee pollen tastes: a huge splash of citrus, mingled with the clean sweet scent of hay. None of the three contain perfume, the scent profile comes from the wide array of plant extracts and oils. While some of these ingredients can be skin irritants, I've found that personally, these products were not irritating at all, far from it. They have actually become products that I reach for when I'm experiencing skin sensitivity. Of the three, the 90 Ampoule is definitely HG status (I've used it every day for the last 15 months!) and the Cleansing Milk is maybe not quite HG status, but definitely something I'd like to repurchase. If the toner pops up on sale, I'd grab that too.

I purchased all three of these products from SweetCorea. They have a pretty good sale on the Cleansing Milk (priced at$13), the toner is $22, and the 50ml bottle of ampoule is $20. WeMakePrice is another site that occasionally has great deals on PureHeal's, but will require a forwarding service from Korea.

Do you have any favorite propolis products?

Products featured were purchased by me, for additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.