Review | Pure Heals Propolis 80 Cream | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

09 June, 2015

Review | Pure Heals Propolis 80 Cream

Affiliate Links Press Sample

Today I have another entry in the "Propolis Mania" diaries to share with you! Korea-based e-tailer ibuybeauti let me pick some stuff from their site to review a couple of months ago, and I selected PureHeals Propolis 80 Cream on a whim. I was really embracing honey as a skincare ingredient at the time, so I guess propolis felt like a natural extension of that? In any case, I've gone a bit wild sampling different propolis products (including PureHeals' propolis ampoule), and this cream is in serious competition with the LJH propolis ampoule for being my favorite. (I should probably review that too someday, eh?)


Product description/claims:
Light and nourishing cream that contains 80% of natural propolis extracts strengthens skin's power own power in order to protect against external influence. Leaves dull and dry skin moisturized and healthy. Benefits:
  • Whitening
  • Wrinkle Improvement
  • Skin Protection
  • Nutrition
  • Revitalizing
  • Not tested on animals

Ingredients:
I noticed something odd when I was translating the ingredients for this product. This is what it says on the box:

PureHeals Pure Heals by Nature Village Propolis 80 Cream review 퓨어힐스 프로폴리스 80 크림

Translation:
COSMETIC INGREDIENTS: PROPOLIS EXTRACT (80%), MACADAMIA SEED OIL, OLIVE OIL, HONEY EXTRACT, SAFFLOWER SEED OIL, LICORICE ROOT EXTRACT, COPPER TRIPEPTIDE-1, MEADOWFOAM SEED OIL, GLUCOSAMINE, GLYCINE, ALANINE, CERAMIDE3. EFFICACY INGREDIENTS: NIACINAMIDE, ADENOSINE

The other stuff after that appears to be indications and usage instructions (which are pretty standard—pat into skin after using toner and serum). But this is an ingredients screenshot from the PureHeals website:


Translation:
PROPOLIS EXTRACT (80%), ALOE LEAF WATER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, NIACINAMIDE, ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE, MACADAMIA SEED OIL, GLYCERIN, ARGAN OIL, OLIVE OIL, POLYSORBATE 60, BEESWAX, BETA-GLUCAN, SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, POLYACRLAMIDE, C13-14 ISOPARAFFIN, LAURETH-7, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ANISE FRUIT EXTRACT, ADENOSINE, DISODIUM EDTA, CARAMEL, HONEY EXTRACT, SAFFLOWER SEED OIL, LICORICE ROOT EXTRACT, COPPER TRIPEPTIDE-1, MEADOWFOAM SEED OIL, GLUCOSAMINE, GLYCINE, PROLINE, CERAMIDE 3, ROSE FLOWER OIL, TAGETES MINUTA FLOWER OIL, MINT LEAF OIL, CARDAMOM SEED OIL, THYME OIL, CLOVE LEAF OIL, TEA TREE OIL, VETIVER ROOT OIL, LEMONGRASS OIL, GERANIUM FLOWER OIL, LAVENDER OIL, LEMON PEEL OIL, ORANGE PEEL OIL

Why only a partial ingredients list on the box? I don't know. In any case, it's always a good idea to check other sources when an ingredients list seems suspiciously short. (By the way, I'm not fluent in Korean, so if you spot any translation errors please let me know!)

Anyway, as for the ingredients: Much like the PureHeals Propolis Ampoule, propolis is the star ingredient here. Just to quickly recap what propolis is for those of you who don't know about it: It's a natural substance created by bees that's basically a mixture of sap and bee saliva. Bees use it fill gaps in their hives (which is why it is sometimes called "bee glue"). Propolis won't fill in gaps on your face, but it's prized for its antioxidant and antibacterial attributes. It also seems quite good at soothing irritated skin, in my opinion. Here's a quick take on some of the other key ingredients:
  • Aloe leaf water: You can't have a cream without some kind of water, right? Aloe water is an excellent choice because it's also known for its antioxidant and soothing properties.
  • Macadamia/Safflower/Olive Oil: All excellent moisturizers.
  • Niacinamide: A cell-communicating ingredient that's great for lightening discoloration/general brightening.
  • Adenosine: A popular anti-wrinkle ingredient.

I put the whole ingredients list into CosDNA if you want to do more research. Speaking of CosDNA, it did flag a couple of ingredients as possible acne triggers, namely Isopropyl Myristate, which it gave a 5 on the acne trigger scale. Ouch. But let me say this: I've been using this cream for nearly two months now, and it hasn't broken me out whatsoever. My skin isn't overly sensitive, but still, no bad reactions here. YMMV, of course.

PureHeals Pure Heals by Nature Village Propolis 80 Cream review 퓨어힐스 프로폴리스 80 크림 50ml jar

Pricing/availability:
Pure Heals Propolis 80 Cream is available in two sizes: A 50ml jar (pictured above) and a jumbo 100ml jar, which retail for 28,000원 (~$25 USD) and 51,000원 ($45.50 USD) respectively. Of course internet prices are often cheaper—ibuybeauti (who provided this cream to me for review) has the small jar for $15.57 + shipping (free on orders over $50), and the large jar for $35.90. Alternatively, trusty eBay seller blueprint21 has the smaller jar for about $20 shipped.

As for the jar packaging... there's nothing out of the ordinary about it. Squeezy tubes and pumps are more convenient for dispensing skincare, but glass jars look prettier sitting on your bedside table. What else can I say about that?

PureHeals Pure Heals by Nature Village Propolis 80 Cream review 퓨어힐스 프로폴리스 80 크림

The actual cream has wonderfully light (but very hydrating) texture. It looks milky and rich in the jar, but is really more of a gel-type cream:

PureHeals Pure Heals by Nature Village Propolis 80 Cream review 퓨어힐스 프로폴리스 80 크림

It turns sort of watery once you rub it in, which is very refreshing. I really love this cream because it sinks in pretty quickly and doesn't seem to feel sticky at all, even when I layer it over serums and stuff. My skin feels moisturized and healthy and slightly dewy after I use it, not super-duper greasy or shiny. I have combo skin and Pure Heals Propolis 80 seems to have the perfect balance of moisture and non-heaviness for me, especially now that the weather has warmed up a bit.

Other thoughts... this stuff smells similar to the Pure Heals Propolis ampoule, but perhaps a bit softer and less bitter. The scent is sort of herbal/floral (which I assume is due to all the aromatic oils?) with a little bit of smokiness. I'm not wild about it, but some readers have told me they love it, so YMMV. It's totally tolerable though, despite it not being my favorite scent.

Long story short: I love Pure Heals Propolis 80 Cream. It makes my skin feel awesome and doesn't seem to irritate me in any way. I could take off points for the scent, but I'm so in love with the texture that I'm willing to forgive it. I almost don't want to tell the world about it because I'm worried that everybody will buy it and the e-tailers will jack up their prices. Save some for me guys, OK? (I won't blame you if you don't though.)


Shopping links:


What do you think of Pure Heals Propolis 80 Cream? Do you enjoy propolis and/or honey in your skincare?


Disclosure: The product featured in this post was provided to me by ibuybeauti for review, however any opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.
 

18 comments:

  1. I'm so into this brand. I love their ingredients list! One of my top things to try when I'm off my no-buy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks lovely! I like the fact that it turns out watery after application and the key ingredients sound great aswell.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They're definitely worth checking out when that day comes! Nice ingredients + reasonable prices = 100% great in my book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, it really does have a lot of good ingredients in it! Pretty nice for the price.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds amazing. I think it would make a nice night cream for my oily skin.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The texture looks amazing! I love their propolis ampoule, and if this is just as good then there's no doubt that I'll be giving this a try. On second thought, I might as well pick up some other products from their same line as well ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's really decent price for those ingredients, I'm impressed. One more reason to love kbeauty :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ooooh. I was looking for a lightweight summer moisturizer, and this totally fits the bill. I haven't tried their popular propolis ampoule, but I think I want to give this cream a shot at least. Great review, Rebecca!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh I like ibuybeauti and really enjoy their selection and prices as well! If I can ever tear myself away from automatically going to RoseRoseShop for every order my next one will be with ibuybeauti when i'm off the no-buy :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you try it, I'd love to know what you think! It's hard for me to guess what will and won't work for really oily skin types, but it feels so light to me that I could see it working that way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Haha! I'm very curious about their other products now too. I liked the PH propolis ampoule, but it's hard for me to call it my favroite because I tried the LJH one first and I think that one's better. This cream is awesome though, no doubt about it. Do I dare try the LJH propolis cream? Ahhhh propolis problems!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's one of the main reasons I got interested in K-beauty to begin with! Interesting ingredients, non-heinous prices. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Haha! I like ibuybeauti because they carry some hard-to-find stuff, like PureHeals. The free shipping promo also doesn't hurt... I like the RRS selection and prices, but by the time I've added everything to my cart the shipping cost is usually at "ouch" levels.

    ReplyDelete
  14. ElleSees.blogspot.comJune 11, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    i love that it really has good ingredients in there. i'm a huge fan of licorice for the skin.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Same here! This brand seems really focused on using natural extracts. Their propolis ampoule (serum) is also like that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those are really good ingredients! I love how healing honey is, but I've only tried honey in a mask DIY.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Honey and propolis are super popular these days! Well on the Korean beauty scene, at least. "Healing" is a good word for it... and this reminds me, there's a honey wash-off mask I've been meaning to review. :)

    ReplyDelete