I slathered this on after a week of 10% lactic acid + tret. My face was a red, peeling crime scene.
Day two, the flaking stopped catching on my pillowcase. That’s not a vibe — that’s a measurable difference in my laundry.
It’s a 50ml toner-serum hybrid, ~$22 on Olive Young. The claim: 30% propolis extract + honey to “repair the barrier” in 7 days. I called bullshit, so I made it work overtime.
Sticky but make it fashion
Dries down in 60 seconds, but leaves a tacky film that makes me want to peel my skin off — until I don’t.
The smell
Smells like a honey stick from a farmer’s market. Not the fake floral stuff. It’s aggressively sweet.
The bottle
Glass, heavy, and the pump dispenses exactly one dropper’s worth. Satisfying. Also shatters if you drop it — ask me how I know.
Photo: Chalo Garcia / Unsplash
Propolis is the star — it’s basically bee glue with antibacterial and wound-healing properties. The honey is a humectant that pulls water in, and the panthenol (B5) is the actual barrier repair workhorse. The real surprise? It has *less* niacinamide than I expected, which is why it didn’t sting my raw skin.
- Propolis Extract: Anti-inflammatory, calms active breakouts
- Honey: Draws in moisture, creates a protective film
- Panthenol: The real MVP — speeds up skin repair
- Beta-Glucan: Soothes redness better than centella, fight me
Photo: Kalos Skincare / Unsplash
It’s a thick, viscous liquid that *slicks* across your face like a serum-oil hybrid. One pump covers my whole face. Two pumps is too much — you’ll look greasy for 10 minutes.
Week two, I got a weird purge on my chin — small, whitehead-y bumps. I almost quit. Week three, they vanished and my skin looked *plump* in a way that made me skip foundation. The tackiness never fully goes away, so layer your moisturizer while it’s still damp.
Photo: Rosa Rafael / Unsplash
My redness dropped about 40%, and my dehydrated “shine by noon” oiliness is actually balanced. But my deep acne scars? Untouched. And it broke me out once. It’s not magic — it’s a really good support act.
Photo: Atikh Bana / Unsplash
It won’t fix your life, but it will fix your peeling face. I’d repurchase — but only for winter.