I feel like I don’t really need to give an introduction to Aprilskin. By now you would probably have seen one of those amazing ads where they show amazing results from using this brand’s calendula products.
Now, as much as I am a sucker for cool skincare products, I maintain a healthy amount of skepticism. As I have learnt from my painful experience with supposed holy grails like LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask, not everything that beauty junkies rave about is as good as it sounds.
I also found the videos very iffy because the models looked like they had makeup on when they showed how their skin looked after using the mask.
The good thing is that this wasn’t too expensive. Hence, I decided to plonk a few dollars in and see whether the Real Calendula Peel Off Pack is seriously as good as the ads (& supposedly beauty junkies) claim.
Product Description
Known to clarify and soothe, Calendula deeply moisturizes skin.
Nourishing floral ingredients and flower oil moisturize skin at the same time.
Powerful formula removes skin waste and controls sebum.
Takes care of daily skin concerns such as dead skin cells and rough skin.
Peel off Pack contains 2,000ppm of an original calendula flower to soothe skin.
Official Retail Price in Singapore: SGD 23 (Amazon)
Ingredient List
Water, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Alcohol, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 80, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Disodium EDTA, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/?Capric Triglyceride, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower/?Leaf Extract
Heads-up: I’m no skin expert, but even I am pretty sure that having alcohol right at the top of the list is enough cause for concern. Does it work for sensitive skin if you have high concentrations of alcohol and much less calendula extracts at the bottom? It doesn’t sound quite right to me…
Other ingredients worth flagging out: Citrus Oil (good for oily skin but can cause inflammation), Lavender Oil (supposedly anti-inflammatory for acne, but also potential allergy trigger for sensitive skin).
Just looking at the ingredient list is enough to make me sweat nervously, tbh.
Review
Packaging
I’ve nothing much to say about a simple tube packaging. I must say though, that the matte material of the mask pack feels quite nice. It’s also intentionally made yellow to emphasise the fact that it’s a calendula mask. But that makes it pretty hard to see if there are actual calendula petals inside, eh.
Texture
The texture of this Calendula Peel Off Pack is somewhere between a gel and glue… if that’s a good way of putting it. You can easily squeeze it out and it looks exactly like gel, but feels kind of sticky on your fingers. I get that it’s probably formulated so that it doesn’t slide off your face while you use it, but it’s not exactly very pleasant.
After about 5 minutes of application, I actually feel the tightening of my skin as the pack starts to dry up. It’s not unbearable per se, but it doesn’t feel quite right. I haven’t experienced this sensation with other masks before, so it feels kind of weird. It’s sa though all the moisture is being sucked away from my skin.
I do appreciate that the mask is actually very easy to peel off once it dries up, and can actually be kind of addictive, lol.
Effectiveness
You’re supposed to be able to see sebum, dead skin cells, and blackheads being removed when you peel off the mask. But is it only me who’s unable to see anything?
I’ve tried this quite a few times (you can see that I’m almost halfway through the tube) but have never managed to see any actual grime or gunk on the mask that I peel away. In fact, my blackheads are always still on my nose, and I have no idea what exactly was being peeled away.
The worst thing is that my skin actually feels kind of dry and sometimes a little itchy after using the Calendula Peel Off Pack. I have to follow up with a hydrating or soothing toner + lots of facial mist spraying to make sure that my skin’s moisture hasn’t all been sucked away.
Final Verdict
I tried very hard to love this holy grail from Aprilskin. However, I really don’t see any of the supposedly amazing effects that they have given other users.
In fact, I think using a peel off mask on the regular could actually be pretty bad for your skin. It’s like blackhead strips that forcibly remove gunk from your pores – very irritating for those with sensitive skin.
If you really want a product that can help you exfoliate cleanly, I recommend using AHAs. Good examples are The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid Toning Solution or even clay masks like Innisfree’s Jeju Volcanic Clay Mousse Mask EX.
I personally think the Aprilskin Real Calendula Peel Off Pack is nothing more than marketing hype. My advice is for you to skip out on this one if you don’t want to be disappointed.
Individual Rating
Ease of use: ???
Effectiveness: ?
Value for money: ??
Overall Rating
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