B2Link - Common Labs Jelly Masks and Wish Formula Peeling Pads

I was recently introduced to B2Link. B2link is a young beauty start up focusing on incubating young Korean beauty brands, i.e. they "LINK" K-beauty brands to the world. They distribute K-beauty brands to multiple on/offline channels such as Sephora, ULTA, Taobao, Amazon, and etc. They focus mainly on niche and young brands.

I was able to chose some products that interested me on their Amazon Storefront.

I really like peeling pads at the moment and that's why I chose two 2-step masks containing a peeling pad and a jelly mask from the brand CommonLabs and a peeling pad from the brand WishFormula.

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Common Labs - Ggultamin (꿀 + 비타민, i.e. honey + vitamin) B Real Jel Mask

What is it: a 2-step product containing a peeling pad and a gel sheet mask. The star of the product is Vitamin B (vitamin B5 aka panthenol).

The Pad: it contains glycolic acid as exfoliant (AHA) and also honey (anti-inflamm., humectant), chamomile (anti-inflamm.), sodium hyaluronate (humectant), centella asiatica (wound healing), panthenol aka provitamin B5 (anti-irritant/soothing, moisturizer, help skin heal faster), and salicylic acid (BHA, exfoliant).

pH of the pad is around 3 so effective to exfoliate the skin. The exfoliation is definitely there but it is on the gentle side so that my skin can tolerate it easily. And although it contains alcohol it didn’t irritate my skin, no sign of redness or irritation were visible.

I added the ingredient list to Skincarisma.com, an ingredient analyzing tool that I find very friendly and interesting

Ingredients >> skincarisma

The Mask: The material of the mask is thin and it adheres easily and very well to the skin.

In terms of ingredients, it contains humectants (glycerin, sodium hyaluronate), honey, propolis, centella asiatica, chamomile, and panthenol aka provitamin B5. Ingredient list is actually really nice! I like the inclusion of honey and propolis in addition to panthenol and other soothing and wound healing ingredients.

Ingredients >> skincarisma

The Essence of the mask and general thoughts: gel, real gel! And there is a lot of gel, almost too much :D I could use the leftover for my legs, arms, chest and feet, enough to cover my whole body. At first the thick gel feels a bit weird in a sheet mask especially as there is so much gel in there, but once you have it on, it feels very nice, cooling and soothing. I really enjoy using it and would gladly repurchase them.

Concerning the pad, it’s a nice addition to the mask. I think it’s quite gentle, which I don’t mind since I’m more into gentle exfoliation. But if you’re looking into something stronger you might be a bit disappointed in the pad. If you want something stronger, have a look at the Wish Formula pad below. Again, for me gentle exfoliation is what I'm looking for so that's all good.

The mask on the other hand, is pretty amazing in terms of texture (I haven’t seen many sheet masks containing a real gel essence), ingredients are nice, so yes the mask is well formulated to be hydrating, moisturizing and soothing. It left my skin soothed, hydrated and moisturized. Overall very happy with it!

Take home message: If you're looking for a soothing mask (with panthenol, anti-inflammatory ingredients such as honey, chamomile, propolis, and wound-healing ingredients such as centella asiatica) that also feels fresh on the skin (thanks to the gel texture), go for it! As a bonus, you get a gentle exfoliation pad to use before. Overall, very nice 2-step mask in my opinion!

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Common Labs - Ggultamin (꿀 + 비타민, i.e. honey + vitamin) C Real Jel Mask

The texture of the pad and mask is similar to the Ggultamin B version, so I'm not posting additional pictures (have a look above to see how they look).

The star ingredient of this version is vitamin C!

Vitamin C is one of the best ingredients in terms of skincare. It is a very potent antioxidant able to protect the skin against environmental assaults.

It has also been shown to increase collagen production and has therefore a proven anti-aging effect. There are many many scientific studies that do prove the increase in collagen production associated with Vitamin C. With an increase in collagen production, you can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Vitamin C can also reduce the appearance of skin discolorations, strengthen skin’s barrier response, enhance skin’s repair process, reduce inflammation, and help skin better withstand exposure to sunlight! All these effects of Vitamin C are scientifically proven.

The Pad: it contains the same ingredients as the Vitamin B version except panthenol is replaced by Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, a stable form of Vitamin C. As the other pad, although it contains alcohol it didn’t irritate my skin, no sign of redness or irritation were visible.

Ingredients >> skincarisma

The mask: it contains humectants (glycerin, sodium hyaluronate), nicinamide, honey, propolis, centella asiatica, and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C) among others. I find the formula pretty neat and really like it.

Ingredients >> skincarisma

The Essence of the mask and general thoughts: just as the Vitamin B version, it contains a real, thick gel essence and so much of it!

In terms of effects, they’re very similar to the Vitamin B version. The pad is a gentle exfoliant, which is what I prefer. I don’t like when exfoliants are too harsh. The masks felt also very refreshing and soothing plus it did brighten my skin tone a bit.

Overall I’m also really happy with this mask, I love the gel essence a lot!, and would gladly repurchase either the Vitamin B or Vitamin C versions!

Take home message: I find both the vitamin B and vitamin C masks to be nicely formulated and to be soothing, hydrating and overall very nice on the skin.

Get the Vitamin B if you want more soothing effects and the Vitamin C if brightening is what you are looking for!

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Wishformula C200 Bubble Peeling Pad

This is a peeling pad that contains some surfactants that act as foaming agents and cleansers (Disodium cocoamphodiacetate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA), they’re all gentle surfactants, then we have 2 AHA (lactic acid, glycolic acid) for exfoliation, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) for brightening, humectants to draw water into the skin and bring hydration (glycerin, hyaluronic acid), some fermented extracts and other botanical extracts. Note also the presence of polyglutamic acid that has strong moisturizing ability and can prevent the skin from drying, something always great when used with exfoliants.

Ingredients >> skincarisma

So the main ingredients of these pads are foaming and cleansing agents, 2 AHA, and vitamin C. So they should provide exfoliation and some brightening effects.

To use it, pour the solution in the packet leaving the pad in it. Soak the pad in the solution and then take it out. Squeeze the pad to make it lather. Then rub your face (avoid the eye and lip areas) with the fiber side for 2-3 min. Then flip over the band part of the pad to use the soft side and pat it on your skin. Finally rinse off.

In terms of results, I think it does provide a good amount of exfoliation and it does brighten the skin. The exfoliation is actually a bit too strong for me as my skin was feeling a bit dry the next day, but it was not red or feeling irritated. I also got 2 pimples on my chin, probably a purging effect of the AHA. That was my first experience with the pad and I applied it for 5 min. Second time I tried it, I rubbed it on my skin for only 1 min and my skin was feeling less dry and I didn’t get any pimples this time. So for me (sensitive skin that don’t use AHA regularly, I prefer BHA or PHA), it was better to let it in contact with the skin for a shorter time.

Take home message: So in conclusion, if you like a medium to strong exfoliation to see immediate results and if you are used to acids, you will probably like it. On the contrary if you’re not used to AHA, they might be a bit too strong. Alternatively you could rub your face with the pad for only 1 min before rinsing the product off instead of 2-3 min. In terms of formulation, I think it's nicely executed, I like the inclusion of vitamin C in addition to the 2 AHA as well as the fermented ingredients that can provide some soothing effects, which is always interesting in conjunction with exfoliation. There are also many botanical extracts so if that's something you like (lots of them have antioxidant properties), that's a plus!

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Wish Formula I’m Pro Ampoule Pad (mini first impression)

This is a pad I bought myself from jolse.com before being contacted by B2Link. I had heard so many good things about Wish Formula pads (this one and the one above) that I was really curious and wanted to try this one (because you know, me and Vitamin C, we have a longtime love relationship).

This is a vitamin C (10%) soaked pad that is supposed to brighten your skin and to have antioxidant properties. Note that it contains alcohol as the 4th ingredient, which I think is a bit too much. The pad is soaked in essence, there is enough to use it on your face, cleavage, arms, and there is some product also left in the packet that you can use on your hands. The scent is a bit on the strong side, an acidic kind of scent but nothing fruity.

I won’t go into too much details for this pad because I find it a bit meh. It left a sticky residue on my skin and this did bother me. It dried down to a matte finish. I was expecting it to leave my skin moisturized and therefore more dewy but no it left the skin matte. Although the alcohol content is quite high it didn’t irritate my skin or dried it. I think it’s a hyped product and I wouldn’t repurchase it as I didn't really liked the sticky residues it left on my skin and I find it a bit expensive (USD 4-5 per pad). That's just a first impression as I used only 1 pad.

Ingredients >> skincarisma

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Summary

Overall, I really really love both jelly masks (the Ggultamin B and C) and would definitely repurchase them! I like the formula, feel and the thick gel essence! The Wish Formula C200 Bubble Peeling Pad is interesting if you want immediate results (exfoliation and brightening) and if you're already familiar with AHA (if it's your first time trying AHA, it might be a bit too strong). And for the I'm Pro Ampoule Pad, althought it's a Vitamin C pad (which I should love normally), I wasn't that impressed, mainly because of the sticky residues it left on the skin.