HI-REVIEW: Acwell Liquorice pH Balancing Advance Serum

Hey Beauties~ 

Now that we are inevitably living in a world with COVID, mask-wearing is going to be around for a long time. Some of you may experience the dreaded ‘maskne’ - breakouts that stem from wearing face masks. I have definitely seen changes in my skin, having to wear a mask almost everyday, hours on end. The breakouts are, of course, annoying. But what annoys me most are the scars left behind. Lately, I’ve noticed my skin hasn’t been very good at turning over. Scars take longer to heal and never seem to fully disappear. That’s why I was so excited to try one of the new products from Acwell’s extended liquorice range! If you’re curious to hear what my thoughts are on the Acwell Liquorice pH Balancing Advance Serum, keep reading! :D 

Price: $34

Quantity: 30mL

Product Features: ❇️ Clean Beauty  🌱Vegan Beauty

GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA (LICORICE) ROOT WATER, METHYLPROPANEDIOL, GLYCERIN,1,2-HEXANEDIOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE , POLYGLYCERIN-3, NIACINAMIDE, PROPYLHEPTYL CAPRYLATE, WATER, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, SODIUM CITRATE , XANTHAN GUM, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CARBOMER, CITRIC ACID, ADENOSINE, DISODIUM EDTA, GLYCERYL POLYMETHACRYLATE, TROMETHAMINE , POLYQUATERNIUM-51, SODIUM HYALURONATE, AVENA SATIVA (OAT) KERNEL EXTRACT, BETA-GLUCAN, CYNARA SCOLYMUS (ARTICHOKE) LEAF EXTRACT , DEXTRIN, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN,PTERIS MULTIFIDA EXTRACT, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) SEED EXTRACT, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL , GLYCYRRHIZA URALENSIS (LICORICE) ROOT EXTRACT, TOCOPHEROL, GLUTATHIONE, SOLANUM MELONGENA (EGGPLANT) FRUIT EXTRACT, PINUS PINASTER BARK EXTRACT.

Let’s have a look at the CORE INGREDIENTS!

Of course, the stars of this serum are liquorice root water and liquorice root extract. Liquorice root is known to have gentle brightening, hydrating and skin-soothing properties. The liquorice root helps to gently fade hyperpigmentation or scarring, evening out your skin tone over time.

Another important ingredient is one of our best buddies - Niacinamide! Niacinamide, a.k.a Vitamin B3, is known for it’s various skin-conditioning properties. Brightening, oil-control, helping with the appearance of pores - just some of the many jobs that this all-star is capable of! In general, Niacinamide ensures your skin is healthy and supple so it is a great ingredient to look out for - whatever your skin type may be!

The humectants - Glycerin and Beta-glucan - draw moisture deep into the layers of your skin, ensuring that they are hydrated and that your face is plumped up. Beta-glucan is 20% more effective at attracting moisture than hyaluronic acid, so you bet that your face will feel super nourished when using this serum.

Personal thoughts

Post-toning, I apply a generous amount of the serum to my face so it is fully saturated with product. After gently patting in, my face feels super soft. It’s on another level, unlike any of the serums I've tried in the past. It doesn’t leave any sticky feeling and absorbs really well. I can leave my face for a while before moisturising (not intentionally, though!) and my skin feels very pleasant - as if I had actually used moisturiser. 

In terms of brightening, I have seen a very slight improvement in the appearance of my dark spots, but nothing too drastic yet. I used one whole dropper’s worth every time I applied so I was quite generous with the product. I feel like after a month of continuous use my skin hasn’t changed too much. This is probably because I’ve previously used serums with higher concentrations of niacinamide which have worked really well for me. I have also gone through various Vitamin C serums. So I think rather than the serum being the problem, it's more of my skin being used to more potent brightening ingredients (which give me faster and more drastic results).

On the whole, I love this as a highly moisturising serum on days where my skin feels extra dehydrated and suffers from redness. It really does help to soothe my irritated skin when it is extra sensitive. However, I personally wouldn’t use this as a brightening serum because I think other products are more suitable for my skin.

I would recommend this serum to beginners and sensitive-skinned beauties who are searching for a very gentle brightening serum. If you haven’t used any brightening serums before or if the popular ones are way too irritating for your skin, give this one a try! Liquorice extracts + niacinamide gently brighten the skin tone over time, so you won’t experience the possible irritations that active ingredients can cause (for example, pure vitamin C serums). Plus, your skin can benefit from the skin-soothing effects that liquorice extracts provide.

Thank you for reading, stay safe!