Wondering what all the hype is about when it comes to the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule? We’ll explain why this is the Korean anti-aging serum everyone’s obsessed with.
I’ve never been overly freaked out about my age; turning 21 was fun, turning 25 was trippy (a quarter of a century, whoa) and turning 30 was… a lot like turning 29. Anticlimactic, I know. But turning 30 has come with its own unique little challenges: Losing weight is harder, hangovers are more intense, and that little spot between my brows has developed into a slight permanent depression. Of course, working out can help deal with the post-30 spread, toning down my wine consumption can help with the hangovers (and the post-30 spread), and as for that last factor, there was really only one solution: amp up my anti-aging regimen.
Being the consummate skin care freak that I am, naturally I wanted to go for skin care with a track record: something beloved by beauty fans, something like Missha Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule. In case you’ve never heard of it before, the Missha ampoule gained popularity several years back when people started touting it as a lower-priced dupe for Estée Lauder’s wildly popular Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II (AKA the number one selling repair serum in the world) Since then, the Missha serum developed its own following of devotees for its long roster of proven anti-aging ingredients.
Like its Estée Lauder counterpart, Missha’s ampoule prominently features bifida ferment lysate, a type of yeast that’s proven to help offset the oxidative effects on skin and improve skin elasticity (it’s the second ingredient on both lists.) Both also include hydrating hyaluronic acid and lactobacillus ferment, but surprisingly for a formula that retails for so much less (Missha’s ampoule costs $49 compared to $95 for a similarly sized bottle of the Estée Lauder serum) Missha’s actually has even more anti-aging ingredients, like niacinamide and retinol, along with an additional three ferments to help fight off the effects of sun and pollution.
The ampoule itself is very light, almost runny when you dose it out (it’s commonly seen in a glass dropper packaging, but the version I tested came in a plastic bottle with a pump; way easier for travel if you ask me) with a translucent ocher color and a hard-to-define scent that’s a little bit floral with some faint musk notes, all of which dissipate within seconds of spreading it onto skin.
One pump was enough to cover my whole face in a fine film of moisture that absorbed in under a minute, leaving my skin feeling dewy and moisturized but not sticky (I’ve had too many pillowcases stuck to my face for one lifetime, thanks.) For those with oily or combination dispositions (like yours truly) the hydration is plenty, especially for the warm months when my skin wants to go full grease-bomb, but it also goes on smoothly enough that dry types could easily layer a thicker cream on top without fear of pilling. In the morning, my face felt supple and dewy but still clean, like I could skip my typical morning face wash if I wanted to.
Unlike my usual retinol cream, the ampoule didn’t cause any stinging or tingling, even when I used it around my eye area (generally a stamped ticket to tear city) thanks to skin coddling ingredients like meadowfoam seed oil and chamomile extract. That gentle action makes it a perfect choice for the sensitive sort who might have problems with more irritating traditional anti-agers. But where many times formulas suitable for sensitive skin just mean watered-down versions of average antiagers, this one still brings a potent enough punch to satisfy even the most robust skin types.
After two weeks of use, it’s hard to say that there’s been an obvious improvement in my skin, but the name of the game here is at least as much prevention as it is correction. And since the number one rule in the aging prevention game is being consistent, I have a good feeling about this ampoule; potent, inexpensive, skin-friendly no matter what season, and boasting a veritable hoard of fans, I don’t see this particular beauty booster falling by the wayside. Bye, sad 30-something skin, bye.
The bottom line:
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule is famous for a reason. The formula packs in an impressive number of great-for-your-skin ingredients, without the added dyes of some other (ahem) versions. It’s easy to use and a good choice for skin types from the hardiest to the most sensitive, making it an ideal all-around anti-ager.
