Review: By Wishtrend Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule

If you’ve been reading my reviews regularly, you already know my passion for propolis. It’s one of my favourite ingredients, and I especially like it when my skin is more irritated than usual.

Propolis is ideal if, like me, you have a combination, dehydrated and sensitive skin (or a sensitized skin because of certain actives). It is repairing, soothing and purifying effects are exactly what my skin needs right now!

Propolis is not the main ingredient in the ‘By Wishtrend Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule’, despite its name. As we’ll see, there are other purifying and also antioxidant ingredients that I’m very interested in!

I’ve been using it for several months now, I’ll give you my thoughts, but first, let me tell you more about the company behind the product: By Wishtrend!

Ingredients Focus on: Honey and Propolis Skin products rich in hive ingredients such as honey and propolis have always been popular, especially amongst sensitive skins. The use of these ingredients in cosmetic is definitely not new, but skincare products made in Korea put a spotlight again on these very powerful and effective natural ingredients. Read more

The skincare brand By Wishtrend:

When I first started to look more closer on By Wishtrend, what I discovered really surprised me!

Considering the name, I thought at first that it was probably a “private label” brand, sold exclusively on the eponymous K-Beauty online store,  Wishtrend, based in South Korea.

But in reality, Wishtrend, or rather Wishcompany, which is the company behind Wishtrend, is a bit more than just a K-Beauty online store.

Wishcompany is actually a kind of cosmetic incubator.

They have created different brands: By Wishtrend, which bears their name but also the brand Klair’s that I love and that I have often talked about here. And a third one, rather specialized in body care, which I know little about, Jungle Botanics.

They’re also specialized in cosmetics-related content, including a website/blog with several articles related to hot topics in the beauty industry (Wishtrend Glam.) as well as a YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers, Wishtrend TV, which comes in 4 versions (the main one in English and Korean, but there’re also Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian versions).

Add to this mix, an online shop, Wishtrend, where you can find these three brands and also a selection of Korean cosmetics in the same spirit (i.e. skincare products rather focused on nature-based ingredients, with simple and quite ingredients-focused formulas).

By Wishtrend was developed in response to recurring requests from their online customers who wanted products that could meet their specific needs. The brand is defined as a “cosmeceutical” brand (= at the crossroads between cosmetics and pharmaceutical products).

It’s a trend I see a lot of at the moment, especially among Korean/U.S. retailers, who use their customers’ data to create skincare (or make-up) brands that are tailor-made to meet their expectations.

Two examples come to mind: Glow Recipe, which stopped distributing other brands on their e-shop to devote themselves to the development of their eponymous brand, and Soko Glam with their brand Then I Met You. But there are others!

With By Wishtrend, you can find the brand on the Wishtrend website, but not only! It’s widely distributed on different online K-Beauty platforms and in several physical retail shops.

The brand has just signed an agreement with the fashion stores & Other Stories (which belong to the same company as h&m) to distribute their products in their European points of sale in 2020. They will also soon be available at LookFantastic.

One thing is for sure, Wishcompany is particularly focused on expanding K-Beauty internationally!

The By Wishtrend Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule, my thoughts:

By Wishtrend is, as you will have understood from above, a brand that highlights certain ingredients well suited to meet some specific needs.

The first thought I had with the Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule serum, was that the brand had formulated a product targeting acne prone skin. This is partially true because the propolis mentioned here in the name of the product is a perfect ingredient to soothe and purify at the same time, two effects you definitely need if your skin is breaking out!

However when you inspect the formula, this serum is much more complex than that, with the ability to cover more than just one need!

In the name alone, there is also the word “polyphenols“, which definitely puts the product on my “interesting product radar”.

Polyphenols are very powerful antioxidant ingredients, and they always have a special place in my skincare routine!

The two polyphenols used here, Catechin and Quercetin, are naturally found in the propolis used by the brand By Wistrend. This propolis doesn’t come from Korea but from Auvergne, in France (Cocorico! as we say in France)(it means Cock-a-doodle-doo!, and it’s a victory roar in France 😉 ).

This serum is therefore not only soothing and purifying, it’s also an excellent product to preserve the youth of the skin!

In addition to propolis, there are also several other purifying and soothing ingredients, such as Houttuynia Cordata extract, which is super trendy in K-Beauty at the moment. It’s also naturally rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects.

There is also witch hazel and zinc, used here for their purifying effect, combined with soothing panthenol and betaine!

In short, a well-balanced formula with a triple soothing, purifying and antioxidant action!

I started using the Polyphenols In Propolis Serum 15% Ampoule about 1 and a half/ 2 months ago (I’m halfway through the bottle now).

I used it after the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule serum (which I didn’t find soothing enough, so I stopped using it).

I find the By Wistrend Serum much more soothing than Missha’s! Its formula is also better suited to my skin needs at the moment.

I find it very comfortable, but not heavy. Its texture is like a liquid gel, quite silky. It looks a little oily at first, but it’s quickly absorbed into the skin, without leaving a greasy or sticky effect.

At the moment, I use it in the evening, just before my retinol serum to prepare my skin and prevent it from being too irritated (I’m still testing retinoid derivatives, I’ll probably do an article at the beginning of the year to tell you more about my experience, but it’s typically a category of ingredients that requires a lot of patience before being able to see a visible result on the skin!)

I’m really happy about it and I took advantage of the Black Friday promotions to repurchase a second bottle! It will allow me to finish the winter without too many skin issues, hopefully 😉

In conclusion:

The Serum By Wishtrend Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule is really a great product to gently soothe and purify the skin while moisturizing it and giving it a good antioxidant protection.
In short, a true complete serum if like me you have a combo, acne-prone skin, which needs comfort, but a lightweight one!

I was very pleasantly surprised with this product and it makes me want to take a closer look at the other By Wistrend products!

The By Wishtrend Polyphenols In Propolis 15% Ampoule retails between $25 and $32 for 50ml depending on the retailers.