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Large and visible pores are apparently a concern for 80% of the people interested in skincare, and the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum promises to help with just that.
Pore size can be influenced by many different things, we have talked about that before, so today let’s focus on how this product might help, if the results you get are permanent, if it is suitable for sensitive skins as well and if it is worth the price tag. (More info: The secret to smaller looking pores)
If you have experience with innbeauty Project Pore Refine yourself, please share them in the comments.
What the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum claims
Pores & texture treatment that is clinically proven to tighten enlarged pores, smooth rough texture for visibly brighter & smoother skin. AHA, BHA acids and peptides work gently yet effectively.
Facts about the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum
Prize and size
One bottle contains 30 ml and is available for 38 $ on the website here. It is vegan and comes with a pump.
Texture and smell
The color is an odd medium brown and it is more of a lotion than a liquid. I usually didn’t notice a scent, only on rare occasions I caught a whiff of something slightly unpleasant and chemical, but even then it disappeared quickly.
How to use the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum
It comes in a pump and one pump is enough to spread on your entire face. The pump worked well for me most of the time, only occasionally I needed to smack it on the bathroom counter to restart it.
As the product contains potentially irritating ingredients, I would recommend not pairing it with other actives in the same routine, but if you really want to, you of course could use it with for example your retinoid. I will get into the ingredients in a bit and would suspect it has a rather low irritation potential. (More info: The best way to layer your skincare products)
Personally I put it into my morning routine three to fours times a week and while it spread with ease and never caused pilling, I found it to leave my skin tacky for a prolonged period of time. The lotion like texture helped in immediately smoothing the skin, but felt a little much on very hot an humid days, here I prefer more watery products.
Depending on your preferences daily use would be possible.
Ingredients of the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum
sii|h 0 0, Propanediol solv|h, Arginine 
sii, Lactic Acid exf|h|buff, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract so, Gluconolactone exf|chel, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Glycolic Acid exf|buff, Isodecyl Neopentanoate emo, Triethylhexanoin emo|perf, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Silica vc, Arachidyl Alcohol emo|vc, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, Hydrogenated Polydecene emo|perf|solv, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 SH-Polypeptide-76, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 cci, Saccharomyces Ferment , Harungana Madagascariensis Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract aox|so, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom) Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch vc, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Sodium PCA sii|h 0 0, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract so|aox|h, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract so|aox 0 0, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract so|emo, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil aox|emo 0 0–2, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract aox|so|amic, Xanthan Gum vc, Coco-Glucoside surf, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emo, Behenyl Alcohol emo|vc, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 vc, Microcrystalline Cellulose vc, Hydroxyethyl Urea h, Glyceryl Caprylate pres, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Glucose h, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Citric Acid buff, Hydrogenated Lecithin emo|emu, Phenethyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside emu|surf, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Lauroyl Lysine vc, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2–3, C9-12 Alkane solv, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Sodium Phytate chel, Triheptanoin emo, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, 1,2-Hexanediol solvHover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
In advance: I can’t give you the official percentages of the acids used, which would have been interesting, as they aren’t shared. Now many things influence the effect a product has and the concentration of ingredients is just one of them, but I like to know as orientation how much a product contains when it comes to acids or retinoids.
Glycerin, Urea and Hyaluronic Acid are present as humectants and the first acid to appear on the ingredient list is Lactic Acid. Inofficial sources estimate it has a concentration of around 2%, which seems to be a good guess as Glycerin is often used at around 3% in formulas as well (it could be up to 30% of course). That would be a lower concentration for Lactic Acid. Same goes for Gluconolactone, a Polyhydroxy Acid suitable for sensitive skin, that follows shortly after and also for Glycolic Acid, appearing third on the list. For reference: Polyhydoxy Acids are usually used anywhere between 3% and up to 20% and Glycolic Acid usually doesn’t come higher than 15%. The BHA mentioned on the label isn’t, as I would have expected, Salicylic Acid, but refers to the presence of Willow Bark Extract, a natural source of salicylates, but like all extracts varying in concentration. (More info: The benefits of Hyalurinc Acid in skincare explained, The benefits of acids in skincare explained and The benefits of Polyhydroxyacids in skincare explained)
There is also a bunch of plant extracts for extra soothing or antioxidant properties, with Centella Asiatica Extract the one best known and then Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 as peptide aiming to boost collagen production. (More info: The benefits of Centella Asiatica in skincare explained and The benefits of peptides in skincare explained)
The added silica is probably what gives the instant smoothing appearance.
More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skin products
Does it live up to its claims?
Hm.
It contains an ingredient helping to tighten the pore, the peptide, and in theory those to smooth textured skin as well, but I assume that the low concentration of the acids will not provide a visible effect.
How does it compare to…
innbeauty Project Retinol Remix
While the innbeauty Retinol Remix Treatment doesn’t claim to tighten pores per se – it aims to target hyperpigmentation and wrinkles – retinoids are a great option for tightening the skin and subsequently the pores. Just like it is with the Pore Refine Serum though I am not convinced that the concentrations used will give you strong results, but both combined should be a step in the right direction.
You can read my full review of the innbeauty Retinol Remix here.
SKIN1004 Poremizing Clear Toner
The whole SKIN1004 Poremizing line aims to target enlarged pores, and it does that by using different methods: tightening the skin, drying out excess oil and gentle exfoliation, depending on which of the products you pick. If you are blessed with oily skin, it might be an interesting line to look at.
You can read my full review of the SKIN1004 Poremizing Clear Toner here.
Paulas Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Now this is the cult classic for congested and enlarged pores: Paulas Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. It only uses one way to influence the appearance of pores, by cleaning them out, and doesn’t have any effect on tightening the surrounding skin, but in my opinion it does this one thing much better than others, so you will see a significant effect.
You can read my full review of the Paulas Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant here.
Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the inn beauty Project Pore Refine Texture and Pore Serum to?
I appreciate that this serum has different mechanisms of action to target the look of pores: It aims to exfoliate for a general smoother appearance, absorb sebum with the added silica and to strengthen the pore structure by boosting collagen production with the added peptide. Overall though I think the effects will be very subtle as the concentration of acids is low and there is no Salicylic Acid present to get inside the pore, which in my opinion is an important step. That low concentration might of course be an advantage if you are sensitive to higher acid concentrations and don’t mind the variety of plant extracts present. It certainly has a lovely texture and an immediate effect on the look of your skin, but if you really struggle with large pores, I am not sure it will give you the results you are after.
Shop innbeauty Project here
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