PR sample
It only made sense that with this sudden craze of sheet masks, big companies like Biotherm would jump on the trend and so they have with the release of a sheet mask featuring the coveted complex Life Plankton, inspired living organisms found in the hot springs of the French Pyrenees aka "the fountain of youth". Though I have tried the Life Plankton Essence in the past and found it relatively nice, I wasn't completely sold on how much of the product was marketing vs actual science which is the case with most of the skincare world, BUT with my current occupation of being a sheet masker I am very open about trying both drugstore and luxury pricing though I think of Biotherm as more of a mid-range skincare brand.
This mask is made of a biodegradable organic cotton that is able to "soak in a high content of facial essence and release it into the skin in just 8 minutes". I actually found the mask quite thick and not the best fitting on my face because of it. Now, the "8" is obviously a number I feel is there to cater in part to the Asian market as 8 is a lucky number, but traditionally sheet masks are left on the face anywhere from 10-20 minutes. For the sake of testing, I did follow the instructions and remove the mask after 8 minutes which seemed like a total waste of essence as the mask was still soaking with it.
Ingredients: aqua, butylene glycol, glycerin, trimethylolpropane triisostearate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycereth-26, isopropyl isostearate, 1,2-hexanediol, PEG-60-hydrogenated castor oil, sodium hyaluronate, arginine, disodium EDTA, hydroxyacetophenone, vitreoscilla ferment (spa water bacteria), biosaccharide gum-1, ethylhexylglycerin, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin, linalool, geraniol, limonene, citronellol, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, parfum, (F.I.L. C215572/1)
I hand-typed those ingredients because they were not listed on the Biotherm website (HUGE pet peeve of mine when skincare companies do not openly list ingredients) and while the ingredients were fairly standard, sodium hyaluronate was in the top half of the list as was Vitroscella Ferment, which is actually a spa water dwelling bacteria! It is actually discussed quite a bit in the dermatology journals as it has been shown to stimulate antioxidant defenses in skin cells (Mahe et al, November 2018) meaning actual fountain of youth properties! While this bacteria wasn't at the beginning of the ingredients list, it WAS at the halfway point which is not bad at all as I was honestly expecting the featured ingredient to be right at the bottom.
Mask Summary:
Scent: Strong, but reminds me of fresh laundry which I love!
Duration: 8 minutes
Thickness: Medium
Mask Fit: Loose around mouth area
Essence Type: Cream
Tackiness: Medium
Hydration: Good
Final verdict: I wanted to like this sheet mask so much, but I feel like the quality of this mask was rushed to keep up with the current trend of sheet masking and could have been done better executed considering how much money this brand has behind it. When I removed the mask, there was still LOTS of essence sitting on top of my skin which made think the extra 10 minutes would have remedied. Was my skin hydrated and like a baby's bum after the essence settled into my skin? Yes, but not in a way that I hadn't already experienced. I was really most disappointed with the fit of the sheet mask and hope that the mask quality improves later on even if I was relatively impressed with the ingredients.
You can find the Biotherm Life Plankton Essence-In-Mask at all Biotherm counters.
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