MDPen review
Cellular Renewal Serum
Shoutout MDPen’s website for its transparency because it has a breakdown of each ingredients’ purposes and functions within the formula! The MDPen Cellular Renewal Serum is a water-based, gel serum great for hydrating the skin. I love that this serum has a short ingredients list that’s great for prepping nearly all skin types. The star ingredients of this formula include flavonoids for antioxidant and soothing properties, red algae for skin conditioning, panthenol for holding moisture, and deionized water.
The lightweight and breathable texture isn’t sticky or tacky and still gives your skin a splash of hydration without clogging the pores. I especially love this formula for summer because it’s easy to layer and pair with makeup primers and SPF.
One thing I wasn’t happy about was the packaging isn’t recycle friendly. You can’t take the top off to clean it out and retrieve the formula at the bottom.
Radiant Retinol 1% Balancing Complex
MDPen’s Radiant Retinol 1% Balancing Complex is a rich and nourishing retinol moisturizer with ingredients meant to help to reduce acne, dryness, fine lines and wrinkles by trapping moisture into the skin to increase ceramide production. What I loved about this formula was that it was more gentle than other retinol creams I’ve tried in the past. It didn’t make my skin burn or feel tingly when applying it and MDPen offers a 0.5% for people who may want a less intensive retinol option.
The Radiant Reinol 1% Balancing Complex formula contains both prebiotics and probiotics to balance the skin's microbiome.
One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the dispenser and packaging. The dispenser is a push-pop kind of lid that dispenses formula from the center of the lid so you’re swiping your finger over the top to get product and apply it to your face. This is a bit unsanity and I’d prefer a jar where I can use a tool to get product or a squeeze bottle where I direct the product onto my finger instead of swiping my finger on the dispenser. Despite this, I also appreciated that the jar has a removable lid that makes it easy to access product at the bottom and properly clean it out for recycling.
Copper + HA Mist
I'm a skincare specialist and beauty advisor with 10 years of experience working with the finest skin care products, and I was very happy with MDPen's Copper and Hyaluronic Acid Mist to lock in moisture after cleansing, and as a setting spray after applying makeup. When I received MDPen's Copper and Hyaluronic Acid Mist, I was a little disappointed because a majority of the product was lost during shipment and had leaked in the packaging. Nonetheless, I was able to use the remainder for 2 weeks and had great results as a setting spray.
Aside from the copper and hyaluronic acid, other key ingredients included Saccharomyces/ Zinc Ferment extract of yeast fermented in the presence of zinc ions, antioxidant, caprylhydroxamic Acid, an amino acid derived from coconut oil, and caprylyl glycol, a humectant and skin conditioning agent that lends moisturization, emollience and wetting properties. What I loved most about the spray, was the slight tingling I received when spraying it after applying my serum, and I received the best results when I applied the mist to a clean face or as the last step in my makeup routine as a setting spray.
