dr.g black snail retinol ampoule

when i went to korea, i always stop by any olive young stores that i spotted. mainly because each store has different stocks. and then, i was quite fortunate that one of the myeongdong branch was just re-opened, so i got a box of samples when i purchased over a certain amount of product. inside, there are some of their best selling products, one of them was the dr.g black snail retinol ampoule. i've heard about it before but it was too pricey for me to buy the full size, so thankfully i get this as a sample so i can try it.

this is the description from their website: snail retinol shaves 6 years off your skin age. powerful! contain powerful black snail retinol. clinically proven that has powerful effect than regular retinol. the most! clinically improved solve 12 aging concerns. solve 12 aging concerns after 4 weeks of use, 6 years younger effect. mild! 4 weeks anti-aging solution for sensitive skin. clinically proven skin irritation test.

key ingredients: snail retinol - snail secretion filtrate (34%) + retinol (900 ppb) + hydroxypinacolone retinoate (1,000 ppb)

the packaging: i don't know how the full product looks like, but i think the mini size comes in a miniature of the full size one. the mini size comes in a brown-black plastic bottle with a dropper head. there's description at the back in korean. the dropper head is soft and easy to pinch. however, due to the texture of the serum, it's quite hard to suck the serum if i pinch it too quickly. i have to pinch it at least two to three seconds to suck the serum onto the shaft. the mini size comes in 10 ml which surprisingly enough for my two weeks trip to australia. 

the scent: as i'm extremely aware, most korean skincare products are scented because they believe that the scent adds something to the whole skincare experience. anyway, this one is definitely scented. it's too fragrant for a retinol serum that usually smells funky. at first i'm not used to the punch of scent, but after using it for two weeks, it doesn't smell as strong as the first time. 

the product: it's a creamy yellow serum that has strange consistency. it's a bit on the runny side, but since it contains snail mucin, it becomes stringy. that's another reason why it's hard to suck this serum with the dropper. i can only suck two to three drops at a time. and the drop falls onto my skin in a slow pace as well. if i tap the serum with the tip of my finger and slowly drag it up, it will form a thin string just like a snail mucin serum. it's a bit sticky at first, but as i spread it around, the stickiness will go away. even though this serum has a weird consistency, luckily it layers well with my other skincare products. it doesn't pill or anything.

the result: as i've said, this is just a mini serum and it lasts about two weeks and a bit more for me. i use this every night and it doesn't irritate my skin. even though it's winter and quite cold and the heater is harsh on my skin, the serum doesn't cause any dryness. though i still slather a lot of moisturizing cream on top. anyway, i think this is super mild that i doubt it's more powerful than a regular retinol. i don't see any improvement in my skin condition it doesn't get worsen either.

i think if you're new to retinol, this might be a good option since this is super mild. however, this contains snail mucin and i've heard lately that some people are irritated by it, so if you have sensitive skin, you might want to try the mini or the tester first. dr.g products are available here in sociolla, but i don't remember whether this serum is available here or not. price wise, the price range is quite expensive, but not as expensive as sulwhasoo. so maybe mid-tier? anyway, i don't see impressing result after using this for two weeks straight, so i won't purchase the full size one. however, if you like snail and new to retinol, you might want to try this if you can get this and have the budget.