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Korean beauty —or K-beauty, as it’s better known — has dominated much of the skin care world and community, especially on TikTok, where beauty obsessives regularly come together to surface and share some of the most trailblazing products.
Ashley Mixon, a beauty TikToker who is a self-proclaimed K-beauty enthusiast with a devout following, previously made a TikTok video speaking about the Korean brand Iope.
According to her, Iope is allegedly also the brand behind famed “cushion foundations” and other innovative beauty goods. One product in particular that TikTok has gone crazy over is their Iope Bio-PDRN Caffeine Face Shot, a serum that Mixon calls “filler in a bottle,” a “hero product” and “lifting.”
(Note: HuffPost reached out to Mixon and found she does receive compensation from Iope, but only from her affiliate link and not from the brand directly.)
Mixon isn’t the only fan of the Bio-PDRN Caffeine Face Shot. Many reviewers claim this $50 serum has made their skin smoother, helped improve hormonal acne, reduced the appearance of fine lines and even become a replacement for Botox and prescription-strength retinoids like Tretinoin. (It should be noted, however, that dermatologists say no at-home treatment can ever be as effective as Botox.)
Mixon and Iope attribute these kinds of alleged results to an ingredient called PDRN, an anti-inflammatory and tissue-repairing proprietary drug that is normally injected in the hopes of improving the overall skin appearance and skin firmness of the recipient. Normally extracted from the sperm cells of salmon, Iope’s version of PDRN is developed from plants, so the formula is completely vegan.
In addition to plant-powered PDRN, the serum also contains a more recognizable combination of ingredients like niacinamide — a versatile antioxidant that many swear by for everything from brightening skin to managing redness — and probiotics, an unlikely ingredient that dermatologists have previously told HuffPost can do wonders for keeping skin healthy and strong.
And if you’re wondering what caffeine is doing in your skin care and not your latte, there is some evidence to support that, due to its antioxidant properties, topical applications of caffeine may aid in reducing the appearance of wrinkles caused by sun damage.
“It contains 20,000 ppm (parts per million) of caffeine, which is one-eighteenth the size of collagen, so yes it does penetrate into the skin!” Mixon told HuffPost via email.
The brand says that to use the serum, just apply three to four drops after your toner and before creams and moisturizers. Mixon said that it can be used day or night and doesn’t interfere with other products or other active ingredients that you might be using.
Miraculously, you don’t have to travel to Korea to get yourself a bottle of the Bio-PDRN Caffeine Face Shot. You can head right to your trusty virtual shelves of Amazon (or any of the other above listed retailers) in order to see what all the hype is about for yourself. Or keep reading to see some more promising reviews.
Promising Soko Glam reviews:
“I just turned 41 and let me tell you! I haven’t had Botox in over 8 months because of this serum. I have slight fine lines in my forehead and have gotten Botox 4 times over the last two years to make them disappear. Usually after 4 months Botox starts wearing off but I’m on month 8 and have been using this serum for 6 months and fines lines are not appearing even slightly like they normally would. I’ve also started putting this on my nasal folds and under my eyes and crow feet area and my skin looks much more plumped as if I have collagen filling my face as I did in my late 20’s. I’m telling you this is IT! Even better than the hype Sephora brands and better than Sulwashoo.” — Brandi
“Ashley [Mixon] recommended this on TikTok. I decided to try it, and I LOVE IT!! I will forever keep this in my skin care line up. I feel it’s helped my fine lines and wrinkles better than a full year of Tretinoin has! Amazing product!!” — Michelle
“This was my first time purchasing this serum and it was worth every single penny. I turned 30 this year and I’ve been noticing some slight forehead wrinkles and other fine lines on my face. I started including retinol into my regimen but wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. I was at the point where I was considering Tretinoin (and even Botox!). So when I saw this, I was immediately intrigued. A retinol substitute? I read up on PDRN injections and saw how good the results were. This is a topical serum but I figured, why not? First night I used this there was a noticeable lift! A few days later, my forehead feels & looks soooo smooth. This is going to be a repeat product. Next time I’m going to buy the toner that goes with it!!!” — Malina
“I apply this on my skin every morning and night. It really works and gave my skin a fresh look. Has really helped my skin lifted and hydrated so much! My skin is smoother and hormonal breakouts much decreased. Can’t wait to try more of their products!” — Jessica