Review: Mizon A.C. Care Solution Tea Tree Tock Blemish Spot

This blog might seem a bit biased towards Mizon products but I think my abundant reviews for this brand are more a testament to my love of free shipping than anything else! =D  RoseRoseShop, my favorite online retailer for Korean skincare, offers Mizon items with free shipping so I have the perfect excuse to continue buying, testing & reviewing their products on a regular basis.  This, of course, then gets translated to extra helpings of Mizon reviews sprinkled throughout my blog!

The Mizon A.C. Care Solution Tea Tree Tock Blemish Spot is a part of their Acence line that targets troubled skin.  ("Acence" = "Acne" + "Science?")  This is basically a spot treatment that uses tea tree leaf oil and extract as the active ingredient.  I found this blemish solution to be cutely packaged & fun to dispense/apply, but ultimately less than awesome in achieving its purpose.  However, instead of considering this a waste of $, I've actually re-purposed this product into a useful part of my night-time skincare routine, just not as the makers probably intended (more details to follow)..... ^__^


The clear plastic container enclosing the tube of product is visually appealing & a nice stand-out from the usual cardboard boxes that house skincare items.  It reminds me of a test tube (probably an intentional part of the design aesthetic) or a medical product (like a vial of super-secret-antidote straight out of a spy movie!).  The professional & geeky vibe is a bit wah-wahhed with the enclosed Engrish label/instructions:

THE EMERGENCY TREATMENT GEL HELPING A RAPID SEDATION AND AN INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE TROUBLE WHERE THE INGREDIENTS OF TEA TREE, SALICYLIC ACID CAME UP COLORFULLY AND CONSPICUOUSLY, FORMS A THIN FILM MEMBRANE AND PROTECTS THE SKIN FROM MORE TROUBLE FACTORS AND OUTSIDE STIMULUS.

PICK IT UP AND APPLY IT ON THE INFECTED PART WITH THE TROUBLE COMING UP AND TAP IT NOT TO FLOW.

Umm.... yeah.  Anyway, the gist is this spot treatment is to be applied to new blemishes and will form a thin film over them to control inflammation and serve as a protective layer.  I couldn't find a list of ingredients on Mizon's site (& RRS/Mizon didn't reply to my queries boo) but this site posted them and when I uploaded it into CosDNA there were no blatant acne triggers above 1-2.  Since I'm unable to find this ingredient list reproduced anywhere else I'm a little leery of its reliability.  (Plus, it has strangely repeated "water" a bajillion times so it doesn't even look reliably copied/pasted.)  Anyhoo, despite all this I'm operating off the assumption this is real & want to make a few comments.  I rarely go in-depth into ingredients because I figure people can look things up if they want but this one was pretty fascinating!
 
The star ingredients are the 15% tea tree leaf extract and oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia), known to be anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory.  Mizon has also thrown in other familiar plant extracts with similar properties: propolis extract, witch hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract), ivy (Hedera Helix Extract), salycylic acid & pine bark (I sometimes take this as an oral supplement).  There were a few, however, that I needed to look up:

Coptis Japonica (aka gold thread; canker root): has nearly 100 PubMed articles mentioning anti-malarial, anti-indigestion, antioxidant, anti-bacterial & anti-inflammatory behavior but I zeroed in on one describing its ability to inhibit fat cell formation & therefore decrease sagging/swelling skin (iiiinteresting).

Centella asiatica (aka gotu kola; Indian pennywort): has >600 PubMed articles describing its anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-anxiety, anti-Parkinson's abilities and how it helps with wound healing by increasing collagen & decreasing scar formation (Yes!! I need this =). 

Cordyceps sinensis: a fungus+caterpillar combo °□° used in Chinese medicine with >1000 PubMed articles detailing its positive effect on cardiovascular, urinary & respiratory health, plus how anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cancer-fighting and just plain awesome this creepy combo can be.

Okay, folks.  I'm SOLD.  I didn't think any weird ingredient could top snail filtrate, bee venom or fermented yeasty goodness but this is officially the strangest thing I've ever put on my face in the name of skincare.  Who knows?  Caterpillars may be the next snail of skincare HAHA!

P.S. I did notice menthol included in the ingredients and this is something many folks are sensitive to (including my sister) so I want to point it out in case it's a deal-breaker for anyone.

Anyway, this 15 ml product goes a long way because the dispensing tip is conservative (I've been using the same tube nearly 1 year) but I've noticed sometimes pressure can build up and it'll spurt out a large volume all at once.  It's not a big deal and overall I really enjoy how this feels like an old-school glue stick.

 
The clear gel has a slight alcohol/menthol/tea tree smell but nothing too strong.  It's sticky texture also reminds me of glue and it stays tacky for 1-2 minutes before leaving behind a faint film. 

Sorry for the weird lighting difference!

During my testing period (~2 weeks) I'd squirt the gel onto a finger tip and dab it where needed as one of the last steps in my nighttime skincare routine.  The film supposedly protects blemishes from "outside stimulus" but it really isn't thick/strong enough to stay on my face if I rub against my pillow.  I guess it's my fault for being such a snuggler (I love me some pillow hugs) but if I manage not to nuzzle it off the film will stay mostly put overnight.  Sometimes I did notice the edges puckered away from the skin a la wrinkled saran wrap if I didn't moisturize well the night before.

After application there's a slight tingle for a few minutes (likely due to the menthol & tea tree) but I wouldn't rate this an "intensive" product by any means.  At the end of a few weeks' trial I didn't feel a measurable benefit from this blemish treatment.  Whether I applied it or not my sad breakouts felt the same in terms of pain, inflammation, elevation, etc.  I'd rather use something with a higher concentration of tea tree oil if I'm trying to rely on it to fight acne because my skin doesn't appear to be overly responsive.  Those with more sensitive skin would probably get a better response than I did but I had to conclude this Mizon product was not a winner for me.

However... all is not lost!

Given that I was left with nearly a whole stick of gooey product, my cheapo habits demanded I find an alternative use for this unsuccessful spot treatment and <insert fanfare> I actually managed to find a use for it!  I'm glad to say I was able to re-purpose this product into pseudo-GLUE for my hydro-colloidal patches!

Often I wake with my hydro-colloidal bandages littering my pillow case (or worse, my hair) because they fall off overnight.  Whether from unconscious pillow-nuzzling or the patch losing stickiness, it's an annoying waste of acne product that doesn't do its job simply because it's not touching my skin.  I've found dotting a bit of this Mizon product over the blemish and then sticking the hydro-colloidal piece over it works out really well.  The gel sucks the patch on tightly and the film ends up acting like a mild adhesive so everything stays put into the morning!  What can I say... the glue stick design really inspired me haha =D

Summary

• Packaging:     4/5 (hygienic; interesting design; sometimes spurts too much)
• Smell:             3/5 (significant alcohol/menthol/tea tree smell; fades fast)
• Performance:  2/5 (no obvious effects; redeemed a bit as a pseudo-glue)
• Value/Price:    4/5 (~$5-6 +shipping on RRS; lasts for ages)
• Recommend? No (there are much better acne/tea tree oil products out there)
• Repurchase? No