Review: Good Molecules
- Angela
- Jun 20, 2020
- 6 min read
Note: Products being reviewed were provided to me for free, but my opinions remain honest and truthful.
Back at the end of March, Beautylish reached out to me and asked me if I'd like to try some products from Good Molecules. I'd heard of the skincare brand (from Beautylish's marketing emails, no less) and had been curious about them, but hadn't taken the time to look into their offerings. I agreed to give it a shot, and after asking me what my skincare concerns are (acne and anti-aging), I was sent four full-sized products to test based on my skin needs.
My skin type is oily. Very oily. I have some smile lines (the one on the left side of my mouth is deeper), but no other wrinkles yet. My acne comes and goes and usually appears on my cheeks, jaw, or the crown of my head; I never have a ton of breakouts at a time, usually just a couple of isolated zits.
The Clarify & Cleanse Bar is a "soap-free cleansing bar formulated with white willow bark extract, kaolin clay, and cocao powder to help maintain a clear complexion for acne-prone skin." (Not sure if "cocao" is a misprint of "cacao" on the label, as I couldn't find anything about this when I did a Google search.)
The Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer is "formulated with shea butter, macadamia seed oil, and a plant-derived silicone alternative to deeply hydrate, smooth, and nourish the skin."
The Super Peptide Serum is "formulated with tri-peptides to target fine lines, wrinkles, & dullness."
The Overnight Exfoliating Treatment is "formulated with AHA + BHA to help resurface and renew the skin."
I started using all of these products on May 22 and ended my testing on June 19 (though I'll continue using most of these products). Here are the before and after photos, no makeup or filters:
Not the most dramatic difference, but some improvement overall. There's a lot to get into, so let's dive in one product at a time.
To be honest, this was the product I was least excited about when I opened the package from Beautylish, but ended up being the product I liked the most. I was skeptical because I never use bar soap for anything (though there was definitely Dove and Irish Spring in the house growing up that my dad and brother used), and worried that it would dry out my face and make it feel tight. On the contrary, I actually started to look forward to using this soap and loved the fresh, clean feeling it gave me. My skin felt hydrated, never dried out or tight, but what I was most impressed with was how clear my skin was. Even in the week leading up to my period, when I tend to experience hormonal acne, my skin remained clear and acne-free. I was genuinely shocked by this.
Earlier this week I finally experienced my first breakouts in a while since using the bar, but they were pretty minimal and faded fast with continued use of the cleansing bar (and my Clean & Clear Persa-Gel10 acne cream). This bar has outperformed my other acne face washes. Of all of the products I was sent, this is the one that I'll for sure be reordering once it's gone. Definitely recommend.
This product was a disappointment. My holy grail, daily moisturizer is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer, which leaves my skin hydrated without leaving it greasy, plump, and healthy looking. The Good Molecules moisturizer has a creamy texture, but left my face feeling a bit greasy without feeling hydrated.
While I don't typically wear foundation unless I'm feeling like I want to be a little more "glam," I wanted to test this product the way it was intended to be used, so after applying the moisturizer I wore The Ordinary's Serum Foundation with a little of the lilah b. Flawless Finish Foundation dusted on top.
After six hours of wear my foundation looked pretty good, though my face was definitely still oily. But the foundation hadn't broken up or slid around, which it normally does on my face, which I can only attribute to the priming component of the moisturizer. So while the priming moisturizer wasn't oil-controlling (nor did it claim to be), it did keep the foundation looking better than I expected it to.
Unfortunately, however, I just really didn't care for the way this made my skin feel, and it won't be replacing by Glow Recipe moisturizer. If I were to use this again it would be under foundation, which means I won't be getting a ton of use out of it.
Overall I was pretty happy with the results of this product, though it wasn't a miracle in a bottle or anything so don't go into it expecting magical results. As I mentioned earlier, I have a couple smile lines and the one on the left side of my face is deeper and more noticeable. I used this serum in the morning and evening, as directed, though I absolutely did not use just one drop as it says to use on the bottle because that would be entirely and utterly useless. Seriously, I don't know who thought one drop would be effective for anyone, but do yourself a favor and ignore that unless you want to ensure you won't have enough product for your face and will see zero results.
Instead, I used four drops with each application, focusing the product on my smile lines and forehead and then rubbing outwards to the rest of my face and pressing into the skin. The most significant differences in the before and after photos I've included is that my skin tone appears more even, and the smile lines look a bit softer. My face looks brighter and healthier overall, as well. This product didn't break me out, which is a concern for those of us that are acne-prone and especially when introducing new products into our skincare regimens. I used the serum in tandem with my night cream, the Caudalie Resveratrol [Lift] Night Infusion Cream, and they played nicely together. I'll continue to use this product, though can't say for sure whether I'll rebuy when it's empty or experiment with another serum to see if I can find something even more effective for the smile lines.
This is a nice product that left my face feeling smoother and brighter the mornings after I used it. Before trying this product, my go-to exfoliating treatment has been Farmacy Beauty's Honeymoon Glow, which leaves my face smooth and glowing in the morning.
In a head to head battle, I'd say I prefer Honeymoon Glow more just because it really does make you glow, whereas the Exfoliating Treatment effectively smooths and brightens, just not quite as well. Both products are formulated with AHA + BHA, but Farmacy's is a blend of 15% AHA + BHA + flower acids, while Good Molecules' is a 10% blend of AHA + BHA. Farmacy's makes my face tingle a bit when I use it (which is normal), which I take to be a sign that it's working, while Good Molecules' doesn't give me the same effect. Might be good to keep in mind if you're looking for a gentler solution.
I also think it's worth mentioning that the label of my bottle of Exfoliating Treatment doesn't say it's a formulation of 10% AHA + BHA — the product photo on Good Molecules' site shows a label that mentions "10%," while the label on my bottle doesn't say that. Since I recycled the boxes for these products weeks ago I unfortunately can't confirm whether there's been a change in formulation since these products were sent to me. Again, while I do prefer the Farmacy product, Good Molecules' treatment was effective, gave me visible results, and did exactly what it said it would do. A win in my book.
Final Thoughts
Good Molecules made a good first impression. With the exception of the moisturizer, which fell flat for me, the other three products did what they said they would do and delivered noticeable results, while performing well with my other skincare products. I do think they're worth trying, but the only one that truly wowed me was the cleansing bar. Seriously, if you're acne-prone, give it a shot. The serum has evened out my skin and helped with dullness, as it said it would, but I do wish it would've caused more significant results in reducing the appearance of my smile lines. And while the exfoliating treatment is effective and both smooths and brightens, it lacks just a bit more of the oomph and glow-giving goodness of my Honeymoon Glow, which I've been using for many months now.
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