Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel (Benton Review Series #4)

First of all, I made a dumb mistake. I gave this product away about a month ago, thinking I wouldn't review it. But then the person I gave it to left it in a different country so... now I can't get any pictures of it. Very sorry about that, I'll be using official pictures instead. 

Anyway, this is the first Benton product I actively disliked, which is realistic I suppose. It would be remarkable if I loved every single product in a series... speaking of which, this is part of my 6-part Benton review series! Feel free to check out the rest.

This review is part of the 6 part Benton review series! 

1. Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner

2. Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

3. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

4. Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel
5. Benton Snail Bee High Content Lotion

5. Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream

I'll be adding links to the series at the introduction of each review, look out for them over the next couple weeks!
Where to buy:

roseroseshop.com - $10.24 (on sale at the time of writing)

testerkorea.com - $15 (roughly)
w2beauty.com - $16
jolse.com - $16.98

Here is their GMarket Shop

Description: Benton's Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel is made for all skin types, especially acne-prone and sensitive. The product contains 80% aloe baradensis leaf juice, and 10% propolis extract to prevent skin damage. Recommended for sun-damaged skin, sensitive skin, troubled skin, dry skin, oily skin, and skin that is sensitive to chemicals.

Claims
Calming
Good for Sensitive Skin
No Parabens
No Alcohol
No Artificial Fragrances or Coloring

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (80%), Propolis Extract (10%), Glycerin, Arginine, Allantoin, Betaine, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Cross Polymer, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract

I might start including the CosDNA analyses when I can, because ~knowledge is power~.

The ingredients list is great for sensitive skin- for example, it doesn't have any fatty alcohols in it! Fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol can be comedogenic for some people, which means it can clog their pores and cause acne. This gel only has non-comedogenic ingredients, which is a great thing for the acne prone.

Scent: In the words of my boyfriend: 'gross,' 'metallic,' and 'weird'. It's not extremely strong, but whatever causes the scent smells really unappealing. It kind of reminds me of BO. I don't really know what else to say beyond that I find the scent distracting and bad.

Packaging: Simple, hygienic, practical. It's very similar to the Snail Bee High Content Essence, just that it's larger and uses green instead of brown. The pump works well. No complaints! :)

Swatch: The gel is very similar in texture to the Snail Bee High Content Essence. It's very light and absorbs quickly, though it dries to a kind of tacky finish. It doesn't leave my skin feeling hydrated or bouncy like some moisturizers... just slightly, slightly more hydrated. My chemical exfoliators do a better job of moisturizing than this, truth be told. Meh.

Results: Despite an amazing ingredients list,this gel just doesn't work for my skintype. I'm too dry. To start with, this isn't hydrating enough... then combine that with the gross metallic scent and off-putting tacky finish, and I'm not a fan of it. I wish it worked for me, but it doesn't. The only thing I really like about this product is how calming it is. It does help reduce redness temporarily, but so do the other Benton products. There's a reason I gave it away. This is definitely much better suited for normal to oily, acne-prone skin types.

Conclusion: Final Score: 3/5

Pros:

• great ingredients
• calms skin
• absorbs quickly

Cons:

• very little hydration
• smells like metallic BO