Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel ($29.20, Amazon.com) claims to do everything from balancing oily/combination skin to providing antioxidant protection to reducing the size of pores (!). We’ll set the record straight here:
An effective, lightweight, hydrating moisturizer
As far as moisturizers go, Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel is indeed lightweight, absorbing into the skin quickly. It is really a clever moisturizer for oily skin, with tons of oils that are cleverly solubilized so they aren’t greasy.
For those of you who love science, I’ll break it down: the ester C12-15 alkyl benzoate acts as a solvent, solubilizing the other oils and silicones in the product. This makes the moisturizer is more of an emollient (softening the skin) than an occlusive agent (trapping moisture into the skin). Sorbitol stearate is also in high concentration, utilized to make this a “water-in-oil” (rather than “oil-in-water”) emulsion – again, better for oily skin than dry skin.
Pomegranate, Vitamins C and E: Low concentration
While Korres might have a reason for it, I wish the concentrations of pomegranate (Punica granatum), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and vitamin E (tocopherol, tocopherol acetate) were higher in Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel. While all loyal FutureDerm readers know vitamins C and E are network antioxidants that enhance the power of one another, it may also be useful to know that they have only been shown to boost UVA/UVB protection when used in concentrations of 15% and 1%, respectively (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2003). While vitamin E may be present in Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel as high or higher than 1%, vitamin C is certainly not this high.
As far as pomegranates go, they seem to increase the rate of cell turnover and preserve collagen function. I come to these conclusions from a 2005 study from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, in which it was found that pomegranate seed oil stimulates keratinocyte (skin cell) proliferation in cell culture. In the same study, it was concluded pomegranate seed oil inhibited MMPi function, which are enzymes that normally degrade collagen. Unfortunately, pomegranate is in such low concentration in Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel, it’s hard to know if it will have these cell-preserving effects.
If you are interested in the effects of pomegranate, it may be best to take a supplement instead: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled 2006 study in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, it was found that 100-200 mg/day of ellagic acid (a component of pomegranate extract) has an inhibitory effect on pigmentation in the human skin caused by UV irradiation. The effect is dose-dependent, as 100 mg/day resulted in an average 1.35% decrease in luminance to UV-exposed skin, and 200 mg/day resulted in a 1.73% decrease. When I go on vacation to a sunny locale, I often take GNC Pomegranate Capsules ($7.99), which are standardized to 40% of the active compound, ellagic acid, for an extra boost in sun protection.
Not likely to help with your pore size
There are two general classes of over-the-counter treatments that appear to reduce pore size: One, treatments that clean out the pores, leaving them slightly less “stretched” with debris. These ingredients include salicyclic acid, glycolic acid, and many gentle exfoliants.
Two, there are treatments that inflame the skin with alcohol, making the skin cells flare up. By contrast, the pore appears smaller, when in fact it hasn’t really changed size at all.
Then there’s Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Korres is claiming this moisturizer reduces pore size. It is a source of antioxidants and a very clever oily skin-friendly moisturizer, but do I see it reducing your pore size? No.
Bottom Line
Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel has one major strength: Delivering softening skin oils in a genius-esque solvent that leaves oily skin soft, not greasy. That’s a major plus. As an antioxidant treatment, I give it a B; it’s not bad, per se, but the concentrations of pomegranate and vitamin C could be considerably higher. And as a pore size reducer, I give it an F; I just don’t see it happening.
Bottom line: Great for oily skin, particularly in the winter. Product Rating: 7.5/10 (High or optimized concentration of proven effective ingredients: 2.5/3. Unique formulation or new technology: 3/3. Value for the money: 2/3. Sunscreen: 0/1).
Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream Gel Ingredients
Water (eau), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sorbitan Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sucrose Cocoate, Fragrance (parfum), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil Unsaponifiables, PEG-8, Punica Granatum Extract, Tocopherol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Citric Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid.
