Review | A’Pieu Aqua Peeling Mild Type Swab

In today’s post I will be sharing my thoughts on the A’pieu Aqua Peeling Mild Type Swab. I got two swabs as a free gift from A’pieu after an in-store purchase of another product.

Ingredients

Water, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Glycolic Acid, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Salicylic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance.

Scent: The swab has a very subtle citrus scent that is almost undetectable.

Texture of Essence: Thin and a little sticky

Appearance & Texture of Cotton Swab: The swab is massive compared to regular ones. The texture is a little rough if I rub too hard so have to be gentle.

First Use Experience

Before using the swab for the first time I could feels some roughness on my face that needed smoothing so thought it would be the perfect time to use this.

When I opened the packet the stick was not wet/slippery and the cotton swab was not dripping. There wasn’t any extra essence in the sachet either, just everything soaked into the swab.

While gently rolling the swab around on my skin, it felt quite cool and fresh. I focused mainly on my nose, chin and any other areas of roughness. I also noticed that it didn’t tingle probably as it’s only 1% AHA and even less BHA, but it did still sting on pimples which is expected as it is a chemical exfoliant and shouldn’t actually be used on open pimple sores no matter the concentration.

After using the swab my skin felt smooth and soft with no redness but there was a sticky residue. After a few hours of using this, my T-zone started looking a bit oily, and the next morning I noticed my skin was soft and bright bit T-zone was still oilier than usual and I also got tiny whiteheads on my upper lip, cheek, forehead and nose. My skin tends to breakout with tiny whiteheads either as a purge from active ingredients or as a reaction to some essential oils, and this product contains both.

Second Use Experience

I tried it again two days later. This time, there was a little extra in the sachet but I might have actually squeezed the packet when closed, which could have caused this. It stung over pimples again as expected of an AHA but it was bearable. the essence absorbed quickly into the skin and was slightly sticky but not as much as the first time I used it. My face felt soft, my pores didn’t feel clogged and no whiteheads emerged this time, so the first use may have just been an initial purge.

Will I Repurchase? Probably not, although it seems decent to take on trips, it also seems a bit gimmicky. I prefer using regular cotton rounds. I find it a bit odd prodding/ wiping this oversized swab on my face as it’s not something I’m used to and doesn’t seem necessary. I could just use any clean biodegradable cotton swab with any AHA/ BHA I like for precision spot treating in the same way or just use a regular cotton round. Luckily I got these as a free gift, but I know now that it’s not something I would buy myself.