I received Hope in a Jar Biome Balance Glow Serum by Philosophy, complimentary from Influenster and Philosophy, in exchange for my honest review. I used this serum for roughly 4 weeks in place of my HA (hyaluronic acid) and vitamin C serums.
This serum comes in a nice glass dropper bottle and is very watery-like in texture. It is advertised as, "an ultra-lightweight, hydrating facial serum that delivers powerful skin barrier protection, enhances radiance and improves skin texture. The serum is formulated with a prebiotic made from biotechnology to help balance a healthy microbiome and give skin a healthy glow". Contains; enhanced hyaluronic acid and AA2G™, a more stable and potent form of vitamin C (from Philosophy's website).
It’s super light and applies non-sticky and absorbs/dries fairly quickly. I love skincare, so I have many different products that I use different times of the day/week and I often have many steps to my skincare routine… But since I added this to my regimen, I replaced what I would normally use in its place. However, by adding this to my current regimen I did not notice any difference in my skin - no change in texture, etc. It is fair to add that I use high quality skincare products and take great care of my skin, in the first place.
Personally, I prefer my hyaluronic acid serums with a slightly higher viscosity as my skin is on the drier side and my regular one fits that bill. My skin seemed slightly drier and I felt at times I was using more product than necessary. I also moisturize on top of my serums. It’s also been extra dry this winter so, that’s also part of the culprit. This product did not irritate my skin as it’s very sensitive or break me out.
Anyone that prefers super light weight serums or anyone that is new to serums would likely fall in love with this. I’m also not against trying this whole line (or other products from the line) of “Hope in a Jar” as I only received one product from the line and I did like it but I don’t think I love it more than my current serum.
It’s also fair to note that hyaluronic acid is 3rd from the last ingredient (meaning it contains more of everything else) and my current serum contains 5 hyaluronic acid’s well before the 3rd from last ingredient. So, for the money of a hyaluronic acid this one is sort of pricey considering where the HA falls on the label, but I digress (And I know it’s more than a HA).
My biggest qualm, would be that this line or brand appears to be either not vegan or cruelty free. I'm working to transition my skincare and other products over to either vegan and if it can't be vegan, then it must be cruelty free. So, I would probably not purchase this in the future (that and I wasn't super impressed). I am not vegan, but I think that I can do my part, to at least use clean (when available and applicable to a product) and cruelty-free products. However, cruelty free is a must for me and if it's something that isn't a vegan item, I try to shop sustainably and humanely sourced (if possible and when that info is shared with the public). But, I didn't spend a load of time trying to figure this out. There is a statement on their website that states; philosophy is fully committed to using alternatives to animal testing to ensure the safety of our products. Please be assured that we do not perform, nor do we ever commission any third parties on our behalf to perform, animal testing on our products or ingredients except when required by law (this would mean that if they sell their products in China, they pay to have their products tested on animals in China). But a google search, showed that they are indeed not cruelty free. Take with it what you will. Sometimes, some of my most beloved products are not cruelty free and I'm slowly finding that out as time goes on... I'm still working on understanding all the in's and out's of this.
Overall, I would give this product 3 out of 5 stars. I docked a star for not being cruelty free (if anything it goes back down the chain to Coty, the umbrella that owns Philosophy, which is not cruelty free). And another star for the fact I did not see any change in my skin. If you would like to try this serum for yourself, let me know what you think and how it works for you! Hope in a Jar