Medicube

Medicube is a Korean brand that sits between skincare and at-home tech, and three things account for most of what people buy.

• The AGE-R Booster Pro X2, a handheld device used a few times a week
• The Collagen Night Wrapping Mask, an overnight mask you sleep in
• The Zero Pore range, built around toner pads for oily and congested skin

The rest of the range is organised into named lines rather than single products, so most people end up using two or three things from the same line.

Pick the line that matches your main concern, then take the toner or pad and the cream from it rather than mixing across lines.

• Zero Pore for oily skin, blackheads and visible pores
• PDRN Pink Collagen for firmness, plumpness and general anti-ageing
• Triple Collagen for a lighter, more hydrating version of the same idea
• Deep Vita C for dullness and a flat, tired-looking complexion
• Kojic Acid Turmeric for dark marks and uneven tone
• Azelaic Acid for redness and breakouts together

There is a lot of overlap between the lines, so there is no need to buy into more than one at a time.

It is a handheld device with several modes, used on clean skin for a few minutes at a time. The modes cover helping products sink in, gentle stimulation for firmness and a cooling setting for calming skin down.

Treat it as something that makes a good routine work a bit harder rather than a replacement for one. It will not do the job of a retinoid or an acid, and results depend on using it consistently over months rather than on any single session.

If you have a pacemaker or any implanted electrical device, are pregnant, or have had recent facial treatment or injectables, check with your doctor or your clinic before using it.

The pads are the easiest way into the brand and each one belongs to a different line.

• Zero Pore Pad 2.0 for oily and congested skin
• Zero Pore Pad Mild for the same job on skin that finds the original too much
• Kojic Turmeric Pad for dark marks and uneven tone
• Deep Vita C Pads for dullness
• PDRN Pink Collagen Toning Gel Toner Pad for a hydrating pad with no exfoliation

Start with one pad every other evening. Most of them exfoliate to some degree, so using two different pads in the same routine is the quickest way to end up with a sore, tight face.

PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide, a DNA fragment ingredient that came into skincare from clinic treatments. It runs through the whole PDRN Pink Collagen line here.

The honest position is that most of the published work behind PDRN is on injectable versions used in clinic, and that evidence does not transfer straight across to something you put on the surface of your skin. Applied topically it behaves as a hydrating and soothing ingredient, and the PDRN products here are pleasant, comfortable and good at making skin look plump.

Buy it because you like how it feels and how skin looks the next morning. If you want to change pigmentation, texture or lines over time, a retinoid, a vitamin C or an acid is still doing the heavy lifting.

Yes, and most people who buy Medicube here are doing exactly that. It mixes well because the two do different jobs.

• Keep your clinical serum as the active step, morning or night
• Use Medicube for the comfort steps around it, the toner, the cream and the overnight mask
• Keep exfoliating pads off the nights you use a retinoid or an acid

The one thing to watch is doubling up without noticing. Several Medicube lines contain their own actives, so check you are not running an acid pad, a retinoid and an acid cleanser in the same week.