Amore Pacific

If you're like me, you probably look at the price tag of Amore Pacific Time Response Pure Essence 100 Skin Renewal Serum and sloowwwly back away from the cosmetics counter. The spendy serum has a price tag of $500 for a one-ounce bottle. Yowza.

Fortunately, a story explains why the serum costs what it does—and consults experts to see if it's worth the cash. For instance:

Vegging out: More than 100 botanical ingredients fill every bottle. Yes, extracts of broccoli, grape and carrots may read more like a salad-bar menu than the components of an antiaging serum, but they help other active compounds penetrate the skin and counteract the effects of UV rays.
Expert opinion: [University of Alabama dermatology researcher] Santosh Katiyar supports using fruits and veggies on the face, but, he adds, they’re not exactly hard to come by and therefore shouldn’t be so costly.

Another dermatologist weighs in, too, and while both experts agree that the serum is a good one, the final consensus is that "the benefit of these ingredients doesn’t necessarily warrant the product’s cost." I can't say I'm surprised—what about you?

I have just discovered this amazing new brand of skin care called Amore Pacific. This ever popular brand in Asia has arrived in the U.S. with a bang. The signature ingredients are three Asian botanicals: pure homegrown Korean green tea, bamboo and red ginseng.

The secret behind the green tea is that it is specially grown for the company in farmland located at the foot of Halla Mountain on Jeju Island. It is there that fresh water and volcanic soils lie and the climate is ideal for the growth of the tea. The elements in the products reach the deepest layers of the skin and are intended to help increase the rate at which your cells reproduce themselves.

The Research and Development center at Amore Pacific is one of the largest in the world for cosmetics companies. They are constantly testing new Asian botanicals to help innovate the world of skin care.

Their most notable product is their Time Response Skin Renewal Creme, $400. This anti-aging therapy helps restore skin to its optimal youthful, hydrated and elastic state.

Although the products are rather costly, those who have tried them truly love them. They have also just opened up a beauty gallery and spa in downtown New York City where the treatments are inspired from five different Eastern traditional elements: water, metal, earth, fire, and tree. Sounds fabulous!