[ENG] Review: Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X – The Latest Generation of a K-Beauty Classic

This review contains PR samples° and affiliate links* The Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is one of the best-known K-beauty products globally, and it’s been renewed and reformulated numerous times. Five times, to be exact – and today’s review features a brand new, 5th generation version of this timeless anti aging classic!

I think the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule was one of the first K-beauty products I consciously noticed – this must have been years ago, maybe in 2015? It was in some magazine, where the ampoule was described as a dupe for the famous Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex serum. You know, that brown bottle with the definitely not cheap price tag?

Indeed, the two products share a few similar key ingredients, mainly a probiotic complex and plenty of juicy humectants. However, they still differ in many ways, and personally I prefer the Missha ampoule after having tried (and liked) both. The Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule remains one of the brand’s most widely recognised bestsellers, together with the equally well-known Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence.* As with most of the bestselling products from Missha, the brand updates the ampoule’s formula once in a while, sometimes even yearly, depending on what new technology or ingredient discoveries justify such an upgrade. Many larger name brands in Korea actually do this – Amore Pacific, for instance, is currently in the process of updating some of the bestselling products in their brand portfolio to integrate a new green tea probiotic complex that has been patented by the brand group. Their popular Innisfree Green Tea Probiotics Cream*, for instance, already uses this ingredient complex.

The Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is – as the name suggests – the fifth generation of their night ampoule, and the formula has been thoroughly updated, upgraded and perfected. For me, it is the first time using this K-beauty classic, and as you can probably guess, I have all sorts of feelings and thoughts around this anti aging megastar. So, onwards to the full review!

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X – the Basics

The first thing that strikes the eye when it comes to the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is, let’s face it, that gorgeous, metallic-purple packaging! The ampoule is made from solid glass and feels quite heavy, the deep purple outer shell protecting the serum inside from potential UV ray damage or contamination. The only slightly annoying thing about the gloriously fancy packaging is the fact that I can’t tell how much product is still in my bottle. I have heard that you can hold these types of dark glass bottles against a lamp light to see inside. I’ll have to try that out soon, because I have been using this ampoule quite a bit and need to be mentally prepared for when it runs out.

Now, the purple colouring wasn’t actually just picked because it looks cool: one of the ingredient complexes touted as the big new thing that warranted a reformulation are the so-called “5 purple energy components”, consisting of 5 purple vegetable and fruit extracts, namely plum, carrot (yes, purple carrots exist!), plum cabbage, eggplant, beetroot and blueberry. Red and purple vegetables and fruits are known to be especially high in antioxidants, protecting skin from premature aging and UV ray damage. But, truly, the star ingredient in the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is the “extreme biome” complex, a mix of 10 different probiotics, among them fermented pomegranate, acerola and good old bifida lysate, the “og” probiotic that all Missha Night Repair Ampoule versions are known for, as is the Esteé Lauder brown bottle serum.

Here is the full list of ingredients for the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X:

“Bifida Ferment Lysate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Betaine, Water, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Squalane, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Polyquaternium-51, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Lactococcus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Swiftlet Nest Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Tocopherol, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol.”

So, something that I think has to be made clear about Missha products is – they might not work for you if you are sensitive to fragrance or alcohol. Many Missha products are pretty strongly fragranced, and this ampoule is no exception. It contains fragrant essentials oils such as lavender, bergamot and orange oil, plus sandalwood and chamomile. Personally, I never had a bad skin reaction with a Missha product, but just be warned in case you are looking out for those types of potential triggers.

Apart from the already mentioned probiotics, fermented ingredients and fruit/veggie extracts, the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X also contains a nice little combo of hydrating humectants glycerin and hyaluronic acid, plus moisturising ingredients such as ceramides, sunflower seed oil and squalane. It is a richer ampoule meant for women 30+, so younger skin may find this a bit too much.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X – Worth the Hype?

I feel that hyped skincare products sometimes run into the misfortune of people expecting too much from them – personally, I don’t really expect miracles or drastic results from any product that isn’t, say, a retinol. Very often, differences in skin texture, tone or smoothness are subtle even with the most amazing of beauty gems, because honestly, skincare is all about patience and slow and steady results.

The reason I am prefacing my experiences with the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is that it could be one of those products that people will say “does nothing”, simply because they expect it to do everything, and with lightning speed too, hopefully changing skin to a flawless canvass within a week. And, well, this isn’t something this ampoule can do, mostly because no product can.

First, let’s discuss what probiotics can or can’t do. Mostly, they help balance out the skin’s microbiome, i.e. the sum of all microorganisms that happily live on your skin’s surface. Probiotics support the “good” bacteria, those little guys who help combat bad bacteria such as, say, acnes P. (responsible for acne), and they support the skin barrier in staying strong and supple. Are probiotics anti aging superstars? Eh, maybe that’s taking the marketing around them just a tad too far – they have the potential to keep your skin healthier and thus also smoother and firmer overall, but I personally don’t expect my wrinkles to magically disappear when using probiotic skincare.

What I did notice when using the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is that my skin always looks more radiant and more evened out – it doesn’t smooth out wrinkles as such, but seems to just help plump up my skin in a way that it appears less fatigued and not as sallow.

The Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X has a light gel texture and smells lightly of sandalwood, at least to my nose. I personally enjoy the scent and am very much loving the texture, which is pleasant to apply and fast-absorbing. This doesn’t have any sticky feel at all when massaged into skin!

All in all, I am really happy with what the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule has done for my skin so far in terms of smoothness and firming. It is also a lovely hydrating product that works great as an overnight treatment for most skin types. I do feel it’s best for more mature skin, though can also work if you are in your 30s and want to get started with anti aging. The antioxidant power of this ampoule is definitely impressive, and it will help keep your skin barrier strong and healthy (unless you have problems with essential oils and fragrance!).

To me, Missha remains one of the most underrated large name K-brands in the West – I once heard a (non-Korean) influencer in their 20s dismissively call them an “ajumma brand” (ajumma being the Korean name for “older woman” or “married woman”), meaning it’s for boring old women and not fun young guys advertising on YouTube, I guess?! See, this is one of those things I find problematic about the skincare community as a whole, the way we dismiss Korean skincare products aimed at women aged 30+ or even, gasp, 40+. I guess it’s because mostly younger influencers are famous for promoting skincare right now? Missha is a great brand, not just for “ajummas” like me, I promise, and their Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X has stood the test of time for very good reasons!

So, where can you buy the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X? You can find this ampoule at Yesstyle* for currently around 28$ for the 50ml glass bottle, at Stylevana* for currently 33$, or at Missha US for 43.20$. If you live in Central Europe, you can also purchase the ampoule at Kbeautyhouse,* a German shop (and official Missha distributor for Europe!), for currently 59,00€.

Let me know in the comments: Have you tried any Missha products yet? What’s your go-to anti-aging ampoule treatment?

Take care guys, and stay safe – don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest K-Beauty and skincare news, and check out my other work, e.g. my review of the Youth To The People Glow Dream Mask!

°PR Sample, kindly provided by a brand or shop – I am not obligated to write this blog article, was not paid for the article, and my opinions are entirely my own.
*Affiliate Links, meaning I earn a small commission if you decide to use the link to purchase an item. This does not raise the purchase price for you, and it helps me and my blog to grow – so, thank you for supporting me in this way!!!