IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum (Expert RX 1%) Review: How Strong Is It?

The IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum showed up in three Korean YouTube videos in the last 30 days. None of them was marked as paid promotion. It is a retinol serum from Amorepacific’s IOPE line, sold abroad as the IOPE Expert Retinol RX 1% Super Bounce Serum. One creator who can’t tolerate most retinol products says she uses it. Another reviewer calls it a safe first step into big-company retinol, then warns about the price. I checked what they said against the Korean label, and the numbers on the label are smaller than the name suggests.

Here’s how I found it. I looked at Korean YouTube videos from the last 30 days that weren’t marked as sponsored and counted which products came up across different channels. The search collected 265 videos from 202 channels, and 185 of those videos, from 159 channels, carried no sponsorship mark. Three channels named this serum. Two spent real time on it, and the third listed it among its picks.

What three creators said about it

Creator	Where it comes up	Their take	Skin context
You need 윤이든 (Yoon-eden), 215K subscribers	Skin barrier care picks, 8:18	Uses it lately and says it caused no irritation	Skin that reacts to most retinol products
피부결 (Pibugyeol), 81K	Ten retinol and retinal products compared, 12:16	Well balanced, but pricey; a low-irritation way to try retinol	Beginners worried about irritation
김부장 김캡틴 (Captain Kim), 8K	Olive Young and Daiso routine, product list	Lists the serum at 33,000 won	40s and up

Yoon-eden says her videos carry no paid ads, and her description marks several other products as gifts but not this one. Pibugyeol says he bought all ten products himself. Captain Kim’s video isn’t marked as sponsored, and the serum line carries no gift tag.

Yoon-eden: no irritation, smoother skin the next day

Yoon-eden is the clearest fan. She says the serum isn’t really a barrier product, but she brought it because she has used it a lot lately. She reacts badly to most retinol products, yet she says this one stung not at all. In her telling, her skin looked plumper and less slack the next morning, and her bumpy texture felt smoother after regular use. She describes it as a light, moisturizing serum, not a heavy one. Because the retinol level isn’t high, she suggests it for retinol beginners too.

Pibugyeol: well built, but the price stings

Pibugyeol gives the most detail. He tested ten retinol and retinal products and IOPE was one of six retinol picks. He says the front label makes a big claim, but the pure retinol in the ingredient list is far smaller. In his reading, the formula balances actives and moisture well. He calls it a good pick for people who fear irritation from high-strength retinol. He notes a slight tingle on application. He links it to spicules, tiny particles that open small channels in the skin’s surface layer. His main complaint is cost. A 30 ml bottle runs a little over 50,000 won. He says it lasts about a month to a month and a half.

He also gives a practical tip. If the price is too much, he says you could mix it with a cheaper retinol product.

Captain Kim: a list mention, not a review

Captain Kim lists the serum in the video description with a price of 33,000 won at Olive Young. In the video itself, she talks mostly about IOPE’s retinol gel mask, which she says costs about 6,000 won a sheet. I couldn’t hear her say anything about the serum, so I count her as a mention, not a detailed recommendation.

Where they agree and where they differ

• Gentle for a retinol. Both detailed reviewers describe it as easy on skin that fears irritation.
• Texture. Yoon-eden calls it a light moisture serum. Pibugyeol calls the feel cream-like, close to Dr.G’s but less sticky, and says it takes a while to sink in.
• Value. Yoon-eden doesn’t mention cost. Pibugyeol calls it an expense you’d feel every three months.

Comments under these videos don’t say much about this serum. Under Pibugyeol’s video, most viewers asked about starting strength and how to layer retinol with other products.

What the label of the IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum shows

The ingredient list comes from the Olive Young Korea product information disclosure, matched to English names with the MFDS ingredient database. The 20 ml and 30 ml listings carry the same 46 ingredients.

The retinol amount

The disclosure ends with a note: retinol content 509 IU/g. One IU of retinol equals 0.3 micrograms, according to NIH. That makes 509 IU/g about 153 micrograms per gram, or roughly 0.015%.

The Olive Young listing for the 30 ml bottle calls it “Retinol 4X 1%,” and IOPE’s global page says “Retinol RX 1%.” The label doesn’t say what that 1% measures. It reads like the name of a proprietary system, not 1% pure retinol. Pibugyeol makes the same point. His auto-captions put the pure retinol at 880 IU, about 0.026%, which doesn’t match the 509 IU/g I found. Auto-captions garble numbers, and I can’t tell whether he read an older pack. Either figure is far from 1%.

Some context for 0.015%. Pibugyeol cites about 0.075% as the line Korea uses for wrinkle-care retinol. The MFDS restriction data lists the EU limit for face leave-on products at 0.3% retinol equivalents. So this serum sits well below both, which fits the “easy first retinol” talk.

A second retinoid and the supporting cast

• Hydroxypinacolone retinoate (a retinol ester, often shortened to HPR) is 32nd. Retinol is 34th. The label gives no amount for either.
• Texture clues: squalane is 3rd, methyl trimethicone 4th, glycerin 5th and shea butter 11th, with fatty alcohol and sunflower seed oil after. That is a creamy emulsion, which fits Pibugyeol’s cream-like feel more than Yoon-eden’s “light” one.
• Calming and brightening extras: madecassoside is 31st, and kojyl methylenedioxycinnamate (27th) has a name that points to kojic acid. Trehalose and beta-carotene sit near the retinol.
• Peptides: acetyl tetrapeptide-11, decapeptide-4 and a rice-made EGF-like peptide come last, so expect small amounts.
• No fragrance, essential oils or ethanol appear on the list. BHT and tocopherol are there to protect the retinol.

Pibugyeol says the tingle comes from spicules. The disclosure doesn’t name any spicule ingredient, so I couldn’t confirm that part.

The MFDS functional cosmetics data has a report for this serum, filed on February 16, 2023. It lists the claims “helps improve wrinkles” and “helps brighten skin” (MFDS data). The Olive Young notice also marks it as reviewed or reported as a functional cosmetic. Neither source says which ingredient carries those claims, and I wouldn’t read the claims as proof of results.

The usage notes say to pump once or twice, morning or night, and to wear sunscreen in the morning. They also warn that retinol can darken the product’s color or change its smell, and to store it away from heat and sunlight. If you are pregnant, nursing or have sensitive skin, check with a dermatologist before starting any retinoid.

IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum price: Korea vs overseas

Where	What you get	Price	Rating
Olive Young Korea	30 ml plus a 10 ml serum and a 48 ml bio essence	50,000 won list (about US$37.73), 42,500 won on sale (about US$32.07)	4.9 from 16,158 reviews
Olive Young Korea	20 ml plus 15 ml extra	33,000 won list (about US$24.90), 25,800 won on sale (about US$19.47)	4.8 from 11,142 reviews
IOPE Global (Amoremall)	30 ml, with free sample gifts	US$50.00	11 reviews

I checked the prices on October 27, 2026, and converted with the ECB reference rate of 1,325.28 won per dollar from October 26. Korea’s list prices work out to about 1,667 won per ml for 30 ml and 1,650 for 20 ml. The global price is about a third above Korea’s list price and more than half above the sale price. A US retailer, Big Apple Buddy, lists the serum at US$49.00, but its page doesn’t state the size. I couldn’t find an Olive Young Global listing for it.

Who it is likely to suit

Here is what the creators say. Yoon-eden uses it with skin that usually rejects retinol, and Pibugyeol points it at people who fear irritation. Pibugyeol also advises pairing any retinol with a ceramide or hyaluronic moisturizer.

Here is my reading of the label. At about 0.015% retinol plus HPR, this is a low-dose, cream-textured serum, not a strong one. That may suit a first retinol or a sensitive routine. It may feel too weak if you want fast results. Pibugyeol notes that retinal acts faster than retinol at the same strength. Retinol users often add a barrier cream, so see my notes on Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream and the Cicaplast Balm. For background on ceramides, read the ceramide skincare guide.

Some links on Haamoni may be affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post is not medical advice.

Sources

• You need 윤이든 (Yoon-eden), skin barrier care picks for the changing season, uploaded 2026-10-10
• 피부결 (Pibugyeol), review of ten retinol and retinal products bought with his own money, uploaded 2026-10-08
• 김부장 김캡틴 (Captain Kim), 40s routine with Daiso and Olive Young products, uploaded 2026-10-02
• Olive Young Korea, IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum 30 ml set, product information disclosure (checked 2026-10-27)
• Olive Young Korea, IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum 20 ml set (checked 2026-10-27)
• IOPE Global (Amoremall), Retinol Super Bounce Serum RX 1% product page (checked 2026-10-27)
• Big Apple Buddy, IOPE Expert Retinol RX 1% Super Bounce Serum (checked 2026-10-27)
• MFDS cosmetic ingredient database and restricted ingredient data (data.go.kr)
• MFDS functional cosmetics report data, IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum (data.go.kr)
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A fact sheet (IU to microgram conversion)
• YouTube Data API v3, Korean beauty videos from the last 30 days (collected 2026-10-27)
• Frankfurter (ECB reference rate), USD/KRW on 2026-10-26