Introduction
Her Hyness may not yet have the global name recognition of heritage skincare houses, but within insider circles it has earned a reputation for formulas that read like a dermatologist’s wish list. The brand positions itself as a champion of science-meets-sensibility, and I have to admit there is something charming about the regal nod in its name.
The product at hand is the rather exuberantly titled Power Glow Pore Refine Cream. If the name alone suggests a superhero cape flapping in the cosmetic wind, the brand’s own description doubles down: a lightweight silicone-free gel cream that promises to brighten, fade dark spots and tighten the appearance of pores while remaining kind to even melasma-prone skin. With a cocktail of niacinamide, tranexamic acid, glutathione and a citrus boost, Her Hyness claims results that outpace hydroquinone yet sidestep its pitfalls. They also tout speedy statistics like pores looking 176% smaller within an hour and oil production plunging in record time.
Grand promises aside, I spent two full weeks using the cream morning and night to see if the hype translates to real-world skin. Here is what I found.
What is Power Glow Pore Refine Cream?
This product sits in the pore treatment category, a group of formulas designed to make enlarged pores look less obvious while keeping excess oil and debris from building up inside them. A good pore treatment usually does three things: balance sebum, calm potential inflammation and keep pigment from settling into old blemish marks that can exaggerate uneven texture. Power Glow Pore Refine Cream aims to tick all three boxes in a single step.
Technically it is a lightweight, silicone free gel cream that functions as a daily moisturizer. The texture is intentionally quick to absorb so it can be layered over serums without leaving a greasy film. The formula leans on 16 plant and lab derived brighteners that act on multiple points of the melanin pathway, plus a blend called Acnacidol that targets oil production and the bacteria linked to breakouts. It is also free of added fragrance and alcohol, two common irritants for reactive or melasma prone skin.
Key actives include niacinamide for tone evening, tranexamic acid for stubborn dark spots, glutathione to dial down dull yellow undertones and citrus sinensis fruit water for an antioxidant lift. Olive leaf extract lends further antioxidant support while the Acnacidol complex works on pore size, oil and inflammation almost immediately after application. Used morning and night in place of a standard moisturizer, it is positioned as an all rounder for anyone looking to brighten, smooth and mattify without the potential thinning or rebound pigmentation that can come with stronger depigmenting agents.
Did it work?
In the name of science I benched my usual pore treatment for three days before starting Power Glow Pore Refine Cream, feeling very much like a lab-coat-free researcher. Fourteen days felt like a fair window to see what this gel cream could really do, so I slotted it in after serum both morning and night and resisted the temptation to layer any other mattifiers or brightening masks.
The first few applications were a breeze. The gel slipped on, disappeared in under a minute and left a soft satiny finish that never fought with sunscreen or makeup. Right away I noticed a mild cooling effect and no hint of the tackiness some silicone-free formulas carry. By day three my T-zone stayed comfortably matte until lunch which, for my combination skin, counts as progress. Pore visibility, however, looked about the same unless I squinted under bathroom lighting and convinced myself of a slight blur.
Midway through the test period I began checking in with my magnifying mirror each night. Oil control remained consistent but not dramatic; the afternoon glossy breakthrough still arrived, just a little later than usual. I did see a faint uptick in overall brightness, especially around my cheeks where dullness likes to congregate. A newer post-blemish mark on my chin softened from a livid red-brown to a muted tea stain but older sun freckles held their ground.
By day fourteen the verdict was clear. My skin looked a notch fresher, felt balanced and never once stung or flushed. Pores were marginally less obvious in morning light yet returned to their normal size by evening. The cream excelled at being gentle, agreeable and subtly perfecting but it stopped short of delivering the “after” photo results the brand’s stats implied. I will be finishing the tube yet I will not be swapping it into my permanent collection, though I can see it shining for someone with mildly oily skin looking for a low-stress brightener.
Main ingredients explained
At first glance the INCI reads like a who’s who of brightening and barrier friendly agents. Niacinamide sits near the top at a generous concentration and is the multitasker responsible for dialing down redness, strengthening the skin barrier and nudging pigment clusters to disperse more evenly. Working alongside it is tranexamic acid, a dermatologist favorite for stubborn dark spots that performs best in daily leave-on products like this lightweight cream. Arbutin makes an appearance too; it converts into a gentler cousin of hydroquinone and further interrupts melanin formation, though anyone pregnant or nursing should run that by their doctor given the paucity of long-term data.
Brightening continues with citrus sinensis fruit water for a quick antioxidant hit and glutathione, a master antioxidant that also tempers the yellow-grey cast fatigue can leave behind. Hexylresorcinol and a vitamin C derivative (aminopropyl ascorbyl phosphate) round out the pigment team, each working at different points in the melanogenesis pathway so results appear more gradual than jarring.
Pore and oil control comes courtesy of the Acnacidol complex, essentially a trio of bio-derived acids (10-hydroxydecanoic, sebacic and 1,10-decanediol). Together they signal overactive sebaceous glands to ease up, inhibit C. acnes growth and soothe budding inflammation so breakouts are less likely to stage a coup. Salix alba bark extract adds a whisper of salicylate activity for gentle exfoliation while allantoin and dipotassium glycyrrhizinate keep irritation in check.
On the moisturising side you have squalane, sunflower seed oil and hydrogenated polydecene, all lightweight emollients that cushion skin without a heavy afterfeel. A heads-up for easily congested complexions: isodecyl neopentanoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride and dibutyl adipate have mild to moderate comedogenic potential which means they can occlude pores and trigger bumps if your skin is already prone to clogging. Counterbalancing that risk is the fast-absorbing gel base and the oil-balancing acids mentioned above, yet patch testing is still prudent.
The formula is fragrance and alcohol free which lowers the chance of stinging for sensitive or melasma-prone skin. It is not vegan or strictly vegetarian because royal jelly makes an appearance toward the end of the list. If bee-derived ingredients are off your personal menu you will want to skip this one. Aside from royal jelly there are no outright animal-based components and the majority of the actives are synthetically or plant derived.
Lastly, while the ingredient roster looks pregnancy friendly at face value (niacinamide and tranexamic acid are generally considered low risk), the inclusion of arbutin and the sheer number of bioactives warrant medical sign-off before use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. When in doubt park it on the shelf until you have your practitioner’s green light.
What I liked/didn’t like
Here is a quick rundown of the highlights and watchouts after two weeks of use.
What works well:
- Feather-light gel cream texture absorbs in seconds and leaves a softly matte finish that plays nicely with sunscreen and makeup
- Gentle blend of niacinamide, tranexamic acid and antioxidants brightens overall tone without any stinging or post-application redness
- Notable midday oil control for combination skin plus a gradual softening of fresh post-blemish marks
- Fragrance free formulation keeps irritation risk low for sensitive or melasma-prone complexions
What to consider:
- Pore tightening is subtle and temporary so results may underwhelm if that is your primary concern
- Progress on older sun spots is slow and may require pairing with stronger actives
- Contains a few mildly comedogenic emollients that could trigger bumps on very clog-prone skin
My final thoughts
Pore treatments can be a minefield of lofty promises and fleeting results so I always approach them like a skeptical friend who still hopes for the best. After two weeks with Power Glow Pore Refine Cream I can say it sits comfortably in the respectable middle ground. A 7.5 out of 10 feels fair: it brightened gently, kept midday shine in check and never once irritated my sometimes unpredictable skin, yet the “pore shrinking in one hour” fanfare translated to a brief morning blur rather than a transformative makeover. If your goals are moderate oil control and a slow but steady lift in overall radiance this will likely satisfy. Those chasing dramatic tightening or lightning fast pigment fading may want to layer in stronger actives or look elsewhere.
I would recommend it to friends with combination or slightly oily skin who value a fragrance free formula and have been burned by harsher brighteners in the past. I would not push it on someone dealing with deeply set sun spots, cystic breakouts or an urgent need for visible pore reduction because its improvements, though pleasant, are incremental. Compared with the many pore focused products I have tried over the years it earns points for comfort and ingredient breadth but loses some for the gap between claim and reality.
For anyone building a pore refining wardrobe, a few alternatives deserve mention. Poreless Perfection Serum by Deascal remains my top all rounder, balancing sebum and texture across skin types at a wallet friendly price. If you prefer the swipe-and-go simplicity of a liquid, Paula’s Choice Pore-Reducing Toner is a reliable pick that keeps shine down without stripping. On days when pores look particularly stubborn I lean on StriVectin’s Super Shrink Pore Minimizing Serum for a quicker visible effect. Finally, the Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-tight Toner from Glow Recipe offers a gentle daily exfoliation that pairs nicely with hydrating routines and keeps congestion at bay. I have rotated through each of these long enough to know they earn their keep.
Before you dive headfirst into any new formula remember a couple of housekeeping rules. Patch test on a quiet corner of your face first (sorry to sound like an over protective parent but it matters) and give the product at least a month before passing final judgment. Results from pore treatments are never permanent; consistency and sensible maintenance are what keep the gains alive. Happy refining.