Dr. Jekyll and Mr.–HIDE!!! W.Lab Tone Line Change Pack Review & Demo

W.Lab’s Tone Line Change Pack is like something out of a horror movie. Luring you in with promises of youth and beauty, it soon transforms your face into a grotesque distortion of yourself. The category of “monster” packs is something I’ve seen trending in the last year or so, but curiously W.Lab’s version (provided for consideration by Q-depot) appeared to be an innocuous wash-off mask. Was I in for a surprise!

Warning: Photos of shriveled, puckered, Quasimodo skin ahead.

Here’s a teaser…

I don’t need to tell you which side has the product on.

Let’s begin with the promises, i.e., the trail of crumbs leading into the oven. I was initially drawn to this mask because of its toning and V-line claims. Aaaah, that elusive V-line. As I get older, I see skin looking more slack and jowly. The tube also boasts of conditioning, balancing, relaxing, and moisturizing effects.

According to the product page on Q-depot, the star ingredients are 7 peptides, 62% rice bran water, grapefruit extract, and rosehip fruit oil.

Everything’s in Korean, so below are the ingredients typed out from the Hwahae app (mistakes are my own). Caution: Hwahae’s list seems inaccurate because it omits the peptides, but the CosDNA list isn’t necessarily better although it does list peptides at the end.

Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, Butylene Glycol, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Broussonetia Extract, Arbutin, Volcanic Ash, Niacinamide, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Magnolia Biondii Bark Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (White Tea Extract), Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Thujopsis Dolabrata Branch Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Volcanic Ash Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Lecithin, Olea Europaea (Olive Fruit) Oil, Squalane, Phytosterols.

I see in there a mix of moisturizing, brightening, clarifying, and exfoliating ingredients (acids!).

Directions: Apply a thick layer (as thick as a modeling mask or about 3-5 ml). Let dry for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off with lukewarm water.  Note: Some users peel it off instead, which I think you can do if the layer is thin and thoroughly dried.

W.Lab Tone Line Change Pack Before & After

The mask squeezes out as a thick, light brown gel. It stays wet enough to allow you to spread it around, but after a few minutes, the edges and thinnest areas of application begin to dry.

The cool/scary part begins to happen around 5-7 minutes in (depending on how thickly it’s applied). You can feel the mask shrink-wrapping your face, pulling this way and that and even lifting the skin upwards. The tightening power is so strong that it’s actually uncomfortable, and for a minute you fear your mother was right when she said your face would freeze that way. Very unnerving, especially for someone who tried this because she wanted fewer wrinkles and less sagging.

Once dry, the mask rinses off easily with water and some gentle rubbing (how annoying are masks that you have to scrub off?) and–THANKFULLY–the wrinkles disappear.

The results? The center of my hand looks smoother, brighter, and less dry.  The texture’s almost a little blurred compared to the rest of my hand.

Unfortunately, the results on my face are not as apparent–maybe because my face’s baseline condition is better than my hand’s to begin with. After trying it a few times on just half my face, I concluded that the results are very mild and not cumulative: skin feels slightly tighter and smoother right afterward, but skin isn’t lifted and jowls don’t diminish. I was also disappointed with the complete lack of brightening.

Do you see a difference?

As skincare, the mask was meh. As entertainment, it’s hypnotizing.

I really enjoyed freaking out you guys on Instagram. Maniacal laugh.

The mask is $21.04 for 70 ml/2.36 fl. oz. (pretty close to MSRP of 20,000 KRW). If you buy this, do it for entertainment value but not to fill a gap in your skincare wardrobe.

Pros: Amusing. Subtle pore-tightening and skin-smoothing effect. Low effort required (dries quickly and rinses off easily).

Cons: Scares the bejesus out of you if you don’t know what to expect. Effects are mild, and skin-lifting is only while the mask is on. Uncomfortable as it dries.

If you’re interested in other monster packs, also check out Tosowoong Monster Cocoon Pack or Skin1004 Zombie Pack.