Neutrogena Rapid Clear Daily Pads

Describe the brand in three words sentences.
Drugstore/Chemist. Affordable. Hit and miss. Neutrogena was one of my most-requested brands before I went to the US last month, so I picked up as much as I could.

Who is it for?
Combi/oily/acne skins.

What’s in it?
Water, Alcohol Denat. (38%), Salicylic Acid (2%), Butylene Glycol, PPG 5 Ceteth 20, C12 15 Alkyl Lactate, Cetyl Lactate, Cocamidopropyl PG Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, PEG/PPG 20/6 Dimethicone, Benzalkonium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance

What's not in it?
Menthol, camphor, acetate

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?
Alcohol, fragrance

Suitable for pregnancy?
Yes, unless you are specifically told to avoid salicylic by your individual doctor. A topical 2% over-the-counter solution is not going to cause you harm.

Natural? Organic? Man made? Vegan?
Man-made

Tested on animals in home country/EU/sold in territories that require testing?
Unknown but unlikely/No/Yes

How does it smell?
Like booze.

How do you use it?
Acid toner, after cleansing, pre-serums. I tend to wave them around in a vain attempt to get some of the alcohol to evaporate off before I apply.

Can it be taken around the eyes?
No need.

Best for winter or summer?
Either.

How long did I test it for?
I bought it in NY last month and have tested it on spots ever since.

How much is it? /Size/Approximate cost per usage?
$8.99 for 60.

Works well with?
Serums post-application.

What’s the website like?
Good. Informative and ingredients are listed. www.neutrogena.com

How’s the distribution? Available freely or limited?
Everywhere in the US, not available in the UK.

What’s good about it?
In isolated cases, these could be used topically on active breakouts to dry them out and kill off the bacteria in acne. However:

What’s not so good about it?
The alcohol content is high, in the same levels as Clinique's Clarifying Lotions, so the benefits of the salicylic are overshadowed by the possibility of them being too drying.
If you use these, I would keep them to zap spots, not to use all over the face up to three times a day as recommended by the brand. That's crazy talk. You would absolutely be over-exfoliating and it would in all likelihood, lead to milia and red cheeks.

Would I purchase/repurchase?
No, but then I don't need them. If I had active acne, I would consider them as an affordable spot treatment, but know that you would need something hydrating/moisturising after to counteract the alcohol.

Do you need it?
See above!

Similar products?
Nip + Fab Glycolic Extreme Pads
First Aid Beauty Radiance Facial Pads

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Daily Pads are $8.99 from Ulta.com











*This post contains some affiliate links. If you are happy to click on them and support the blog, thank you very much. If you would rather not, just google the product. It's all good. See my full disclaimer here: http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

COSRX One Step Pimple Clear Pad

Describe the brand in three words.

Korean. Affordable. Cute.

Snails

Who is it for?

Skins prone to breakouts, but everyone else too.

What’s in it?

Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine Salicylate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Arginine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil , Ethyl Hexanediol, Sodium Hydroxide

What's not in it? 

neat alcohol, witch hazel, vinegars

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?
essential oils, salicylic acid

Suitable for pregnancy?
Yes

Natural? Organic? Man made? Vegan?
Man made

Tested on animals in home country/EU/sold in territories that require testing?
Unknown/No/Unknown
*The brand is from the Far East, I don't know if they retail in China mainland (in bricks and mortar stores) or just if they're cross-border (products shipped into China via mail order are exempt from the animal testing)

How does it smell?
Like alcohol

How do you use it?
Acid toning stage. Post cleanser.

Can it be taken around the eyes?
Orbital bone only, I wouldn't go inside the circle.

Best for winter or summer?
Either

How long did I test it for?
About a month, on and off

How much is it? /Size/Approximate cost per usage?
It varies country to country. It's £14.00 for 70 pads on UK Amazon, but it's supposed to be much cheaper. Amazon are not an official retailer. Neither is eBay (obviously), so tread carefully. I got mine in NY.

Works well with?
All the usual post-acid products like serums/oils.

What’s the website like?
Korean. Basic translation is good though. cosrx.kr

How’s the distribution? Available freely or limited?
They need a UK distributor by the look of it. It all appears to be grey market.

What’s good about them?
Well when they're available, they're affordable, they work well, there are 70 pads per tub, they're extremely cute (not that that should matter at all), they work, they contain amino acids and salicylic acid, meaning they penetrate, help kill off the bacteria and then supply the area with amino acids - which are the building blocks of collagen.

What’s not so good about them?
It's not readily available, that's the only negative to be honest.

Would I purchase/repurchase?
Yes

Do you need it?
If it's readily available to you, yes, invest. If not, stick with affordable ones in your country.

Similar products?

First Aid Beauty Pads
Nip & Fab Extreme 
Clinique 1.0 

More information on COSRX One Step Pimple Clear Pads is available here: cosrx.kr
Come on UK people - get on the case!





*This post contains some affiliate links. If you are happy to click on them and support the blog, thank you very much. If you would rather not, just google the product. It's all good.
See my full disclaimer here: http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq
The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion vs Clarifying Lotion 1.0

There was a moment of panic earlier this year when Clinique very quietly stopped restocking Mild Clarifying Lotion, and equally quietly, slipped 1.0 Clarifying Lotion out with the standard 'we've just improved Mild Clarifying Lotion! This is an updated/cleaned-up version!'.

Let's be clear, the only thing these two products have in common is that they are both by Clinique and both called 'Clarifying Lotion'. They are completely different. It is not the case that Clinique have cleaned-up Mild and revamped it with 1.0, they've just deleted Mild Clarifying Lotion from their range and brought out 1.0 as a replacement, which is obviously their right to do, but it doesn't make much sense to me.

For ease of comparison I'll list things side by side with comments below each comparison:

Mild/1.0

Salicylic listed as fifth ingredient/ Salicylic listed as ninth ingredient

In the US, ingredients do not have to be listed in order of quantity in the product, in the EU, they do, so by this standard there is a lot less salicylic in 1.0 than there was in Mild, rendering this almost pointless for oilier skins looking for a glycolic-free acid to target spots.

Packaging

The packaging is see-through on Mild, and green coloured plastic on the new 1.0. This has eliminated the need for the synthetic colourings present in Mild. A good thing.

Ingredients

1.0 is in a witch hazel base, an improvement on the high amount of butylene glycol in Mild, but still seems to be a large amount for a product aimed at dry to very dry skin.

Listed for 'Delicate' skins/Listed for 'Very Dry to Dry'

I'm unsure why a dry to very dry skin would need salicylic acid. They'd be better off with lactic. This makes me think that the salicylic acid content in the new 1.0 is very low.

So how do they compare when used? 

Although the sting factor was very low on Mild - I mean you literally had to use it on an open spot to notice there was an acid present, there is absolutely no sting factor on 1.0. Which is great for you if you don't like a sting, and love Clinique toners. Sadly, this moves this product out of the realm of 'acid toners'.

Clinique are one of the few brands that have the means and resources to bring out proper acid toners, the current Clarifying Lotions have long needed revamping, they could remove the alcohol content and replace them with different acids suited to differing skin issues, instead of offering what are essentially 'traditional' toners graded from 'drying' to 'nail varnish remover' in the case of Clarifying Lotion 4. 

If you have combination skins and would like a toner with a little salicylic, this is for you.

If you are dry to very dry, which this is targeted towards, there are much better essences/toners out there for you. Witch hazel can be drying used at such a high percentage, and will surely cancel out the hyaluronic content.

Clinique have a lot of brilliant products. This is not one of them. 

Clinique 1.0 Clarifying Lotion is £26.50 for 400ml and available from all Clinique stockists. I would ask them if they still have Mild Clarifying Lotion in the stock room and buy that instead. And even better, if you can, buy it in the US. The exchange rate on this is unforgivable at £26.50 vs $24.00. Shocking. 

Clinique.co.uk

Clinique 1.0 Clarifying Lotion - Sephora

*Excuse the photographs of the ingredients. Not one site listed them, including Sephora.

**This post contains some affiliate links. If you are happy to click on the link and support this blog in that way, thank you very much. If you would prefer not to, just google the brand and the item, it's all cool. :) For absolute clarity: I do not use affiliate links on products belonging to brands that I work with on a professional basis. 

See my full disclaimer here:

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