Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent

10 Reviews

1. 

   wrathfulCurlew2

   Reply

   I love salicylic acid as an ingredient, it’s a staple in my skincare regime (PC 2% BHA, Privashave, Neutrogena Clear Body Wash etc) and like their body wash, Neutrogena’s ‘Oil Eliminating Astringent’ also contains 2% salicylic which is an optimal concentration to get into pores and clear them out of any pore-clogging debris. However where this formula goes wrong is its alcohol content…it’s almost 50% pure alcohol! No amount of soothing anti-irritant Chamomile extract in this formulation can make up for that much alcohol! I discovered this on my very first attempt. Yes the cotton pad removed gunk I didn’t even know it was possible to have on ones face but at the same time it stung quite badly. perhaps it was taking some of my epidermis with it…who knows? What I do know is that by the next morning instead of my oily t-zone being any more matte than usual it was actually oilier! Many a time I’ve read that harsh cleansing and toning products cause the sebaceous glands to go into overdrive. They sure weren’t kidding!

   Did it help with acne? Yes. If something this strong won’t ‘zap’ any blemishes overnight (in my case a bump on my forehead) then believe me nothing will. So in that respect it absolutely helps dry up acne but at short-term and long term costs. Short term in my case being increased oil production and long term being alcohol especially in this kind of concentration is NOT good for your skin at all. It won’t manifest straight away but after years of using anything so high in alcohol your skin will start to show the effects. This is why back in the early 2000’s after being ‘prescribed’ Clarifying lotion No.4 at the Clinique counter to help reduce my acne and oiliness, I did some research and decided to ditch it altogether. Even now I’d much prefer to spot-treat my now mostly hormonal acne and blot the oiliness than to deal with premature aging further down the line…

   Selena x

   ~ My HG list ~

   (As I’ve sampled 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff – usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora)

   1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Hair Oil
   2. Lip Balm: ‘Nuxe’ – Reve De Miel Lip Balm
   3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Facial Treatment Serum
   4. Cleanser: ‘Paula’s Choice’ – Skin Balancing Cleanser
   5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ – Studio Finish Concealer
   6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Divinelash
   7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ – Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
   8. Foot File/Callus/Heel Treatment – ‘Microplane’ – Colossal Pedicure Rasp Foot File
   9. Ingrown Hair Treatment – ‘Priva Shave’ – Post Hair Removal Treatment
   10. Hand Cream: ‘Origins’ – Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

2. 

   amusedApples2

   Reply

   I literally looked up reviews on this product because I was afraid that something was wrong with the one I bought. When I put it on I thought it smelled like pine sol and pee so I got really nervous thinking that some weirdo had tampered with it at the store!!! Relieved that everyone else says it smells weird too yikes. Works fine though haha

3. 

   crushedWildfowl5

   Reply

   Lol at the comment before this! I got a kick out of all the similes used to describe this product 🙂 yes it does smell strongly of alcohol. The scent can be overwhelmingly powerful. But the actual performance of this product is awesome. The trick is to not use too much or it can burn the skin. It will take off a layer of skin if used incorrectly.

   I’ve been using it for years and just love it. It really clears the skin. My acne is pretty much under control now but I still use this astringent to spot treat any pimples followed by 10% benzoyl peroxide. Highly effective routine. I always have a bottle of this in my bathroom. My husband loves it too and uses it all over his face every night to clean off the dirt, sweat and pollution from the day. I think male skin is tougher and can tolerate this in larger amounts.

4. 

   mildFlamingo5

   Reply

   Imagine spilling a vindaloo curry and 5 beers on yourself, not bathing for 3 days then sniffing your armpits. Welcome to eau de Astringent Neutrogena! The alcoholic stench of this product is so strong that for 3 days it was like I had a new superpower. It overwhelmed everything on me, everything I touched, it even affected my breathing and I don’t have asthma. I would summarize this as undiluted Listerine mouthwash for your face.

   Instead of clearing the few spots I had it looks like it tried to burn them to death. The marks left are much darker than if I’d just left the spots to heal by themselves.

   The plus was that after trying it for 3 days it didn’t dry out my already dry skin, instead it made my face feel slightly sticky and my toilet was spotless.

   Threw it out and have gone back to using Dr Bronner’s peppermint castle liquid soap which works faster, better at clearing my random spots without the awful stench or dark marks.

5. 

   pluckyGranola4

   Reply

   This stung my face quite a bit, and I think it did more harm than good by drying out my skin. I prefer the alcohol free stridex pads to this.

6. 

   hushedHyena7

   Reply

   To be honest I needed to post how impressed I am by this product. I didnt expect much but it reeeeally cleared my skin and now I only have one bump, which is amazing due to the fact that I have oily skin with small acne, i really recommend this. My only con would be the smell, its really strong and makes my eyes a little watery!

7. 

   crummyLeopard4

   Reply

   I just went through an entire bottle of this product, and I do not like what it did to my skin. I have really oily skin, and I think this had a minor effect in terms of oil control, but it was not substantial. Beyond that, the alcohol content is so high that it is extremely harsh on the skin, and I think that this actually caused some minor breakouts and flaking of my skin in random areas, on top of the fact that it stings intensely. It definitely had no effect on my acne, and it definitely did not clear my pores or prevent them from getting clogged. Overall, I think my skin actually looks worse after having used this product very consistently over several months.

8. 

   wornoutLollies1

   Reply

   This tone is OK. Quite similar to C&C toner as well. This did not help my pores though. I would consider repurchasing it if my skin becomes super oily but right now my skin is combination so I do not use this type of strong toner anymore.

9. 

   puzzledGarlic0

   Reply

   This is the only toner that ALWAYS clears my face up. Always. It is strong and it can dry your face out unless you have super oily skin or acne–I wouldn’t recommend it. If you have oily skin–this might be for you. It gets EVERY THING OFF your face. And it does help keep your oils under control a bit better… I do wish there was more witch hazel tho…and I wish that my Walmart didnt let it run out so often. Other then that–this is the beat toner I ve ever used!! It beats all the other HE toners and “lotions”(clinique and shiseido call their toners a lotion) that I have used. The only toner I like better is my Shiseido Benefique Lotion I , but that stuff is $40 a bottle….so when I can’t afford that or its not available, this works very well for my skin 🙂

10. 

    spiritedLion5

    Reply

    This product is way too strong for me. However, it’s possible that I got a manufacturer mistake. My sister had used the product before, and when she tried mine, said that it was ridiculously strong.

    Though it did a great job of cutting the oil and making my face feel clean, it stung on any open wounds on my face. I’m pretty certain it made my acne worse, too.

    Also, I accidentally spilled some of it on top of my dresser and didn’t realize it until a while later. It had soften the paint everywhere it touched, and had actually eaten through two layers of paint in some places.