Moisturizing is one of my favourite steps, and I have one too many moisturizers than I genuinely need (Don’t worry, I use and fashion them for multiple purposes and do not waste products). As far as I can remember, I have always moisturized my skin, before heading out in the day and before bed – a step my mother ensured I did each and every day. As a child, I had sensitive and dry skin, and I genuinely attribute my healthier skin today to all those years of taking care of it.
In India, when I was growing up, Neutrogena was one of the frontrunners in terms of skincare, and one of the few international brands that was easily available (Yes! I am old). However, Neutrogena back then was popular among those who had pimples and acne-prone skin, and for the longest time I always associated the brand with acne and never ever tried them out. Fast forward to 2019, Neutrogena – Hydro Boost | Water Gel was everywhere, it had won awards for being one of the best moisturizers available, and Nykaa was flooded with positive reviews! I wasn’t too quick to pick it up, but I had just discovered the benefits of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), and since I was done with my old moisturizer and was on the lookout for a light day time moisturizer, I went ahead and picked it up.
Neutrogena products are available in stores like Health & Glow and sells via online platforms like Nykaa, Flipkart and Amazon.
The moisturizer retails for INR 849 for a 50 gm jar.
I bought the product on Nykaa for full price but did receive the teeniest tiniest sample of Nivea Body Lotion free with it.
Neutrogena – #1 Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Brand
Neutrogena is a brand that needs no introduction and I do believe that each one of us would have come across Neutrogena at one point of time in our lives, it has worked wonders for some, and not so well for others. Honestly, you’d either find people who swear by the brand, or hate it completely.
The claim of being the “#1 Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Brand” is because of Neutrogena’s beginnings in the skincare industry and their highly active position on working and marketing with dermatologists over the years. You can go to any part of the globe and find that Neutrogena works very closely with dermatologists and pushes products through them, and this has been one of the main reasons they have received a bad rap with their customers.
Neutrogena has multiple product lines including skincare, body care and hair care, however, it is the skincare line that is available in India. One of their most popular products, and something I do like, is their sun protection range which include both chemical and physical sunscreens.
Neutrogena is not cruelty – free or Vegan, however, they do claim that they do not conduct animal testing in any part of the world, expect in rare situations where the Government or the Law requires it (read as China).
What’s in my product?
Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Glycerine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Dimethiconol, Sorbitan Olivate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Laureth – 7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerine, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum/Fragrance, C12-14 Pareth-12, CI 42090
Green - Yay!! Blue - Good/Fair Orange - Bleh! Red - Nope!
There are a few nuances that literally scream out at me when I see this ingredient list, and let’s dwell on that first –
1. Silicones – Let me first establish that I have nothing against silicones in skincare, and that is my personal opinion. However, I do not want to see silicones in the top 6 of any skincare product’s ingredient list – in this case, Dimethicone is the second ingredient, right after water, and the 4th ingredient is a silicone as well. The base of this moisturizer is mostly silicone, and I'm not too happy about that! The product is also loaded with various texture enhancers. The way this product is marketed makes me think of water and HA and - what I get is a silicone based moisturizer, which isn't bad, but is not what I was sold!
2. Molecular weight – In the previous blog we’ve spoken in depth about HA and how it’s a comparatively larger molecule and sits on the skin in most situations. However, HA can have low molecular weights as well that can potentially penetrate the skin. With regards to our product, low molecular weight HA could potentially help harmful ingredients like the fragrances and / or dye penetrate the skin deeper causing skin irritation.
As the brand mentions in the packaging, there are two key ingredients in this product, unfortunately they are also the only ingredients here that can help the skin -
1. Sodium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate is the INCI name for Hyaluronic Acid. HA is naturally present in our skin and is one of the best hydrators available to us. It has the ability to bind water 1,000 times its weight and can attract water from the atmosphere as well.
We’ve spoken in depth about HA in our blog “What’s on the Label | Hyaluronic Acid”.
2. Cetearyl Olivate & Sorbitan Olivate
Both of these ingredients are derivates of the fatty acids found in olive oil. Individually both of these ingredients act as good emulsifiers (help mix oils and water ingredients in a formulation), texture enhancer and slip agents (help increase the ability to spread a product).
When combined together they form a strong natural emulsifier that has been trade named Olivem 1000. Olivem 1000 acts as an active in a product formulation and has moisturizing, skin soothing and skin barrier repairing properties. In this product, the Antioxidant Olive Extract is the Olivem 1000 as the packaging has mentioned that it, “Helps to repair and reinforce the skin’s barrier”.
Olivem 1000 is considered to be safe for use and is non comedogenic. However, as always please do patch taste before using any product.
My thoughts on the product
I wanted to love this product, I really did! All my friends know how much I recommend trying HA, and I was really excited about this product. When I received this product and started using it, I was in love with the product and LOVED how it made my skin feel. As time passed however my opinions changed – Let’s find out why.
As usual let us break this down into packaging, touch & feel, how to use, changes noticed on using it for over a month.
1. Packaging
The outer packaging is a sturdy
cardboard box in the colours of the product line – shades of blue. The product I received was imported from Korea and the labelling is in both English and Korean, and some portions were even in Malay. The packaging includes information about the key actives, information about the product and its benefits, directions of use and import details.
The product comes in a transparent plastic blue jar with the inner smaller container visible and a silverish blue lid – honestly, it looks a little tacky and I particularly don’t like or hate it. The packaging is simple, with the product details in the front, benefits of the product highlighted at the back and label on the side highlighting the import details.
Ironically the label mentions that “For direction, caution and storage condition, please refer to the outer carton”. Aside from the fact that they could have just included it on the label to make everyone’s life simple, not too many people are going to save the box – What if I want to refer to the directions on a later date?
For those who have qualms about having to dip their fingers into the product multiple times, you would not be too happy with the product packaging. However, do keep in mind that manufacturers and brands understand the nuances of jar products without dispensers, and the products are formulated to tolerate exposure to air, sunlight to an extent and any microbes that might cause spoilage. If you still have issues, do get a spatula and that’ll be the end of your troubles.
2. Touch & Feel
The moisturizer has a beautiful gel texture that is so soft to touch, however, takes a few minutes for it to absorb into the skin while leaving a fine layer on top. This could work well under make-up, especially in winters and in cooler climates. In summers and humid climates, the moisturizer makes my skin feel stuffy under make-up.
It has a tinge of blue in it, and honestly looks nice, however, I prefer my skincare products without dyes.
I cannot exactly describe the scent, it does have a slight bit of a chemical-ly scent but is not unpleasant. I don’t mind this fragrance, but it goes without saying, I’d have preferred no fragrance at all.
A few light spots on this moisturizer is enough to cover the entire face and neck – a little goes a long long way.
3. How-to-Use
The general rule of thumb while using any skincare product is to go from thinnest to thickest in terms of consistence
The directions on the packaging recommends, “Apply every morning and evening after using clear lotion. Massage evenly over face and neck”
I like to use this in the day and prefer thicker moisturizers with key actives that can help repair my skin from the day’s damage at night. If my skin feels a little dry during the day, I re-apply it as necessary.
This can be combined with most products / key ingredients in your skin care routine and ideally should not cause reactions, however, always do a patch test before layering the product with other actives.
4. On using the product for over a month
I have normal to combination skin (oily T-Zone), my skin doesn't breakout very often, but I do get very painful deep-seated pimples during my time of the month. My skin concerns are mostly unevenness of skin tone, dark spots/moles on my face - I lost count of how many of those I have, whiteheads on the nose, appearance of fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes, and a small degree of sensitivity. My skin tolerates acids quite well, and I have not had any skin irritation or peeling even with higher concentrations of acids.
The product is targeted at normal to oily skin types and claims that it provides 48 Hours Hydration – as per a clinical study by Hilltop Research, 2014.
I have combination skin, so I fall under the category of “normal to oily skin”, and this definitely did not hydrate me for 48 hours – it couldn’t even hydrate me for 4 hours! – if you didn’t catch that from me needing to re-apply.
When I started using the product, I would reapply if I felt some dryness (usually around the jaw line), or use another moisturizer, and I genuinely liked it and even recommended it to a few friends.
However, after over a month of using it diligently, I started noticing that if I didn’t re-apply, there would be dry patches that would itch, turn red and be a reaction that looked like an insect or mosquito bite, usually along my jawline! Initially I blamed my skin, the change in weather, maybe I over-exfoliated - but the day I stopped using this, I never again had a reaction. After 2 weeks I gave it a shot, and lo-behold – the same reaction.
Since it’s summer now and a little humid, as well as the fact that my skin is doing quite well right now, I gave it a shot again as I wrote this review – unfortunately the same reaction.
I’ve stopped using it now and use it to hydrate my hands, elbows and feet before I go to bed – thankfully no reactions there.
Final Thoughts
I know this is a cult favourite and there are people who swear by this product, and it has won the “Nykaa Femina Beauty Award 2020” – it isn’t necessarily a “bad product”, but it is not the right product for me.
Overall Rating: 2.5 / 5
The product could work with oily skin types, however, do NOT think it would work for acne-prone skin, especially if your skin is sensitive.
Also, do NOT think this could be suitable for sensitive skin types.
Dry and Dry Combination skin types could use it, but the hydration might not be enough.
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The product review is my personal opinion on the product, and what I understand from articles available online. The overview on ingredients has been sourced from websites that specifically look to provide information on commonly used ingredients in skincare and make-up.
Wherever I have mentioned a specific fact or figure, these have been sourced from published Journals, Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. Information gathered from specific websites will be referenced as well.
I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim is to help people understand the various ingredients in their skincare and how those ingredients work, to help make intelligent purchase decisions with regards to skincare. If I have made any error or mistake, please do let me know, and we can work together to make the necessary changes.
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