Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence Review

Neutrogena Fine Fairness EssenceI had heard my cousin rave about  Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence for so long, that I just had to try it out. But wherever I went, I was told that this product was out of stock. I kept hunting for it every time I went shopping though. Somehow, the more this eluded me, the more I was convinced, that this was the dream cream for me. An SA told me that Neutrogena was revamping their products in India and it would take at least a month before I could get hold of this one. I gave her my number and asked her to call me whenever she had it. She eventually called, and I was happy to go and get it home.

What Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence Claims: Visibly reduces the appearance of sunspot and lightens overall complexion. A breakthrough formula, with ‘smart’ whitening mechanism is clinically proven to provide:

  • Fairer and more even toned complexion
  • Visibly more delicate and luminous texture

Price: Rs. 645 (Indian Rupees)for 30 ml. Ouch!

How to use Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence: Apply daily after cleansing and toning. You may experience a mild tingling or redness. This is normal and temporary.

Special Ingredients: Retinol and Vitamin C

Retinol is a form of Vitamin A known to combat signs of aging such as age spots, skin dullness, fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C is also known to be against skin aging and useful in skin rejuvenation.

Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence, is a light yellow colored cream, well, not really a cream. It’s not thick and creamy like a cream, and neither is it a liquid. It’s something in between a cream and a lotion. I don’t know how else to put this. It’s lightweight and easily absorbed into the skin. It is easy to spread and very little is required to cover your entire face and neck. I couldn’t detect any distinct smell, so I guess this is not perfumed at all, which I like. I do not prefer heavily perfumed creams as they tend to irritate my skin. It smells more like a prescription ointment. It comes in a hygienic, easy to use tube.

Neutrogena Fine Fairness EssenceIn the initial days off use, I had a mild stinging sensation on my face. But the pack instructions do mention this might happen and that it is normal and temporary. So I ignored it, and the stinging stopped in a few days time. As the days passed, I could see my skin looked brighter. A kind of well rested look. It definitely added some glow to my skin and my skin tone seemed more even. My skin was also a lot smoother and fresh looking. All credit to the Vitamin C, I guess.

This formula makes my skin a wee bit shiny, as in oily. I don’t know the reason for this, as retinol is actually known to cause dryness. Come to think of it, this formula is not greasy as soon as you apply it. But the next morning, I could see some shine on my face. Every time I start to use a new product, I immediately start praying that I don’t see any of those dreaded zits the next morning. I however had no breakouts even after a fortnight of using this fairness essence. It not only did not break me out, I had a feeling this was the reason I wasn’t getting any new ones. I get one or two occasional pimples around that time of the month and this time I didn’t. I also noticed that it faded one or two tiny marks from a few zits I previously had. So far so good. I believe this might work well for those with pigmentation on their skin.

In my opinion this would work fine for most complexions. For those with dry skin, it may further dry the skin as it contains Retinol. This product however does not seem to contain a dose of retinol high enough to cause too much irritation or flaking. This maybe a good idea to use if you want to prepare your skin for a higher dose of retinol later on. People with dry skin, however, would not find it moisturizing enough and would still have to use a moisturizer along with this. I needed a moisturizer around my mouth and cheeks as I have combination skin.

Neutrogena Fine Fairness EssenceAlso I only use this cream in the night as it contains retinol which makes the skin prone to sunburns and tanning. Sunscreen is a must. All in all I would say this was not bad at. Although it lives up to its claims of a more even skin tone and reducing spots, and yes, also a more luminous texture, it did nothing much for me with regard to the fairness even after continued use. This is not for you, if you are looking for a whitening product.

Will I buy this again? Maybe or maybe not. I am confused on this one. This did not render much fairness, but is good as an overall night cream, until my skin gets used to the retinol and I can switch to a stronger concentration. On second thoughts, maybe I was not completely satisfied with this product because I had very high expectations to begin with. Also because this is a bit pricey, I would like to explore other retinol products in the market before I settle for this one.

IMBB RECOMMENDS

40 thoughts on “Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence Review

  1. I agree with Rati.. Fairness is comparative and not a requirement for having beautiful skin..

    The product sounds good… I am yet to try any Neutrogena product…

    I judge any new line of skin care products by their face wash… I’ll try the face wash and if it works for me, only then i’ll invest further… 🙂

    I also got many reccos for their sunscreen… Gotta try the cleanser first…

    But thanks Smita, your words have encouraged me to try NEutrogena.. 😀

  2. Thank you Anamika 🙂 I’ve used fair and lovely in college too as I guess most of us have. However I have since realised the blunder in using these and now focus on skin care which I must say has done a lot for me. I do however use anti tan packs and home recipes since my skin tans very easily.
    Neutrogena Fine fairness however, despite the name is not a fairness cream according to me.

    Rati, You are right..in fact it was my hubby who made me realise this….

    Mrunmayee..fairness is certainly not a pre requisite to beautiful skin. I have tried Neutrogena sunscreen( the older version) and it leaves a whitish film on the face.

  3. Oh no offence dear.. I just meant that many girls go for the fairness creams which do nothing for their skin..

    I am glad This product is not a fairness cream… 🙂

  4. Nowadays, wherever I turn, Neutrogena is all I see 🙂

    Yet to try the brand.

    Good review Smita.

    Mrunmayee : cute logic of trying the face wash first.

    Rati : 100% with you on the fairness part. dusky is sesky too 😛

    Ok that was just for the rhyming effect. Dusky is sexy too 🙂

  5. Oh no Anamika …I didn’t mean to take offence. Actually I too have tried fairness creams which did nothing for me in the past…but the main reason was that after my first child my complexion somehow became 2-3 darker. So my aim is just to get back to the earlier skin tone…which is not happening somehow:(

    1. Hey, I have heard of this condition – it is called the pregnancy mask. I think. Refer to a derm. I think they should be able to help you. 🙂

  6. When I went to India in March, this cream was advertised everywhere!

    I only tried the facial cleanser which I love! I wish I bought more ’cause it helped regulate my skin and I rarely get spots and pimples now.

    xx

  7. My best friend who has a dusky complexion tries every single fairness cream available in the market. 😛 I actually don’t mind that because she enjoys it that way and I kind of keep taking reviews on her about her latest fainess creams. lol!!

    And no Smita, none of us mean any offense to you. It’s just our opinion and you may choose to completely join my best friend who thinks fair is beautiful he he. You are a lovely person and we are so glad to have you here.

    Try kesar + raw milk every morning . Might help. 🙂

    1. Nice review….

      Even I’m obsessed with fairness even though my complexion is towards the fairer side. I always fall for the fairness creams, not for fairness but to lighten my blemishes (guess that’s the best experiment one can perform, not the entire face just one of the affected areas). My room-mate feels that I’m reason why these advertising industry is making money. I fall for every new nicely packaged appealing product in the market.

      Infact because of my work, I had to be in the sun all the time…so my complexion hit an all time low. I was now dark. Imagine the amount of tan. I could actually appear in a before and after advertisement. I could look at myself in the mirror. Slowly and gradually as the tan began to fade, people were like the tan is suiting you. I was like but it’s not suiting my eyes. Damn, I can’t look at myself in the mirror and on top of that I couldn’t do without kajal. Imagine what I went through…

      I should have applied some fairness creams…I don’t know what was I thinking. May be I was too depressed to think about that and was hoping to see the light of the day someday.

  8. Rati, actually, my opinion is that fair or dusky you have to be comfortable with it. And since my skin is darker now than it has been my whole life, I am not able to get used to this yet.

  9. whoa ! Fairness seems to be such a big issue 😀
    Even em dusky too ! but I like it this way .. I aim for even , blemish free skin . I tried various product like Ponds “Flawless white” ,Loreal’s “white Perfect” .. Again with the sole intention of evening out my skin tone .. I have tan lines on my forehead and some tanning aroun my chin .. buh alas they were of not much help . I have only seen some temporary brightening effect .. nothing more 🙁
    I may give anti-tan packs a try cz I tan very VERY easily 😀
    btw Thanks for the review Smita 🙂

  10. Wanderlust..Glad you liked the review…. I think this improves your skin texture coz of the retinol…There are other retinol products in the market which aren’t so pricey…

  11. Woah! As soon as I see words verging on debate about fairness n dusky, it sorts of put me off.

    Good review Smita! I think by how u described it, it is a serum. I also have the same prob with melasma. I think I’ll try this coz I need to get a new whitening serum…I see a dark shape on my forehead just waiting for a chance to rise for all the world to see 😀

    ♥xx♥

  12. Cynthia..Glad you like the review…yes it is actually a serum and I think it should work well in your case too..:)

  13. All my life i heard how my fair complexion so unnatrural and i have some dieseas. i am not an albino but normal indian creamy skin….people will make you belive you are not pretty no matter what you are ..fat or thin…dusky or cream….so be proud of your complexion no matter what ever it is… even i am happy with my cream and rose complexion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *