Hey Everyone!
Today, I have a review on Loreal’s Hydrafresh Anti-Shine Icy Gel, a mattifying and hydrating moisturizer. Now, while I wanted to love this product very much, I learned a lesson the hard way about reading the ingredients on products. Read on to find out what I went through while using this product.
What does it do: “Hydrates skin, mattifies, and tightens pores. It makes your skin feel fresh, supple, comfortable, softer and more radiant”
How much: Php 395
Instructions: Apply on clean skin as a regular moisturizer
Amount: 50ml
I have to admit, the beautiful cool color of this is what first caught my eye. I was also very interested by the whole “Icy Gel” thing and decided to give this a try. The texture was a creamy-gel consistency with a hint of that beautiful sea green color. The scent of this product was very minty and relaxing, though personally not something I was comfortable smelling on my face.
Once applied, the product gives a cooling feeling to the face – which is why it’s an “icy gel”. It dries to a matte finish very quickly, and leaves no sticky feeling to the skin. My skin looked a bit brighter and definitely felt refreshed after using.
Now, I have combination skin. This means I’m oily on my T-zone and dry (not to the point of flaking tho) on other areas of my face. For the first few days, everything was fine and I noticed no breakouts. However, after a while I started noticing that I was starting to have trouble rubbing my sunscreen and foundation into my skin. My skin was so devoid of moisture that the products wouldn’t glide on. I ignored it, thinking that it was due to the whole matte finish of the product.
But within two weeks my cheeks were so dry, they were flaking and itchy. I had bumps that I initially thought were breakouts, butsoon realized were like a rash.
I started to wonder why. I do not have sensitive skin and have used L’oreal products before so I was really surprised with what was happening. Then, I finally decided to read the ingredients – something I should’ve done before even buying the product. It was then that I saw that this product contains salicylic acid.
Salicylic acid is great for drying out acne. The thing is, I didn’t have acne (at that time) and I was using it all over my face. I immediately stopped using it and switched back to my usual Olay. My skin eased up a bit but remained very itchy, dry and covered in bumps. I put up with this for another couple of weeks before I finally visited the dermatologist and she told me that my skin had basically been burned by the salicylic acid.
That said, I am not saying that this is a bad product. I think this would actually be great for those with oily and acne prone skin. But for those with skin like mine, and especially those with dry skin – please use with caution to avoid going through what I did. Maybe only use it if you’re having a breakout, but not for long term use.
Rating:
Packaging – 5/5
Price – 3/5
Effect – 3/5
Smell – 3/5
Overall – 3.5/5
Verdict: Definitely learned my lesson in always checking the ingredients before buying and using a product. One would think I already knew this because of my lip allergy (but alas). I was lured in with the ” Hydrafresh” name but really, this product isn’t really going to give you moisture. The “anti shine” label should have given me a heads up too hahaha. That said, I do not recommend this for those with dry skin. If you have normal or combination skin, please exercise caution. If you have oily and acne prone skin, this product was definitely made for you.
Will I repurchase? No, since it’s not great for my skin type. I did however, give mine to my boyfriend who has very oily and acne prone skin. He has used it a few times when he has breakouts, and I’m happy to report that it cleared his skin 🙂 I would definitely suggest giving this a shot if you have oily and acne prone skin.
Have you tried this moisturizer? Have you ever had an adverse reaction to a moisturizer? Let me know all about it in the comments below!
Also, stay tuned in the next couple of weeks wherein I’ll be covering the products that have helped improve with my skin situation 🙂
Thank you for reading!
