In-depth reviews: Pond's Pure White and Flawless White

I've already shared my first impressions on Pond's latest offerings, the White Beauty Facial Foam and the Flawless White UV Cream. This is my in-depth review of the products after using them for around three weeks.

Pond's White Beauty

Its main ingredient is activated carbon, which is a form of processed carbon that is designed to absorb and neutralize impurities. It is used in different fields - medical, industrial, environmental, and now, beauty. Just 1 gram of the stuff has a surface area of 500 square meters, which according to Wikipedia is 1/10 the size of a football field!

What activated carbon looks like

Left glass contains water purified with activated carbon while the right glass is untouched The dirty water (beaker behind) both passed through a filter.

The product itself is a pearl gray color

What I love about this product

• The consistency is very creamy and easy to spread around. I use that much (pic above) for my whole face. It's quite sudsy.
• Unlike Perfect Care, White Beauty is very moisturizing. There is no tightness after rinsing it off.
• It's deep cleansing, as promised. All the makeup residue left after my makeup remover is off after using this.
• No breakouts.
• I am less oily when I use this. Not the advertised effect, but there it is.
• Face is smoother and lighter. No dramatic whitening effect though.

What I don't like

• The smell - it's too strong for a cleanser. I've read some people comment that the scent is overpowering ("like car air freshener!"). It would be cool if Pond's can tone down the scent; it wouldn't hurt to have less perfume chemicals in a facial wash as this may irritate sensitive skin.

Recommendation

I highly recommend this facial wash to those who need deep cleansing after a long day of wearing makeup or working in an environment with lots of heat and dirt. If your skin is sensitive though, this may be a bit harsh - try Pond's other facial wash variants.

Verdict

I love it! This is the cleanser I use before and after my makeup, especially when I know I'll be dealing with a hectic day. I need the oil control and deep cleansing. But when I don't go out, I prefer to use a milder soap for my face.

Pond's Flawless White UV Cream

I don't have much to say about this, since after a few straight days of using it I've decided to stick with my fave, the Flawless White Day Cream instead. It actually has SPF12 and multi-UV protection although it's not advertised. I've written way back that I prefer Pond's creams that are mousse-y instead of lotion-y because the lotions feel oily and has a shiny, unflattering finish on me.

What I like about this product 

• It has SPF 15. At first I was concerned about the low SPF for something called a UV cream, but according to Pond's, the count is enough to provide sun protection for three hours. "SPF 15" means that you can stay under the sun 15 times longer than when you are without it. Says the American Melanoma Foundation: "Consumers need to be aware that SPF protection does not increase proportionally with an increased SPF number. While an SPF of 2 will absorb 50% of ultraviolet radiation, an SPF of 15 absorbs 93% and an SPF of 34 absorbs 97%."
• It protects from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays cause aging and sun damage while UVB rays cause burning. There's a more in-depth article about sun damage and protection here.
• The formula is very light (compared to its other drugstore counterparts) and absorbs within a minute. Quite an achievement with all the benefits I mentioned above!
• No white cast.
• I noticed a slight lightening of blemishes.

What I don't like 

• I sadly broke out. This is one of the reasons I decided to stay with the mousse-y Flawless White Day Cream. The lotion formula doesn't seem to work with my skin.
• Oils my face up.

Recommendation

You may not feel like you need it now, but a good sun protection ritual has benefits that can stretch out until our forties. Less blemishing, sun damage, and wrinkles - how can you say no to that? You can start with the Pond's UV Cream. I sincerely hope it works for you since it seems to be a good product.

Verdict

I actually use this whenever I go out...just not on my face! I massage it on my neck. You see I have a problem with my neck - it's darker than my face. I don't put creams and cleansers on it. But when I applied the UV cream on it, I noticed some lightening. Love it. I'll keep using this product for that!

Whew. Long review. Hope this helps!