Neulii TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum Review

Disclaimer: I received this product complementary from RoseRoseShop for review purposes. All opinions are my own and are unbiased.

To recap what I mentioned in my previous review of a Neulii product…. A few months ago, K-Beauty e-tailer RoseRoseShop created their own skincare brand, Neulii, and launched five different serums

• AHA Vita Brightening: Brightening serum that makes skin vigorous and glossy with ideal amount of natural AHA, exfoliating ingredient and Vitamin C.
• Aloe BHA Soothing: Gel-type serum that helps in recovering roughened and sensitive skin, contains natural BHA and aloe, excellent for calming skin.
• Greentea BHA Pore Tightening: Highly enriched serum containing concentrated green tea and natural BHA extracts; removes pore expansion caused by excessive sebum, and helps maintain pore contraction.
• Snail Bee Anti Wrinkle: A serum containing snail slime and propolis extracts to assist anti-aging and wrinkle care.
• Teatree BHA Blemish Control: A serum containing natural BHA and tea tree ingredient, arranging sebum control and dead skin cells to prevent skin trouble.

I was lucky enough to get a few sample foils of their serums to try and I did then ask if I could try two of their serums for a longer time period.   RoseRoseShop generously sent me the two that I requested ~ Snail Bee and Teatree BHA ~ as we all know how much I love Benton’s Snail Bee line and anything with Tea Tree and BHA makes me happy.  Since then, RoseRoseShop also sent me the AHA Vita Brightening Serum as well to review!   I have already reviewed the Neulii Snail Bee Anti-Wrinkle Serum (click here for review) and now am ready to review the TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum, as I have been using it for over a month now.  My skin type is oily, blemish prone with aging concerns ~ hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. 

The Neulli line of serums come in a frosted clear plastic bottle with a pump applicator, making it easy to apply.  As this is my second Neulii product I have been using, I can say that they designed the pump applicator very well, as the pump doesn’t “squirt” the product out, but gently deposits a generous amount of product ~ this is important with skin care products, because I have had products where the pump applicator really spits that product out at high speeds.  Since this serum is a watery texture, that is REALLY important, as I would have a huge mess on my hands, face, shirt, bathroom counter and floor if that happened.

Since this is a BHA product, I only use it on my T-Zone and any place where I might have acne breakouts.  I do use a cotton pad with this product as it is an exfoliator ~ I feel that the cotton pad helps with exfoliating and removing dead skin cells with this product, instead of just patting it on my face.  I use about 3 or 4 pumps to really saturate my cotton pad and then apply on the areas that need it.  BTW ~ if you have blemishes on your body, you can also use the TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum there as well ~ it isn’t just for your face.  As I mentioned before, this has a watery texture and a very faint tea tree scent ~ it isn’t overpowering, so if you are sensitive to Tea Tree scents, you might be able to tolerate this product.

According to the instructions, this is to be used before a toner ~ and I do use it that way, as it is so watery. It dries quickly and without any sticky or tacky residue.  I’ve talked about BHA’s before and what they are, but I will recap that information here again for you.

BHA‘s are exfoliants, helping to go deep into your pores and skin layers and remove excess oil, dead skin cells, dirt and other impurities, which will help speed up cellular renewal.  They both help with hyper-pigmentation, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and refining the texture of your skin.  They do help reverse damage caused by photo-aging.   BHA (beta hydroxy acids) is salicylic acid ~ which most natural products get it from willow bark.   BHA needs a lower concentration, around 1 to 2 percent, and should have a pH level between 3 and 4 to work effectively.  Also, BHA ingredients should be in the lower half of the ingredient list.   BHA’s are usually less irritating than AHA’s and unlike AHA’s, BHA’ are lipid/oil soluble, which means they can dissolve in fats and penetrate sebum filled pores much better than AHA’s.   BHA’s are best for oily skin and blemished skin.  If you have combination oily/normal, you can use BHA’s, barring any sensitivities.

Now, this product has two BHA ingredients in it and one of them is high up in the ingredient list, but the other is further down and has a percentage next to it.  So, interesting!

Ingredients

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• Salix Alba (Willow) Bark is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) which helps exfoliate skin by removing dead skin cells, contains salicylic acid, to help combat acne. It is also high in anti-oxidants, which tone and reduce inflammation as well as being an astringent, to control oil. Salicylic acid is fat soluble, so it can really get to the oil that is inside your pores.
  

• Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) is known for its topical antiseptic and anti-fungal properties and help target and treat blemish-prone skin. It also reduces oil and sebum production on your skin, while not disrupting the moisture level.
  

• Sodium Lactate is also an exfoliator and is a natural salt that comes from lactic acid.  This is very interesting, as the fermented lactic acid (milk) is an AHA, alpha hydroxy acid.   I am thinking of a similar product right now!
  

• Betaine Salicylate (BHA) (0.2%) is another exfoliator that helps reduce pore size, helps prevent acne, remove dirt and debris from clogged pores by dissolving the dead skin cells and smooths the skin. It is also an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial.
  

• Cassia Obtusifolia (Cassia Senna) has a high amount of polysaccharides called galactomannan and are known to be extremely hydrating, similar to hyaluronic acid.  This plant ingredient helps with adding moisture to your skin, keeping your skin soft and supple.  It is also an anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce swelling and redness from blemishes.

• Panthenol helps cellular renewal and is an effective moisturizer. It is derived from plants and this ingredient comes from Vitamin B5. Panthenol is a natural humectant, which retains moisture and hydrates the skin. It also is a good lubricant on the skin, making skin look soft and smooth. It is also an anti-inflammatory

• Allantoin moisturizes, exfoliates and softens skin, making it look smooth and refined, while reducing and relieving irritation.
  

• Sodium Hyaluronate is an intensive moisturizing ingredient which bonds water to keep skin hydrated. It is a natural substance found in the human body and it made up of amino and uronic acids, and helps retain 100 to 1,000 times its own water weight in our skin cells.

Neulii TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum is also free from parabens, phenoxyethanol, artificial colors and artificial scents.  This does contain alcohol, so if you have dry skin or are sensitive to alcohol in products, you should perhaps not purchase this.  However, as an oily skin person who is not sensitive to alcohol, I do not mind it at all.  There is always debate about whether alcohol is good or bad for you skin, but I do think it just comes down to your skin and what it likes.  I don’t hold Paula’s Choice up as the end all and be all guru of skincare ingredients ~ I know that they have blasted essential oils, citrus and other ingredients that are well loved by millions of people around the world.   Understand that I do use Paula’s Choice as one of my research tools, but it isn’t the only site that I use.  I try to read a lot of different articles to understand the benefits of certain ingredients. To read more about the other side of alcohol, I highly recommend reading this article from Future Derm.  Again, your skin knows what it wants ~ I can tolerate alcohol in my skincare, but you may not.

Ingredients: Water, Salix Alba(Willow) Bark Water, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Lactate , PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lactic Acid , Hydroxyethylcellulose ,Betaine Salicylate(0.2%) , Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Panthenol, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil  cosDNA.com analysis

 

Performance

As I mentioned, this serum is fast absorbing and it doesn’t leave a tacky residue.  It also isn’t drying on my skin either, despite the alcohol.  It only increases my moisture level by 14%, but that is fine by me as I wasn’t looking for a moisturizing blemish control serum.

The pH level of Neulii TeaTree BHA Blemish Control serum is very close to a 4, which means it is a true BHA product ~ it passes the BHA test for pH levels, which I had mentioned that it needed to be between 3 and 4 to be effective as an exfoliating product that unclogs pores and helps dissolve dirt, dead skin cells and excess oil.

 

Final Thoughts

This product actually reminds me of cosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner (review here).  It has similar ingredients, such as salix alba, sodium lactate, betaine salicylate, allantoin, 1,2-hexanediol, and panthenol and they both have similar pH levels ~ cosRX is a 3.9 and Neulii looks to be the same.   Neulii isn’t marketed as an AHA, but it does have an extract, sodium lactate, that is derived from lactic acid, an AHA, and it is an exfoliator.   Neulii actually has more blemish busting ingredients with tea tree and cassia obtusifolia, so I do think this is probably of an intensive treatment blemish prone skin  than cosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner.

I’ve been using this for over a month now and I can that initially, I did have some minor “purging” as my skin was getting used to this formula.  However, that went away within a few days and since then, my skin has remained clear without any issues of blackheads or clogged pores.  Any blemishes I might have are small little whiteheads that quickly go away once I exfoliate ~ The heat and humidity here is causing my oil production to be greatly increased, so I am very happy and surprised that my blemishes are really under control.

Have you tried Neulii TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum? Or any of the other Neulii products?  Which ones and what did you think of them?   Love, Love Comments, so I would so appreciate it to hear back from my readers 🙂   Look for a review on the AHA Vita Brightening Serum in about a month ~ I am all about getting rid of hyper-pigmentation and I’ve been very impressed so far with the Neulii line of skincare serums. 

Where To Purchase

RoseRoseShop carries Neulii TeaTree BHA Blemish Control Serum (click here) at $13.32 for 100 mL and all of the Neulii skincare products as well.  They ship internationally  and have some of the lowest prices on Korean skincare and makeup products.

Disclaimer: I received this product complementary from RoseRoseShop for review purposes. All opinions are my own and are unbiased