Etude House AC Clinic Intense Red Spot Balm Review

Today, I will be reviewing Etude House's AC Clinic Intense Red Spot Balm!

As you may or may not know, I bought two things from Etude House a while back, the other thing being the Etude House Wonder Pore Deep Foaming Cleanser (click here to read review).

I quite enjoyed that product, so please read through my review!

Without further ado, let's continue with this review!

Disclaimer: This is my honest review! I bought this product with my own money (unfortunately T.T) and was not paid at all to make this post.

WHAT IS IT?

This product is from Etude House's AC Clinic line, which targets problem skin. They started off with just the normal wash, toner and moisturizer combo, but afterwards they also added more products such as their Intense Red Spot Balm and their Intense Pink Powder Spot. Last year I was actually planning on getting the toner but for some reason that I can't remember, I didn't. *Probably because I was broke/still am broke tho*

The complete AC Clinic line. I want the toner!

The Pink Powder Spot is for active/live pimples and I've read a lot of reviews on how its super great at removing pimples. I was actually interested in that product but the sales girl at Etude recommended me to get the Red Spot Balm instead. This was because she said that I don't look like acne is my main concern right now, but acne SCARS. 

The Red Spot Balm is a spot treatment that claims to be able to supply blemish care with fast care and brightening benefits. The sales girl at Etude said that it can be applied both day and night.

I did some research about it afterwards and I've seen a few reviews saying that this was good for getting rid of pimples too. Other people also use it on pimples that they've popped to get rid of the redness.

Since the sales girl DID say that this product was intended for use on scars as well, I'm assuming that I can apply it on a daily basis. This product is also non-comedogenic so it will not block your pores!

WHERE TO BUY?

I bought mine at the Etude House in Gurney Plaza. It costs RM84 (with GST) for 20g and comes with a 30 Acne Foam Cleanser. I know that for 20g RM84 is reaaaaally expensive (for my student wallet), but there was a buy one free one promotion so it kinda cost me half of what it really cost. (Am I making sense). I suggest, however, that you do your research first and see if you can buy the products for cheaper prices online.

PACKAGING

The balm comes in a glass tub so make sure to not drop it. You get a spatula for hygienic scooping as well. Just make sure that the spatula is clean! I find that tubs are horrible and the spatula made me really happy ^^

The overall packaging is green and WHO CAN RESIST ETUDE HOUSE PACKAGING, LIKE REALLY. Etude shall always win in packaging!

INGREDIENTS

On the back of the box it says that the balm is formulated with Salicylic Acid (a common ingredient in acne products) and Hinoki Cypress.

TEXTURE & FRAGRANCE

The texture of the balm is really thick. I feel like its very dense and that its concentrated. It is white in colour and disappears after being absorbed without leaving any sticky residue. After application you feel this minty feeling that disappears after it has absorbed.

As for the smell, it smells like how you would imagine you normal balm to smell like (although the smell is subtle). It smells minty, medicinal-like and sterile.

HOW TO USE

On the back of the box it says: Apply spot treatment directly to pimples and blemishes, after using gel lotion. Avoid excessive facial rubbing.

Now I didn't have a the gel lotion from their AC Clinic line but I do have my Hada Labo lotion. My skincare routine usually goes like: 

Toner - Essence - Lotion - Acne Treatment - Serum - Moisturizer

So I applied the balm after lotion followed by my scar fading gel after it absorbs. You only need a veeeeeeeeery little amount because its quite smooth, glides easily and spreads quite well. Compared to other products in the AC Clinic line this product is not Daily, but Intensive. I don't know if that means you can't use it everyday, but since I have a lot of blemishes I will most probably use it on a regular basis.

MY REVIEW

I found this product to be good with calming inflamed skin, but that's the only results I could find. There were very little visible effects and although it may have antibacterial effects, I can achieve much better effects with my other acne products.

I didn't break out at all from using this product, but I feel that since you only need very little product on your face, its very bothersome to use the spatula to get that small amount and split it into further smaller parts.

As for the wash, I quite liked the scent and it was a normal cleanser for me. I didn't find anything to like about it, but nothing to hate as well.

MY VERDICT

This product for me is...so-so. Not bad because it didn't break me out and it DID calm down my inflamed skin somehow. It doesn't have much visible effects, however, and the price is definitely very heavy for the lackluster results that I got.

As for the wash, I might get a full sized version if I ever see a half price promotion or a wallet friendly price in the future.

WILL I REPURCHASE?

Since this product requires very little to product to be applied onto the face, I believe that this will last me quite a while, but because of the price...I guess I won't really repurchase this unless I have extra cash. I feel that it might have an effect on my skin on the inside, but as far as visible results, there was very little.

So that was all for my little review of this product! If you wish to read more of my product reviews, click here!

As always, thanks for reading!