Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence Review

After I came back from Cali 2 months ago, I noticed my skin becoming dull and darkened so I did not hesitate to get the Laneige White Plus Original Essence in hope that it would help brighten my skin and even out my skin tone. I've seen many good reviews on this and it has been a bestseller in Asia so I expected quite a lot from it. I've been using it for around a month now and have been seeing some results. Keep on reading to see how it works out for me :)

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Squalane, Dipropylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,  Niacinamide, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract, Broussonetia Kazinoki Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba, Resveratrol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter Extract), C14-22 Alcohols, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Carbomer, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin,  Ethylhexylglycerin, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Disodium EDTA, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Methyl Methacrylate/Acrylonitrile Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance 

 

Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence has received a lot of awards in many countries such as the Ceci K Beauty Award in Korea and the Elle Beauty Award in Vietnam.

I feel that by labeling it as a 'whitening' serum is kind of misleading as it is not supposed to 'whiten' but 'brighten' your skin. It is more accurate to say that it is a 'brightening' product (as Laneige did with its U.S. launched version). 

 

 

The bottle comes with a dropper, which I find to be a bit inconvenient. I prefer a pump bottle for hygiene reason. I really don't get why Laneige opted for this kind of packaging as it is quite a hassle to use. 

The texture of the serum is milky and runny. It is light and absorbs quickly into skin. A little goes a long way so this bottle will last me a while. There's a strong floral/powdery scent to it which is a bit too strong for my liking. I thought it was heavily scented but when I checked the ingredient list, fragrance was listed last.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It could be that my expectation for this product was too high, but I'm a bit disappointed in it. It's not a bad serum, but I wish it would perform better after hearing really good things about it. 

The serum is light and absorbs quickly so it does not leave uncomfortable sticky feeling afterwards. It glides on easily and I only need a little (2-3 small drops) for my entire face and neck. More importantly, it does not break me out or irritate my sensitive skin. I feel that my face has brightened up and my skin tone has become more even, although it took me longer than the promised 2 weeks to see the results and the improvements are not really drastic. 

Sadly, the serum does not provide enough moisture for my dehydrated combo skin. It does help soften some severe dry patches but my face is still overall rough and dry. Moreover, the scent is a bit too strong for me though it fades away shortly. In my opinion, the serum would be appropriate for oily or oily-combo skin types that do not need much hydration. For dry or dehydrated skin, this may not be enough.

PROS: Lightweight, Absorbs quickly, No breakouts, Brightens skin, Evens out skin tone

CONS: Not enough hydration, Strong scent, Takes more than 2 weeks to see results, Does not even out skin texture, Inconvenient packaging


Available at: Target

Have you tried or would like to try this product out? Feel free to share any thoughts below!