Avon Anew 360 White Intensive Serum

(Note: It's been around a while, but I'd like to review this since I've only just started using it and I can't seem to find other reviews on the net.)

Truth be told, I have a smattering of light-colored freckles on me. It's a natural process, so I've taken to ignoring it. This year, I seem to have developed one or two deeply colored dark spots that I absolutely detest, so I'm willing to finally try a whitening product. When I read the ingredients for Anew 360 White Intensive Serum, I was pleasantly surprised to find Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate listed somewhere in there. Because that matches my Tony Moly Intensive Care Galactomyces First Essence (not to mention yeast ferment is the key ingredient of luxury products like SK-II), I decided to pair the two together and see if my little lightening experiment is going to work.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] New and improved ingredients list[/caption]

It's worth mentioning, that 360 White Intensive Serum has undergone a makeover, packaging- and ingredients-wise. How do I know? Mom has been using this even before I became interested with this line. The old bottle was also very modern-looking, suitable to the year 2000's design of sleek, smooth, silvery, and robot-like. The serum dispenses through a dropper that I thought impractical when I tested Mom's bottle, since it was only able to hold a small amount of liquid at a time and was kind of messy to dispense because of the consistency of the product. On the other hand, the new bottle is coated in a shimmery white color that fades with a gradient effect towards the bottom, revealing the actual color of the serum. The new packaging also has more lines and edges. It's literally more edgy. For the ingredients, I did a side-by-side comparison of the old packaging and the new one. There were slight differences with the type/s of ferment filtrate, but I just shrugged it off.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="461"] (Left) The year 2000's 360 White Serum; (Right) Current Packaging of the serum[/caption]

After applying my essence and waiting a few minutes for it to completely dry, I put 2-3 pumps of the serum all over my face and neck twice a day.

This is actually my first ever bottle of serum. I've always just stuck to creams and gels in the past. Let me tell you, I love the texture of serum! Creams tend to look shiny and feel too thick, but you have to endure it because of the need for moisture. This is wonderfully smooth, but I still occasionally top it off with some moisturizer when my skin is feeling a little parched.

Verdict:

When I saw this in the brochure, I was impressed by its claim of PSP technology, something about how the formula emulates the way the skin on the palms don't develop any dark spots. This product is supposed to block melanin formation, so goodbye dark spots.

Pros:

• I like serums now, thanks to this! I've always just used moisturizers and am, therefore, immune to the thick texture of creams. Serums are ideal for when you want non-stick skin. If I'm staying at home and out of the sun, I think I could get away with just serum.


• In my opinion, it seems to have had some effect. Don't know if my eyes deceive me, but it seems like the edges on my ridiculously darkly-colored dark spot has lightened a bit.

Cons:

• Especially around the nose area, I sometimes get a small stinging sensation. (Or maybe it's just that I have a very sensitive nose area. It tends to react that way with a lot of other products.)

Will I repurchase? Not just yet. It's an okay product, but not something I have rave reviews for. I recommend using this for maintenance of already-fair skin. Also, I have another Avon Anew product slated for review after this, so I'll wait and see how that one fares.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5/5 rating. Slightly above average for working to a certain extent. Nothing amazing though. For the sale price I bought it at PHP 699, I would say that it offers so-so value for money. (Whitening products in the Philippines are often sold at a premium price.) A month later, this went on sale again for PHP 699, but with a free small jar of Anew 360 White day or night cream. Try to wait it out for a nicer offer to get more bang for your buck.