Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion

USEFUL FOR: VERY BASIC MOISTURISING ONLY

Kiehl's Rare Earth range utilises exotic Amazonian White Clay as its star ingredient to absorb oil and mattify skin. By doing so, it aims to minimise pores, creating the appearance of even and smooth skin. Clays like Kaolin & Benzonite also has the added claim of being one of Nature's best purifying and detoxifying ingredient. 

Having used both the masque and the toner in the range, I consider myself a fan of this particular product offering. However, not all is well and good, and while a savvy marketing angle might work on creating a "natural" and desirable product, its actual performance might be exactly the opposite.

The bottle size is quite large at 75ml, it definitely feels solidly built and substantial in hand. A squeeze-pump (sans cap/cover) dispenses the product. Before use, vigorous shaking is advised as the clay element tends to sink and separate from the formulation. This was perhaps the first sign of trouble, when upon squeezing a gray watery liquid was expelled instead of a lotion. On a few occasions, the pump also got clogged by the viscous product.

Effect:

After a few attempts to mix the contents of the bottle, the product finally came out as intended: white lightweight lotion. It has a slight mud smell, and a thick consistency, later confirmed to be flour. 

I applied this to freshly cleansed skin, at the T-zone where there is most shine. The product feels smooth, and is able to integrate well into the skin. It does leave a little bit of a white powdery cast, so advise to apply in thin layers instead of slathering on. The immediate effect is mattified skin, although when tried on a friend with enlarged pores, the product actually sinked into the pores and just visibly sits there. We had to emulsify the product with a few drops of water to make sure it did not accentuate his pores with white clay spots. Second sign of trouble.

We went on with the day, but found out that by the 2 hour mark, the shine was back. In fact, my t-zone felt more oily than normal. Perhaps due to extremely humid weather, the oils were simply too much for the lotion. After a second cleanse, the product was reapplied. But unfortunately, even in air-conditioned environment, the shine came back again, more greasy than usual.

This was the first time ever that a product actually did the opposite of its claims. My friend reported a similar outcome. Upon wiping with a tissue, massive sebum was picked up, the product seems to have somehow created more greasiness. His conclusion was that the lotion did not absorb the oil, but brought it up to the surface instead. After a few more trials over the next few days, I am somewhat inclined to agree.

Looking at the concealed ingredients list provided clues. The main smoothening agent is Dimethicone, a Silicone derivative. It is synthetic and while creating a luxurious smooth feel upon application, it is quite pore-clogging. There were also two other comedogenic (pore-clog) ingredients: Glyceryl Stearate SE and Tocopherol. Further inspection also exposed the formulation; there was a second Silicone derivative, a cross-polymer. And thickeners in the form of Oat Flour and Xanthan Gum. 

The combination of clay (oil-extracting) and silicone (pore-filling) seems to be the most likely cause for the extra greasiness, as the extracted sebum mixes with the silicone on top of the skin and simply congeals, resulting in a facial oil-slick.

I had very high hopes for this product, having enjoyed the toner and masque in the Rare Earth range, but this was a major disappointment. And looking at its ingredients content, and following results, it is pretty much a disaster of a product. It has no focus, wanting to do it all : oil reduction, pore minimisation, moisturise, and in the end, not getting even one right.

Maybe the brand felt that a hydrator was missing in the mix, and thus created one just to complete the range. But this is a perfect example of product overkill. At best, this is a mediocre moisturiser but considering some of the possible problems it could cause to skin and the extremely high price point, it seems a good idea to steer clear completely.

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