Hey hey everyone!
I hope all is good! Spring is in the air in the UK and Im so glad brighter days are coming back
I’ve used up the dark spot serum from Haru Haru so it’s time for a full review and some progress pictures!
The Centella 4% TXA Dark Spot Go Away Serum has 5 main ingredients that promise to work together to fade dark spots & hyperpigmentation, soothe the skin and leave it hydrated. These are Vit C, niacinamide, tranexamic acid(4%), squalene and centella complex
Experience
I started using this product on the 1st of feb alongside other Haru Haru products for my 30 day skincare challenge. See my full post here.
I was using this once a day for the 1st 3 weeks then went to 2x a day in the last week and a half. I finished this product on the 6th of March, it lasted 4 weeks and 5 days. It probably would have last a bit longer if I used 2ish pumps lol but Im a bit heavy handed with my products, so with most serums I use 3ish pumps.
The texture is like gel – its very lightweight and soothing on the skin. It feels great and layers very well with other serums. I’ve experienced no irritation or pilling with this. It doesn’t have a strong scent either- I think its also unscented like the rest of the products from Haru Haru Wonder.
How do I feel about this serum? Is it effective? Well, I’m 50-50 on this
I was using the Niod repigment serum which was working very well in Jan but I stopped using it on 28Jan to allow my skin to ‘normalise’ before starting the Haru Haru serum. I started the dark spot serum on the 1st of feb. As with all new active/treatment serums, I use it 2-3 times in the 1st week to minimise any irritation. I was using this serum to treat the 2 dark spots on my chin that resulted from plucking but now that I’m doing laser the hair hasn’t been coming back and I’m able to fade them! I was using the serum all over my face btw lol, but those 2 were my target spots to gauge effectiveness.
Anyway, I noticed by the 4th of feb- the pigmentation was coming back after I stopped using the Niod serum. Something I wasn’t expecting to be honest. It took at least 2 weeks for me to see a noticeable difference with the Haru Haru serum. You can see by 18feb, the intensity of the dark spot was reduced! I was really happy with it, but I don’t think I got any more reduction after this. Looking at the pics from the 21st of feb and 6th of march- I don’t see any more reduction especially in the large dark spot on the right but this may be down to my laser session on the 21st. (the pic was taken before the laser session). As laser can cause pigmentation it makes sense that from the 21st to the 6th I didn’t really see any reductions, infact I even think its slightly(just a tad bit) darker.
I also had a reaction to the laser on the 21st! I totally forgot and was playing with my face later that evening and doing this causes me to have a breakout! This time was bad and it left some dark spots- on my cheeks. It’s like I took several steps back. Sigh!
So why am I 50/50 on the serum?
Well I think I did hit a plateau after the 18th because I still don’t see any huge reductions in the dark spots. Even with the mini breakout I had the serum hasn’t been able to fade those marks and I feel like those are mainly superficial.
Verdict
Hyperpigmentation is extremely hard to treat and for me who is prone to getting it, it makes my serums work even harder! I really like this serum on paper- it has a blend of 3 ingredients known to combat dark spots and other ingredients to soothe and hydrate the skin. I really like the texture of the serum, the gel like texture is very soothing on the skin and I love that it layers so well other products. I used it with retinols & acids with no issues
It works, after 2 weeks I started to see results, but I feel like once I got there, there wasn’t any further progression. I know the dark spots in that area are deep and therefore harder to treat so perhaps I was expecting too much from the serum?
Will I recommend the dark spot serum? Yes and no- I think for deep, hard to treat hyperpigmentation it may be best to go for more potent treatments and a chemical peel( having my 1st one this year after I finish my laser!) if you are doing any sort of treatments that leave you prone to pigmentation e.g. lasers I think this might not be able to keep it at bay and you need something else
For superficial pigmentation or if you are someone who doesn’t really suffer from pigmentation then this serum is more suitable for you. It has the blend of actives to fight the pigmentation and added ingredients to soothe and hydrate the skin.
I wish it also mentioned the concentration of vit c and niacinamide alongside the TXA
I’m really glad I got to try this product and was gifted it- it was on my Stylevana wish list! of course SPF is non negotiable when treating hyperpigmentation!
This serum is available from Superdrug or Stylevana if you’re interested!
catch you laterrrr
