Skincare with capsules are always intriguing. They are usually filled with concentrated essence/serum that breaks upon contact (i.e. massaging, rubbing) to provide a burst of freshness and/or to hydrate the skin with the content it holds.
One such product is the Clinique For Men™ Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate which was released about a month back, just in time for the summer season.
I was lucky enough to be sought out by the local Clinique to test drive the Water-Gel Concentrate and today, after road testing it for an entire month, I am ready to share my thoughts with you guys.
If you find the look of this Water-Gel Concentrate very familiar, it is with reason. This blue bottle is an exact replica of the pink bottle that was released slightly earlier.
Even their marketing copy sounds about the same:
Both are marketed as intensely hydrating, with the ability to “boost skin’s moisture reserves for a full 24 hours“. Both also features the “innovative Liquid-Sphere™ Technology that combines water-binding ingredients with encapsulated antioxidants to break the cycle of dryness and environmental stress”
Since both variants are using the Liquid-Sphere™ Technology, let us have a closer look at it to see what it is all about (refer to image below):
According to the marketing copy, our body loses water steadily, thus the importance of keeping our body hydrated.
It does makes sense. When our body loses water, we get the effects of dehydration. Our lips feel dry, we feel thirsty, and our skin in turn becomes rough.
So besides rehydrating our body with water, Clinique also recommends their new Liquid-Sphere™ Technology Concentrates to refill and replenish the moisture reserves in our skin to keep it supple and youthful. Hydrating our skin inside and out is always important.
Now, let’s take a close look at the ingredient list of both concentrates side-by-side:
| Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate | For Men Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate |
| Water | Water |
| Glycerin | Butylene Glycol |
| Butylene Glycol | Phenyl Trimethicone |
| Phenyl Trimethicone | Propanediol |
| Propanediol | Sucrose |
| Sucrose | Hydroxyethyl Urea |
| Hydroxyethyl Urea | Alteromonas Ferment Extract |
| Alteromonas Ferment Extract | Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water |
| Hydrolyzed Rice Extract | Algae Extract |
| Acetyl Glucosamine | Cholesterol |
| Trehalose | Hydrolyzed Rice Extract |
| Algae Extract | Trehalose |
| Caffeine | Acetyl Glucosamine |
| Cholesterol | Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate |
| Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water | Sorbitol |
| Sodium Hyaluronate | Sodium Hyaluronate |
| Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate | Sodium Polyaspartate |
| Dextrin Palmitate | Caffeine |
| Acrylates Crosspolymer | Tocopheryl Acetate |
| Sorbitol | Sodium Hydroxide |
| Sodium Polyaspartate | Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer |
| Tocopheryl Acetate | Carbomer |
| Carbomer | Dextrin Palmitate |
| Dehydroxanthan Gum | Dehydroxanthan Gum |
| Citric Acid | Citric Acid |
| Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate | Benzophenone-4 |
| Benzophenone-4 | Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate |
| Pentaerythritol | Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate |
| Sodium Hydroxide | Sodium Citrate |
| Sodium Citrate | Disodium EDTA |
| Disodium EDTA | BHT |
| BHT | Chlorphenesin |
| Chlorphenesin | Phenoxyethanol |
| Phenoxyethanol | Green 6 |
| CI 14700 | |
| CI 19140 | |
| Tetra-DI-T-Butyl Hydroxycinnamate |
Above are the ingredients comparison between the two hydrating concentrates. Both are fragrance-free, with the men’s concentrate indicated as oil-free. Both contains common preservatives (Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, BHT), with the Moisture Surge having pigments (CI 14700, CI 19140) while the Water-Gel a colorant (Green 6). As all of these are located right at the bottom of the list, I am not too concerned with it myself.
Next, let’s move on to the actual product review of the For Men Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate:
Here a simple video to show how the texture looks like and how clean the product dispensed out from the pump:
Roaring view for [Clinique For Men Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate]:
| Product’s packaging | : | Plastic pump bottle with a see-through content chamber |
| Product’s texture | : | Lightweight gel |
| Product’s scent | : | No scent |
| Price point | : | Product was kindly sponsored by the kind folks at Clinique Singapore; however, the Clinique For Men Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate retails for $79/45ml |
| To find out more about this product, or to purchase it, visit their beauty counters at a location near you (stores) | ||
| Try-out period | : | 4 weeks |
| Personal take | : | I am not one to care about whether the product in my shopping basket is marketed to the men or the women. What I care more about is 1) the benefits, 2) the ingredients, and 3) the price. These 3 are my top considerations when looking out for a new product. Having said that, products specifically marketed towards men all have one thing in common: they are generally less rich/oily in texture and tend to give a fresh after feel.
The Clinique For Men Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate, WGC from here on, is a water gel product that is incredibly lightweight and because of its gel texture, gets absorbed into the skin pretty quickly without much user effort. It does leave a slight tacky feeling after massaging in, although it does not create any unwanted shine despite this tackiness. As I was taking the acne pill (Oraltane) during the WGC testing period, my skin was definitely left a little drier than normal and simply using WGC alone as a moisturizer was not enough. What I did to supplement it was the use of another hydrating gel moisturizer over it. And to me, that is when the WGC performed brilliantly the most. Combining the water-binding ability of the WGC and the moisturizing agents in my secondary moisturiser, my skin was left super soft and moist on the second day of such product pairing. I have since been continuing this pairing, using the WGC as an essence rather than counting it as a moisturiser. I feel that it works so much better for me. All while using the WGC and layering a moisturiser over it, there were no new pimples forming. What the inclusion of this WGC in my routine has done for me were:
I am definitely happy to have incorporated the WGC into my routine and my complexion is such a happy camper nowadays. This sleek blue bottle has definitely contributed to my complexion recovering post purging and I am quite thankful for it. Less dry, less lines, less tight, more healing! |
| Will i recommend it? | : | Yes….
If you have been using their Men’s line, yes, go ahead and pick one up for yourself. If you have the extra cash and you want to pamper your man, this is a good consideration. If you have a normal/oily skin, you can definitely benefit from this lightweight product. Just take note of the slight tacky finish. No….. If you have a dry skin and will be using it as a moisturizer solely. Drier skin will be needing something a tad richer than what the WGC can offer. Perhaps the Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief can be a good consideration If you are relying on this item to be an anti-aging product, perhaps the Clinique Custom-Repair Serum might be a better option instead. |
Ryanraroar 