you can use it for just spots but it will REALLY even out the entire tone of your skin if you put a thin layer over the entire face (1 full pump) after thoroughly cleansing.

I personally like to use it on my entire face, and it's safe for all ethnicities, so it doesn't lighten all of your face. What I've found out of experience is that it's best to apply right after cleansing, before your face dries. The water helps your face absorb it, and helps you spread it around. It leaves a nice gently tightening sensation as well.

I've been using this just on the dark spot areas, and if they're raised (like sun spots or sun moles can be) then you definitely notice the area being whiter as it works over time. I have REALLY pale skin, so any spots - white or otherwise are noticeable on me.

Now, in answer to this question, I read recently in an article in Elle magazine that one of the dermatologists was recommending you just use whatever spot corrector you use - and spread it all over your face. I spread it VERY lightly, but obviously, this will be expensive over time.

I'm curious as to how much the ingredients on this one overlap with the Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer with the UPF in it. Because I bet they're pretty similar. But this one is a smaller bottle than that product and usually costs about $3 more overall.

So... with all these things considered, if the sunblock in the other product doesn't irritate skin, it may be cheaper even to use that one (all over) as a treatment for spots - even without ever using this particular product.

I already know how this product works, am happy with it, and have a sunblock in 2 of my other products I apply (moisturizer and the Clinique City Block), so I'll probably just stay with using this one all over my face - but reeeally lightly dosed, so it lasts longer.

As a side note, I'm not sure how much other people are using to run out of it so quickly, but I still have the bottle I bought almost 6 months ago, and it's been effective and I haven't run out yet. This should be a really lightly used product - it's effective that way.

First of all, it bothers me when companies will not disclose what's in their products. I prefer to know what I'm putting on my face. It's not as if they are giving away their secret recipe when they disclosure the primary, active ingredients.

And, in regard to all of those who were told by Clinique reps to "use it all over your face..." come on, of course they want you to use as much of the product as you can, as fast as you can.

What Clinique tells you to do and what you SHOULD do are two different things. If this product has any type of lightener in it, it wouldn't only work on the hyperpigmentation, it would work everywhere. I have studied skincare, I understand ingredients and I have my esthetician license. I don't know which lighting ingredient is in this product, but it's most likely one of two acids that are usually the active ingredient in products like this. People that claim to see no results: it may be because you are lightening your skin and your spots, so the contrast is the same. Try using it only on the darker spots. There is nothing I've ever seen or heard of that will only lighten dark spots. Acid doesn't know where you want it to work, it's gonna do it's job wherever you put it...so if you're putting this all over, it will lighten all over. Makes sense right? I'm telling you, use it JUST where you want it to work. Also, these things take time, so take pictures to see if you're getting reults. Sometimes it's hard to tell just by eye.

I was at Sephora when a Clinique rep was there. He advised me to use all over the face. I went back as an esthetician works on Sundays and she said to use it all over your face also. I like the way it makes my skin feel and look.

It doesn't make a difference if you use it all over your face. Just use it on the dark spots.

I used to only apply it on the spots, but the consultant at the Clinique counter adviced to use it all over the face. One pump is enough to cover the entire face (I have seen a lot of comments that it delivers too much product, this is why). Because the product brightens your skin tone, not just correcting your dark spots, it is good to use it all over. Plus, it feels great!

Actually ladies, I went to Clinique.com and chatted with an actual expert/customer service rep; she confirmed that you should use it on your entire face. Because it only works on hyperpigmented areas, it won't lighten all skin. Good for entire skin tone of face.

Just dark spots

Hydroquinone is toxic. Small amounts may be okay, but the issue is that it will build up in your system. When you use it over time, it would be hard to say how much of it is stored in your body. To me, it is not worth the risk.

Depending on the quantities. A high percentage of hydroquinone is toxic. It contains mercury and studies have shown that it may darken the skin even more once the usage is discontinued.

Yes hydroquinone is bad. In some countries it has been banned. When you first begin using a product containing hydroquinone the results will come out good and people may even compliment your skin looking to beautiful and bright, but if you keep using it in the long run then it will damage your skin and turn certain spots into dark or blueish spots. I've done lots of research on this ingredient because I like to go to spas and do facials to get rid of my uneven skin tone on my cheeks so I try to be aware of bad ingredients.

Hydroquinone, I believed has been banned in Europe. It is not recommended to be used long term. Personally, it has not worked for me in various products. Kojic acid has done a better job.

I don't know if hydraquinone is bad for your skin but I used a lot of products
that had it as an ingredient and none of them helped my dark spots like
Even better Dark Spot corrector has.

The list of ingredients is clearly printed on the package.

I went to the Sephora store and asked for a sample....I usually always get samples before buying because my skin is sensitive and I don't want to invest that much money on a product that may break me out (I'm a student on a budget) . The sample is small but it's lasted me about three days so far and I still have some left and as of now I have no breakouts.

Samples are a great way to try new products & we include three free samples with every Sephora.com order. The sample selection is listed on our website and changes frequently, so check back often to see what we're offering. At this time we are unable to send custom samples from our warehouse.

Another great way to try new products is to visit your local Sephora store. At the store, a Cast Member can make a tester for you of any products that we carry. They can also answer questions for you and make recommendations for other products. To find a store near you, check out our store locator. Thanks!

If you go to a sephora it's possible they may give you a sample...usually they do if you purchase something. Sephora and Macy's will let you return the product for a refund if you keep the receipt so that is another option. With a same you would be able to use it long enough to see results and it's supposed to take 4-6 weeks (if it doesn't break you out like it did me).

To the SEPHORA STAFF MEMBER who posted the comment above. I am very concerned that you are misleading people by saying there is no vitamin c. As the comments above tell you what ingredient (i think the third or fourth on the list) is vitamin c. Anything with the name ascorbic or ascorbyl is the ingredient name for vitamin c. You will never see a product that states "vitamin c" in their ingredient list. I am concerned because as a staff member you are giving false information I would expect a staff member to know as it is common knowledge among anyone who knows about skincare. This is further troubling because the reason most people want to know whether there is vit c in products is because many other ingredients cannot be used in conjunction and the combinations can be harmful to the skin or render the ingredients useless because they cancel each other out. Please revise your statement.

It contains Vit C as ascorbyl glucoside, but this is what I googled: ascorbyl glucoside. Form of vitamin C combined with glucose. It can function as an antioxidant, but only minimal research substantiates this. The research that does exist combined ascorbyl glucoside with niacinamide (Source: Skin Research and Technology, May 2006, pages 105–113). It is possible the benefit resulted from only the niacinamide, and not the combination.
So it mighty not be powderful.

how misleading... YES there is vitamin c in this: ascorbyl glucoside (stable vit. c) is the first one, and grapefruit peel is another source of vitamin c.

Yes, it does contain a high level of vitamin C - I don't have the ingredient list in front of me but look for "ascorbyl glucoside" in the ingredients - this is a nice form of stablilized vitamin C.

Also agree! Clinique's website is spotty on ingredients, too, as are several other department store brands, including others at Sephora. Sephora, please ask your suppliers to SUPPLY INGREDIENTS for online shoppers! Just look at your Q&As on products without listings, and you can see that this is something your customers really need. These products are expensive, and people have allergies and other issues and NEED TO KNOW. Without the box, there needs to be a listing for EVERY PRODUCT. (If the makers claim proprietary formula, then remind them that none of us can concoct their product based on the print out of a gas chromatograph, and you're just giving us what we'd get if we were in the store looking at their box.) And many thanks to jjvb for supplying them here.

I totally agree. Both Clinique, Origins and Estee Lauder (all the same company) refuse to post their ingredients online. You have to contact them and wait for a response on each product. I think it is a terrible policy of this company. People need to know ingredients when they are shopping; and not just natural skin care people but people with allergies or sensitivities. They are trying to hide their ingredients by making it work to get them.

I emailed Clinique and they sent me ALL the ingredients, so here you go!!
water\aqua\eau; dimethicone; isododecane; cyclopentasiloxane; polysilicone-11; butylene glycol; ascorbyl glucoside; peg-10 dimethicone; curcuma longa (turmeric) root extract; oryza sativa (rice) bran extract; citrus grandis (grapefruit) peel extract; hordeum vulgare (barley) extract\extrait d'orge; triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract; betula alba (birch) bark extract; cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract; dimethoxytolyl propylresorcinol; scutellaria baicalensis root extract; morus bombycis (mulberry) root extract; trametes versicolor extract; saccharomyces lysate extract; yeast extract\faex\extrait de levure; peg-6; tromethamine; salicylic acid; polysorbate 20; cholesterol; isohexadecane; propylene glycol dicaprate; helianthus annuus (sunflower) seedcake; caffeine; tocopheryl acetate; acetyl glucosamine; simethicone; glycyrrhetinic acid; polysorbate 80; sodium hyaluronate; di-c12-18 alkyl dimonium chloride; sodium rna; squalane; sodium sulfite; sodium metabisulfite; caprylyl glycol; hexylene glycol; ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer; acrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer; disodium edta; phenoxyethanol; yellow 6 (ci 15985); yellow 5 (ci 19140)

If the packaging doesn't say, avoid it. Email Clinque and let them know we want more info. I think it is against federal law for a product not to list its ingredients.

It says in the leaflet "does not lighten freckles.

No. It lightens nothing. Trust me on this. Have used for 7 weeks faithfully and it lightens NOTHING.

the instructions are explicit in noting that it won't lighten freckles because i quote"freckles are forever." i'm assuming that the serum targets melasma or hyper-pigmentation. and freckles, while related, isn't melasma. both are worsened by sun exposure.

IPL and lasering might be better bets of getting rid of freckles. though again, you have to get treatments at regular intervals because they will come back

the other issue is that if you use products with salicylic acid, your skin will likely become more sensitive to sunlight making you even more susceptible to age spots. the catch then is the more you treat blemishes and discoloration, the greater your chances of getting blemishes and having discoloration.

I haven't tried this product, so I can't tell you how it is as a moisturizer, but I don't think it's intended to be used as one, so you probably need one in addition to it. As far as dark circles, look for something specifically for use on that area and I'd go with a vitamin K product. Works great!

Make sure your moisturizer has a spf. Its very important when using this product.

I would use an actual moisturizer over this serum; it's definitely not meant to moisturize. But it absorbs well and is lightweight, so an extra moisturizing layer won't feel excessive.

No, you do not need to apply anything with an SPF at night if you're just going to bed. Always use sunscreen in the day though. 90% of skin problems women complain about are caused by sun exposure. FYI products with an SPF above15-25 are not any more effective at blocking the sun's damaging rays, so don't think that by putting on SPF 50, you're extra, super protected. That is untrue.

You should definetly wear a sunscreen with an SPF during the daytime. Just like makeup artist Bobbi Brown always says, the sun is one of the worst things for your skin. My dermatologist confirmed this and she said that if you wear a lotion with an SPF everyday (perferably 25 SPF) then you will have great, damage free skin later on in life. With this product the instructions say that sunscreen is required.

I say always go with SPF regardless of when you wear it, as this product is used for reducing dark spots and the sun creates them. It’s counterproductive.

Hi,

I had some sun damage which manifested itself as something that looked like light freckling, but isn't genetic freckling. This DID work on that damage. While that damage did not go away with normal cell turnover during the years, it was superficial enough that it has significant disappeared with this product, along with the moisturizer. This damage was across my shoulder blades and was very very light. I know it's not supposed to reduce freckling, so I guess the question is, are the spots real freckling or is it sun damage or something else. I tried this and the moisturizer and a couple of other products from this line because the nurse at my son's dermatologist suggested it. You could probably get a large sample from Sephora and give it a try for a few days to see if anything happens.

Hope this helps.

correct, this product does not work on GENETIC freckles. age spots, sun spots, etc it will work on, because it helps eliminate sun damage. if you know your freckles are genetic but worsened by sun exposure, this can help lighten, but not defeat your freckles.