Belo Night Therapy Whitening Vitamin Cream + Belo BB Cream Review

I am not a fan of Belo products. I've never used one that did not irritate my overly sensitive skin. 

Belo is the patron saint of skin perfection here in the Philippines. And so when Dra. Belo's daughter announced that she was releasing a product line that's affordable and readily available at grocery stores, I was elated. I knew it wasn't going to be as potent as the ones they prescribe at their clinics, but I had such high regard for their reputation that I expected their products to be really good. 

I've tried their soaps. The blue and pink ones. The whitening one dried my body skin. The whitening and moisturizing one still dried my skin. I've tried their deodorants. The one the promises to make the skin pretty. Dried and irritated my armpits. I've tried their lotions. The papaya one and the kojic acid one. The papaya one dried my skin also. The kojic one dried and irritated my body skin. My sisters also buy from their product line. And they experience the same thing. I was handed down a spot bleaching lotion, the one that comes in an orange tube. Did not lighten my dark spots at all. Just dried my skin.

I don't know if it's just my our skin. My body skin is usually resilient and does not dry out that easily. Or maybe it's the Belo formulation really. I notice they use Kojic Acid on almost all their products. And that's one product that my skin just does not tolerate well. So it could just be my skin that's the problem. 

Anyway, the reason I still keep buying Belo products is because it's Belo. I still haven't given up on the Belo promise. I've tried their prescription products, the ones you can only purchase at their clinics. And their Bleaching products did well without irritating my skin. They're not labelled, but if I remember correctly, the actives were mostly Arbutin, HQ and Tret. 

Also, Belo products often go on sale on Shopee.

Belo Essentials Night Therapy Whitening Vitamin Cream

This is paired with a day cream. Both promise to whiten and revitalize the skin in 7 days. Ingredients include skin vitamins (Vitamins A, B, C, E?), Glutathione, Kojic Acid, and Gigawhite. Glutathione is contested by a lot of skin experts to not be an effective whitener when applied topically, though I am no expert to judge, I mean, it's still in most skin whitening products. Kojic Acid, as mentioned earlier, is not compatible with my skin, but is an effective whitener. Gigawhite, I think, is Belo's secret concoction, though you can easily find whitening extracts in the ingredients list: Morus Alba Root Extract, Achilea Millefolium Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Veronica Officinalis Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Malva Sylvestris Extract.

So I did not dare to use this on my face. I was too scared of the Kojic acid content. I bought this for my neck, which was showing signs of distress from recent sun exposure and aging. The skin on my neck is usually resilient. I've used Ponds products on it without any problem - if I used the same products on my face, I'm sure to get half a dozen pimples the following days. So I used this on my neck. And I was again heartbroken to find that this still isn't the Belo product for me. I developed a rash on my neck, which went away when I stopped using the product. There were also a couple of pimples along my jawline where I also applied this product. 

The upside: I now use this on my arms. And it seems to be working fine. No signs of irritation. I wish I bought the day cream instead so my arms can enjoy further sun protection during the day. But I guess I'm finishing this jar before I order that. 

Bought this for less than P200 ($4) for a 50g jar on Shopee.

Belo Intensive Whitening BB Cream SPF 50 PA++++

My skin does not tolerate Kojic Acid. I do not know why I bought this product when it so obviously contains Kojic Acid. Maybe because it was on sale? Maybe because I was running out of BB cream? Maybe I thought I needed sun protection of some form? Probably because this was on sale. Anyway

I lowered my expectations on this product. I actually braced myself for an onslaught of pimples so I only put this on my forehead which does not scar that much. When my forehead remained clear after days of using this, I went ahead and applied it all over my face. This didn't break me out. 

This is a BB cream, but this feels and looks more like a tinted sunscreen. It's very light. Almost translucent on the face. Has very minimal coverage so if you have spots to hide, you'd need a separate concealer for that. What this does is unifies the tone. This also does not make my skin feel oily compared to Korean BB creams. 

I am yet to see if this delivers the Belo promise of flawlessness. I don't really use this daily as I'm mostly at home during this pandemic. 

Bought the small one for less than P200 ($4). Tube lasts for about 2 months with daily use.

Recommend? Yes.