REVIEW | Rexona Women Advanced Whitening Fresh Sakura Dry Serum

Do you apply serum to your underarm area? Well I have seen some people sharing about exfoliating their underarm but only recently I saw Rexona coming out with a serum for this area. Then I immediately got intrigued and ordered it on Hermo as it was so affordable. What a catch! Definitely something everyone should grab on a sale to try because if this does not live up to your standard you won’t be so disappointed, at least.

Ingredients

Water, Aluminum Chlorohydrate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Perfume, Steareth-20, Steareth-2, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrated Silica, Gelatin Crosspolymer, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract

I love that the ingredients list is not long but I wonder why there is only one skin brightening ingredient which is licorice root extract as according to incidecoder because this is packaged and branded as a whitening fresh serum so I expect it to have at least two brightening ingredients sitting as the top ones on the list and. Licorice root extract is also not among the top ones as it comes as the 13^th ingredient. Okay moving on, this serum also contains sunscreen or UV-filter which is Titanium Dioxide. I think this is for people whose underarms are exposed to UV rays so this UV-filter can keep the areas protected?

Texture and Smell

This has quite a strong smell and yes, it lingers but for underarm product, I think that’s not much of a problem. I am not sure if everyone thinks the same. I haven’t smelled sakura in my life so I am sorry that I can’t tell you if this smells like sakura. To my nose it smells powdery and like my grandmother’s old face powder; the one in white colour that is compressed and comes with a big fluffy puff. The texture is quite creamy and more viscous than the usual serums for face.

It has a silky texture that feels lightweight and not suffocating at all. It is non-sticky, and definitely takes some time to absorb. One of the claims on the packaging says that it dries quickly but that is sadly not the case for me. Not that it takes too long to dry, but definitely not quickly either. I also had my husband try this for a month and he thinks the same too.

How to Use

I am not sure is this is to be used with deodorants after (or before? Well I don’t think so but who knows) or as a replacement for deodorants so I tried it both ways. Reading the information on Hermo especially the “does your roll on take a long time to dry?”, I think this is supposed to be used as a deodorant substitute. Besides, there is a ’48 hr anti-perspirant’ label on the bottom right of the tube.

However, just to experiment thoroughly, I tried both ways. More on this in the experience section but all in all, I think that you should go through the trial-and-error process yourself. Some people might think that this serum is enough for their underarms but some people might still need deodorant to work together with this serum.

Experience

My husband is okay with the smell but for me I think it is too strong to my liking. To his nose, the smell is refreshing and pleasantly relaxing. I don’t hate the smell but I just wish that it’s less strong and subtler because it lingers so I have to live with it for the day so yeah, if you are someone who cannot really tolerate strong scent, this might be a pass for you.

My husband and I have been using this dry serum for a month and we do not totally agree with the name ‘dry’ serum as this doesn’t really make our underarms dry throughout the day. Applying this and waiting for it to dry is one thing, and having our underarms moist again after around 30 to 40 minutes is another. I can understand if it gets moist again on days when we move around a lot but it is kind of weird when it’s the same deal even when we were just lazing at home. We applied it little by little and waited for it to absorb completely so I don’t think it is due to our way of applying. Perhaps the dry claim isn’t really true for our underarms.

I tried using this both with deodorant and without, and I think that this alone is enough for me as deodorant as even though my underarm is not completely dry, it is still in check for at least for 6 – 8 hours. What I mean by ‘in check’ is that my blouse doesn’t get wet, there is no foul odour coming from the underarm area, and there is no discomfort.

As for my husband, just like me, he prefers using this serum as a substitute for deodorant. This is because he finds it uncomfortable to layer a serum and then a deodorant (both spray type and roll on types as he only has those two types). However, after a few tries he comes to a conclusion that he will go on using his usual deodorant spray for work days and only use this serum during weekend when he gets to stay at home. For him, he finds it super uncomfortable to move about and meet people with a moist underarm so dryness is his first concern. He loves this pleasant-smelling serum when he’s at home, though.

So, I guess this Rexona Women Advanced Whitening Fresh Sakura Dry Serum is really for women hehe. We both experience no bad reactions to this such as itchiness, rashes, or anything.