Forest Essentials vs. Clinique face-off

(see also Clinique review part 1 and part 2, Forest Essentials final product review, part 1 and part 2)

Welcome to the Forest Essentials vs. Clinique face-off!!

As I have physically used products from both FE and Clinique for 15 and 8 weeks respectively, I am suitably qualified to tell you which product does the best job by function.

It is technically a “face-off!”

Please note that the prices for FE reflect the Indian website and for Clinique are from the US website at the date of this blog. I will not be updating future changes in price.

Which cleanser?

The winner is FE, by a whisker. It boiled down to FE’s Mashobra cleanser foaming less than the Clinique’s product and that is a personal preference.

Both cost under US$ 20 for 200ml.

Which toner?

The Clinique toner was truly horrendous and the FE tonic mist product was just a waste of physical space and functionally, utterly useless. I would not buy either again.

Facial tonic mist cost US$ 18 for 200ml and the Clinique toner cost US$ 27 for 400ml (twice the volume).

Which substitute toner or softener?

I used the Rasa Activating Serum and the Tejal Balancing Water as my toner. This is a superior product combination and yes, it is dearer than the Clinique product, but I would happily use it again.

Together, the FE products cost US$ 69 and the Clinique product cost US$ 27 for 400ml

Which serum?

The Soundarya serum is awful and the Vitamin C booster is amazing. This FE serum caused my pores to enlarge and the Clinique Vitamin C booster was an excellent choice for my first foray into Vitamin C. Hands down the winner is Clinique.

The Soundarya serum costs US$ 56 and 4 bottles of the Clinique Vitamin C cost US$ 77.

Which day moisturizer?

The Soundarya cream was heavy, smelt hideous and didn’t provide the same level of hydration as the Clinique 72H Moisture Surge. So without any real competition offered by FE, its Clinique’s 72 H Moisturise Surge.

To add insult to injury, the Soundarya day cream is US$ 67 for 30ml…A 125ml jar of Clinique’s 72H moisture surge is US$ 78.50 and I would buy that over the 50 ml jar for US$ 40.

Which night cream?

For me its a tie between both products. I may change my mind once I have used the Ojas balm, which is meant to complement the Date & Litchi product.

Closing remarks

Despite FE’s aspirational and fabulous marketing – which other brand has the audacity to promise “Eternal Youth” in a moisturiser – I’m disappointed with the perfomance of FE products. Also, the sale of extraneous products that are completely unsuited to my skin type, has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Admittedly, even though the Clinique products deliver – they are expensive. Personally, I would find a way to buy them from the US or Canada around the holiday season. It is a lot of planning and quite frankly most of us don’t have that type of patience.

So, would I pay the additional US$ 200+ and buy the products outside the US?

Yes. Clinique’s performance is far superior to anything the FE regime offered me.

It just doesn’t feel like a fair comparison because Clinique is not the best American luxury skincare brand and FE prides itself on being luxurious Ayurveda. Is this really the best Indian skincare regime? I hope not.

Drop me an email at email@happyskindays.com if you have any comments, queries or additions.

I want this to be my last blog before the new year. It may not be. But if it is, Merry Christmas and Happy New year.