An Auckland woman who suffered a bad reaction to a Neutrogena skincare product says she’s been left “frustrated” by the company’s lack of response.

Shena Damian, a 35-year-old account manager, purchased the brand’s Active Acne cleanser and serum in hopes they would help with an acne breakout.

“I had been getting pimples here and there periodically and blemishes from those pimples and just wanted to try something different, to see if it could help,” she tells the Herald.

Damian was diagnosed with a severe allergic reaction and prescribed steroid cream. Photo / Supplied

She says she used the cleanser as per the instructions on the label and applied the serum to her pimples, but the next day woke up with a “slightly puffy face”.

Damian didn’t think much of it at the time, but says that by the following day, she was “unrecognisable”.

“The swelling around my face, eyes, lips was something I have never experienced.”

She says her symptoms developed throughout the week, leaving her “red, like I had been burnt” and eventually unable to open one eye.

“I had swelling around my eyes, peeling, bleeding in the corners of my lips ... if I moved my eyebrows up, I felt like my skin was going to tear,” she says.

She also contacted Neutrogena via Facebook Messenger and phone calls but did not receive a response for several days, leaving her “frustrated because of the lack of response”.

Several reviews of the two products on Neutrogena’s website show others have had a similar experience to Damian, citing irritation, redness and a “burning” sensation.

But when Damian tried to submit a review about her experience, it could not be posted because it “did not meet their guidelines” as it included photos of her reaction.

Neutrogena Advanced Acne Serum. Photo / Supplied

When she was eventually able to see a doctor, she was diagnosed with a severe allergic reaction and prescribed steroid cream and fatty cream to aid the healing process. A few days later, her face was still feeling “tight” and her skin was “peeling.

“I used to have really bad cystic acne and I’ve gone through all that treatment, I’m no stranger to this type of product,” she notes.

“But I have been getting a lot more pimples than usual, and I didn’t want to go back to that time that I used to have bad acne, so I thought I would act on it now and get something from the supermarket that I’ve never tried before. What’s the worst that could happen by just applying a cleanser to your face?

“I would never have thought that I would wake up with a swollen eye and then the next day, looking completely different. I just couldn’t believe it.”

Neutrogena’s customer service eventually called her and offered her a refund on what she had spent, provided she had a record of the products’ batch number, but did not otherwise respond to her concerns.

Damian says a refund “doesn’t really change what I had already gone through.

“It’s not about the money, but more their lack of interest in the terrible reaction that I have had, and most likely other people too.”

When contacted by the Herald for comment, a spokesperson for Neutrogena’s parent company Kenvue (formerly Johnson & Johnson) said that the products are designed for acne-prone skin on the face and that they work by “exfoliating, removing surface oil and reducing the blockage of pores.”

Damian says the products caused the skin on her face to "peel". Photo / Supplied

They continued, “The health and safety of the people who use our products is our top priority.

“All our products manufactured must meet predefined quality and safety standards before they are released for distribution and sale. We take feedback from all our customers and consumers very seriously and endeavour to respond to and address all complaints in a timely and satisfactory manner.”

But Damian says there’s “not enough warning” on the labels, which say the products have been dermatologically and allergy tested.

“I could just be a minority, but if I look at my history of using these type of products, whether it was over the counter or administered by a beautician, I’ve never had any reaction like the way that I have here. It’s going to take some time to heal.

“I just think this is so wrong, because you can just grab it from the supermarket or Chemist Warehouse, it’s accessible and what if you were a young girl, like a 14-year-old, you know what I mean?

“This has caused me a lot of discomfort, embarrassment, and time and money wasted. Never would think a supermarket product would cause this.”

The products’ key active ingredients include salicylic acid - SA - as well as glycolic acid and gluconolactone.

Dr Jennifer Irvine, an Auckland GP with a special interest in dermatology, explains that salicylic acid is a common ingredient in skincare products designed to treat acne by breaking down keratin blocking the pores.

“SA is usually well tolerated,” she says, but notes that “anyone who has a sensitivity to aspirin should not use SA products, they are the same drug.”

The labels do not include a warning not to use the product if you have an allergy or sensitivity to aspirin.

“The product may be allergy tested but that doesn’t account for an individual’s allergy or sensitivity to salicylic acid or an individual’s skin barrier sensitivity.”

She says it’s hard to tell just how much of the ingredient is in these products because the total percentages on the labels include AHA and PHA complexes, which are other acid groups that work to combat acne.

“So the total is for all three, and we can’t tell exactly how much of this is SA.”

Irvine notes that there are several factors that go into the condition of our skin, including the use of different products or treatments, which can influence an individual’s reaction to a product.

“The more sensitive our skin indicates that the skin barrier is stressed and unhealthy. This can be due to dehydration, inflammation, damage from sun and even the overuse of some skincare products.”

Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in lifestyle human interest stories, foodie hacks (what can’t you air fry?!) and anything even remotely related to coffee.