Product Review: Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash

Also available from Amazon.

If you're like me who's been reading a lot of articles and forums posts about skin care, you may encounter some product ingredients that we should avoid. Parabens, silicones, and sulfates are some of them. While some warnings may be based on facts, most of them aren't conclusive yet. Majority of these hype remain highly controversial. That is probably why a number of people get turned off into buying drugstore brands, because even though they cost less, they contain certain ingredients that majority of internet articles warn us against using.

Ingredients-wise, this facial cleanser from Clean & Clear is no different from other drugstore brands. It contains parabens that many women try to avoid. I must admit I had avoided drugstore brands before because I also became suspecting against certain ingredients and that's why I had refrained from using them for some time. In my previous post: What are Parabens: The Highly Controversial Substance, I've mentioned that I wouldn't be completely avoiding parabens anymore, especially if the product is a cleanser (something that would be quickly rinsed off anyway). 

I decided to buy Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash after reading from Paula Begoun's website that it removes makeup effectively. Unfortunately, the Essentials Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin isn't available in my country, and so I had to give the non-sensitive formula a try, which is, according to online reviews, similarly effective for removing makeup.

Product Name: Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash

Price and Availability: Php 73.75 / 50 ml (Watsons Philippines), Amazon

Ingredients: 

Water, Triethanolamine, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Lauryl Phosphate, Triclosan, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Benzophenone-4, Pentasodium Triphosphate, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Methlparaben, Ehtylparaben, Butylparaben, Proplyparaben, Isobutylparaben, Fragrance.

Remarks:
Based on cosdna.com database, ingredients with comedogenicity rating of 3 and above out of 5 scale: myristic acid and lauric acid. In addition,triethanol amine scores high in irritancy scale. 

Review:

Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash is liquid in form, and little amount is needed for foaming to occur. It has no noticeable smell, and the color of the formula is translucent orange. After using the product, I've noticed that it dries out my pimples quickly. I've also tested skinacea.com's advice: In order to find out if your cleanser is effective, apply toner with a cotton/cotton pad after washing with your product, and check if there are makeup stains. If the cotton appears clean, then your product should be adequate for makeup removal. 

Following skinacea's advice, after removing my BB cream using Clean & Clear, I applied toner using a cotton. I'm pleased to find out that the cotton was stain-free. No need for shelling out extra cash for expensive makeup removers. I only need this facial wash for cleansing my makeup.

On the downside, I noticed this cleanser to be too much drying. I have oily skin, so somehow it's balanced. Yet I can still feel the tightness after using it twice daily. Applying a heavy duty moisturizer is a must after using this cleanser. 

Here are the pros and cons of Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash:

Pros:

- dries out pimples quickly

- removes light makeup effectively (haven't tried this with heavy makeup)

- very cheap

Cons:

- contains parabens that may be a turn off to some consumers

- contains triclosan that may be too harsh on skin

- may be too drying to some skin types

Verdict:

It works well for removing my light makeup. No need for me to spend a lot of bucks for other makeup removing products (Hooray!). I will continue using this but only at night to remove light makeup or sunscreen for the meantime. I would gladly trade this for Essentials Foaming Facial Wash Sensitive Skin once available in my country.

Rating:

4/5