La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel Reviews

Thank you to Beauty Review as this product was sent to me as part of their test panel to discover whether it met my strict criteria in what I’m looking for in good, non-nonsense skin care for sensitive and irritable skin.

This comes in a 200 ml blue tube, not a white tube like the picture states. It will last for ages, especially since it is really hard to squeeze the tube to get product to come out through the tiny hole. I love this, it means I won’t use more than I need. In terms of economy this tube initially looks expensive but will last for months therefore most likely cheaper than many other products out there.

I did hope this was the face wash containing salicylic acid but this was not the case as the ingredients do not list it as being in this product at all.

A quick run through the eleven ingredients listed and potential irritants are Sodium Laureth Sulfate (foaming agent) as second ingredient and last is Parfum/Fragrance. Everything else looks fine for sensitive skin, a few preservatives in there but they are low on the irritation list and should not cause any issues unless someone has an allergy to them. No essential oils or other fragrances such as limonene and linalool.

I am trying this product with fragrance as I do not react to all products that have fragrance in it. I am wary so will go carefully with any product introduced into my regime that contains it.

To me it has quite a heavy tea tree/lemon scent to it which seems to be used in a lot of products for “oily skin”. I do find it overbearing since I’m used to skincare not smelling but the scent doesn’t linger once used.

I started using this once a day to see how my skin coped with the SLS and fragrance. Unfortunately I had to cut down that as it started to make my skin red and irritated.

I did find that it removed my mineral foundation, mascara and SPF easily and left my skin soft without that tight feeling that indicates when something is too drying.

This could be great for oily skin but it seems mine is going through some changes and is more on the drier side so if you have dry skin, this one is not for you and you should look into their Toleraine line which is designed for dry skin types.

I have very oily skin and I think this cleanser is really working for me!

Firstly, the size of the cleanser is massive which helps you feel better about the price. Although the small nozzle makes it really difficult to squeeze enough product out. My skin has benefited from this cleanser because my face is less oily and it's gentle enough to not cause me to have a burning reaction, like other products have. I still have pimples but that's because I squeeze any sign of a pink bump. The product lathers up well and feels very clean and simple. After I rinse it off my face feels soft, and not overly dry or tight.

Overall I have high hopes for this product because it is on the more expensive end of cleansers and is specifically made for treating pimples and excess sebum.

If you have oily or blemish-prone skin this is the cleanser for you.

The La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel comes in a generous 200ml tube. The packaging is simple, giving the product a 'dermatological' feel, while the blue and white colour scheme gives off a fresh and cooling vibe.

The gel itself is simple to use and massages nicely into the skin. It leaves the skin feeling clean without the tightness that other cleansers sometimes have. However, I feel my skin doesn't have the softness it usually has when using my normal cleanser.

During the first week of use, my skin became very flaky and I did have breakouts. The breakouts dried and cleared very quickly and by the second week, my skin was smooth and even looking.

Because my skin is more combination than oily I wouldn't use this product on a daily basis but I will definitely be using it in the summer when my skin tends to be oiler and when I have breakouts.

Overall, I was impressed with this product and would happily recommend it, especially to those who have problematic skin.

My first impressions were that the products was very clinical and sterile looking. It looks like something you'd be prescribed by the doctor! My husband even ended up trying it, something he would never do if it were pink or 'feminine' looking. So I think that's a win for the branding!

The tube is fine to use, the gel is nice and thick so there's no overflow or spillage when you're dispensing it. A win for no wastage!

There's a faint scent to the product - I've smelt it before but I can't for the life of me place it!! Like the packaging its definitely not a scent I would say was feminine. Another win!

I didn't think the gel lathered enough to warrant being called 'foaming' but anyhoo... it was lovely to cleanse with. It rinsed easily in the shower and I felt I got enough of a cleanse using just my hands and no facecloth.

So far so good right? Alas, after using twice a day for a week my skin started to feel a little dry on the cheeks. To be fair I do have combo skin - the oily t-zone was not stripped at all. I dialed back to using once a day and my skin has been perfect.

My speckling of blackheads has cleared and I suffered no breakouts or irritation.

For me this is a really nice cleanser, and is priced at the lower end of La Roche Posay products, but for me its over priced slightly, as my usual cleanser is much cheaper and does a similar job.

I've really enjoyed trialling the Effaclar Foaming Gel cleanser.

I like the packaging (blue tube, not white as pictured) which is simple and no frills, but not in a cheap way - it's clean, elegant, very functional, easy to use, and feels very sturdy. It has a mild scent, fairly floral with chemical undertones. I'm not a fan of any scent in facial products so it's a mark against it for me, but it's subtle enough that I can stand it.

I really love the consistency - a little product goes a long way and it lathers up to a lovely rich foam. Applying the product feels great - the dense foam feels smooth and buttery being massaged into the skin.

It leaves skin feeling very clean and soft, although I find it quite drying. Although my skin is oily, if I dry it out too much it will overcompensate by producing even more oil, so I definitely need to pair this cleanser with a rich moisturiser to balance it.

All in all, I'm happy with it - it's lovely to use and is a very effective cleanser.

My skin at the moment is oily/sensitive, constant break outs and overall dull complexion.

I used this cleanser twice daily- morning and night for the first week and then once a day the week after.

During the first week I had a noticable change in first 24hours, By this I mean complexion was smoother and brighter.

Throughout the week my skin would break out and then clear up but my acne was coming back less and less, which I didn't mind because I knew the cleanser was working.

The second week I either used the cleanser in the morning or night as by this stage my skin had cleared up alot! My overall skins appearance is smooth, brighter and refreshed.

I would most definitely recommend this cleanser to anyone prone to acne/skin sensitivity.

The cleanser itself is very gentle, light and you only need a small amount- when mixed with water has a slight foam and the subtle scent reminds me of a cucumber peel off mask.

This is the one i've been searching for! Thanks BR x

I have an oily face but it can can be sensitive to harsh chemicals. This product worked so well. The squeeze bottle is easy to use. There is no strong perfume smell and it washes off all my makeup. The best part is that my skin stayed that way, there was no over drying or oil build up a couple of hours later. It has cleared up most of the adult acne too!

This gel cleanser left my skin feeling soft and fresh, very clean. I even tested it by using a soft white cotton pad on my skin afterwards, and no make up residue was left behind!

I'm slowly getting on to the soap-free train, so was impressed how clean my skin was without soap. I have oily skin and have been using the same cleanser for some time, but starting to feeling that my skin isn't getting thoroughly cleaned. Often when I use a toner afterwards, I find traces of make-up on the cotton pad and have been looking for a better product. Really enjoyed discovering they gel cleanser, leaves my skin feel fresh and clean!

It comes in a medium size squeeze bottle that stands upright in the shower. The bottle retains it's shape so it's easy to squeeze, and has a narrow opening. You can definitely control the amount of product, in fact, the opening might be a bit small as I had to give it a good squeeze to get a small amount of product. Good size bottle and very good value as it's a high quality product and does a great job at cleaning without drying out the skin.

I didn't notice that the gel foamed up like a foaming hand soap, but it does lather up with water. Not sure I find that 'foaming' but I liked that the gel didn't feel sticky!

It was definitely a nice cleanser to use after a long day and wanting to remove my make up and clean my skin!

The only downside is the smell... it's very medicinal and earthy. I appreciate it's not scented, but I got used it to after 2 days and loving how my skin looks using it.

Definitely recommend as a daily cleanser and great for oily skin. It's hard to find cleansers that don't leave your skin feeling dried out, and this gel leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean!

I was really excited about this product because it’s a great brand and I haven’t used a gel cleanser in a while. I always used to use gel cleansers and loved them but have been trying a lot of different kinds recently so it was interesting to go back to gel.

I like the packaging of this product but one comment I would make is that the hole in the tube is super small so only a small amount comes out. I guess that’s a good thing because you don’t use too much but just a preference for me would be for the product to come out easier.

I really liked the feel of this product. It isn’t sticky and still feels substantial on your skin - like it’s actually serving a purpose. My skin felt super clean and also brighter, which is a massive plus for me with super dull skin this time of year.

I will definitely continue using this product, but I probably won’t buy it again in the future because I think I’ve been converted to oil cleansers instead. Overall, though, great product and I didn’t experience any break outs while using it.

One of the first things I noticed was the strong scent which seemed quite artificial. I didn’t really mind it, but I think it might be a deal breaker for a lot of people. I also noticed that it tastes gross… then I wondered do I accidentally eat all of my cleansers in the shower and this one just tastes especially bad?

I like the nice packaging (sucker for packaging), and I did like that it lathers quite well (doesn’t foam excessively), and is easy to wash off. Plus it definitely gets all my make up off in the evenings when I use it in the shower, so it made my face feel super clean. My face didn’t feel dry after using it, but only after I’d used quite a bit of moisturiser. I was a bit worried that because it foams it might be slightly drying, so I preferred just using it once a day. ‘Gentle’ isn’t really a word I’d immediately associate with it, but it didn’t seem to strip my skin or make it flake or peel though, so my concerns were probably unfounded.

I didn’t really see a difference in terms of how much acne I had or the texture or brightness of my skin overall, so that was a bit disappointing as I had high expectations.

It is a decent cleanser and doesn’t really do anything ‘wrong’, but I think I was just expecting more from this product after all of its claims. For the price, there are plenty of other products that work as well if not better. I think I’ll bring this product back out in Summer when my skin’s a little less prone to naturally drying out.