Clarins Gentle Refiner Review

I had this in my drawer from receiving it in a gift pack and I finally got around to using it.

I was already hesitant because it contains microbeads, which are so awful for our waterways, but I reasoned with myself that if I used it or if I threw it in the bin, the microbeads were already going to be contaminants either way.

However, when I first started using this I was overwhelmed with the very strong fragrance. I usually use natural beauty products and avoid artificial fragrance, so I'm not used to very scented products. I used this a couple of times, but then I decided that the experience was too negative - between the scent and the microbead guilt - so I won't be finishing it.

As for did it do the job? It was a creamy exfoliator, but I know of a bunch of other NZ natural companies that do exfoliators that are just as good. Definitely not one I'd shell out big money for!

A few months back I went on a bit of a Clarins binge and in need of an exfoliator I decided this was for me. I was told this was a bit harsher than the other Clarins exfoliator and with dry skin I feel I need something a bit harsh to remove the dry flakey patches. It comes with a price tag though $58 for a 50ml so I felt like I had to love it being that price.

It comes in a white squeezy tube and it sits on its lid. Perfect! I don't wanna be wasting a drop of this stuff at such a price. It also has the Clarins signature red writing and logo on the tube. The exfoliator is a white colour with a cream texture with the exfoliator beads being also white. They look like wee bits of salt. It has light floral scent like that smells and matches the rest of the Clarins range.

Now to the business end.. Yes it does exfoliate but harsh enough for my crocodile skin? Nope unfortunately. This would be great for normal skin but I really like a good harsh scrub to remove the dead skin.... ewww I know! I leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off. My skin does feel quite smooth but damn dry patches are still there. Will I buy again? No probably not. the El cheapo I get from the supermarket I think is better.

I recieved this in a Clarins GWP, in a generous 50 ml size. I am an exfoliator junkie, and was excited to try this. I am obsessed with that super smooth feeling you get when you rinse exfoliators off.

This is not a very creamy formula - the exfoliating particles are large and I feel like they are not suspended in enough of the product itself. This also means that you need to use quite a bit to adequately cover the face. Despite this, my sample lasted me a long time, which was impressive.

This has quite a plain old fashioned subtle sort of scent which is common in Clarins products. Upon rinsing it off my skin feels immediately smoother and with a finer texture. I just love the feeling of it, and moisturiser sinks in very quickly afterwards.

The packaging is extremely attractive and I love that Clarins skincare is very uniform in its packaging - I would be unlikely to repurchase however, as I find it a touch too abrasive.

I was given this as part of a gift pack so at first I didn't know it was this expensive. Knowing its price I definitely won't go out and buy it myself. The product is creamy white and has little beads in it. I don't know where the 'gentle' part comes from because it really scrubs at my face! I feel like this is quite an in depth exfoliator and really removes a fair amount of dead skin and dirt from my pores. After I rinse it off my face feels soft but dries out quite quickly, so I have to moisturise almost immediately. But it doesn't irritate my sensitive skin, which I'm happy about. Aside from doing its job as an exfoliator, I didn't really see anything special about it. I've bought much cheaper exfoliating scrubs that work just as well as this. And I'm not really that bothered about branding and high end skin care so I don't think it's worth $50 bucks.

I received this Clarins beauty when I was purchasing my usual daily energizer cleanser and daily energizer cream (love the whole range!). I was looking to purchase the gentle refiner separately as well but the one in the GWP was a generous 50ml!

The packaging of all Clarins products are uniform which i love - they all look so nice and simple and classy. The gentle refiner comes in a squeezy bottle which allows you to use up all of the product. The product itself it not too thick, but not too thin either, its the perfect balance of both. The beads are tiny, but there are a lot of them (compared to other facial exfoliators, such as the trilogy one) so a little goes a long way. My Clarins counter manager said to exfoliate the product as you would with any product, but leave it on for 2-3 minutes before you wash it off.

The product leaves your skin feeling so refreshed and baby bottom smooth. The product didn't irritate my sensitive skin and works well with my Clarins cleanser and moisturiser that I use daily as well.

I am so happy with the product, it works really well on my skin and its the only exfoliator I will use from now on!