We were fortunate enough to be selected for this trial product. By we I mean my 13 year old son Macyn and me! So this is a review with a difference. Two different ages, and very different skin types trialing the same product! We both used this for 5 days in a row, once a day.
Appearance: Macyn – I liked the tube’s colour and design. It didn’t look too girly. It was easy to use too. The gel was clear and smelt like clean. When I put it on my face it foamed up and spread easily. It washed off without too much effort as well. Mum- I too liked the packaging and found it easy to dispense the product. The product itself was a clear gel with a slight fragrance that was pleasant. Application was simple, wet skin, apply the gel which turns into a rich foam and rinse off!
Results: Macyn – Day one I had a few small zits on my forehead and one bigger one on my cheek. When I used this wash I could feel a tingle but it didn’t hurt and when I rinsed it off my face felt clean and soft. Day 3 and all but the cheek pimple was gone and the one on my cheek was smaller than when we started and by day 5 that one was gone too. Mum said she could see that my whole face looked a lot healthier too. Mum – I have tried several La Roche-Posay products now and loved them all but this particular product would not be one that I would have ever picked up off the shelf as I have dry skin with very few breakouts. I was concerned that using a cleanser designed for such a different skin type would dry me out so even though I have trust in the quality of the brand I was skeptical that this one would work for me. I used this gel once a day and was quite surprised by it. Firstly even with no exfoliating beads and the gel like texture this product really leaves the skin feeling like you have just used a grainy scrub. Smooth, soft and clean are the adjectives that come to mind when describing how it felt after use. The even bigger surprise was the effect it had. I didn’t have any breakouts so wasn’t expecting it to clear anything up but I did have concerns about it drying my skin out which it didn’t. In fact it actually appeared to help with my dry patches and seemed to help my moisturiser absorb into my skin better too.
Conclusion: Macyn – I will keep using this product. It seems to be improving my skin and its not too hard to use Mum – I will buy this for my son again. The improvements in his skin are noticeable, the price point is reasonable and the brand is becoming easier to find in stores as well. I probably won’t continue long-term, consistent usage on my face as I have other fave products but certainly won’t be afraid to steal some if I am out of mine.
The gel cleansers I'm most familiar with are those that I used as a teenager to strip my skin of as much oil as possible in the (mistaken) hope that it'd stop my skin breaking out. I can report that this one is nothing like those! The failed results of the above experiment have seen me avoid gel cleansers for a long while now and it was nothing but my trust in this brand that spurred me to set my old prejudices aside- and I'm glad I did.
The product comes out very sparingly from the tube and is clear and fragrance-free. I've been using around a pea-size amount and it cleans my whole face thoroughly. It doesn't foam or soap up excessively and I find it has a cooling, refreshing feel to it. This isn't a messy face wash that's going to drip everywhere and make you want to get it off your face as quickly as possible so I've enjoyed taking my time and really massaging it into my face.
It works well to remove my make up and I haven't found a double-cleanse entirely necessary. I do notice that my skins feels smoother, and any blemishes I that've attempted to pop up have kind of disappeared before making themselves too apparent- that's a win in my book! My skin is definitely on the dry side, especially in winter, but this cleanser hasn't left it feeling tight and dry.
This is a no-frills but effective face wash that does what it says it will which is exactly the type of product I look for. I would absolutely purchase this cleanser when I run out and it's one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to others. Another success from LRP!
Tips: Great for a morning freshen up, or an evening take the day off cleanse.