La Roche Posay Softening Foaming Gel Cleanser......Review

If you follow my blog, you'll know I was using the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser up to few days ago. You can read my review on this previous cleanser here. Since I finished the whole bottle last week, I had to buy a new cleanser but I already knew my next cleanser would be this one: the Toleriane foaming gel. So here are my thoughts after using it for an entire week.

I want to start with the premise that, although I have only used this product for about 5 days, this is how long I normally need to determine whether a cleanser is good or bad for me. In fact, if I have to get any negative reactions from using a cleanser I normally get them within a span of 4 days from the first use. 

As you can see in the above picture, the tube says this cleanser (as any other Toleriane product) is fragrance free, soap free, has a pH of 5.5, is preservative and paraben free. The packaging also says that this is targeted towards people with normal to combination intolerant skin. On the back of the packaging, it says that this product should be used with lukewarm water to lather it in the palm of your hand and once applied to the face in circular motion, rinse it off and pat dry. And now my opinions summarized into pros and cons as usual.

PROS

1. Finally, a cleanser which foams enough to give my skin a good cleanse but not to the point of drying it out.
2. I love the fact that unlike my Cetaphil cleanser and Toleriane Dermo Cleanser, this gives me that squeaky clean feel I like.
3. Overall, the Softening Foaming Gel by Toleriane is much better than the Cetaphil cleanser in terms of how well it cleanses my skin.
4. Although soap free, it reminds me of the Clinique cleansing soap bar because of its lathering. 
5. Worth the money: By using a tiny amount, this product still does a good job at cleaning my face especially when I am wearing no makeup. It should therefore last a good amount of time and be worth the cost at 9.90 euros.
6. Breakouts & Blemishes: Few days before starting using this cleanser, I started noticing a little breakout on my cheek and on the side of my mouth. After few times using this, the breakout is gone and the blemishes left are fading. I guess this cleanser works so well on breakouts because it cleanses the skin even in its deeper layers.
7. Skin Elasticity: My face now feels tighter and almost lifted. I believe this is due to the squeaky clean tight feel this foaming cleanser gives me. So unless your face is extremely dry, I suggest you to use this or a similar cleanser if you want your facial skin to stay firm and lifted, especially when aging.
8. Pores & Blackheads: It's been only few days for me to say whether or not this cleanser is doing something for my pores. However, although I think there are more specific products to reduce large pores and blackheads, I also believe that in the long run this cleanser might reduce the oxidation of my pores because of its ability to clean the deeper layers of the skin.

CONS

1. The smell is kind of chemical and it reminds me of the worst cleanser I have ever used: the Body Shop
2. It can make your skin feel a little tight, but nothing a good moisturizer can't counteract.
3. You might not be able to use this every day if your skin is on the dry side.
4. It dried my nose, although many cleansers do the same.

To conclude, I would like to say that if you are not sensitive to the relatively strong chemical scent and if you don't have any dry nose issues, this cleanser is a good one for you especially if you have normal to combination skin which is sensitive or intolerant. I am definitely going to use this product until I run out of it. But I don't think I will be repurchasing it simply because I am not a fan of the strong chemical scent. If you are looking for something similar but more gentle, try the Toleriane Foaming Cream Cleanser.

STAY FAB