Clinique Rinse off Foaming Cleanser Review | Will Foaming Cleansers Ever Work With Eczema Prone Skin?

With so many different types of cleanser how do you pick which one is right for you? With the summer finally showing it’s face I started using some cleansers that I expected to cater to more oily skin, which included this sample of Clinique’s Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser. It came in this sweet pink tube, not too dissimilar to it’s usual packaging and I’ve used it mainly at night during my showers.

Main Ingredients and Their Benefits

Potassium Myristate is a detergent cleansing agent that’s a constituent of soap. It can be drying and aggravate skin for some people.

Glycerin promotes skin cell maturation which can help fight effects of skin problems such as psoriasis whilst improving the appearance of skin in general. It is a humecant and helps the skin maintain it’s moisture which in turn makes the skin look healthier.

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a mild surfactant derived from coconut. It’s often used in cleansers when the desired effect is a creamy foam.

Butylene Glycol is a solvent, viscosity-decreasing agent and a conditioner. This helps reduce the product from drying out and works well in anti-aging products as it helps retain moisture.

Trisodium EDTA is used as a water-softening and chelating agent (a compound prevents ingredients from bonding to other ingredients).

Disodium EDTA (disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is used as a chelating agent. It prevents ingredients in a formula from binding with trace elements that can be present in water. Studies have found that EDTAs, including disodium EDTA, as used in cosmetic formulations are safe.

How to Use

• Wet hands and face
• Use pea sized amount and lather
• Massage into face
• Rinse thoroughly

First Thoughts

When first using it I immediately thought that a pea sized amount was a very small amount for my whole face and that it wouldn’t foam up as much because of this. After the first couple of times using this, I started to use slightly more because I was really struggling with not having enough product to clean my entire face.

I was also worried as often foam cleansers react badly with my skin – they’re sometimes over-drying and can badly effect my eczema, even causing flare ups on my face. Although, I’ve never had any issues with Clinique’s products before as they’re made to be better for sensitive skin.

During Use

While I was using this cleanser my skin did feel like it was being cleaned, but it felt like it was cleaning too much. My skin felt dry immediately, so much so that touching my face with my hands felt awful and I had to switch to a face cloth to rinse.

After Use

After I dried my face my skin felt dry and tight. Although it did feel clean, it felt like everything had been stripped from my face (including good oils!). I used First Aid Beauty’s Ultimate Repair Cream immediately after use and my skin still felt dry. Which is insane because that cream works wonders on eczema patches!

The good news is that it didn’t negatively impact my skin in terms of break outs or eczema flare ups. Unlike many foam cleanser it didn’t make me feel itchy or anything.

Would I Purchase Again?

No. With how dry it made my skin (even when my skin was oily!) it just didn’t feel good for me, especially after I looked into how foam cleansers aren’t great for your skin.