A pleasant surprise: The Body Shop Facial Washes

I enjoy The Body Shop mostly thanks to the gorgeous smell of their products. I was mostly buying body lotions, as they smell awesome and there was no risk of doing any charm to my skin. I was sceptical about their facial skincare products and wasn't even tempted to try it out, until I have run out of face masks from Poland. In UK the choice of masks is very poor, most of the stuff available in pharmacies, supermarkets and Avon is clay-kind of masks, which I don't really like. I prefer "sink in" type of masks, the ones you apply like cream and leave to absorb, no need to wash off, I like to use them overnight. The only place where I managed to find this type of masks (in reasonable prices, as I wasn't even looking among posh brands) was The Body Shop. I have bought two and since there was "3 for 2" offer I grabbed vitamin E facial wash. My newest Korean face foam from Mizon turned out to be rubbish and postage from Korea takes up to two weeks, so I really needed something to wash my face with until another order from Asia arrives. I didn't really expect much of this product, I just hoped it won't dry me out as badly as Mizon. Surprisingly TBS face wash turned out to be so nice I didn't have to make another order from Korea...

Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash

Product description: A gentle facial wash that lathers on the skin to leave it feeling clean, soft and refreshed.
INCI: Aqua, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil/Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoat, Hydroxycitronellal, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Geraniol, Tocopherol, Linalool, Citronellol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, CI 17200/Red 33, CI 14700/Red 4

In the ingredients list we will find soybean oil, rich in B vitamins, vitamin E and K and Omega-6 fatty acids. Soybean has antioxidant and moisturising properties. There is also wheat germ oil, another source of vitamin E and antioxidants.

The facial wash has pale pink colour, creamy texture and Nivea creme-like scent. The tube is made of soft plastic and contains 100ml of product. It doesn't really leather much, but is a bit slippery, so it's easy to spread on face. It is indeed very mild, doesn't leave skin feeling dry and tight. In comparison to Korean face washes it's not very efficient, the tube lasted only for a bit over month.

But it's not only the mildness that got me into this foam. Primarily thanks to this product I discovered that my skin doesn't like alkaline products. On Snow White and Asian Pear blog I've read negative review of Mizon's foam, that was referring to it's high alkaline pH. Out of curiosity I've bought on e-Bay pH tester strips, which arrived after I've bought TBS wash... So when I was buying TBS wash I didn't know what pH level it has. When I tested both foams it turned out that my Vitamin E wash has slightly acidic pH 6. The immediate effects of using non-alkaline foam was lack of skin dryness and tightness and the long term use effects exceed my expectations - for the whole month during using TBS facial wash I didn't experience a single break out, only during my period one single spot has arrived. One! That's amazing! It's because our skin has naturally acidic pH, which helps to create protective barrier against harmful bacteria. If you use alkaline products, you lower your skin's pH level, weakening it's natural protection system. Thanks to acidic face wash your skin has better ability to protect itself from acne causing germs. I really wish I would have known about it before, it would save my skin so many breakouts...

Price: £8,50 in The Body Shop store.

Pros:
+ creamy texture
+ mildness
+ healthy for skin, slightly acidic pH
+ doesn't dry out skin

Cons:
- doesn't last very long, what makes it a bit expensive
- doesn't leather much

Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash

Product description: The Pomegranate range addresses the signs of ageing. This cleanser softly cleanses and refreshes skin.
INCI: Aqua, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Coconut Acid, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Isethionate, Zea Mays Starch, Parfum, Bisabolol, Creatine, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, p-Anisic Acid, Punica Granatum Extract, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Limonene, Geraniol, Ursolic Acid, CI 77891

This face wash contains moisturising Brazil nut oil, which thanks to high selenium content has anti-oxidant properties. There is of course pomegranate - both fruit extract and seed oil. Pomegranate is a powerful antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin brightening properties. Wash contains also apple fruit extract, which is natural preservative and is rich in skin brightening vitamin C. SLS has been replaced with milder detergent - Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate.

The soft plastic tube has 100ml capacity. Wash has pearly colour and creamy consistency, although not as creamy as Vitamin E wash. It's not very clear on the picture but it leathers much better than Vitamin E wash and it's also more efficient. It has fruity smell, but not sweet and temping smell you would expect from Body Shop - it's smell of over ripe fruit, weird, but bearable. Pomegranate face wash is very mild, doesn't sting my eyes, there is no skin dryness and no tight feeling after use. Similarly to it's Vitamin E cousin it has good for skin, slightly acidic pH 6, thanks to which I haven't experienced any major break out. In general I don't believe in anti-ageing properties of product like face wash, because you wash them off and they have only short contact with the skin, although I have impression that my skin is firmer since I use this wash. But it may as well be some placebo effect ;)

Price: £11 - more expensive than Vitamin E wash, but lasts for longer, so the value would be similar.

Pros:
+ leathers up better than vitamin E
+ a little goes a long way, I use it twice a day from over two months and still got 1/5 of the tube
+ mild for skin and doesn't sting my eyes
+ doesn't dry out skin
+ slightly acidic pH 6

Cons:
- weird smell of over ripe fruit

Summary
I am pleased with both products and I'm sure I will re-purchasing them. I did enjoy my foamy Korean washes, but now since I know that my skin doesn't like high pH, I won't buy them without checking pH level first. Cat Catus from Snow White and Asian Pear blog together with other blogers has created on-line index of facial cleansers pH, which is very handy and worth having look at. Not everyone is sensitive to pH level, but I would recommend trying out products with different pH - it may turn out that one simple change in your skin care routine may make huge difference in your skin condition.