Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Tried and Tested

I've tried many cleansers. The ones for oily skin generally are too harsh for my skin. (I just had a bad reaction to phisohex, a cleanser I have used to prevent pimple breakouts for years.) The cleansers for sensitive skins tend to be too mild. My skin ends up with a pimple breakout after that. The good ones tend to be the branded ones, but I wanted to cut costs and try something from the pharmacy. Of all the cleansers from the pharmacies that I tried, Cetaphil was the only one my skin could tolerate without breaking out in pimples or rashes.

Background

Cetaphil is recommended for eczema. The label says it is soap free, non-comedogenic, lanolin-free (lanolin can cause pimples in some people with pimple prone skin), fragrance-free (fragrances can irritate really sensitive skin), ph 6.5 (closer to skin's slightly acidic pH level than ordinary soap which is alkaline). It can be used either with or without water. Without water, you just apply it liberally on your face rub gently and then wipe it off. With water, you apply it on face, rub gently and then rinse it off.

My skin is oily and sensitive. I get either pimples or itchy red rashes very easily. Here's how Cetaphil felt on my skin.

On the face

I used it every morning and night. I would apply it on my face, rub it in and then rinse it off many times. I must admit that I prefer the foaming fragrant cleansers that rinse off easily. This one neither foams nor rinses off easily. There is no fragrance either. It does not pamper your senses but it is very functional.

On using it, there was no stinging sensation or even any sign of tightness I usually get when I tried the other cleansers from the pharmacies. Absolutely no sensation. Skin was clean though. It cleans without irritating the skin and it does not clog pore. I have almost finished the entire bottle of Cetaphil and my skin is in good shape. It does nothing for the pimples that are already there when you start using the cleanser, but it does not cause the situation to worsen either. It is pretty good for eczema type rashes that I had when I used another cleansing foam.

When my skin needed some exfoliation, (it was getting a little dry and flaky), then I simple applied a thick layer of Cetaphil on my face, rubbed it in and wiped it off thoroughly with lots of cotton wool. Then I rinsed it off. That took off the dry skin flakes and left skin soft and smooth.

When I wanted a little pampering, I put a drop of diluted rose oil (3 drops of rose oil in 5 ml of jojoba oil, kept in a small 5 ml bottle) in a handful of Cetaphil and cleansed my face with that.

On the body

It is recommended for eczema. I tried that on my body as well. I used it liberally like liquid soap, but added a few drops of diluted rose oil to each handful of cetaphil. As it is unfragranced, it makes a good base for aromatherapy.

Verdict: it lacks the taut, refreshing feeling you would usually get from soap or shower gel. I really missed the foam and bubbles. What I liked though was that it was a good base to add Essential oils to my shower. It is really gentle and leaves skin soft and clean.

Overall verdict

A versatile product. Very practical. Gentle and effective. Lacks the luxury factor though but is otherwise a really good cleanser.

Here's the entire no fuss yet effective range.