Saturday, November 6, 2010

Review: A-D-E Creamy Cleanser by Earth Science

Earth Science, A-D-E Creamy Cleanser

Quick facts
• pH 5.5
• Paraben free
• Hypo-allergenic
• Natural fruit oil cleanser
• No animal testing
• Vegan!

Company Earth Science
Price $6.55/4,66€ for 8 fl oz/240ml
Where to buy I bought mine from iHerb, shipping is $4 for international shoppers as well as US-residents, free for orders over $40 (US-orders only). If you are a first time customer you can get $5 off your order by using my code: LEB789.

What's written on the bottle
A gentle cream cleanser formulated with natural fruit oils to cleanse the skin and remove makeup without the dryness of soap. Moisturizes as it cleans to leave your skin soft and supple with no greasy build-up. Contains special plant sterols and vitamins to leave skin radiantly fresh and healthy looking. Contains no artificial colors, mineral oil, soaps, harsh preservatives or irritating petroleum products. Will not clog pores.

A bit about my skin type
I've had eczema ever since I was a child so my skin is dry to very dry, especially in winter, and also rather sensitive. I have acne-prone skin, mostly hormonal and on the chin, but I had a HORRIBLE break out on my cheeks earlier this year and have become very very picky with my skin care products.

How to use it
One pump-full every morning and night. Dampen your clean (!) hands with some water and use your fingers to apply the product to your face, I like to use circular motions but do whatever works best for you just don't be too rough. Wet a large cotton pad with hot water, wring it out and take off the remaining product. Rinse with lukewarm water and you're done!
(Ha, I felt really silly writing this, I'm sure you all know how to use a cleanser!)

My thoughts on it
I was using a gel formula before I switched products and the product was gentle enough but it always left my skin feeling tight and dry and when summer was over, I knew I had to change products to be prepared for winter. Cream or 'milk' type cleansers are best for dry and sensitive skin types as they often don't use harsh foaming agents to clean your skin and the A-D-E Creamy Cleanser fits right into said category. This cleanser does not foam up, but it does a great job at cleansing my face and it leaves my skin soft and fresh looking, no sign of redness whatsoever. Note that I always use a separate product to take off eye make up and baby wipes prior to the cleanser on days when I'm wearing make up. I am not sure how well the cleanser would perform without those extra steps, but I actually noticed that it does a better job at removing eyeliner than my eye make up remover. The smell is not strong, but really nice and reminds me of mixed citrus juice and candy. Texture-wise this cleanser looks and feels like a thick body lotion, I know that doesn't sound very nice but it's very easy to take it off and feels quite nice on the skin, don't worry. I've been using it for a little over a month and am halfway through the bottle now, that's the only real complaint I have since my other cleanser lasted me a couple of months, but you really need one full pump per use with this one. The product didn't break me out but I wouldn't say that there are any acne-fighting benefits, it's just a nice and simple cleanser.

Earth Science, A-D-E Creamy Cleanser


Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-8 Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Prunus Aemrniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soya (Soybean) Sterols, Allantoin, Glycerin, Peg-10 Soya Sterol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tocopherol, Retinyl Palmitate, Ergocalciferol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Ascorbic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Polysorbate 20, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.


Checking ingredients can be a bit of a head ache, so I used CodeCheck to have a closer look. CodeCheck is a German website that makes it easy to see just what exactly all those unpronounceable ingredients are, unfortunately I don't know about any English websites that do the same, but please let me know if you do. Out of all of the 26 ingredients, 18 were labelled as recommended, 3 as mostly recommended, 1 requires an individual review, 1 as not recommended and 1 was not rated at all.

Let's have a closer look:

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (not recommended). is the only ingredient deemed as not recommendable. It is a chemical preservative used in cosmetics and in some cases it can release formaldehyde in the product and/or on the skin. Formaldehyde is a gas that can cause irritation of the mucosa, it is also described as allergenic and carcinogenic.

Peg-8 Stearate, Peg-10 Soya Sterol, Polysorbate 20 (mostly recommended). All three ingredients are used as emulsifiers, tensides and lipids. This is what helps to create an even mixture of all the ingredients (especially between oil and water) which will make it easier for your skin to absorb the product. However, this also means that your skin may absorb bad ingredients more easily.

Ergocalciferol (not rated).  From what I understand this is basically Vitamin D, however, I had a very hard time finding any information on the effects it can have in cosmetics. Sorry about that.

Fragrance (requires individual review). Personally, I think fragrance should have been labelled as not recommended, but I guess it's hard to rate it fairly without knowing the exact composition. Nevertheless, Fragrance is one of the biggest allergens found in cosmetic products and should be avoided, especially in facial skincare and cosmetic items.


Conclusion
Overall I'm really happy to have found this product and I will most likely repurchase very soon. It's probably not the right product for people with very oil skin or people looking for something that will get rid of pimples, but give it a go if you're looking for a nice gentle cleanser for the upcoming winter season, especially if you have a similar skin type.

+ nice smell, gentle to the skin, didn't cause me to break out, feels nice on the skin, cleans well
- contains a few questionable ingredients, maybe the price (a bottle will last you approx. 2 months)




Thank you all for your well wishes yesterday, they really cheered me up and I'm feeling a lot better today. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

7 comments:

  1. Have you tried coconut oil as a makeup remover? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but I know a bunch of people who swear by it, especially for dry skin. Plus, then you don't have to worry about gross ingredients, as long as you buy first-pressing oil.

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  2. OHMYGOODNESS... After I read your blog entry, my immediate thought was, hmmm..I wonder if she has tried coconut oil?? It looks like lil' miss ninjavegan beat me to the punch!!! hehe. But.. this is another coconut oil fan! If it is available to you, definitely try it!! :)

    AND.. excellent product review!!

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  3. Thanks for the recommendations you two! I've used coconut oil in the past (tried it as a cleanser and even as a nightly moisturiser for a while) but unfortunately using pure oil on my face usually results in even drier skin. ):

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  4. Nice review and thanks for visiting! I'll let you know how those yam nugs go. You're so lucky to live in Germany cos you can eat Streich and chocoreale whenever you want! Vee from the Vegan Kitchen Diaries Tumblr ;)

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  5. Awesome review and thanks for the heads up about CodeCheck!

    Happy MoFo'ing!

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  6. I love Earth Science products! They're all very gentle and work very well. I love their moisturizer with SPF, toner, and eye make up cleanser. I also have eczema/psoriasis, and am prone to allergic reactions from harsh chemicals, but all of the ES products have been great and made my skin feel soft and moisturized.

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  7. excuse me, could ya tell me the website with international shipping service from which you buy this cleanser for sensitive skin of earth science?
    TKS so much.

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