I blogged recently about the amazing facial I had with Abigail James at the OSKIA Spa. It and she were amazing. Part of the joy was the quality of the products used during the facial - one of which was their Perfect Cleanser.
What's in it?
PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL*, GLYCERIN, SESAMUM INDICUM (SESAME) SEED OIL, DECYL OLEATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE, TRIBEHENIN, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, GLYCERYL BEHENATE, HELLIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, COCO GLUCOSIDE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER*, AQUA (WATER), CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT, PARFUM (NATURAL FRAGRANCE), CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, METHYL SULPHONYL METHANE (MSM), ZINC GLYCINE, INULIN, ALPHA-GLUCAN OLIGOSACCHARIDE, ALEURITES MOLUCCANA (KUKUI) SEED OIL, ROSA CANINA (ROSE HIP) SEED OIL, TOCOPHEROL, DEHYDROACETIC ACID
*ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED INGREDIENT
OSKIA's USP is MSM. (That's a lot of capitals - sorry) Methyl Sulphonyl Methane is a sulphur found in all living organisms and is crucial for collagen, elastin, cell renewal and crucially for me - it's anti-inflammatory. Really helpful when you have acne hormonal flare-ups.This is a balm texture - but has the feel of a mild exfoliant, which is how I tend to use it. There is a video on their website showing how it emulsifies, but I never emulsify a cleansing balm. I prefer to apply on dry skin, massage myself to death and take straight off with a flannel. But that's just me.
What's good about it?
It squeezes easily out of the tube, meaning you don't have to stick your fingers in a pot - and a little goes a long way.
It lends itself perfectly to massage - for that reason I tend to use it either as a second cleanse once makeup is removed - or a primary cleanse on days that I am makeup free.
Contains zinc glycine that soothes irritation, aids redness and is antibacterial, omegas 3,6 and 9 for softness, elasticity and to increase lipid content (plump) and coconut as the cleansing agent.
What's bad about it?
It does contain shea butter - which can break out skins with a tendency to acne/blemishes. For that reason it's probably best used by a mature or dryer skin.
That's about it.
Verdict:
A lovely, hard working cleansing balm that will remove impurities, aid massage and not damage the acid mantle.
My preference is as a second cleanse. I wouldn't use to remove makeup.
Packaging - 3/5 - they could shrink wrap the tube and save on the big box
Texture - 5/5
Performance - 4/5
After effects on the skin - 5/5
OSKIA Perfect Cleanser is priced at £32.50 for 125ml and is available from www.oskiaskincare.com
*PR sample