Maychiri's Thoughts: March 2024

CADEAVERA

CADEAVERA Aloe Fresh Hydrogel Maske Review

March 28, 2024

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CADEAVERA

Essence Soft & Precise Lip Pencil [201 - My Dream] Review

March 20, 2024

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Essence

I Heart Revolution Donuts Eyeshadow Palette [Sugar Coated] Review

March 14, 2024

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Donuts

Reviews From the Past - Part 44

March 14, 2024

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Cleanser

Rosal [clean] [clean-it-gently] face cleansing syndet Review

March 06, 2024

And now, a makeup remover! This is the Rosal [clean] [clean-it-gently] face cleansing syndet!

It was a huge problem when Nivea decided to discontinue their amazing oil-based remover! It was literally the best makeup remover I had tried up to that point, so when I realised it would no longer be available anywhere had to figure out what to do – and quickly! So I looked at what Notino, and DM, and Müller, and BIPA and others had, just to find something that is, at the same time, both good at removing hard-to-remove makeup, and gentle enough for my sensitive skin. I found a few potentially interesting cleansers, among them this one. Dunno why, but I don’t usually use Rosal products, even though I like to endorse local, Croatian brands. But this looks to be part of a clean skincare range of products, and it is marketed as a syndet, which are among the gentlest of soaps, ideal for sensitive skin, which sounded like it would be perfect for my problematic skin. But if it is so gentle, could it possibly remove say, mascara, or eyeliner? That’s key. Well, it’s worth a try – so let’s check it out!

Packaging: very simple, just a white tube with a lot of text (particularly in the back). The text is mostly black, which is a classic combo with white; there is, however, also an aqua coloured section with matching aqua coloured text under it. This is so medicinal! You know it’s going to be a formula specially made for certain skin types (sensitive in this case) when it looks like a medical product! I like the design, even if it is a bit plain and simple. There’s a matching white pump that closes and opens by turning it to one side. That is a mechanism prone to becoming fiddly and it usually malfunctions after a while; here, it still functions like it should even a few months in! It closes with a noticeable click so that you know you’ve closed it properly. The pump is very precise: it can pump out a tiny little speck of soap or a lot, depending on how hard you press it. It’s a quality pump, that’s for sure!

Ingredients: glycerine, lactic acid, allantoin for nourishment. No parabens. There sure are a lot of emollients here! The scent is not too pleasant, honestly. It smells greasy. Well, that shouldn’t really be a surprise, given all the emollients in it! It is also good that the scent isn’t too aggressive or intense, this makes it suitable for sensitive skin (and noses!). The expiration date is 12 months after opening, but there’s also a real date listed along the bottom of the bottle.

In terms of colour, it is white and milky out of the bottle, but it is colourless when you start using it on the skin.

The formula is soapy... go figure. Definitely much more soapy than greasy. I definitely did not expect it to be this lightweight though! It’s super light, so much that I cannot even feel it on my skin! It feels nice and not at all comedogenic, in spite of all the emollients which could have been problematic on my oily, acne-prone skin. And a bit calming. This is a syndet soap; it doesn’t create a lot of lather, like other soaps. I believe this is to make it more suitable for sensitive skin. There is some lather, but it’s a lot, lot less than with ordinary soaps.

So, this syndet is supposed to be used like this: “Squeeze one pump of the gel on wet hands, foam, apply on the face and clean the skin in a circular motion, then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.”

It’s that easy, although I sometimes apply it on a wet face, which doesn’t seem to make any sort of difference. They do say that you should squeeze one pump, but I always need at least 3 to properly remove makeup. If I wasn’t using this gel to remove makeup but to simply clean my face, I suspect one pump would suffice. But you really need more than one, especially if you like to wear waterproof mascara or eyeliners.

Alright, I will admit that I thought it would not be able to remove make up all that well. I thought that it would be too gentle to really do anything, especially with stuff like eyeliners and mascaras. But. I was totally wrong! It removes all types of makeup – even waterproof or typically harder to remove things like eyeliner – with ease! And since it’s so soapy, it doesn’t really matter if I rub my eyes longer or with more force, because it minimises friction. It dissolves everything, no matter how intensely pigmented or hard to remove it may be. However, with stuff like liquid lipsticks, I would suggest applying a small dollop of the soap onto a cotton pad and then swiping across your lips, that removes it so much better. Everything else is easily removed using just fingers.

This is shocking to me! So gentle on the skin, yet so powerful when it comes to removing makeup? Incredible!

And the best thing? It does not make my eyes sting or water! This is one of the most important aspects a makeup remover should have, for me, and one that is surprisingly hard to find in products (even those that are made to be used on the face... and eyes). Finally, something that I can use to remove makeup from both my face and my eyes, without my eyes suffering for it. So it truly is ultra gentle! Indeed, my skin feels pleasantly clean and fresh after rinsing off the soap. It’s not really soft to touch, but it just feels thoroughly cleansed, which is a reassuring feeling. It doesn’t seem to be comedogenic as I have not gotten any new acne after using this soap and it seems to be gentle enough not to disrupt the balance of the skin. My skin is matte and clean, but it is not at all dry-looking or dried out. It’s not terribly hydrated either, but it is content. And that is perfectly fine!

In conclusion, you know, this cleanser is immensely surprising, in many ways! I thought it wouldn’t be able to be a makeup remover but it excels in that area – no makeup can survive being cleaned with this soap! Not even mascaras, or eyeliners or liquid lipsticks! They all dissolve rapidly in all the emollients present in this soap. And yeah, there’s a lot of oils and fats in it! The formula is nice, extremely lightweight and comfortable on skin. It doesn’t feel like it is suffocating my skin. It doesn’t create a ton of lather, which might even be a good thing, and might be one reason why my eyes don’t burn when this soap gets into them. Well, that, and the fact that it is a syndet, which are among the most gentle soaps out there. This means that I don’t need another makeup remover exclusively for the eyes, which is exactly what I have been looking for all this time! A single product that can be used on both the face and the eyes without causing any irritations! And one that is made to be used on sensitive skin, which this syndet is! The addition of lactic acid and allantoin balances the skin’s microflora and helps keep it healthy, whilst keeping it squeaky clean. My skin feels deeply cleansed and refreshed after I rinse the soap. It may not be a super fantastic feeling like it’s overjoyed, but it definitely is happy with the soap. And it doesn’t cause breakouts or clog pores or do anything bad to the skin. And that’s with my horribly problematic, acne-prone and oily skin! The only thing that actually bothers me is the scent, which is greasy and not very nice. But besides that, it is a shockingly good cleanser and makeup remover! Could this be the one? I wouldn’t discount that possibility, as it’s truly fantastic! I will recommend it, although, chances are, you probably won’t be able to find it outside Croatia, sadly. So there was a reason my doctor recommended me a syndet all those years ago when I was battling with disastrous acne!

Rating: 8.5/10

Would buy again? YES