Product Review: Cetaphil Facial Cleanser

The Product
This product almost needs no introduction. Cetaphil has been around for years and has been hailed by many as a saviour for sensitive skins looking for an effective cleanser that works for them. Formulated to work for all skin types, Cetaphil also claims to be able to act as a makeup remover and cleanser all in one - so does the hype live up to the reality?

The Guts
The ingredients list for Cetaphil is pretty generic. It also includes ingredients like Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Methylparaben, which are rumoured on the Internet to be carcinogenic. This is not to say that one should believe the rumours and ditch any products containing this ingredient, as many commonly used products do, but it is perhaps something to keep in mind if you are the type to be very concerned about such things. Myself, I would wait for the official results.

Price & Packaging
Cetaphil is very cheap and easily found at most drugstores. The price point is what initially attracted me to it, because I found it hard to believe that such an affordable cleanser could be held in such high regards. The bottle is also huge at 473 mL. I've been using mine for the last month and a half without seeming to have made a dent in it. The bottle has a simple flip top, which is always a plus that makes for easy usage.

Effectiveness
The bottle's instructions stated that Cetaphil can either be applied to a damp face, or used like a cold cream (apply to dry face and wipe off with a damp cloth). The instructions also stated that I could use it to wash off makeup. I experimented with both methods, wearing a full face of makeup consisting of concealer/foundation, eyeshadow, gel eyeliner, and mascara.

When applied to a damp face, I found the product to be extremely watery and ineffective. It simply felt as if the product was sliding off my face and not cleansing it at all. Most of the time I instead opted to apply the product dry, and then rinsed it off. Even using the second method, I had to use at least 2 dime sized applications of product to properly cover my face and to scrub off most of my makeup. I say most of my makeup because the Cetaphil did not wash all of it off. Cetaphil was effective at removing eye makeup after some gentle rubbing, but it required much more product and scrubbing to completely remove the foundation applied to my chin and apples of the cheeks.

As well, after a few weeks of using Cetaphil twice a day, I began to notice that my skin was oilier and getting very slight blemishes, so I switched to only using Cetaphil at night to wash off my makeup and using a gentle daily scrub in the mornings.

Buy or Ditch?
Despite Cetaphil's fame, I'm going to have to say I would ditch this one. If a product requires me to use what I would consider an excessive amount of product, then it is not effective in my opinion. If Cetaphil did not claim to be able to remove makeup, then I would say this product is perfectly satisfactory for someone with sensitive skin, but since it does, it had better live up to its promises and sadly Cetaphil did not.

Final Verdict: B-