Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
From http://www.cetaphil.com:
As gentle as it gets.
Cetaphil® Gentle Skin Cleanser is great for daily makeup removal or as part of a skin care regimen to address the dryness caused by topical medications used in the treatment of acne, fine lines and wrinkles. Originally formulated for dermatologists, this cleanser is gentle on your skin and sensitive to your skin’s needs. Cetaphil® Gentle Skin Cleanser will not strip the skin of natural protective oils or emollients, or disturb the skin’s natural pH balance. It is fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, making it an excellent choice for daily facial cleansing.. Recommended for years by dermatologists, this facial cleanser is ideal for people with special skin conditions like acne, rosacea, or eczema because of its gentleness. Cetaphil® Gentle Skin Cleanser is gentle enough for children, teens and adults.
My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.
Packaging:
Simple yet functional plastic bottle. But the cap of my bottle cracked during travel! D’uh…they should create a sturdier packaging, I think 
Oh BTW depending on the size you buy, it came with a pump or just a plain blue cap 
Texture:
Light liquid-gel. Easy to spread and massaged all over the face.
My General Review:
A popular no-frills water-soluble cleanser that has been around for a long time. At the moment it has spawned more than 3,500 reviews on MakeupAlley! It’s also recommended for normal/dry skin by Paula Begoun, whose products usually works great for me. Dear friend also told me it’s the most moisturizing cleanser she has ever used.
And so I tried it when my skin was dry to very dry. Bad decision! Instead of moisturizing, it dried the heck out of me after each wash. Oh well. Guess it was caused by my sensitivity to surfactants, such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) used in this product. Traditionally, I can only use water-soluble cleansers when my skin is on the combo side.
Luckily, after loosening the acne medication for a bit, my skin did bounced back to normal/combo. Time to give Cetaphil a second chance, and right now I’m satisfied with it!
It’s truly a no-frills cleanser, perfect for morning use. You can wipe it off with gentle towel, but I prefer to wash it off with water. It doesn’t give squeaky clean feeling. Instead, it feels like there’s residue on skin after washing, maybe due to its emollient content? But it’s all well after I pat my skin dry with a towel. It’s not drying even in the long run. It doesn’t break me out either.
Some tried to use it as makeup remover, but I’m not sure about that. I only use it as my morning cleanser, and leave the hard work to my cleansing oils.
What Else You Need To Know:
Funnily enough, it’s much less drying to me than Paula’s Skin Recovery Cleanser, even though SR Cleanser uses coconut-derived surfactants that are supposed to be gentler on sensitive skin. Oh well.
Probably because SR Cleanser incorporates not just one, but several surfactants to ensure clean finish; and my skin can’t take it.
Application:
I gently massaged it into dry face with dry hands, and wash it off with water.
Availability:
It used to be available locally at Watsons Jakarta, but not anymore. I got it from Watsons Singapore.
Price:
Didn’t really remember. I think I got the smaller bottle (around 200ml) for around IDR70,000 (~US$7). And it’ll last me a long~ time; I think it’s a great value.
Ingredients:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben.
Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. No-frills, non-irritating, non-drying cleanser on my normal/combo skin. Excellent choice for a fresh morning cleanser.
*This review will be cross posted in http://www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.
