The Gentlest Face Wash for Aging Skin
Jun 11, 2018
I’m getting older. 36, woof. Most days, I struggle with it. After the past week, it feels like a privilege. But that doesn’t mean having acne and grey hair at the same time isn’t annoying. Recently, I found a face wash that’s easy on my late-thirties skin.
When it comes to skincare, I was a believer that you splurge on serum and save money on face wash. After all, why spend good money on something you wash down the drain? But maybe I just never found a face wash worth spending money on?
Aging skin can’t take the beating that younger skin can when it comes to harsh ingredients, like salicylic acid. Now that my skin is more delicate, I regret the many harsh scrubs and cleansers I beat it with in hopes of whipping my acne into submission. But It! Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser ($12-$28) is different.
I never thought my acne-prone skin could use a hydrating cleanser, but CiaC moisturizes without clogging my pores. The cleanser is actually marketed as a “cleansing serum,” a face wash with collagen, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides built in. And it’s kind of amazing how soft your skin feels when you use it.
Even more amazing is that it will remove all of your makeup (including waterproof products) without stripping your skin. I have one particularly stubborn kiss-proof lipstick that comes right off without scrubbing. My tired lips thank you.
The product claims to brighten and transform your skin over time. Look, I’ve heard all this s**t before so I was really skeptical. So skeptical, I only bought the travel size, because I was sure disappointment was on the horizon. But four weeks later, my skin is less irritated and red, less dry, and has a more even tone. Since nothing else about my skincare or my diet or my sleep habits has changed, it has to be the face wash.
Do I wish this face wash was $10 cheaper? Of course, I do. Am I willing to go back to drugstore mascara to be able to stay on budget? You bet I am.
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I just got a sample of this and now I am so excited to try it!
I am 37 and have similar acne-prone skin. After much online research and product trials, I found two cleansers that work for my skin – I use Acure Brilliantly Brightening Cleansing Gel for mornings and the Basis Cleaner Clean Face Wash for evenings to remove makeup. The Basis one is oil free but not SLS free. Acure is SLS, paraben, oil, pthalate free. They are under $10 so easy on my wallet.
At 38, with acne prone and aging skin, I discovered May Lindstrom products. Stupid expensive, but worth every penny and sacrifice. Cutting out all the “junk” of most products seems to be the miracle I was looking for. My skin is so much improved—clarity, tone, pore size, softness—that I can skip foundation and coverup if I feel like it.
Highly recommend Cerave Gentle Skin Cleanser!
The Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser has been my go-to. (I use a separate make up remover). No irritation, and my skin feels soft.
When I want something that is more soapy/bubbles/lather, I use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser. I just buy the $10 travel size and it lasts me quite some time.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’ve been very happy with their illuminating 50SPF cc cream and the”confidence in a cream” moisturizer so now perhaps I will take a gamble on their cleanser!
After a years-long love affair with Lush ultrabland, I started to clean my product drawers of parabens, and it had to go. For the last three years I’ve been loving Burt’s Bees calming cleanser. It’s super creamy (almost like lotion) and doesn’t foam or bubble at all, but takes off stubborn makeup like a dream. Plus it is easy on my sensitive skin AND on my wallet.
I highly recommend this La Roche Posay cleanser, which comes in a huge bottle that you can buy off Amazon: https://www.laroche-posay.us/toleriane-purifying-foaming-cleanser-3337875545822.html?cgid=face-wash#start=17. There is also a version for dry skin.
It’s so true that hydration isn’t always the enemy of acne prone skin. I’m in love with the double cleanse. To take off make up at night I use DHC’s oil cleanser (yes oil straight on my acne-prone-37-year-old-skin), and then I follow it up with Skinceuticals Purifying Cleanser with glycolic acid to help with cell turnover and wrinkles!