CLEAN & CLEAR Shine Control Line

1) DAILY FACIAL WASH

The first thing that I’m going to be reviewing from the Clean & Clear Shine Control line is their daily facial wash.
I get those once-a-month breakouts and I have really oily skin, so I really need something to keep the oil off my face.

Price & Size:
For about $5-6 you get a 200ml bottle and I can imagine you can get this at almost any drugstore.

What’s promised(on clean-and-clear.co.uk):
“CLEAN & CLEAR® Shine Control Daily Facial Wash is a gentle foaming cleanser to leave your skin looking shine-free all day.
Uniquely formulated with lemongrass and fruit extracts, it also removes dirt, oil and impurities. Gentle enough to be used everyday.”


Ingredients:
A very important thing about this wash is that it states that it is OIL-FREE on the bottle.

After checking the ingredients, I found that COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE is “one of the more gentle surfactants used in skin-care products” which is naturally a good thing because you don’t want the wash to completely strip your natural oils from your skin or cause skin peeling from dryness.

The ingredient called HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA DISTILLATE, also called witch hazel distillate got a red, sad smiley because of it’s alcohol content thereby irritating effect.

SODIUM HYDROXIDE, also known as lye, it is a highly alkaline ingredient used in small amounts in cosmetics to modulate the pH of a product. It is also used as a cleansing agent in some cleansers. In higher concentrations it is a significant skin irritant. It also got a sad, red smiley.


Then again, SODIUM ASCORBYL PHOSPHATE got a green smiley with a check which means its use is highly recommended and translated, it’s a form of vitamin C that functions as an antioxidant.


TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, a form of vitamin E also got a recommending smiley face.


Now, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN and ETHYLPARABEN are obviously forms of parabens, which a lot of people avoid, but I have read that they aren’t as bad as people say, but I still wanted to point it out for those of you who avoid parabens.

I feel like I am only pointing out bad things, but there are also people who don’t like using products that contain perfume, which this daily wash does.

LIMONENE is another product that got a negative smiley, and this is what cosmeticscop.com says about it “...limonene may be a potential anti-cancer ingredient and immune stimulant when consumed orally, but other research suggests that limonene may promote the growth of tumors...” “...limonene can cause contact dermatitis and is best avoided unless its presence in skin-care products is minuscule.”


About LINALOOL, another ingredient found in this daily wash: “...fragrant component of lavender and coriander that can be a potent skin irritant, allergen, or sensitizer...” “...toxic to skin cells.”

And this is what I’ve found about the last ingredient, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL: “The European Cosmetics Directive lists this ingredient as an “allergenic” substance, requires all cosmetic products containing it to indicate the presence of Butylphenyl Methylpropional.”

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citrus Grandis Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Distillate, Mannitol, Menthyl Lactate, Propylene Glycol, Alcohol, Cellulose, Menthol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Isoceteth-20, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, CI77289, Butylphenyl Methylpropional.

My opinion:
Before I started looking into the ingredients of this daily wash, I was about to write how much I really liked it and that I’m almost done with my 6th bottle. It was actually pretty dumb of me to continually use it without ever checking out the ingredients.
After reading about all the negative, irritating and potentially tumor causing effects I’m going to have to change my opinion.
I actually liked how this behaved on my skin. I have very oily skin and it was never sensitive to a product, so this wash was doing fine for me. I would use it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening and it managed to keep my face, especially my forehead oil-free for about 5-6 hours, which is a really good result. And the green beads are really nice, the product has a nice scent which definitely has a waking up effect in the morning. You are left with a fresh face.
I HAVE read that, for a lot of people, it was very drying, but I guess my skin is just that oily and resistant to all the alcohol and irritants in it.
So, I’m guessing I could say that if you have strong skin and would like to try this wash to keep your face oil free, you definitely should, but beware of the dangerous ingredients in it. I will definitely switch to something more natural.


To sum this all up and add another information, Clean & Clear DOES test on animals so it does not deserve a CRUELTY FREE or a VEGAN stamp.



2) DAILY FACIAL MOISTURISER

I bought this moisturiser along with my 6th and last bottle of Clean & Clear’s Daily Facial Wash to add something to my skin care routine because I didn’t give my skin any hydration after washing it.

Price & size:
I also payed about $5-6 for the 100ml bottle.

What’s promised(on clean-and-clear.co.uk):
“CLEAN & CLEAR® Shine Control Daily Facial Moisturiser leaves your skin shine-free throughout the day.”
”An oil-free moisturiser uniquely formulated with lemongrass and fruit extracts, to make your skin feel soft and smooth without clogging pores. Gentle enough to be used every day.”

Ingredients:
I think listing and analysing the ingredients of a product is always the fun part because you get to find out what’s behind the complicated names and the promising stuff on the bottle.

Aqua, Glycerin, PEG-8, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dimethicone, Ethylexyl Hydroxystearate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Citrus Aurantifolia Extract, Citrus Grandis Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Myristyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Parfum, Linalool, Limonene, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone.

The third ingredient, PEG-8 already has a negative reputation. “these polymers may be contamated with potentially toxic manufacturing impurities such as 1,4-dioxane.”

ACRYLIC ACID: “...expected to be toxic or harmful.”

Again, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, see above.
LINALOOL & LIMONENE recurring, see above.
BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, see above.
PARABENS, see above.
It contains a positive ingredient, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, see above.

BHT - BURYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE: “...a potent synthetic antioxidant that also has carcinogenic properties.”

On DMDM HYDANTOIN, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative: “Despite some claims, there is no higher level of skin reaction to formaldehyde-releasing preservatives than to other preservatives.In fact, there is a far greater risk to skin from a product without preservatives, because of the contamination and unchecked growth of bacteria, fungus, and mold that can result if no preservatives are used. However, there is concern that when formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are present in a formulation that also includes amines, such as triethanolamine (TEA), diethanolamine (DEA), or monoethanolamine (MEA), nitrosamines can be formed, and nitrosamines are carcinogenic substances that can potentially penetrate skin.
“Whether or not that poses a health risk of any kind has not been established.”

ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE: “Possible human immune system toxicant.”

My opinion:
I do not like this moisturiser. Even though it is oil-free and supposed to keep the oils away from my skin, I feel like half an hour after I’ve put it on my face, the oils start to return.
The moisturiser feels greasy and despite the somewhat nice, fresh smell, I don’t like the film it leaves on my skin.
Again, it contains many harmful ingredients just like the facial wash from the same routine. Will not buy again.

Does not get a CRUELTY FREE nor a VEGAN stamp. Johnson&Johnson, the owner of the Clean&Clear line tests on animals.