Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser

I thought it was about time that I tried (and reviewed) some of the Paula’s Choice product line since I have heard so many things about it. Before my stepson started on Accutane, I purchased the acne line for him and while it didn’t clear his acne, it didn’t hurt it either. He liked it a lot better than the Pro Active products but after having tried just about every over the counter acne product and all of the prescription products except Accutane, his skin was obviously a special case. Anyway, many rave about Paula’s line so I had to try it for myself.

I purchased a variety of Paula’s Choice products (both sample sizes and full sizes) and one of those products was the Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser. Cream cleansers are a “thing” for me because they generally don’t foam. Foaming cleansers tend to strip the skin of oil and they happen to leave my skin tight. That “squeaky clean” feeling is not a good sign when it comes to the face, no matter if your skin is dry, normal or oily. I am happy to report that Paula’s Softening Clean Cleanser does not strip the skin and it actually feels downright soothing!

Key Ingredients: soy oil, glycerin, beta-glucan, Chamomilla recutita flower extract, cocamidopropyl betaine

Product Ingredients:
Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate (very mild cleansing agent), Hydrogenated Polydecene (emollient), Acrylates Copolymer (suspending agent), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (plant oil/emollient), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (thickener), Polysorbate-80 (emulsifier), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (lather agent), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (anti-irritant), Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) (emollient), Beta-Glucan (skin-conditioning agent), PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (thickener), Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol (slip agents), Tetrasodium EDTA (chelating agent), Laureth-4 (surfactant), Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin (all preservatives), Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide (pH adjuster).

One of the nice things about Paula’s website and her product labels, is that the ingredients are clearly spelled out as well as explained. Although the ingredients list indicates that the cleanser contains lathering and cleansing agents, I don’t find that this cleanser lathers at all, which I like very much. It contains several oils, thickeners and emollients and while it does contain mineral oil (which I generally DO NOT like), it’s far enough down the ingredients list that it hopefully won’t be a problem. Those of your who are reactive to products with mineral oil should probably steer clear, though.
 


This lovely, creamy cleanser has an almost “organic” smell. Not that it smells bad---it doesn’t at all. It almost smells like an “oatmealy” or “grainy” smell that I find quite comforting. Much better than those cleansers that contain a lot of fragrance! I find this cleanser very soothing on my skin and last week, when I accidentally over used another (Paula’s Choice) product that did irritate my skin (my fault not the product’s fault), it didn’t “react” like a lot of products will do. The feeling on my irritated skin was benign and soothing (I know---I have overused that word in this review but it’s the best way I can describe it).

One of the best things about this product is that it’s priced very reasonably at $15.95 for 8 ounces or $23.95 for 16 ounces. You can also purchase samples (like I did) before trying a full sized product. I believe that at Paula’s Choice, your first three samples are free.

Would I purchase this cleanser again in a full size? Absolutely! It’s gentle and seems to treat my skin just right. Check it out on the Paula’s Choice website by clicking here.

Ages of Beauty rating: ****