E45 'Emollient Wash Cream'.

Foaming facial washes and harsh skin-stripping cleansers have fallen out of favour with me recently. They really do my skin no good, and in 2013 I wanted to rid my skincare collection of anything that I thought would irritate my skin. 2013 is going to be a year of treating my skin with the respect it deserves, a simple skincare regime without any gimmicky and unneccerssary products.
Ever since I stopped taking all of my oral acne medication to see how things were going skin-wise, I've been trying to look after my skin in the gentlest way possible, so as to not irritate my acne, which leads to more breakouts and a very unhappy Catt. Unfortunately, the dreaded spots are coming back, so I'm off to the doctor's tomorrow! But the recent breakout hasn't deterred me from my search for simple, gentle skincare...

One of the products I bought to start this new simpler and gentler skincare routine was the E45 'Emollient Wash'. I was looking for a non-foaming cream-based face wash, and this was the only one that looked any good!

What E45 say (product information website here): "A gentle but effective non-drying cleanser, E45 Wash soothes your skin and helps prevent dryness by helping your skin retain its natural moisture.. Free from soap and detergent, E45 Wash is gentle enough for everyday use.
A detergent free alternative to soap.
Suitable for washing dry, unconfortable skin conditions.
Non-drying, non-foaming, perfume-free."

So basically, this 'Emollient Cream Wash' is exactly what it says; it's a cleansing cream. It doesn't foam, so it won't lather up like most cleansers do. The product has the consistency of a thick cream (duhh!). It is really quite simple to use. You just massage the cream into a damp face, and rinse off. It works so well to remove make-up, even harsh eye make-up, and all the daily gunk and grime, leaving skin thoroughly cleansed. If you do tend to wear a lot of make-up, you might have to repeat the massage-rinse cycle a few times, but I was seriously impressed by the cleansing ability of this product. My only gripe with this product is that I normally find that after rinsing the cream off my face, I will still get product left in places like the folds of my eyelids and beside my nose, so I always take a clean flannel to my face to ensure I remove every single trace of the product.
I was slightly apprehensive about how 'clean' my skin would feel afterwards, I had bet my bottom dollar that I would get some nasty residue left upon my skin. Fortunately, I was wrong. Absolutely no residue is left upon my skin after rinsing it off and patting it dry. Thank goodness I'm not a betting person in real life.

I have suffered absolutely no breakouts relating to this product. I currently have spots at the moment, but I know that this is in absolutely no relation to the product, since it has been like this a couple of weeks before I even started using it! My skin actually feels the best it's ever been. My skin looks radiant, feels so comfortable and supple and is incredibly hydrated.
I'm using a new Retin-A 0.05% cream at the moment (review to come later!), and this cream is a great at cleansing hyper-sensitive and sore skin. No stinging, no irritation, no redness, nothing. Just clean, super-soft skin.

I know some people won't like some of the ingredients used in this product (Paraffinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Cera Microcrystallina, Synthetic Wax, Carnauba, Zinc Oxide, Laureth-4, C12-13 Pareth-3, Cetyl Dimethicone, Aluminium Stearate, Stearic Acid), but to be honest they don't bother me. If the results are good, the results are good, end of story.

It cost me £5.49 for 250ml, which is the average price for most low-end drugstore face washes. This just goes to show that good skincare doesn't always have to cost a bomb!
This is a product which I will always repurchase (and have done...twice!). It is so effective, so gentle and such a good price it is one of those products I will always have in my skincare collection. I would definitely recommend it not to just those with dry, sensitive skin, but also to those who suffer with acne like me, especially if you're applying harsh acne treatments a lot of the time.

Just buy a bottle okay?!