April 20, 2010

Review: Freeman Refining Facial Cleanser (Pear)

The other day, as I was squeezing out the last bits of my fifth (or was it sixth) tube of my fave Himalaya Herbals cleanser, I found myself making a mental note to have that tube replaced.

Promptly I went prowling in Guardian, but I came home not with another tube of Himalaya Herbals, but with this instead: Freeman's Refining Facial Cleanser in Pear.

As much as I love my Himalaya Herbals, I think I was just itching to try out something new. While it was the bright green tube which caught my attention, it was definitely the words "oil-controlling salicylic acid" on it which cinched the deal.

Of course, the fact that it really does smell deliciously like pear (and apples too), only made me like it more.

Bringing it home, I've put it to work immediately. This gel-cleanser works quite lovely, but I'll warrant you'll need something to remove your makeup first. Used in my usual 2-step cleansing routine where I give my face a scrub first, this cleanser has no problems in cleaning up whatever residue's left on my face.

BUT.

Just a few little points to take note. On their oil-control claim (and the implied anti-acne properties), I seriously doubt it's helping me in that department. The product does not state the percentage of its salicylic acid content, which as Kahani pointed out, would usually mean that the salicylic content is so minimal that it's not worth printing. I'm inclined to agree.

Freeman products are made in the US, but they don't appear to be very popular here (I may be wrong, but so far I haven't heard anyone rave about their products),or on MUA either. There's also something about that little red "contains natural ingredient" stamp, which I find a little potentially misleading.

Kinda like trying to appear as a "natural" product, but 2nd on its list of ingredients is sodium laureth sulphate, and a whole load of parabens near the bottom of the list. Uhhh... riiight.


Back to the product itself, however, as a general cleanser, it does a decent job. My skin feels clean and comfortable after a wash. None of that just-had-a-facelift sensation for this one, thankfully.

These days, I seem to reach for it in the mornings, as the pear + apple combo just adds a little fruity zing (and smile) to my morning routine.

At only RM18.90 for a huge 150ml tube, it's definitely in the affordable zone. For me, it's an okay product, works fine, and I really do like it, but there's nothing wow about it. Save the pear scent, which makes me fruity-happy.

I don't think I'll be replenishing, but hey, I'll enjoy my pear while it lasts.

Has anyone tried it? Thoughts?

9 comments:

The Undercover Gypsy said...

I haven't tried this product, but did use the pineapple enzyme mask after discovering that it got good reviews on the internet and guess what - it's actually nice. I also used to use the cucumber (and aloe, I think) peel off mask that was around before they repackaged the brand.
Somehow Freeman has always been linked with St. Ives, in my mind, for the longest time (products that work within a comfortable budget) and I liked the old packaging better than the new one, but I guess that could probably be just me :)

Makeup Morsels said...

hmm I've never heard of this or seen it before. It probably isn't very popular where I live (CA). I think I would buy this for the smell alone though, sounds so yummy.

LyNn said...

i heard the cucumber one is good
:P

Connie De Alwis said...

They're definitely value for money. I have their raspberry scrub and it's not too bad. It uses jojoba beads which are very gentle and don't dry out the skin

Syen said...

Gypsy: The pineapple mask sounds interesting. Will KIV for future "I need to buy some skincare" sprees. *tee hee*

Makeup Morsels: It is really yummy. I'm not too sure where you can find it though in CA. Maybe look up Freeman's site to see if they have their list of outlets?

LyNn: Thanks for the recommendation. =)

Connie: Raspberry sounds yummy but I already have another jojoba scrub, so I'll likely sit this one out. =P

Kahani said...

I remember using the blueberry scrub - full of scrubby power!

K-Typist said...

I have been using this after my St. Ives scrub ran out. I love the smell but it doesn't give me the wow factor either. :(

Syen said...

Kahani: Yeah, their scrubs seem to be getting decent raves. Maybe I'll check them out sometime. =P (I think I'm getting into another crazy facewash/scrub/body product fetish! Uh-oh. And my Cetaphil is also running low. LOL.)

Faye: Yeah. This is totally not a scrub. Kahani got me trying the St Ives scrub, and I'm totally loving that one too. =)

akirAin said...

can i ask u something? where can i get this freeman product?