Review: St. Ives Green Tea Gel Cleanser | Ally

From the title, I’m pretty sure you know what this post is gonna be about. Rather than my usual DIYs…I’m gonna be doing another product review! This time, the review is gonna be on the St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Gel Cleanser. To be honest, this brand of product is the only product that isn’t a Korean skincare brand. I believe that this product is made in the US…..

 

 

 

I’ve been using this product for the past 2 months or so. As usual, this review is based of 100% my own opinions and experience. I picked up this product after Sarah’s recommendation since she’s been using the apricot facial scrub of the same brand for quite some time now. So, I kinda thought what’s the harm of getting a new cleanser.

 

P.S. I realized after that it harmed my wallet considering that I have 4 facial cleansers now.

 

The best thing about this product is that it comes in a pump bottle. I’m always up for pump bottles just cause it makes things so much easier as compared to a tube-squeeze packaging (I’m not sure what it’s actually called so I’m kinda just winging it here) I personally think it’s more hygienic and convenient. For me, 1 pump is the perfect amount to cleanse both my face and neck.

 

Reminder: Many people don’t or just neglect it but it is also very important to cleanse your neck as well!

 

The cleanser itself foams up the tiniest bit. However, I do realize that it lathers on its own when washing my face to be a little creamy. Other than that, it’s like any other normal cleanser. The colour of the product in the bottle is green but when it foams/lathers, it turns white so don’t worry about looking like Yoda or anything.

 

The active ingredient in this product is salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is known to help with acne and skin redness. If you suffer from acne, then try looking into products that contain salicylic acid. It’s supposed to help redness and inflammation of the skin. I wouldn’t say that I suffer from acne but rather just occasional breakouts around my nose and cheeks area. I tend to have oilier skin around those areas.

 

I’m actually fine with fragrances although I am aware that some people say that it isn’t very good. To all those anti-fragrances people put there, this product does contain fragrances but I personally love the smell of this cleanser. I wouldn’t say that the scent is overpowering but it’s more of a combination of floral scents and green tea. It’s very light I would say.

 

The cleanser is said to be made from 100% natural extracts, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, oil-free, paraben-free and dermatologist tested… Yea it claims a lot of stuff. The main purpose of this facial cleanser is for acne treatment.

 

Directions of product: 
 

"Clean the skin thoroughly before applying this product. Cover the entire affected area with a thin layer and rinse thoroughly one to three times daily. Because excessive drying of the skin may occur, start with one application daily, then gradually increase to two or three times daily if needed or as directed by a doctor. If bothersome dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application to once a day or every other day."

 

From the directions, it sounds more of like a medication than a cleanser. I’m still confused as to how this product is supposed to be used but I personally just use it as a daily facial cleanser. It works fine for me. My only complaint is that it’s super drying for my skin. I highly recommend to follow-up with a good moisturizer to return all the moisture that has been lost.

 

The price is really affordable considering how effective it has helped my pimples. I wash my face for at least 2 minutes in circular motion everyday and I do see improvement of my breakouts and blemishes whenever I use this cleanser. As I said, it does dry out my skin. Sarah actually bought this cleanser as well and she hasn’t been using it because she said that it dried out her skin too much. I’ll have her state her opinion……right below:

 
 

Sarah: As Ally said; I didn't really like this cleanser because it was super drying to my skin and on top of that at that point in my life, I didn't really care about my face so I didn't have a good moisturiser. I also felt that the cleanser was kind of watery(???) I'm guessing.... though this is just my preference but I didn't like how it felt like water as it was harder to apply. Personally I like foam cleansers. But based on the effectiveness of this product, I'd say it's not bad. Also, one of the reasons I got this product was the smell! It smells so good!! I also used to have the green tea scrub which I think was really good.  

 
 

At the end of the day, the decision is in your hands whether or not you’d like to try out this product. I wouldn’t repurchase this product right now because I still have like 3 cleansers to use up but I might end up with this cleanser again in the future. 

 

That’s it for this review post. Hope you enjoyed it…J Stay tuned for more reviews, DIYs and I have a new series of posts coming your way!!!

 

Ain’t no expert,

Ally