little white truths

I received this product in a Priceline GWP bag and I didn't have high hopes for it because I've used a few Essano products before and they haven't worked that well for me, so I wasn't expecting this one to either.

Unfortunately I was right and it's not great - it's one of those exfoliants that's too gentle and doesn't do much - so after this review I'll likely send it to the body care section so I can use something that works better for my face.

Essano claims/product details:

• Revitalise, polish and refine
• Renew your skin with clarifying rosehip bio-exfoliants, organic rosehip oil and active natural botanicals
• Refine skintone and texture, for smoother, brighter skin
• This gentle facial exfoliator uses tiny rosehip bio-exfoliating granules to lift and clear away dead surface skin and impurities
• Reveals clear and vibrant-looking skin
• Gentle and soap free
• RRP $14.99 AUD for 100ml, but do shop around

Verdict

While this product isn't awful, it doesn't do much so there isn't any real point in me using it. Do note that quite a few of the reviews on beautyheaven's website say the same kinds of things that I'm about to say, so it's not just me and others have had the same experience that I have.

It's a cream product with a rose scent. It does contain some very fine grains but they're super fine and there aren't many of them, so they don't do much when it comes to exfoliation. Yes you might get a mild polish from this, but it's honestly not enough to do anything useful in my case and I never use this when I actually need to exfoliate my skin.

In terms of what else it does, I suppose it works ok as a cleansing cream and it does dissolve most of my 'easy' makeup (with more massaging than I would typically need if I used another product), but it doesn't stand a chance with heavy eye makeup so I wouldn't use it for that purpose and it's probably better used as a second cleanse.

One thing to note is that I've seen quite a few people say that the rose fragrance of this product is too strong for them. While I personally haven't found that (my tube doesn't smell very strong), what I have seen is that this in fact contains artificial fragrance and I wasn't expecting that, given it's from a brand that calls itself organic and cruelty free etc - so that's something to be aware of.

On the claims: no I don't think this revitalises, polishes or refines the skin; no I don't think it's clarifying or renewing; no I don't think it gives me smoother or brighter skin; no I don't think it lifts away dead surface skin or impurities (at least, not very well); and yes I agree that it's gentle and doesn't feel like it strips my skin.

Overall I don't think this is a good exfoliant (or cleanser) and I wouldn't recommend it. It does so little that there's no point in me using it on my face anymore, so what I'll do now is send it to the body care section and finish it that way.

Not for me.