Love it: Clinique Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam

Clinique constantly knock it out of the ballpark when it comes to cleansers, a skincare staple that so many people overlook. A great cleanser is the way to kick off the journey to great skin, and not all are created equal.

The terms “allergy tested”, “fragrance free” and “dermatologist developed” are all a given when it comes to the beauty megabrand, and now they have added “extra gentle” to the mix for us sensitive types. It comes in the form of the new Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam, which I have fallen instantly in love with. A super soft and velvety foam, despite its delicate nature Clinique Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam provides a thorough, yet gentle cleanse to remove dirt, external irritants and excess sebum from your skin.  Think super clean skin without that squeaky feeling – just super hydrated, plump skin before the next step has even been taken.

The key ingredients that give it such kick arse performance are:

• A blend of Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate and Lauramidopropyl Betaine and Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate: three “sulfate-free” mild detergents for sensitive skins. These detergents provide a rich yet light foam that thoroughly but gently cleans skin.

• Sodium Coco PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate: a coconut-derived multi-functional phospholipid complex to boost the properties of gentle cleansing and mildness while leaving skin with excellent conditioning. This non-drying, non-stripping formula is perfect for sensitive skins.

• Caffeine, Sucrose, and Gentiana Lutea (Gentian) Root Extract: these proven ingredients work synergistically to combat irritation. Caffeine and sucrose soothe and help to prevent dryness.

• Salicylic Acid and Capryloyl Glycine: Skin dermo-protective purifying ingredients to combat excess sebum.

• Glycerin, Algae Extract and Hyaluronic Acid: Glycerin acts as a humectant, attracting moisture to skin, thus preventing skin from feeling dry or tight. Glycerin, coupled with Algae Extract and Hyaluronic Acid combine to form a triple moisture complex to leave skin feeling perfectly comfortable with no tightness, dryness or parched skin.

Amazing, yes? Also arriving alongside it any day now on counter is the brand’s new Extra Gentle Cleansing Brush Head, which is its perfect partner. This little baby sits pretty atop my Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush, which was designed to work in tandem with Clinique’s best-selling 3-Step cleanse/exfoliate/moisturise system. The brush was developed in partnership with dermatologists from the Orentreich Medical Group – which helped to develop the brand’s original 3-Step system – and a leading Swiss toothbrush manufacturer, well versed in the field of sonic technology. It’s an absolute beauty to use and if you haven’t tried one, I highly recommend that you do!

The thin, fluffy bristles on the new Sonic System Extra Gentle Cleansing Brush Head deliver even better cleansing results than hand washing alone, but are still gentle enough for daily use by very dry, sensitive skins like mine. Each bristle is rounded at the tip to ensure the gentlest targeted cleaning, and there is no need to apply pressure – just let the brush gently glide over skin like gliding a computer mouse over a mouse pad.

Both are available from May 16th at Clinique counters nationwide and online at smithandcaugheys.co.nz and farmers.co.nz. Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam has a very reasonable RRP $38.00, and the new Extra Gentle Cleansing Brush Head RRP $31.00