Fresh Soy Face Cleanser Review

I picked up Fresh's Soy Face Cleanser  back in January when it was recommended to me during my Sephora Personal One-On-One Experience. I wanted an effective, but gentle gel cleanser that would clean out my pores and remove everyday makeup without drying out my skin. Oh, and I wanted something with a nice scent. Not too much to ask, I think.

According to Fresh, this is an "extra-gentle gel cleanser that instantly whisks away everyday impurities and makeup-even mascara-without stripping the skin of essential moisture." In other words, it's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a little too gentle for my needs. Did this product wash off my BB cream and pressed powder? Yes. But my mascara? Nope, at least not fully (and no, I'm not wearing a waterproof product). It also struggled with removing some eyeshadows.

Fresh also claims that this "multi-tasking formula also works to tone, soothe, and soften the skin for a radiant, healthy-looking complexion" and boasts about an unlinked-to test in which participants overwhelming say that this cleanser gave them supple, smooth, improved-looking skin. Fresh explains that this cleanser does all of this thanks to an ingredient list that includes, "Amino acid-rich soy proteins that help maintain elasticity and healthy skin" as well as a few other natural ingredients including rosewater and borage seed oil.

Again, all of this sounds great but in practice, none of it wowed me. Now, to be fair, when I used this cleanser as part of my full skincare routine, which includes six or seven other products (not including masks), I think it did help a bit. But there have been a few days were, because I was lazy or because I was out-of-town, I stripped down my routine to just a few products and this cleanser was one of them. The result was skin that was soft and supple, but that was also blemish prone.

Maybe if you naturally have skin that's say, a B+ or higher, this cleanser could be right for you, but it just didn't have what my skin needs.

Oh, and let's not forget about the smell. When my Sephora adviser first introduced me to this product, she had me smell it. In the middle of the scent storm that is a Sephora, this product's light, refreshing cucumber scent was an ocean of calm. I genuinely liked it. Then I got it home. Now the scent displeases me. It's still light and refreshing but there's some aspect of it that just hits my nose the wrong way. Thankfully my interactions with this product are brief and this scent doesn't linger.

You can pick this cleanser up at Sephora for $47, which is kinda steep for the results. The packaging is also nothing special though it is practical and effective.

Would I buy this product again: No; I just doesn't work for me, especially the scent.

Should you buy this product: Other people seem to love it so maybe give it a shot. Just make sure you really love the scent first. Oh, and maybe don't get your hopes up.