The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser > Reviews (6)

During one of The Body Shop's online offer periods last year, I purchased a set of skincare miniatures from the Vitamin E range. I hadn't had a lot of experience with this range, or Body Shop skincare, before so was pleased to try it.

The Vitamin E range is designed for dryer and more mature skin. I'm only in my mid 20s and have combination skin, but I hoped this set would provide effective protection during the winter when I get occasional dry patches of skin. The range is packaged in plain but smart and distinctive pink packaging.

The set contained a miniature cleanser, toner, moisture cream and night cream. I used the set together, though I only used the cleanser and toner at night preferring a face wash in the morning (Lush's Buche de Noel, in case anyone is interested). This review will discuss my experience with the cream cleanser.

***Price and Packaging***
A full-size 200ml bottle of this cleanser costs £7 at full price. As far as I know my miniature 60ml bottle is only available as part of a set. Both bottles are made of recycled, recyclable plastic and have a flip-top lid for ease of use. My little bottle is clear, which I like as it means I can see exactly how much product I have left. I understand however that the large bottle is opaque pink plastic.

***Product Ingredients and Claims***
Naturally enough, this cleanser contains Vitamin E. This is an antioxidant and helps to prevent the development of free radicals on the skin. It also contains wheatgerm oil (in which most of the Vitamin E is found), Community Fair Trade soya oil and Community Fair Trade shea butter. The shea butter comes from the all-female Tungteiya Shea Butter Association of northern Ghana, which has 476 members from 10 villages. Trade has helped to fund three medical centres and 10 nursery schools. To find out more, you can visit The Body Shop's Community Fair Trade section on their website.

Shea butter is quite an unusual ingredient to find in a cleanser, as it is moisturising. However this does fit in with the product's claim to be suitable for dryer skin. It is described as a light cream cleanser that gently lifts away dirt, make-up and impurities. It is claimed to effectively cleanse, soften and condition and leave skin feeling smooth and supple.

***Use of the Product***
I prefer to use a cream cleanser in the evening to gently remove make-up and cleanse my skin for the evening. I didn't use this product in the morning as I prefer to use a face wash or scrub in the shower.

This cleanser has a light, slightly floral smell which is pleasant and calming. The cleanser has a light lotion-like consistency which is fairly runny, but not so runny that it runs off my face. I squeeze a little onto a cotton wool pad and sweep it over my face. In two to three weeks I've used less than half of my little bottle of cleanser, so it does last a long time.

I will discuss how the product lives up to each of its claims below.
Gently but effectively cleanses - I have found this to be true.

Despite being scented, the cleanser is very gentle on my skin and I haven't experienced any irritation. It is very good at removing most make-up without much effort. With mascara or heavy eyeshadow I have to rub a bit, or else use an eye make-up remover, but with most things I put on my face the cleanser can cope pretty well. My skin feels thoroughly cleansed after use.
Softens and conditions - Again this is true, my skin looks and feels in very good condition after use and feels extremely soft. In fact I have sometimes been tempted to forego moisturiser as the cleanser leaves my skin feeling quite moisturised without tightness. However I don't have particularly dry skin.
Leaves skin feeling smooth and supple - This is also true. My skin feels incredibly smooth and not at all dry.

***Conclusion***
I have been very impressed with this cleanser. It is effective at removing make-up, gentle on the skin and also moisturising. It has helped keep my skin in good condition during this cold weather.

The cleanser is quite pricey, however it does last ages and The Body Shop always have some sort of special offer on, so really you never need to pay full price.

I don't know if I would buy the cleanser again on a regular basis, simply because I don't normally need this level of moisturisation, particularly during the warmer months. However I would certainly consider repurchasing for use during the winter, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone with dryer skin. I will be recommending the Vitamin E range to my mam, as she has drier, more mature skin and I think it would suit her.