Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser | Iconic Beauty Brand | Product Review

It was when I was in college that I finally started using drugstore cleansers, having spent my whole childhood using Sandalwood & Turmeric powder mix from mom's kitchen to cleanse and hydrate. The daily bout of pollution makes it mandatory to use something to completely wipe it off our skin. Add to that my confusingly weird skin-sometimes dry,sometimes oily,always super-sensitive and prone to acne or rashes and I have had a horrible time finding a cleanser that does not completely dry my skin or has no effect on dirt at all! Most of the time, I stick to my favorite Narangi & Tejasvi Ubtans to take care of cleansing part. Sometimes though a product like Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser comes along, perhaps the best face wash for sensitive skin in India :)

I saw it at Palladium Mall about 2 years ago and was instantly attracted to Kiehl's outlet. They have a fun,quirky way about them and most importantly, they give free samples to try before buying a products. Good strategy since these products are so pricey! Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser is priced at Rs. 900 for 75 ml and available in their stores, on their website or on Amazon or Nykaa.

Claims to maintain skin's natural balance while removing dirt & debris with Ingredients like Glycerin and a boatload of chemicals I cannot pronounce! It is basically a sugar-derived glycoside foaming agent that does the cleaning without drying the skin. Remember those childhood chemistry classes? :P Packaging is standard tube, very clean with ingredients,instructions for use and all other details clearly mentioned. Quantity is ample enough to last 2 months even on using everyday as very little is required.

Now, not only the Kiehl's outlet but even the products give a very chemistry-lab-like feel :D Everything is clean,precise, direct. Quite impressive. While I am on a natural products bandwagon, have to respect Kiehl's brand for being one of the foremost iconic ones,used even by celebrities and especially its Ultra Facial Cleanser is an award-wining beauty product gracing the 'Best Of Beauty' lists in many renowned beauty magazines. So obviously,I was very excited to try it. Suffice to say it did not let me down and I have bought it more than once in past year :)

Comes across as a mildly thick, medicated, colorless liquid that foams delicately on contact with water. Just a little amount (a blob as big as half of Rs. 2 coin) is enough! While massaging it on my face the first time, I felt as if the small amount I had taken was doing nothing and was actually sinking in my skin! So I washed it off and used it again. BIG Mistake! It dried my skin completely! Then I realized we are so used to products that lather a lot and we have this misconception that more lather = more cleaning action :D This Ultra Facial Cleanser does not lather a lot but once I wash it off, I do find clean bright skin without a tinge of dryness :) 

It does what it claims and that is more than enough. I never have to put on moisturizer after using this (unless it is winters) and my skin glows while being squeaky clean. I wish there was some add-on,like mild exfoliation or even skin tone inherent in this cleanser but I am being greedy :P It is difficult to find a good cleanser that really digs out debris of the day while keeping it soft and moisturized and this ones does it perfectly. While I am sticking to my Ubtans for the most part, I don't mind taking a break from them and using this once in a while to keep my skin balanced. The clean & smooth skin this provides is a good base for using face masks to help them penetrate the skin better :)

One note though-if you are removing makeup,take a bit more quantity and let this sit over makeup for sometime so that it is dissolved completely :) Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser is really mild so it is fit enough to be used by all skin types, even my sister has used and liked it (and she has horribly acne prone oily skin), my mom has also used it and loved it (she has mature normal skin type) and I have too. 

YES

• Iconic Beauty Brand and Product
• Extremely Mild on all types of skin
• Cleans Dry, Oily, Normal as well as Combination skin types
• Leaves skin moisturized while removing dirt,which is a difficult task as most cleansers either dry out skin or are not effective enough
• Lasts a long time since just a little is required every time
• Dermatologist tested, has no reaction on super sensitive skin too

NO

• Expensive. It is just a cleanser after all. Same effects are observed with my Ubtans which also add on exfoliation,brightening effects etc.!
• Not available easily enough
• All chemicals in Ingredients list! I am used to seeing ingredients lists with Saffron, Sandalwood etc. while here it is all chemicals :D

Recommended- YES! Personally,I am into multi-functional products so I am not that big a fan of simple cleansers but I understand why this is an iconic product so for those who want to try it despite hefty price tag,sure,you will not be disappointed :) Rating is 4/5 :)