amarte

Amarte Daily Exfolipowder Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 2 Comments

Amarte is a Korean skincare company that formed an international partnership to customize their formulations for the western markets.

I bought Amarte Daily Exfolipowder at the same time as the Wonder Cleansing Foam (it was suggested to use both if doing a double cleanse routine).

Exfolipowder is suitable for all skin types and is a plant seed-based polishing cleanser that claims to be gentle enough for every day use to remove dry, dull skin.

Directions state to use morning and night, applying product to the palm of the hand, adding water and massaging into a rich lather. Gently massage on the skin in circular motion with fingertips and rinse. Amarte uses a metered dose container that dispenses the correct amount of product as the container is tipped.

Ingredients: water, Zea mays (corn) starch, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium lauroyl aspartate, titanium dioxide, Phaseolus radiatus seed extract, Oryza sativa (rice) bran extract, Triticum vulgare (wheat) bran extract, Salix alba (willow) bark extract, Pinus densiflora (pine) extract, pearl powder, arbutin, genistein, elemental sulfur, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, sodium palmitate, phenoxyethanol

The key ingredients, arbutin and genistein are antioxidants. Genistein apparently brightens and can prevent DNA damage (neither of which I expect to happen in a rinse-off product). Sulfur can help with breakouts.

The Daily Exfolipowder is a fine, white powder that has a light berry scent. I think the metered dose that the container dispenses is about twice what I would use for the face and neck. I have used this for a few months now, mostly daily, either after regular cleansing in the evening or as my only cleanser in the morning. While this is very gentle and doesn’t feel like it is doing much compared to other “harsher” exfoliants, my skin has a polished look and my skin feels smoother especially around my nose where I almost always have texture due to blackheads and congestion. Exfoliants with bigger grains or harsher ingredients can sting the skin or cause microtears that aren’t noticeable to the eye. I started using Retin-A a week ago and have some sensitivity, dryness and peeling, and the Exfolipowder doesn’t irritate the skin and gently exfoliants away the flakiness. While not really meant to be used as a sole cleanser, this gently cleans away lighter coverage foundation and daily debris, however, sunscreen, heavier makeup and eye makeup can benefit from a first cleanse. I like using this as a cleanser/exfoliant in the morning.

I would repurchase the Amarte Daily Exfolipowder.

Thank you for reading.

Amarte Daily Wonder Cleansing Foam Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

Amarte is a Korean skincare company that formed an international partnership to customize their formulations for the western markets.

I was looking for a new cleanser that would help with congestion and breakouts on the skin as well as remove makeup and oil. The Wonder Cleansing Foam fit with what I was looking for with claims to deep cleanse all skin types while providing moisture to the skin.

Directions state to use a pea-sized amount morning and night, apply to palm and add water to work into a rich lather; massage face with fingertips and rinse. This can be used as a first step to double cleansing, with the Daily Exfolipowder as a second step (which I also purchased).

Ingredients: Water, Polysorbate 20, Allantoin, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Beeswax, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Extract, Elemental Sulfur, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Natural Betaine, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Seed Extract, Luffa Cylindrica Extract, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Myristic Acid, Glycerin Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate/PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-75, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol.

Allantoin is an anti-irritant said to soothe and calm skin. Elemental sulfur is effective in use against acne and rosacea as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Sodium hyaluronate and glycerin are included as humectants. While these two ingredients are beneficial for the skin, as the cleanser remains on skin for a minute at most and then is rinsed off, I don’t imagine the skin gets much benefit. Luffa cylindrica is said to have anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antioxidant properties.

I’ve been using the Wonder Cleansing Foam for a few months now, most mornings and and at night. The value is good – only a pea-sized amount is needed to cleanse the whole face and neck, and it foams up quite a bit, so the bottle lasts a long time. It comes in a bottle with a pump and has a light, cucumber fragrance that is not overpowering or chemical-smelling.

On first use of this cleanser I was struck by how much friction and pulling there is between the fingers and the skin on rinsing. If enough water is not used while cleansing, there is a lot of friction as well. I used this with my Foreo Luna and had to make sure there was more water on the skin while cleansing; if not, I would get tugging on the skin. Because of this over-squeaky-clean skin, my face seemed a bit tight on rinsing, although didn’t really feel dry and I didn’t get flaking of the skin like I did when I used Akita’s Rosewater Face Wash. I wouldn’t say this is a moisturizing face wash though. It seems to rinse well, so I don’t think the friction is due to residual cleanser left on the skin. I tried this on my chest, arm and hands as well and still had the same friction feeling. I followed this cleanser with a mask or with the Exfolipowder a couple times a week and didn’t feel the friction after rinsing these products.

This removed a full face of light coverage foundation and non-waterproof mascara. It left a bit of eyeliner, however. A double cleanse was required to remove silicone-based sunscreen (I have been using sun care from The Ordinary and NIOD). This cleanser seems too “strong” for use in the morning and I sometimes used a gentler cleanser; Drunk Elephant’s Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser or NIOD’s Sanskrit Saponins.

While using the Wonder Cleansing Foam, I still got my usual breakouts,
especially in warmer weather as my skin got oilier, and my blackheads didn’t seem to diminish much, if at all, but it cleansed the skin well, and the pores around my nose seemed cleaner. I wouldn’t say this had long term calming effects for my skin; there are better leave-on products for that.

I didn’t test the pH of the Wonder Cleansing Foam myself, but while I was looking for the pH, a blog post from glamorable.com says when mixed with water, the pH is high at 9.

While this works as a cleanser for makeup removal and has a nice, foamy texture while cleansing, I cannot get past the squeaky friction feeling on rinsing (overly squeaky-clean skin usually means drying), and will not be repurchasing.

For my next cleanser, I’ve ordered The Ordinary’s newly released Squalane Cleanser.

Thank you for reading.