Review: Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser

I don't post a lot of skincare reviews here because I am not well versed on the topic. Skincare varies greatly from person to person. The products that are best suited for you will depend greatly on what skin type you have, and what kind of care you need (how healthy your skin is). Skincare is a completely different beast than makeup, with makeup you base if you like it or not on how pretty it makes you look, but skincare is based on how well it improves your skin. Makeup results are instant while with skincare it takes a routine, and time to see a change. My skin is quite dry, I find most products suck all the moisture of it and make it even drier, leaving it feeling uncomfortable, which in turn makes the makeup that I apply to it look not so great. That's why proper skincare is very important.

I became interested in Reviva Labs recently, they are a skincare company that uses all-natural ingredients in their products. I was sent some products to review, I got to choose the products that interested me, which was very nice of them. The first product that I began using was the Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser. This product comes in a small plastic bottle with flip top cap and retails for $12 for a 4oz or 118ml. It's a "hydophilic (water activated) cleanser that contains no oils or soap substances that remain on skin and interfere with the glycolic action."

This cleanser is different in that it does not lather, I would compare it to the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser (which I love).  The consistency is much like a gel, thick enough that you don't need a lot, but not runny either. It's very gentle and does not leave my skin feeling dry and irritated, it leaves it quite soft. Many standard cleansers that you can find at the drugstore contain soap elements, fatty acids or oils that can leave a residue, this does not do that. Glycolic Acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) which is used as a natural skin exfoliant and moisturizer. When placed on the skin, glycolic acid goes under the damaged upper layers of skin and destroys the "glue" which holds dead skin to the surface. The result is a smoother skin and more youthful appearance. This product is recommended for those with mature or sun-damaged skin, but anyone can use it since it only contains 2% Glycolic Acid, apparently any concentration over 10% is considered hazardous material.

Since the cleansing that this product provides is very gentle I personally wouldn't use it as a makeup remover. At the end of the day, I take my eye makeup off with a cotton pad and eye makeup remover, then remove all my makeup with a makeup wipe, then proceed to clean my skin with a cleanser (this product). I must stress, you should always follow the directions listed on products, I noticed recently with a Clarins product that I had been using, it was meant to be used on dry skin and I was using it in the shower, major fail, it still worked fine, but it really should of been used as instructed. This Reviva Labs product is to be applied and massaged for 1-2 minutes with wet fingertips then left on the face for 1 minute, then rinsed with lukewarm water, then followed with cold rinse. I find products work a lot better on my skin if I leave them on for a few minutes before washing off.

The ingredients in Reviva Labs products are all natural and paraben free. There are no animal ingredients and they do not test on animals. The ingredients list for this particular product is as follows: Demineralized Spring Water, Aloe Vera Gel, Polysorbate 20, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl 20, Guar Gum, Glycerin (vegetable), Glycolic Acid, Lauroamphocarboxycinate, Ammonium hydroxide, Allantoin, Camomile Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate and Citric Acid.

Would I recommend this product? This is a very gentle cleanser, and I like it for that. Many people prefer cleansers that lather up like soap, so you have to be prepared for that going into it it does not lather. I had a couple of whiteheads on my cheekbones and after using this product a few days it cleared up, which was great, Glycolic Acid is supposed to be great at unclogging pores. My skin heels very slowly so any major breakouts usually leave scars and take ages to heal. It's not a miracle worker, but I do enjoy this product, so yes I would recommend it.