Skin & Fragrance Blog by Thom Watson

Normal-Combination Skin, La Mer, Oily Skin, Washes & Cleansers

Crème de la Mer The Cleansing Gel (The Original)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Thom Watson

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You’ll probably know by now that I am a pretty massive Crème de la Mer fan, for the reason being that they’re a brand who’ve successfully combined luxury with true efficacy. Until now I was using The Cleansing Foam, but not religiously and only when I was feeling particularly oily and in need of a deep clean. I’d say The Cleansing Foam is suited more to an oily skin type whereas I’d say The Cleansing Gel is great for normal to combination feeling much softer and gentler yet still thorough.

Creme de la Mer The Cleansing Gel 3

Creme de la Mer The Cleansing Gel 2

The Cleansing Gel relies on La Mer’s patented Deconstructed Waters and magnetised tourmaline, claiming to work in a similar fashion to facial galvanic treatments. As skin cells are positively charged, the negatively charged water allows effective delivery of product into the skin, or in this case, the enhanced removal of embedded dirt and debris. I’m not sure how far I’m prepared to go with this as I have done training in facial electrical treatments, but what I can tell you is this is a damn good cleanser.

As my other half applied it, he immediately asked if it contained aloe vera. The answer is no, but it was a perfectly valid question as it does feel very soft and calming on contact with the skin.

Using only the tiniest amount, it lathers into a beautiful and creamy later that smells of old, english soap. Unlike many foaming, gel cleansers, it’s very non-abrasive, leaving my face feeling soft and not gagging for moisture. My skin genuinely feels soft to the touch after use and it seems to really help balance my oily t-zone by removing excess sebum very gently.

You can pick Crème de la Mer The Cleansing Gel up here from John Lewis and I believe you can get free delivery on this too!

Do you use Crème de la Mer products? Do you have any favourites? I’d love to know so please drop me a comment below.

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Discussion

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Great review Thom! I’ve just finished The Cleansing Lotion and that did a damn good job too at cleansing my skin, probably one of the best cleansers i’ve used to date! They have now been reformulated and the packaging have also changed so it would be interesting to see the difference in the new version.

Thanks both of you for taking the time to reply. I will try them out and let you know how I get on. Great blog.

Hi Nik,

I really understand your predicament, I often find myself in the same position too. I think in this case, I’d be tempted to recommend a foaming cleanser that uses a pump foam bottle rather than one that contains foaming ingredients and harsher surfactants.

Dr Nick Lowe’s Purifying Foaming Cleanser (I reviewed it here a while ago) is just that, it’s surprisingly soft on the skin whilst using gentle chemical exfoliation to help dislodge dead skin cells. It’s designed for oily/combination skins that are prone to enlarged/blocked pores and/or blemishes.

If you use harsher products to combat oiliness, your skin inevitably responds with, you guessed it, more oil. Using gentle cleansing and exfoliation is key here.

To help with your pores, look at Clinique Pore Refining Solution Serum, it’s effectively helps to reduce pore size in the long term and balances oil, they actually do a great hydrator in the range that I’m yet to try.

Let me know what you think / how you get on.

Thom

Hi Thom,

Just wondered if you could point me in the direction of a new product. I have sensitive oily skin with fairly large pores on my nose. Most face washes dry my skin out, the only foaming wash I’ve tried that doesn’t is Clarins cotton seed wash. Their men’s one I find a little too stripping. Most foaming washes leave me tight and shiny looking but I find the creamier the wash the better. However, not sure how deeply the clarins cleanses as my face still produces a fair bit of oil. I use Nelson’s balancing moisturiser day and night which maybe in the winter isn’t quite enough. Ultimately I would prefer a thickly lathering cleanser as I like to feel a product working…sorry for rambling. My budget is max £20 Help! Ps I have tried the La Roche one you posted about but weirdly found it drying and the foam was very light and fell off my face…

Michael says:

February 20, 2013 at 20:17

Nik, can I give you a suggestion? If you are looking for lightly foaming cleanser try Ren Hydra-Calm Cleansing gel. If you want something in a pump bottle try Peter Thomas Roth Gentle Foaming Cleanser. If you want something in a bottle that is slighlty more foamy (but not as PTR) try Paula’s Choice Earth Sourced Gel Cleanser. All should be mild, but effective. :) Hope you find the right one soon! Michael, Slovenia.

I actually dislike this product. Every time I use it and pump for the first time, the hardened part comes out of it. The next pump is ok. But after using it the next day, same thing happens. It must have been something strange with formulation.

Thom Watson says:

February 19, 2013 at 18:49

How strange! Luckily I’ve not had this happen to me, but thanks for the heads up. If there was a problem, were you not able to return it to the store?
Michael says:

February 20, 2013 at 20:14

Actually did not return it since I bought it in the States and I am from EU. It is a pity I did not tried it immediately, but on the other hand I did not pay “absurd” EU price for this product. :)

Find a Job M&S Wine Feedback
Tuesday, Feb 19 2013 9AM 5°C 12PM 9°C 5-Day Forecast
It costs £530 a pot – but the
ingredients cost just £25… the
brow-furrowing truth about the
stars’ favourite wrinkle cream, Crème de la Mer

By Claire Coleman

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1242978/Cr-la-Mer–It-costs-530-pot–ingredients-cost-just-25–brow-furrowing-truth-stars-favourite-wrinkle-cream.html#ixzz2LKSI3qYT
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
YOU DID SEE THIS ???
I HAVE KNOWN THIS FOR 10 YEARS PLUS
I FIND A LOT OF THESE HIGH END BRANDS PRODUCTS YOU ARE PAYING FOR A NICE BOTTLE AND LOW END JUST AS BAD £5 CURE YOUR ACNE,
ONE LAST THING !
ON ADVERTS TRIED ON 79 WOMEN 62% AGREE
LIKE THATS GOOD! READ SMALL PRINT
END OF RANT

Thom Watson says:

February 19, 2013 at 10:37

Hi David. Yes it seems every time I post a Crème de la Mer article, I’m sent a link to this tired old editorial. Firstly £520 buys you half a litre of the cream and you’ll also find that the markup margin is pretty standard across the industry. Ultimately the products are loved and enjoyed by many people who witness fantastic results.