Equiva Sulfate-free Facial Cleanser | Review | Girl Behind the Glassese/t nrl

As a dermatologist and beauty blogger, I’m always willing to try new products I can recommend to my patients and readers. And lately, I’ve been looking for new local beauty brands to try so I can review them and maybe along the way, find a few favorites. Lately, I have been eyeing the local brand Equiva and I’ve started using their cleanser.

EQUIVA CLEANSER FOR SENSITIVE SKIN

Equiva Sulfate-free Gel cleanser is a dermatologist-tested non-irritating water based formula with a pH level of 5.5*, which helps in achieving healthier skin. It soothes and hydrates sensitive facial skin while keeping it smooth and moisturized.

Before I dive into my proper review of the product, let me just say that I have no problems against sulfates or parabens. As a dermatologist, I get my information from evidence-based research and not from Google-ing up articles so I believe in the importance of sulfates and parabens in beauty products. I also do not believe in “clean beauty”; I think it’s a SCAM to discourage consumers from buying certain products because of fear-mongering and spreading misinformation & disinformation. Parabens are used as preservatives to help products last longer and to prevent the growth of bacteria while sulfates are used as cleansing agents to help cleansers or shampoos lather up which is very helpful for those with oily skins/scalps but both are safe to use. They can be irritating to some people but so can plant extracts and essential oils too. In fact, it is more common in my dermatological practice to see a patient with an irritating reaction to plant extracts rather than the 2 chemicals mentioned above. Also fyi, everything can be an irritant. Our skins are different from each other. I find it saddening and disturbing that the concept of sulfates and parabens as a “common skin irritant” is being generalized to the consumers.

Now let me go to the review.

The Sulfate-free Facial Cleanser comes in blue squeeze tube with 150 ml of product. It has no fragrance but to my sensitive nose, there is an almost undetectable light citrus scent — I have a heightened sense of smell and I keep smelling that ‘citrusy’ scent everytime I’ve used this cleanser. I’ve read other reviews on their Shopee store and some mention a ‘clean scent’. Either way, I don’t think this is completely unscented.

This has a short ingredients list which I really like. The notable ones are glycerin, tocopheryl acetate, sodium PCA and bisabolol. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the benefits of these because this cleanser only has a simple goal: to cleanse without irritating the skin and to hydrate & moisturize the it which I think they’ve achieved. Glycerin is an amazing moisturizing ingredient while sodium PCA acts as a humectant, keeping the water in the skin.

This is a clear, gel-type of cleanser. One coin-sized dollop is enough to cleanse my face. It doesn’t lather or foam up too much though. It doesn’t leave the skin feeling dry or tight after I’ve rinsed it off. It actually feels lightly hydrating and my face just feels soft and smooth to touch after. This is one of the few cleansers I’ve been using these days because it doesn’t cause any stinging or burning feeling on my lips which have become pretty sensitive since summer.

Overall, I like how straightforward and simple this cleanser is so I’m giving it my TWO THUMBS UP. And I think I will buy this again especially if it goes on sale, which happens frequently in their online shops. It usually retails for Php 399 but I was able to get it for Php 199 only and I suggest you do the same if any of you are looking for a pH-balanced cleanser from a local brand. I think this will suit most if not all skin types not unless you’re sensitive to any of its ingredients.

Have you tried any of Equiva’s skincare? What do you like from them if you have? Let me know down below.