Review: Safeguard Derma Sense Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser

Identifying Information Product name: Safeguard Derma Sense Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser, 50mL Price: PhP 119.00 50mL, PhP 199.00 100mL Description: "Safeguard Derma Sense gently cleanses sensitive skin, removing dirt, impurities and excess oil, while maintaining your skin's natural defense layer. Non-comedogenic. Suitable for Daily Use." Product Origin: Thailand Where I bought it: Watsons, SM Supercenter Pasig History: One weekend back in July, my family decided to have a "staycation" somewhere in Mandaluyong. I packed everything I needed except for a facial wash! My mom only had Cetaphil with her but because I'm not a fan of it, I headed down to 7-Eleven to look for a sachet of facial wash. Unfortunately, the 7-Eleven I went to didn't have any sachets available. What they did have was a small tube of Safeguard Derma Sense cleanser for acne prone skin so I got that. I tried it out for some time but when I started using my topical acne medication regularly, the salicylic acid in that facial cleanser started to sting my skin. Because of that I decided to give their sensitive skin cleanser a try. I've been using it for 3 weeks now.
Physical Examination:

Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Sodium Myristoyl Sarcosinate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-10, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Salient Features Positives:

• Produces a good amount of lather
• I like my facial wash to foam up/lather. This is not as foamy as my other facial washes though but it's good enough for me.
• The acne-prone variant doesn't lather so I don't like it as much.
• Leaves skin feeling moisturized
• Even my hands feel soft!
• Does not make my face feel tight after use
• Doesn't sting or irritate my skin
• This is very important especially if you're using a topical acne medication that can already be irritating to your skin.
• Effective in removing dirt and excess oil
• I do the double-cleansing method when I have make-up on. Basically I use a make-up remover then follow it up with a foaming facial wash. I don't know how effective this would be for removing make-up because I use it on a make-up free face. :)
• Unscented
• Affordable
• Easily accessible
• You can get this in convenience stores, drugstores and supermarkets.
• Did not cause any breakout or allergic reaction

Negatives:

• I seem to need more of this facial wash per use compared to my previous ones. This is negligible actually, because this facial wash is affordable!

Impression/Rating: 10/10

Discussion: I know we're supposed to use gentle cleansers on our skin especially on our face, but because of my oily, acne-prone skin I was more inclined to using strong facial washes that left my skin feeling squeaky clean (and dry, tight; sometimes flaky...). My face would feel desert dry that I felt the need to immediately put on moisturizer. Because of my renewed interest in Asian skincare, I stumbled upon the subreddit AsianBeauty. There they talk about how low pH facial washes are better for the skin than traditional alkaline or high pH cleansers. I found it interesting so I tried reading about it. There is a wonderful and highly informative blog post by Snow White and the Asian Pear about the importance of the pH of cleansers with citations from various journals/studies. I'm still in the middle of researching about this so I encourage you to read her blog post if you're interested to know more about it! :)

I don't know the pH level of this cleanser but the important thing is my skin feels better after washing with this. It's able to clean my face without stripping it of moisture! It actually feels like it's moisturizing my skin. I suppose that's due to its glycerin content. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth after wash. My skin sometimes feel irritated because of my acne medication but this facial wash has never hurt or stung my skin. I always mention my topical acne medication when I talk about skincare products because it's a very important factor that affects the condition of my skin and how products react with it. :)

I'm very happy that Safeguard came out with a very good line specifically for facial use. They still do advertise their bar soaps for washing the face but those can be too harsh on the skin. (But hey if it works for you then it's all good! :D) Their Derma Sense line is a great and much-needed addition to their products.  

Prognosis: I love this facial wash! I use it twice a day so my 50mL tube is quickly getting used up. I purchased the big tube a few days ago because I don't want to be without it! I'm still thinking about trying facial washes from other brands though just because I like buying and trying new stuff. It excites me! But really, this is a great quality facial wash with an affordable price tag! I LOVE IT! :)