SKINCARE | Amie New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes

Already when it comes to packaging, I’m sold on the newest addition to the Amie skincare line - NEW BLOOM Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes*. It’s pink and flowery and it is at this point that I want to tear into that moisture locking seal. I use facial wipes quite often, going through a pack each month, so I’d like to think that I’m facial wipe savvy. For those of you new to Amie, they are a UK-based brand just making its entrance into Canada exclusively through select Shoppers Drug Mart stores. They pride themselves on being affordable while using skin-friendly natural extracts. 

Amie New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes Review

Amie New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes Review (2)

These facial wipes are fragrance-free and can be used for all skin types. They are meant to be used on just the face and neck, not the eyes for either a quick refresh during the day as well as to remove dirt, makeup and oil without stripping your skin or likewise, feeling just as gross as prior to using the wipe.

Amie New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes Review (3)

The first thing I noticed upon opening the pack of wipes was that they weren’t sopping wet. They almost feel like wet dryer cloths? The facial wipe itself is very soft and can be torn quite easily. There is a weave to them that still provides a bit of grit to take off makeup.

Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, PEG – 7, Glyceryl Cocoate, Benzoic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract (Cranberry Extract), Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (Pomegranate Extract), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea Extract), Trisodium Sulphosuccinate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid

Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract (Cranberry Extract) is an astringent that cleans and constricts pores.

Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (Pomegranate Extract) is known for its high levels of Vitamin C aka mega-antioxidant and brightening (Truth in Aging, January 2015).

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea Extract) has so many LIFE uses, but in this case is another antioxidant, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory agent (Truth in Aging, January 2015).

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative alternative to parabens in a lot of “natural” products that kills bacteria and keeps products chemically stable. It has been the favoured alternative to formaldehyde, but has been somewhat controversial.  It has been shown to be an irritant to the eyes and skin and is hazardous in cases of ingestion and inhalation according to the FDA (Wikipedia, January 2015). I’ve searched some of my past posts and it is in A LOT of stuff. I have yet to see any skin irritation (Truth in Aging, January 2015), but all of this reading has my eyebrows slightly furrowed especially after reading about neurotoxicity in long-term exposure (Journal of Occupational Medicine, Morton et al.). It is an old study from 1990, but is one of the most cited.

Final Verdict: As always, use your own judgement when it comes to chemicals. Some people go overboard when it comes to avoiding things and others should be more aware. Phenoxyethanol is  in a lot of naturally-branded products so I won’t use this as a mark against Amie. Going green is a new frontier and it’s hard to come up with perfect formulations that are effective AND won’t rot on your bathroom shelf! Choosing the right preservative is crazy difficult!

 Now that I have digressed, as a facial wipe, my skin felt clean and hydrated after use. With some facial wipes my skin feels too dry and I have to moisturize right away, but with these cleansing wipes I could just leave my face as is. I will continue to use these wipes as I do like the way my skin feels after using them.

How far do you go to be “natural” with your beauty products?

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