Saturday 20 August 2011

Product review: Burt’s Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser

Earlier in the year, I was invited by Burt's Bees to trial the entire Radiance range of products for their Facebook page trial team. I am now going to provide more detailed reviews for each of the products in the Burt’s Bees Radiance range. The hero ingredient of this range is royal jelly, which, according to Burt's Bees is very nourishing, made of nectar, pollen, flower parts, vitamins, minerals, bee hormones and other natural ingredients. It is a very precious, mysterious substance that honeybees produce and feed to only select.
From the company: This light lotion cleanser removes dirt, oil and make-up, revealing a smooth and radiant complexion. A gentle plant-based cleansing complex plus jojoba beads and a fruit acid complex help encourage normal skin cell turnover. While royal jelly, one of nature’s most nutritious substances, helps enhance skin’s natural radiance. Your skin appears brighter and younger-looking, naturally.

Ingredients: water, decyl glucoside, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) oleosomes, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, glycerin, royal jelly, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, hydrogenated jojoba oil, vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) extract, saccharum officinarm (sugar cane) extract, acer saccharinum (sugar maple) extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) fruit extract, citrus medica limonum (lemon) extract, fragrance, glucose, xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium chloride, lactoperoxidase, glucose oxidase.


My review: This was a very nice cleanser – it did an excellent job cleansing, yet it did not dry out my skin at all. I used it in the shower each morning, then at the sink each evening before bed. My skin never felt tight afterwards.

The consistency of the cleanser reminds me of custard – it looks creamy and thick but it is actually a foaming cleanser rather than a cream cleanser. I had been using it for about a week when I re-read the product information that came with it and it said that it contains jojoba beads for exfoliation. Well, I did not notice the beads at all. I suspect that they melted before the cleanser even made it to my face as I rubbed it between my hands before applying it to get it to foam up. So, whilst this is a gorgeous cleanser, don’t expect to get much exfoliation from it.
I loved the packaging that the cleanser comes in. It is in a 175ml bottle with a pump pack lid. The pump pack makes it so easy to get the right amount of cleanser out. Initially I was using two pumps to do my face but this was way too much cleanser – one pump is more than enough to effectively cleanse my face.
One issue I had with this product was the smell. I wasn’t overly keen on it. It seems to have a fruity fragrance, which I had no problem with, but there was some other aroma coming through that I didn’t like. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, or even how to describe it. However, as I thought that the cleanser did such a great job, and especially the fact that it is non-drying, the fragrance won’t stop me from repurchasing it. Fragrance in skincare is very important to me as I get so much pleasure from it, but as I only use a cleanser for less than a minute a day, I don’t mind so much if it doesn’t smell as great as some of my other products.
All in all I thought that this was an excellent cleanser, fragrance aside, and can definitely see myself using it again in the future. At $24.95 it is an affordable option for most people, and for the size and the quality of the product the price really is quite a bargain.

Stockists In Australia, Burt's Bees is available from David Jones, Myer, Priceline, pharmacies and health food stores. Or you can buy the range from Amazon.


If you would like some more detailed information on royal jelly, you may be interested in my blog article- The use of royal jelly in skincare

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with any company discussed in this blog and received no remuneration for my comments. These products were provided for consideration by Burt's Bees for their Facebook Trial Team.