Thursday, March 29, 2018

[Cleanser Review] Atopalm Real Barrier Cream Cleansing Foam

Price: $16
[Received in exchange for an honest review from Amabie.com]
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase:  Probably

Brand & Product 

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of Amabie.com's A-List reviewers for the new line of skincare products by Atopalm. I have been using this Atopalm Real Barrier Cream Cleansing Form for about 30 days and have formed a pretty good opinion on it, so here's my honest review.
Real Barrier by Atopalm is a line of product that aims to heal and repair the skin barrier, even in people with serious skin conditions. It is specifically formulated for dry and sensitive skin types but features hyaluronic acid and patented dual ceramides in addition to MLE. These two aims to hydrate and comfort skin.
Real Barrier's goal is to reinforce and support the skin's natural barrier, which is responsible for keeping moisture in and irritants out. 
There are a number of products in this line, including the cleansing foam, masks, cica cream, cleansing water, ampoule, and moisture cream. I'm lucky enough to be able to try two of the products, namely the Atopalm Real Barrier Cream Cleansing Foam and Atopalm Real Barrier Essence Mist. I'm looking at the cleansing foam first since I've been using it for about 30 days and has formed a solid opinion on it.
The product is a creamy cleanser that contains a blend of naturally soothing, hydrating and protecting ingredients. It's patented MLE Skin Barrier Formulat uses a complex of ceramides to help protect and strengthen the skin barrier, which is essential for healthy, radiant skin. It claims to be powerful enough to remove makeup and everyday impurities but mild enough that it can be used on all skin types. It's formulated without parabens, mineral oil, or artificial fragrances. 

Packaging and directions

It comes in a squeeze tube which I'm pretty alright with. Honestly, I prefer pumps for cleansers, but this is easily solved by decanting the cleanser in a pump bottle. XD 
Even though it claims to be able to clean makeup, instruction says to use this as the second step of the skincare routine, after the oil cleanser. Moisten hands and face with warm water, squeeze a nickle size amount of cream into palm. Then, work it into a lather and gently massage the foam in circular motions over your entire face. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. 

Ingredients

It does contain quite a lot of ingredients though, so if you know your skin reacts badly to some, it's best to patch test first. I've pretty much given up trying to guess how my skin would react to products based on ingredients list since my skin just decides to freak out or love something for no discernable reason. 
Without further ado, here are the ingredients: 
Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Potassium Cocoate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, Carbomer, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Dihydroxyisopropyl Palmoylpalmamide, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Sprout Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Madecassoside, Panthenol, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Sprout Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate(3), Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil(3), Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil(3), Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Disodium Edta, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.


Even thought there's a lot of ingredients here, running this through cosdna is pleasing. The only possible trigger is the carbormer and everything else rates at a zero at the acne and irritant scale. The trio of panthenol, allantoin, and madecassoside work together to help calm and protect irritated skin. Sunflower seed oil, broccoli extract, wheat extract and bergamot oil help to cleanse skin while also nourishing and hydrating it. 

Texture and Fragrance

As it promises, it has a creamy texture that foams rather well. Even though there's like, half a dozen fragrances in here (mostly oils such as citrus fruit oil, flower oil, lavandula oil, lmon peel oil, ect), I really can't pick up the scent for this cleansing foam. Maybe my nose is dead (It's possible), or it's just non strong enough. 

It foams fairly well with just a little product and I feel like my skin kind of absorbs some of the ceramides into my skin instead of cleansing everything off, which means it leaves my skin with somewhat of a film that's not unpleasant. It's like using a cream in the bath. It's soothing. ^^

Performance

The first thing I did was test the pH of the cleanser with a pH strip because while my skin has been weirdly alright with most cleansers, I noticed that high pH cleansers tend to really strip my skin and exacerbates the condition of existing eczema patches. I'm gladly reporting that the pH of this is at a respectable 5-6, which I'm completely fine with. There's no tight sensation after cleansing, and no new breakouts. Yay. The cleanser does foam pretty well and I only need just a tiny bit of it to wash my face. I'm happy to report that I'm very pleased with it. It is a creamy cleanser and has a complex of ceramides that help protect and strengthen the skin barrier.
However, if compared to the Cosrx low pH cleanser that I've been using previously, it's not actually a mild as that. I really do hate the watery consistency of the Cosrx cleanser though, so I'll happily exchange this with the cosrx. ^^ The consistency is a lot more solid, as you can see and I think this will probably last a year based on how little I've used in the past 30 days.
As is with the Cosrx low pH cleanser, I find that I do have to double cleanse when using this cleanser in order to be safe, which is no trouble at all. However, it does claim to be able to clean off makeup... which is a lie? Lol. I don't get why it says that and then in the instructions tell consumers to oil cleanse first. Honestly, it's best to oil cleanse first regardless of how strong the cleanser is, so I don't really care. 
Overall, I'm quite pleased with this cleanser. This is comparable to the Cosrx cleanser with the advantage of not finishing in like, 2 months. I'm just glad it works on my skin despite the eczema patches. My skin's been reacting pretty badly to a lot (A LOT) of cleansers and having this not break out my skin or cause more dry patches is just amazing. 

Price: $16
[Received in exchange for an honest review from Amabie.com]
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase:  Probably



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