Nasty stuff! First of all, cleansing my face with this stuff was an absolute dread. The smell is very strong (like men's cologne) and it foams so much that it gets into your nostrils and mouth even if just a tiny amount was used. I wouldn't mind all this if it was actually effective. It dried out my skin big time (the corners of my mouth hurt when I opened my mouth after washing my face with this stuff) and I never felt like it rinsed clean. And this is primarily supposed to even your skin tone but in all honestly it did nothing for my acne marks. It also gave me little bumps all over my face. So bottom line, I was left with oily, parched, bumpy skin. I really doubt the ingredients in this stuff do any good. They just decided to throw in a bunch of exotic oils (which probably contributed to the bumps all over my face) as the primary ingredients and then add in a bunch a fragrance and drying alcohol and whatever else. All in all, ew...stay away from this stuff. I'm going back to my beloved Cetaphil.

PROS: Is supposed to stimulate cell regeneration to help correct uneven tone and it does help with that. Good suds to clean well. Doesn't bother my rosacea/sensitive skin as most lightening/evening products do. Natural ingredients.

CONS: May not be good for dry skin (but they have a cleansing milk.) Scent is strong. They took the beach smell and went somewhere a little different with it. This product doesn't smell as good as the other products in the "Advanced" line. It almost smells like men's cologne. (But if it works as well as it does for me, I can get used to the smell. And I am getting more and more used to it. ;-)

ALTERNATES: When my skin is more sensitive, I use Olay Sensitive Skin Foaming Face Wash. For gentle but effective skin lightening, I love Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Skin Tone Perfecting Syndrome.

Does what a cleanser should do-- it cleans without making my skin worse. No miracles. It's very mild. I love the way it foams and the way it smells. Lasts a long time. I found it on vitacost.com for under $6.

I have used this regularly for several years. My skin is very sensitive and it does not cause me to break out. It says it gently foams and this is true--it's just right. To my nose the smell is neutral and mild and does not linger. What I like best about this cleanser is the way it makes my skin feel--clean but not dried out.

This is the only cleanser that works well for me. I have tried using other cleansers and I always seem to come back to this one. Cleans well and does not make my dry skin worse.

Made my skin break out. Horribly. I know because this was the only change I made to my skincare routine and I haven't been eating sweets (which make me break out). If you have sensitive skin like me, avoid. I should have known since this stuff is loaded with fragrance (and not a good smelling one, either).

I love that this is a good for you, good for the planet product. It works well for every day cleansing, lathers well, removes makeup, etc. The scent took a little getting used to but I will definitely repurchase.

I love the Alba sea minerals line. I cannot use this product as it contains SLS, my esthetician told me that this chemical overly strips the skin's moisture balance, changes the skin's ph which causes sebum glands to go into overproduction. For anyone who is prone to breaking out and is using this product, this could potentially be the cause. I immediately switched to the cleansing milk, it's kind of counterintuitive that for oily skin a cream cleanser would be more beneficial but in the last few months my skin has really improved. So I would only recommend this product for someone without any acne/oil issues. Four of the other Alba sea based products are still in my regimen and I count on them to helping my skin to tolerate the acid based products in my regimen, retinol, AHA, BHA, Glycolic, not sure if this list is redundant. I wonder why a company that focuses on natural products is using SLS when it's so harmful to people? I've hear that you can't make a gel wash formulation easily without it which is why my dermatologist and esthetician tell me to just steer clear of gel washes in general.

This used to be my holy grail. I just moved on from it to try other products there was nothing wrong with it.
My only complaint is it should not be used around my eyes.
This takes off all of my makeup. It can be slightly drying but I only noticed this once or twice. I heard that algae can cause breakouts but this didn't. It smells awesome. It is not 100% all natural.

I find that this cleanser is a good, thorough gel cleanser that removes makeup well but doesn't dry out my skin too much. It even can remove eye makeup without burning or stinging my eyes AT ALL! (for when I'm too lazy to use eye makeup remover). It's great when I want a thorough cleansing (these days I use OCM - sunflower oil and honey).
I just wish it came in one of those upside-down squeeze tubes, so I could use up every last drop... though the pump bottle is pretty convenient.

I love this stuff! When I started using it, I definitely saw an improvement in my skin. One bottle lasted me 3 or 4 months, using twice a day. I meant to buy another bottle, but accidentally picked up the cleansing milk instead, so that is what I have been using. I definitely prefer the gel, which is a better cleanser for my normal/somewhat oily skin, but I would recommend the milk for someone with dry skin. Also, I've been using the milk for a month and a half and I'm practically out of it. The two bottles are the same size, but the gel lasts me at least twice as long because I don't have to use as much product each time I wash my face. Furthermore, both products smell fine, but the gel is the one that smells really good!

I was debating with myself whether to buy this one or the coconut milk face wash (also from Alba) but I bought this because it was cheaper. For a while now I have been breaking out because of one of the products in my routine and I couldn't figure it out until I realized it was because of my new soap. The soap was clogging my pores and giving me pimples that I didn't normally get. Since switching it out for this product, I haven't broken out with anything and my face is slowly getting back to its normal, clear state.
The website says this costs $9.95 but I bought it for around half of that.

I usually purchase the alba sea lettuce cleansing milk but gave this a try since I did not see what I wanted. I am not too fond of this product. My face had previously broken out from another Alba product( ( the pineapple fash wash) so I needed something else. It has been a few weeks and this is not helping it either. I keep on breaking out. It is gentle but I feel like it doesn't really do anything for my skin at all. IT does not feel dirty but not really that clean either.

I have been using this stuff about 6 months now (on and off) and i think it has helped my skin. I have had pretty severe acne since i was a young teen and i have FINALLY started growing out of it so i have tried to use cleansers that don't dry out my face too much. I picked this up at my rite-aid and have been very happy with the results. my face feels clean without being too dry and it gets my all my make up off. it has a pleasant smell, kind of herbal but not at all overwhelming, and a nice foam
i am sure it does nothing for my acne but it is nice and gentle so i can finally break free from those harsh acidic cleansers!

My HG cleanser...
I use it with a body shop face brush. I have super sensitive combination skin and seem to be allergic to everything under the sun- in particular, salysillic acid. My face feels so naturally clean. I use fresh-squeezed lemon juice as a toner after patting dry, and then apply the extremely gentle moisturizer from Ulta.
Love this product. One note- it does not lather like we've all come to expect from a cleanser, but really does not need to. Does burn a little if you get it in your eyes. =o)

UPDATE: Alas, I've discovered that I need more acne fighting ingredients in a regular cleanser. :( I'd prefer to keep on using this since it's much more natural but I've switched to Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle/Blemish cleanser.
I love this cleanser. I have classic combination skin and it does the trick! Bonus: I love the smell. LOVE IT! And the guy I'm seeing loves it, too! You can close the pump bottle, which another great advantage of this product. I'd would also definitely recommend the sea mineral moisturizer. It's wonderful and SPF 15 to boot!

I have looked and looked for an oil-free, paraben-free cleanser that won't dry out my skin, and now my search is over. After using this product, my skin feels clean and soft, not tight and stripped.
The scent is somewhat strong, but I find it very pleasant. I didn't classify it as "dirt cheap," but was pleasantly surprised at the price, and love that I can get it locally and don't have to pay shipping.
Edited to add that this product turned out to be too drying during the winter months. I still plan to go back to it during the summer because of the wonderful scent.

I'm 18, and I have combo / dry / sensitive / acne-prone / anythingelseyoucanthinkof skin. Using this cleanser in the morning and at night, it seriously dried out my skin and made it look dull. Because I use a number of other products on my face (tinted moisturizer, sunblock, cleansing oil, and the occasional mask or scrub), I can't say specifically how this product affects my skin, but after using the cleanser my face always feels very tight, moisture-deprived, and like it's been stripped of all the oils it needs. I would only recommend this product to someone who has seriously oily skin, and even then I'd highly suggest a nice moisturizer afterward.

I wanted to find a cheaper product to replace the Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap I've used for years, but this just isn't it. Feels and smells like putting shampoo on my face. Made my rosacea worse (redness & papules showed up the morning after). I do like the the fact that it lathers fairly well for a gel product. I also like the packaging (easy to use pump that closes for travel) and the fact that it's not tested on animals, but this just didn't work for me. Back to the drawing board. continued >>

I absolutely love this new cleanser which is perfect for summer. I am so glad I didn't opt for the sea lettuce cleanser, as this one is outstanding. The scent is very light and fresh and my skin is not stripped at all, nor is there any irritation or breakouts. Wow! This is awesome and at a great price too? Can't beat it. Best for oily-normal skins.