Bought this from ebay for a great price. Liked all the reviews I read on here, so I thought I'd give it a try. 1) Its a pretty small bottle. Won't last for a very long time. 2) All of the microbeads fell on one side of the tube during shipping and never "fell down" after being upright for over a week. I never got more than 4 microbeads in a quarter-sized amount (used it for about a week and a half). 3) Made my skin dingy & the texture was different. I attribute that to the texture of the cleanser itself...very strange. Liquid, but thick and almost goopy. Hard to spread around your face.
It wasn't terrible, it didn't make me break out, but I won't repurchase again. Still on the hunt for my HG cleanser! continued >>

This is pretty much the only cleanser I'll use on my skin. I had a hard time finding a cleanser that washed all my makeup off but didn't dry out my skin, which is surprisingly hard to find. This one takes all my makeup off, but doesn't leave my skin tight and dry. It comes out in almost a gel form, and the microbeads are sparse (I don't think they do much). I bought this for 7.99 at Ulta and it's lasted me since summer (I'm still not done with it!).

This review may be a bit premature as I have only used the wash once, but WOW! This face wash is already my HG!! For so long I have been unable to really clean my pores to the point that it looked like (and I thought) I had freckels, but after ONE WASH my pores were totally cleaned out. My skin feels very soft and smooth and I couldn't be happier!

I just bought this from Ulta, which is the only store I can find Alpha Hydrox at. I love it! The beads are not meant to exfoliate, but to add hydration. I'm sure there are bad tubes out there where the microbeads are not effective, but I got a great tube! It leaves my skin soft and is helping to clear up my severe acne in conjunction with their 10% Glycolic AHA lotion! I've spent lots of money on products that don't work only to go to a product my mom used years ago!

This worked fine, but didn't impress me. It's a non-foaming gel with little red beads. The beads aren't plentiful enough to exfoliate, so I'm not exactly sure why they're in there. The scent is neutral and the formula is mild. Probably best for people with sensitive skin.

I liked the cleanser at first. Got my makeup off the first time, did not leave my face uncomfortable but very soft and nourished. Actually a good feeling since most cleansers leave me tight and stinging. The beads exfoliated and the color of the cleanser was cute too. After a week I noticed fleshy white bumps on chin that went away after I stopped using this cleanser. Not the beginning of cysts but clogged pores. Got to admit that I was disappointed.

The day of my 21st birthday, quite literally, my skin flipped out completely. I've been dealing with oily skin my whole life until that day. I broke out into tiny little bumps all over my face, and from then on my skin was dry - I had to wash my face with plain old water for days,
Soon after this inexplicable and abrupt change, I switched from Alpha Hydrox Foaming Face Wash (which up until then had been pretty good for me) to this product. The Nourishing Cleanser was much more compatible with my newly-dry skin. My skin has recently returned back to a more balanced state, a bit oily in these hot Texas summers, but I'm still using this stuff, and I think it's my HG.
The only thing I hate about it is the awkward packaging. Also, the microbeads never really seem to burst for me, and they all end up pooling in the last bit of the cleanser anyway. I also hate that it's nearly impossible to find (I usually get it at HEB), so you have to order online, but AH has specials, like 50% off this weekend or free shipping, fairly often. Otherwise, this product leaves my face feeling clean and refreshed without over-drying. Love it.

I really like this. It does not dry me out. I like that it's soap free, oil free. It's also fragrance free. It still has a scent. It reminds me of oats, it's not bad. Does not break me out. My skin feels refreshed. I don't feel greasy after washing with this. The microbeads do not exfoliate. They are filled with vitamin E and A. The beads burst and release the vitamins when rubbed into the skin. I will continue to use this :) It's sad that it's not available in drugstores.

I never thought that a cleanser would make much difference, but I am on my 3rd one of these, and I would not be without it. I also use other Alpha Hydrox products, the souffle, and spot lightener. I use this in the shower and leave it on for a few extra minutes. This isn't drying, which can be a problem at 43 Yrs. old. I rarely break out with this.
I am REALLY impressed, but it is hard to find...

I had this product for a while and initally wasn't impressed (don't remember why) so I moved on to something else, but never threw it out. I got to a point where I didn't like what I was using, so I rummaged around and pulled this out again. Now I'm hooked. Love that it has cleared up the hard white bumps on my chin, w/o drying me out. It removes my makeup easily, as well. Don't like the smell - think its supposed to be unscented, but there is definitely a smell. Would rather have it mildly scented, but its effectiveness outweighs this point by a mile. I have yet to find ANY cleanser that doesn't make my after-shower face feel dry, but I moisturize immediately anyway. Have run out and will be buying/ordering TODAY!

i have very sensitive, somewhat dry skin and this cleanser made it extremly tight. not in a good way, but very uncomfortably tight. i felt as if i even think of smiling, my skin would rip.
i found it at the local store at 50% off and feel bad, but have no choice - it is going back. hopefully, it can work for someone with more normal to oily skin.

My HG Cleanser. I'm on my 2nd tube and I'm loving it. After using this cleanser, I rarely break out. And if I get hormonal zits, it clears it faster.

Overall I thought this was a pretty good cleanser. I love Alpha Hydrox's product line, but I didn't think this was anything special. The beads don't really do anything, and I prefer the packaging of other brands (the squeeze tube is ok until you're almost done with it, and it's difficult to squeeze out the rest thus wasting product). It's very inexpensive though. I bought it from drugstore.com and have also bought it from the company's website where they frequently run great specials.

Unfortunately, I broke out in a rash using this product.

**I've always had combo skin, but after having my son, my skin is now more normal/dry. We also have hard water at our house.
So I went to Ulta to purchase this product based on the good reviews. I was previously using Philosophy's Purity Made Simple, and while it did a good job of removing make up, my skin started to always feel really tight and dry afterwards. I would apply my jojoba oil and/or moisturizer, but it never really felt like it was penetrating well enough to combat the dryness.
This cleanser does contain Glycolic Acid, (duh!), so more sensitive skintypes will want to consider this. I only use this cleanser a night, and only about a pea-sized amount. The smell of this product is not great- to me it smells like plastic? I used this in the shower and within the first couple days my skin was a little red and started flaking. But I'm used to this happening (using Obagi 2 years ago) and decided to deal with it for a while to see if it would give good results in the end (like Obagi).
I started peeling for about a week on my chin and jawline and for some odd reason between my eyebrows(!). At that point I started to use a very soft, wet washcloth to exfoliate the flaking. I also reduced the amount I was using to 1/2 a pea-sized drop or skipping a day altogether.
I've been using this product for 18 days now and my skin looks amazingly better! Even my husband noticed. I'm SO surprised at how soft my face feels, even with makeup on.
Looking in the mirror right now and my skin is smoother, firmer and, dare I say, RADIANT!! The normal bumps (not really pimples, but could be clogged pores I guess) that I usually have on my forehead and chin are GONE! My pores, which are usually large and noticable, have shrunk dramatically and look clean. There are a couple little flakes here and there, but nothing too noticable. I put a couple drops of jojoba oil immediately after washing and I don't get that dry/tight feeling anymore.
Overall, I am more than pleased with the end results. I think my skin looks younger and healthier than it has in a long time. I think you have to listen to your skin when you use this product, I think it's possible to over do it. I know that if I hadn't reduced the application and/or skipped some days my skin would be really dry and peeling like crazy (it is an acid!). Oily skin probably wouldn't flake as much as I did.

I love this cleanser! It cleans beautifully and completely, removes my make up completely and ‘dissolves’ with water. I like the little pink balls in it too – it makes the experience a complete delight! I'm back to loving my time at the sink! My skin is softer and firmer than it’s been in a long time. I have looked for a mid-price cleanser that truly is an all-in-one cleanser – I also like Vichy’s foam cleanser but it’s over $20. The Alpha Hydrox is only $10. It came with a free mask, which I’ve also reviewed. I’ve been using Neo-Strata products which I love, but I bought their all in one gel cleanser and began using that for about 3 months – and my skin eventually was always rough and bumpy and I had to exfoliate every day. And it never took off all my eye makeup so I’d have to use toner and make up remover. As soon as I tried the Alpha Hydrox cleanser I realized what I was missing in a cleanser. I’m going to go to Wal-Mart and buy several more so I don’t run out for the near foreseeable future! However, note to all manufacturers – I loath when there is a loud cracking noise when I open a flip top on a product! Ugh!!

I found this stuff in HEB, 7.99ea and got a $5.00 mail-in refund. I have tried many cleansers. Every time I just feel not so good or so bad, I don't know if that's coz I don't have so many skin problems. Anyway I like this cleanser and will buy it again.
Btw, Alpha Hydrox has another cleanser, "face wash", in the line of white basic skin care, it is the most terrible thing in the world I've ever met. I am never allergic to anything but this cleanser. My cheeks peeled, my lids peeled, my nose peeled-_-|||

After reading all these reviews I am really surprised that no one had a break out issue. I have not changed anything in my routine with the exception of this cleanser and about a week or so later my chin totally broke out. This is pretty rare for me! =( I love the souffle and never have a problem, but something here did not make my skin happy.

This cleanser is the best of both worlds for me--glycolic acid for exfoliation and creamy consistency for gentleness. It also takes off my non-waterproof mascara with ease and no stinging. The triangular shaped plastic tube makes it quite difficult to get out the last bits of product, but overall I'm really pleased with this product and I'm about ready to bite the bullet and order it online because I can't find it in the stores that normally stock it.

I really like this cleanser. It has low-lathering properties and does a decent job of cleansing skin while being gentle. It feels like a gel-lotion as it's being rubbed in and rinses easily. The beads don't do anything for me, but the cleanser base is good enough that it doesn't matter. I don't have a problem with dryness, stinging or redness when I use this cleanser. Didn't notice any fragrance. Also, it's better at removing makeup than gentle lotion cleansers like CeraVe. Still, I always use an oil-based cleanser first to loosen and lift my sunscreen and makeup before using regular cleansers. I want everything removed! :) Will repurchase.
Here's a pic testing the cleansing properties of CeraVe and AH Nourishing Cleanser. I used Clinique's Cream Shaper For Eyes eyeliner in Chocolate Lustre as a m/u guinea pig and used the same amount of cleanser/same amount of pressure and strokes to see if they perform differently. The results: CeraVe did practically no e/l removal while AH Nourishing removed a good deal of it. Click "continued >>" to see the pic...


Ingredients: Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Alkyl Polyglycoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl, Isethionate, Glycol Disterate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide MEA, Laureth 10, Peg-150 Disterate, Methyl Gluceth 20, Propylene Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Mannitol, Cellulose, Mica, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Talc, Triethyl citrate, Titanium Dioxide, Red 30, Ultramarines, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Panthanol (Vitamin B5), Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Peroxidized Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Wheat Germamidopropyldimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
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