Basis • Sensitive Skin Bar • Cleansers

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prillita on 12/18/2012 2:34:00 AM more reviews by prillita

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I tried this soap basically because the store was out of the cetaphil gentle cleansing bar. I had a bit of my cetaphil bar left and was using the two alternately (I usually use two different face soaps and go back and forth between them). I could really feel the difference after using this soap. If i got any in my eyes, they would BURN like crazy! One day I was trying to wash off my eye makeup and the soap made a film over my eyes and it wouldn't come off! It hurt so bad. . . anyway, I learned my lesson. This soap worked really well for the first week or so, but the film it leaves on your skin is not pleasant. I like cetaphil much better and it leaves my skin feeling a lot softer.

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Funbeans on 11/14/2012 1:21:00 AM more reviews by Funbeans

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Oh no!!! I wish this product worked :( After a couple days of using this soap, my skin dried out and was peeling like crazy!! It cleaned a little TOO well and stripped all of the natural oils off my skin...I'm sure this might work for those with less sensitive skin, but this didn't work for me. :(

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ohdrdoctor on 9/18/2012 10:51:00 PM more reviews by ohdrdoctor

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red, Wavy   Eyes: Green    

During a recent stay with a friend, I had a horrible reaction to whatever she laundered her towels with. My skin can be pretty sensitive but I've never experienced a rash like this before. Burning, itchy, raised red bumps all over my face and body. I went to the closest 24-hour store (Walmart) in search of a super gentle soap. The Basis bar completely cleared my skin in TWO DAYS. I don't normally use a bar to cleanse my dry/combination skin but this was awesome. I don't know how well it does on removing makeup because I pre-cleanse with cold cream. This is a little too drying for my everyday use but I think this would be wonderful for those with oily skin. It costs around $2 so it can't hurt to try!

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bornbackwards on 9/17/2012 10:21:00 AM more reviews by bornbackwards

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

My mom bought this for me and I was reluctant to try it because I thought a bar soap would dry out my skin badly.

I quite like this soap. The first time I used it my face felt very clean and I didn't experience irritation or dryness/flakiness which happens a lot with me. So far this soap is not making my acne worse. I like that it is mild yet does a thorough job and doesn't have a lot of chemicals. It smells weird though.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS on 8/13/2012 12:29:00 AM more reviews by MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

has a light chamomile scent, it doesnt dry out my combo skin, cleans my face well and best of all, super cheap!

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*TOP REVIEWER* 4eyes on 5/4/2012 10:27:00 AM more reviews by 4eyes

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I can't believe I never reviewed this! It's AWESOME. I have oily, acne-prone yet sensitive, easily irritated rosacea-type skin that gets very dry and stripped with many cleansers. Great combo. There are several Basis soaps out there, so you have to be sure to get the right one - this is the White one for sensitive skin. I tried the one for oily/acne skin and one that says it's a vitamin soap and was happy with neither. Only the white bar works for me.

There is no discernible scent at all in the white bar. It does contain lanolin (low down on the ingredient list), which some people react badly to. Oddly, my sensitive skin has totally freaked out on so-called sensitive skin cleansers that advertise as lanolin-free, but this laonolin containing bar really calms my skin down. Time and again, I have resorted to this bar after bad experiences trying fancier, more expensive cleansers.

It lathers well, and some people complain that it makes their skin feel "rubbery." I like how it seems to moisturize my skin w/o irritating or clogging. I find it cleans well, rinses off cleanly even in hard water, and never leaves my skin feeling stripped. However I have oily skin. If you have dry skin, this may not be for you. I have used it to calm my skin down after having irritation from another cleanser (Cetaphil Normal/Oly and Dermacontrol - I'm looking at you - that stuff shriveled my skin and gave me irritation acne!) and various acne txs.

Another plus: it is really cheap. I've never seen it cost more than $4.00. Usually much less. Overall, excellent, dependable, mild bar cleanser for my oily, sensitive skin.

NOTE: This does sting if you get it in your eyes. Odd how it's so non-irritating on the skin, but in the eyes, it's a different story, so be careful not to get it in your eyes. I rub it all over, inluding eye area, but rinse well before opening my eyes.

PS: I went back to this after a disastrous 3-day trial of Cetaphil's new Dermacontrol foam cleanser, and I can't believe how within 24 hours of 2 uses w/ the Basis soap, the horribly inflamed rashy zits I got form the Cetaphil are already healing. With the Cetaphil, one of the new zits I got w/ that grew a large new whitehead every day, it just kept renewing! Now the whitehead is gone and the zit itself is flat and on its way out. Wow, I'd forgotten how well this Basis worked.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

BeautyNerd16 on 4/6/2012 7:59:00 PM more reviews by BeautyNerd16

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Dark, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

OMG! This product sucks! I have combination skin, and my t-zone can be a bit oily...I bought this because it said for sensitive skin, and I thought it was a steal. Such a waste of money! This thing dried my skin completely. I even used an exfoliator with it, and my skin was so dry I couldn't even rub it. Literally. I tried to run my finger down my face, and it stopped. After using it my moisturizer felt really weird on my face, and I'm going to stop using it. I really hate this product, which sucks because I thought it would work great....such a waste of money, a little money, but still. Overall, I would never recommend this terrible product to anyone I know. I bought it once, and I will never purchase this product again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* alyssa18o6 on 3/16/2012 10:03:00 PM more reviews by alyssa18o6

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I originally purchased this at Ulta because I was looking for something for my sensitive skin. I was worried cause I hadn't seen them any where else close to me and didn't wanna become hooked on something I couldn't get regularly. However I found the entire line on sale at CVS and purchased all the bars & cleansers they had instock. This has saved my skin, even if I have horrible skin moments this will get my skin back to normal instantly. I will keep on repurchasing this. The best thing is, is its super affordable and doesn't break the bank.

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JMNeaves on 2/10/2012 4:44:00 PM more reviews by JMNeaves

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this to use on my face, as it was suggested on the acne.org product page. I really liked the idea of a bar, as I travel frequently. Unfortunately this product was so drying that my combo skin was peeling within a week, especially around my eyes and chin area. I have since switched to a gentle cream cleanser. I do, however, like it as a body bar.

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*TOP REVIEWER* luckylouie on 1/11/2012 7:31:00 AM more reviews by luckylouie

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I have not actually bought this product, the rating I have put down is simply a reflection of other peoples ratings. I just wanted to point out that Sodium Thiosulfate is NOT another name for Salicylic Acid, and I really don't know why the last reviewer thought it was. I just wanted to clear that up. Here is a link to information on Sodium Thiosulfate from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_thiosulfate
It is commonly used as a dechlorinator, and in soap it is used to help reduce the formation of soap scum and make for ealier rinsing. Fear not, this soap does not contain Salicylic Acid in any form. Here are the ingredients list, taken from the Walgrens website:

Ingredients
Sodium Tallowate , Sodium Cocoate , Sodium Palm Kernelate , Triple Purified Water , Glycerin , Petrolatum , Almond Oil , Titanium Dioxide , Sodium Thiosulfate , Chamomile Extract , Aloe Vera Extract , Cyclopentadecanolide , Pentasodium Pentetate , Tetrasodium Etidronate , Lanolin Alcohol , Beeswax

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indiebaby on 1/11/2012 2:42:00 AM more reviews by indiebaby

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I remember using basis face wash and being a big fan when I was about 12 or 13. I'm 23 now and recently, about 4 months ago writing this today quit smoking. My skin became very very sensitive, oilier then bacon grease and broke out like crazy just from quitting. Funny how nobody mentions the bad parts of it! All worth it of course!

Anyways, I needed something very sensitive and completely changed my skincare routine. Basis sensitive skin bar seemed worth taking a shot, dirt cheap and not too many ingredients. The petroleum in it kind of bothers me but I'll let it slide considering the job it's done.

I've had it about 2 weeks and it's completely turned my skin around! It may possibly be that I've hit the 4 month mark of quitting smoking so my skin is getting back to normal but even considering that the bar has had some wonderful effects. Right after washing my skin with it I'm baby smooth, my skin feels like velvet! It also seemed to greatly help in battling existing acne I had. Worked much better then what I was using. I'm defiantly getting far fewer pimples with the exception of hormonal time of the month out breaks. So there you have it. If you are quitting smoking and your face is going bonkers I highly recommend it. If you have oiler skin, go for it! My skin feels very balanced from using it in the morning and before bed. Dry skin, this might not be the bar for you. Even with oilier skin right now, I've noticed it can be drying and have had to skip a day occasionally.

Here's a tip I read somewhere for this product I found invaluable. Use the product twice as long as you think you would need to washing your face with it and rinse twice as long. I got much better results after following that method!


This product makes my skin feel so great, I actually just picked up another two bars today. A backup for my face and one for my body. I figure if it makes my face feel so super soft maybe it will have the same effect on my body too. For something easily found under $2.50 worth a shot if you're skin is shot and needs something gentle.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Valla on 11/18/2011 11:11:00 PM more reviews by Valla

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I've been using this stuff for years, and I love it.

I've tried many different skin products over the years, including proactive, but this is the thing I stick with. I still get occasional acne, usually during a certain time of the month, but Basis works quite well for me.

I don't notice any film after using it, and I don't find it drying.

It's cheap, and the bars last so long. I also find it easy to travel with, it's really great not to have to worry about it spilling in transit.

A staple product for me.

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feelingcold on 9/18/2011 10:07:00 PM more reviews by feelingcold

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I purchased this in travel size after getting to my hotel and realizing I'd forgotten to bring anything to wash my face. It was nearly 11pm and my choices were limited. I figured I'd use this for a couple of days and then throw it out once I had my facial wash back. After the first use my skin felt squeaky and I expected my skin to break out. It didn't. I used it some more and my skin continued to feel fine. Once I got home I shelved it and forgot about it until I had a bad reaction to a new product and my face went crazy. I stopped being able to use anything on my skin other than water. My face was at the point where even cetaphil was causing extreme redness and swelling. I looked permanently sunburned and I hurt. I had gone a few days without washing my face when I decided to try this. I lathered the soap on my hands, and then gently rubbed them on my face. My skin felt a little sore and tight but it calmed down pretty quickly. I continued to use this once a day and every day my skin became less itchy and sore feeling. After about a month I could reintroduce products.

This is a bar soap and it leaves your skin bar soap squeaky clean. It is drying and I'm happy I can use other products now because I didn't like how tight this made my skin, but it was a godsend when I needed it. I still use this when my skin gets really sensitive and won't tolerate other products.

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lovesyou on 8/1/2011 8:55:00 PM more reviews by lovesyou

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

this is really good.only $2 left my face soft.took all my makeup off even mascara but be careful about getting in your eyes becuz it burns like crazyyyyyy.

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hahalalawheee on 7/23/2011 2:31:00 AM more reviews by hahalalawheee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I generally hate using soaps to wash my face. It just feels so harsh using soap suds to clean my face. But since this product seemed to have gentle ingredients, and the ingredients list isn't long, I gave it a shot.


While I was washing the soap off, I noticed that my face felt extremely uncomfortable. Like it covered my face in this icky film. I realized that it was still on my face, even though I sufficiently splashed my face with water. And water wasn't getting it completely off. The flakes left on my face weren't exactly helping. How disgusting.


So, I'm not using soaps ever again. I've had only unpleasant experiences with them. See my review on Vichy's Calming Cleansing Solution.

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latina72 on 5/4/2011 5:08:00 AM more reviews by latina72

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

i don't know why i spent so much money on face cleanser in the past, this soap bar really helped me with my occasional breakouts and leaves my skin really clean, rinses well, even removes all my eye make up. For me is a plus the fact that i can use it over my eye area. Improves my skin, and don't dry it at all. Love it.. super cheap. smell, ok, almost nothing.
last forever.. really good!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* itscake4me on 4/5/2011 5:42:00 AM more reviews by itscake4me

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I normally use grape seed oil as a pre-cleanse and Caswell-Massey Almond & Aloe Cold Cream soap as my cleanser. I forgot my Caswell-Massey at home after traveling for spring break, and found this as a temporary replacement.
It's definitely gentle, for me at least. It's really just a plain basic soap, although probably less harsh than others. It worked fine for the week I used it. I didn't experience any breakouts.
My only complain though was that it was hard to get a lather off the bar, which isn't a huge problem. However, I also felt like my face wasn't as clean as usual when I used this. But for the price, I think this bar soap is fine. If I ever run out of my regular cleanser, I would consider using this again.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* niveous on 4/5/2011 1:50:00 AM more reviews by niveous

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

My go-to cleanser when I want to remove my makeup, yet doesn't leave my face dry or taut. I love how simple and mild it is - forget all the expensive cleansers that promise to do miracles! There doesn't appear to be anything harsh in this soap and I'm sad I decided to try this bar after years of washing with some pretty harsh stuff. I think the price for this bar has gone up - it's now selling for $7 in some drugstores? Still worth it though, if you buy the bonus-sized bar, as it will last you a long time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* TerracottaSun on 2/1/2011 10:15:00 PM more reviews by TerracottaSun

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Softer than Dove & as creamy as Clinique's "Extra" Mild Facial Bar Soap, but 90% cheaper. My skin looked clean, refreshed & did not dry me out. The soap is fragrance free & unlike Dove last a long time. Great investment for $1.89 @ Walmart.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

nlb33 on 1/11/2011 1:33:00 PM more reviews by nlb33

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Just like using any old bar soap- immediately strips the skin and makes it feel dry and tight. I only bought it because I couldn't find my regular cleanser and I needed something for a few days. I could have just used my Dial from the shower for the same result. I fell for the packaging with words like sensitive and gentle but it is really just soap.

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