Zia • Fresh Cleansing Gel • Cleansers

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rsandee on 10/11/2006 9:27:00 AM more reviews by rsandee

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This is my favorite cleanser and I hope I will never have to switch! I have rosacea and it seems most cleansers and moisturizers sting upon application. This one is soothing, which is a first.

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LoveMyMarine on 10/3/2006 3:05:00 PM more reviews by LoveMyMarine

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a wonderful no frills cleanser but not powerful enough to remove all traces of makeup. I love the smell of this stuff, the texture, its very relaxing and calming to sensitive skin. Would be great as just a soothing cleanser not intended to remove makeup, which is why i gave it 3 lippies.

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*TOP REVIEWER* boscoe7777 on 9/17/2006 9:10:00 AM more reviews by boscoe7777

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Does not smell good and left a filmy residue. Will not repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mmmmary on 4/18/2006 5:54:00 PM more reviews by mmmmary

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I've used this as a face cleanser but don't anymore. In my opinion where it really shines is as a shaving gel! I read that it can be used for that on the Zia website and I'm so glad I tried it because it's perfect. Goes on quickly and easily, does not clog up the razor, razor burn is never a problem, and it leaves my legs so smooth and soft! I wouldn't mind if it was a little cheaper, but the container's going to last me forever. EDIT 6/21/2006: Nope, L'Occitane Honey Shower Gel works better, and I don't need a separate product, which is especially nice now that it's vacation time:-)

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courty on 3/10/2006 12:38:00 PM more reviews by courty

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I wish "maybe" was a choice for "would you buy this again?" because I really don't know. I like this cleanser because its non-irritating and very gentle (lots and lots of cleansers irritate and dry out my skin). but on the other hand, I don't feel like it does much either. I love the smell, and the texture is really nice. I rub it on my face for maybe 30 seconds. Initially I found it kind of hard to wash off, but now I don't have a problem. I guess I just don't get an especially "clean" feeling after this. I wouldn't trust it to remove my high-PPD SS, or to remove the cleansing oils I use to take off the SS. For a very gentle cleanser, I prefer my Avene Cleanser With Cold Cream (equally gentle as the Zia, but leaves more of a clean feeling), and for a still gentle but more effective cleansing I like Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel. Between those two cleansers, which I'd consider my HGs- both good for different purposes- I just don't think the Zia adds anything to my routine. I received it in swap, will probably use it up (which will take awhile), but I'm just not sure I'll buy it again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* alliebeth on 11/7/2005 1:28:00 PM more reviews by alliebeth

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy   Eyes: Blue    

If this wasn't a product recommended for rosacea (both by Dr. Geoffrey Nase and Zia CS), I probably wouldn't hold it to such standards. However, it didn't perform well for me at all.

I generally prefer foaming cleansers because I breakout from cream ones. However, this product is a non-foaming gel, kind of in the middle. It was surprisingly drying with repetative use, considering it was non-foaming though.

I also had some chin breakouts (enough to attribute to this product) both in the form of red blemishes and whiteheads that sprung up overnight and fully formed. Over the period I tested it, I noticed increased forehead and cheek redness/flush, and forehead redness isn’t common for me. Right after washing with it, my cheeks had several red bumps--like pre-blemishes--that disappeared by morning. I also noticed some increased sensitivity, though subtle, and I wasn't using any other products at the time of testing. I suspect all this could have been from the algae extract or ylang ylang fragrance, which I hate because I loved the fragrance’s scent.

I did test its sunscreen removal abilities since I would have added it next to my routine, saying the Zia went well tested alone. However, my results were inexplicably inconsistant, removing sunscreen off my testing finger one day but not another. I need to be able to count on sunscreen removal.

With the increased redness/sensitivity/breakouts/dryness, I can't recommend this product, especially for rosaceans. I will say that the symptoms were subtle enough that, if there weren't so many, I would have continued use to see if they diminished.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* lizsybarite on 10/20/2005 10:15:00 AM more reviews by lizsybarite

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

Soft, gentle, natural stuff you can feel good about putting on your face. But it doesn't remove makeup, like, at all - believe me, I tried, and I think I defeated the whole point of using a gentle cleanser with all the rubbing I did around my eyes! I wanted to like this much more than I did. *However*, if you want a gentle, natural cleanser that's not for makeup removal, this may be perfect.

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

racket11 on 10/11/2005 10:47:00 PM more reviews by racket11

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I've never used a cleanser quite like this before! It's not a cream, it doesn't lather, It's a soothing gel that cleans without drying, but also leaves no residue. It's packaged in a shower-friendly plastic bottle which is reasonably priced. I get the 8 oz. size and refill my 2 oz. bottle for travel. This has become my basic cleanser which I use whenever I'm not exfoliating, scrubbing, etc. It's a no-frills, hard to beat basic which i don't plan to be without!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Artbabe on 9/29/2005 9:26:00 PM more reviews by Artbabe

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I have been using Zia Fresh Cleansing Gel for several years. It is a fairly gentle, non-foaming gel cleanser with a slightly slippery, almost seaweedy feeling (which I happen to like). You only need a SMALL amount applied to damp skin; if you put on too much it will probably be difficult to rinse off. This doesn't irritate my skin, dry it out or make it oily. I use it in the morning and C.O. Bigelow Rose Wonder Cream at night. This has become a HG routine for my combo/mature skin. You can buy this at many health food stores or online. They sell a 2 oz. travel size bottle for $5 so you can try it out first.

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*TOP REVIEWER* LittleBear23 on 9/29/2005 6:29:00 PM more reviews by LittleBear23

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is an excellent cleanser for me. I can tell because I am on the 3nd bottle, I don't hate it, and my skin looks consistently good.

Over the last year I have been alternating cleansers- one at the sink, one in the shower, one at the gym because I just couldn't find one that really did anything for me. The were all so blah. Then I took a travel-size bottle of this to Hawaii for 2 weeks and I noticed that my skin looked super. After hours every day in the sun and tons of thick sunscreen my skin looked better than before. This was the only cleanser I was using and my other skincare was the same.

I'm happy with this and I'll keep using it. I'm not saying its a miracle, but it fits me perfectly and its maybe a tiny miracle.

Edit- One year later and this is all I use. I have one on my sink, one in my shower, and one in my gym bag. I cannot imagine changing.

Edit- Another year and I'm still using this. Highly recommended.

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Darcy49 on 5/24/2005 3:13:00 PM more reviews by Darcy49

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Non-foaming, non-drying and felt cool and soothing but unfortunately this began breaking me out after about 3 days use. Continued to use for 2 weeks, but the breakouts got worse. Caused blemishes in areas where I normally do not break out (cheeks and eyelids!). INGREDIENTS: Deionized water, PEG-7 glyceral cocoate, methylcellulose, sucrose cocoate, xanthan gum, glycerin, sea algae extract, sodium copper chlorophyllin, essential oil of ylang ylang, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, tetrasodium EDTA.

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

mrsdalloway on 4/15/2005 12:42:00 AM more reviews by mrsdalloway

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

I really don't care too much for this cleanser, but it's also not the worst thing I've tried. It has a strong scent and in my opinion leaves behind a significant residue. It takes some work to get it all to wash off. It is, however, otherwise, very gentle and doesn't cause any problems for my sensitive skin. I can see how it would work for some people.

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

tashak on 3/21/2005 2:04:00 PM more reviews by tashak

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Other    

The least irritating cleanser, recommended for rosacea or those using retinA/tazorac, etc. Doesn't strip the skin of oil, and doesn't exfoliate at all. It definitely cleans well and rinses very clean. It's an unusual gel texture and does not foam, but it does get all makeup and sunscreen off (I've tested it) for me. But if you wear heavy makeup, you may want to also use a gentle facecloth (like Eve Lom's) or as another poster said, baking powder. It's an essential for me-- though I do alternate with a more exfoliating cleanser when I need deeper cleaning. An excellent product, and truly unique-- there is not anything else quite like it on the market. Also extremely well priced, and a bottle seems to last forever.

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

tahti on 3/6/2005 2:02:00 PM more reviews by tahti

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is the perfect cleanser for my hypersensitive skin; skin gets cleaner and has less blackheads than with Cetaphil. After simplifying my skin care regimen to just this and Avon micro-exfoliant, my usually irritated face has never looked better.

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renate123 on 3/5/2005 8:02:00 PM more reviews by renate123

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I just have to rave about this cleanser. I am currently on my third bottle. I just bought another bottle . I had to get it from a different store because they were out of it at the store where I usually buy it (panic). I just refuse to use any other cleanser on my skin.I have very sensitive skin. I also suffer from mild rosacae and combo skin (very oily T-zone). I decided to buy this cleanser because I wanted to try something more natural and without any sulfates. This is the only cleanser that doesn't irritate my skin or make me break out and believe me I have tried a lot of cleansers. This cleanser never strips my skin, it just leaves my skin clean and soft and without any residue.This is my HG cleanser for morning and night and i will continue to use it until they won't make it anymore, which will hopefully never happen.I give this cleanser 5 lippies for its great performance.

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sefis on 12/31/2004 3:32:00 AM more reviews by sefis

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

This is a decent cleanser, it is very gentle, but I felt I had to use quite a bit to get my face clean and it seems overpriced like most zia products. This might be good for someone with dry and sensitive skin, but it doesn't work for me. I'd suggest the Alba pineapple enzyme cleanser as a good alternative.

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atoop on 12/11/2004 7:51:00 PM more reviews by atoop

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I like the gentle cleansing power of this product as an addition to my skin care regimine. Like others have said, the nonstripping, soothing, formulation is great but it would not be strong enough to remove sunscreen/makeup. I think this isn't too surprising (you can't have it all) - so I use this on days I do not apply makeup and as my morning cleanser. In comparison to to other gentle cleansers, think it is more soothing and less stripping BUT I think the smell is bad and the algae is a little pore clogging. I think I will repuchase but keep an eye out for a better product.

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amang on 11/27/2004 12:29:00 PM more reviews by amang

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love this cleanser, and most of the above reviews have covered why it's so great, but I wanted to add two things. First, the reason why it's non irritating is that it is one of the few cleansers available without sodium laurel sulphate, which is added to most cleansers, shampoos, etc to make them foam. Lots of peopel react to SLS and there are some health concerns about it. Second, the ylang-ylang is added to reduce redness, not as a fragrance, so I would count this cleanser as 'unsented.'

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XFOLI8R on 10/28/2004 8:13:00 PM more reviews by XFOLI8R

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Great stuff. I've used it for a few years now. Cleans thoroughly without drying or irritation, and leaves skin soft and fresh. Smells a little weird, but not overly perfumed and not unpleasant to me. It'd probably take a little extra washing to remove heavy makeup with this; for a gentle, effective scrub, mix a bit of baking soda into it to make a soft paste. Not too expensive at $16 for 6 oz. One problem with the bottle -- the narrow opening clogs easily and I have to work some dried gel out of it every so often. The fragrance and algae ingredients apparently cause problems for some people, so I'd start with a trial size.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* road on 9/12/2004 10:38:00 PM more reviews by road

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I think this cleanser would be good for someone who doesn't wear much makeup. The one thing I didn't like was that it didn't remove my mascara or all of the foundation. I rubbed this cleanser on my face for a full minute like the directions say. One good thing was that it didn't sting my eyes at all and it didn't smell at all.

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